Security Sales & Integration

October 2012

SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.

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Fire Side Chat HOW NFPA COMMITTEES GET TECHNICAL ABOUT IT by Shane Clary Shane Clary, Ph.D., has more than 37 years of security and fi re alarm industry experience. He serves on a number of NFPA technical committees, and is Vice President of Codes and Standards Compliance for Pacheco, Calif.-headquartered Bay Alarm Co. smclary@bayalarm.com While NFPA 72 is the most widely referenced document for installing fi re system contractors, the codes and standards it contains are a distillation from a host of other infl uential organizations and governing bodies. Being a true professional means understanding not just what these directives are but also the how and why. NFPA has more than 70,000 members, with several thousand serving on its in excess of 250 Technical Committees (TC) that publish some 300 documents. A nyone who has spent time in the business of designing, installing, maintaining and monitoring fi re alarm systems has come to realize they are regulated by codes and standards. T e document used the most is NFPA 72, T e National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). NFPA 72 is not, however, the only document that governs fi re alarm systems nor is NFPA the only organization that promulgates codes and standards associated with fi re protection. T is fi rst of two columns covers the development process of fi re protection codes and standards. IT ALL TICKLES DOWN FROM ANSI In the United States, the national organization that serves as the clearing house for most codes and standards is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI is the offi cial U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Most countries are members of one if not both of these international organizations. ANSI accredits organizations as Accredited Standards Developers (ASDs). T ese ASDs promulgate standards of all types, to which fi re protection is just a part. T ere are just fewer than 200 ASDs that produce about 10,000 ANSI standards at this time. All ASDs must follow the ANSI Essential Requirements for the development of American National 28 / SECURITYSALES.COM / OCTOBER 2012 Standards. T e principles of the Essential Requirements are: • Consensus must be reached by representatives from materially aff ected and interested parties • Standards are required to undergo public review when any member of the public may submit comments • Comments for the consensus body and public review commenters must respond in good faith • An appeals process is required T e Essential Requirements follow international accepted principles of standardization that are used by ISO and IEC member states. T us the method of codes and standards development used in the U.S. is similar to those used in countries such as Germany, Australia, China, Russia and Brazil. ROLE OF NFPA TECHNICAL COMMITTEES While most if not all installers of fi re protection systems in the U.S. are familiar with NFPA, they may not be familiar with the process of producing a document within that association. NFPA has more than 70,000 members, with several thousand serving on its in excess of 250 Technical Committees (TC) that publish some 300 documents. NFPA's TCs process produces four diff erent types of documents: Codes; Standards; Recommended Practices; and Guides. T e fi rst two are written in mandated language ("shall") while the fi nal two are written with nonmandatory language ("should"). T e body that governs the standard-making process for PHOTOGRAPHY ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/PICTAFOLIO

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