What are the NFPA Standards for Commercial Fire Protection?
What is NFPA?
The National Fire Protection Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1896. Working with more than 9,000 volunteer members, the NFPA works to create fair, balanced standards for the health and safety of the general public. The NFPA’s goal is to eliminate death, injury, and property loss caused by fire; therefore, they have developed more than 300 codes and standards for fire prevention.
Types of Fire Protection Codes
The NFPA fire protection codes include specific codes that developers, engineers, and architects must follow when constructing a building to prevent fires. It also includes particular codes that regulate the type of fire alarm systems required inside a building depending on factors such as the size of the building, the kind of business taking place inside, and the number of people inside.
NFPA 72 is the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, which sets all the latest requirements that businesses must follow for detecting fires in facilities, notifying occupants of a fire, and communicating the emergency to the proper authorities.
NFPA 72 also sets the requirements for alarms systems to warn building occupants of dangers posed from weather emergencies, terrorist events, and other types of emergencies.
In addition to the signaling requirements codes are other essential considerations your business needs to follow for fire protection, including having sprinklers in the building or training employees to use fire extinguishers. Other codes, such as NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, or NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers cover these kinds of rules.
Not only do all of these codes contain specifications for the type of equipment that must be put into a business to protect people from fire, they also include requirements on how often you have to test your fire alarm systems.
Penalties for Failing to Comply
Making sure your fire protection system is compliant with all applicable codes and standards is the responsibility of every business owner. Failure to meet the rules can result in severe financial penalties or even your business being shut down.
FSS Technologies has the expertise to help your business customize a fire detection and prevention system that will keep your employees, property, and customers safe. We also have certified technicians to properly service your system per NFPA standards.