NFPA - Revision history

Mark: Revise against the FSE wiki writing guidelines: corrections after independent fact-check (revised by Claude Opus 5.5)

2026-11-02T18:38:50Z

Revise against the FSE wiki writing guidelines: corrections after independent fact-check (revised by Claude Opus 5.5)

Mark: Revise against the FSE wiki writing guidelines: verified and corrected citations and sources, structure, See also, links, style (revised by Claude Opus 5.5)

2026-11-02T17:51:16Z

Revise against the FSE wiki writing guidelines: verified and corrected citations and sources, structure, See also, links, style (revised by Claude Opus 5.5)

Show changes

Sanne: Add diagrams fse-nfpa-v1.svg, fse-nfpa-v2.svg, fse-nfpa-v3.svg (level-1 visual plan)

2026-11-02T07:13:39Z

Add diagrams fse-nfpa-v1.svg, fse-nfpa-v2.svg, fse-nfpa-v3.svg (level-1 visual plan)

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:13, 2 November 2026
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	The authority having jurisdiction determines which documents are adopted and how. NIST describes New York City adopting sections of the National Fire Alarm Code and National Electrical Code as reference standards. It did not necessarily adopt every provision or the newest edition.<ref name="Keough-1" />		The authority having jurisdiction determines which documents are adopted and how. NIST describes New York City adopting sections of the National Fire Alarm Code and National Electrical Code as reference standards. It did not necessarily adopt every provision or the newest edition.<ref name="Keough-1" />
			[[File:fse-nfpa-v1.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=NFPA documents pass through jurisdiction-specific adoption before becoming legal requirements.\|Legal effect depends on adoption, scope and edition. Based on Keough and Grill (2005), pp. 1–2 and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), p. E-1.]]

	This means that a citation should include jurisdiction, code edition and adoption context. Saying that a system follows NFPA is incomplete without identifying the document and its applicable requirements. The same technical title can have different editions with different provisions.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />		This means that a citation should include jurisdiction, code edition and adoption context. Saying that a system follows NFPA is incomplete without identifying the document and its applicable requirements. The same technical title can have different editions with different provisions.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />
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	NIST explains why the newest document is not necessarily the applicable one. An authority may adopt an earlier edition, and the code in effect during design may continue to govern the system unless retroactive provisions apply. Development and adoption are separate stages.<ref name="Keough-1" />		NIST explains why the newest document is not necessarily the applicable one. An authority may adopt an earlier edition, and the code in effect during design may continue to govern the system unless retroactive provisions apply. Development and adoption are separate stages.<ref name="Keough-1" />
			[[File:fse-nfpa-v2.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=New editions move through adoption into project-specific code-of-record decisions.\|The newest edition is not automatically the applicable edition. Based on Keough and Grill (2005), pp. 1–2 and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), p. E-1.]]

	Project records should identify the edition used for every relevant system. This includes related standards for alarms, sprinklers, water supplies and maintenance. A later edition cannot be assumed to change the approved basis without the required adoption or review.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />		Project records should identify the edition used for every relevant system. This includes related standards for alarms, sprinklers, water supplies and maintenance. A later edition cannot be assumed to change the approved basis without the required adoption or review.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />
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	Their chapter distinguishes deterministic fire-hazard analysis from probabilistic fire-risk analysis. It links each phenomenon to the data required to characterise it, such as activation time, system output, reliability or structural performance. This makes fire statistics an input to engineering, not a substitute for the analysis.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Hall-5-66">Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.</ref>		Their chapter distinguishes deterministic fire-hazard analysis from probabilistic fire-risk analysis. It links each phenomenon to the data required to characterise it, such as activation time, system output, reliability or structural performance. This makes fire statistics an input to engineering, not a substitute for the analysis.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Hall-5-66">Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.</ref>
			[[File:fse-nfpa-v3.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=Incident records, exposure data, field observations and tests support analysis.\|Fire analysis uses different forms of evidence for different questions. Based on Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.]]

	Exposure data provide denominators for frequency estimates. Examples include the number of units in use or the amount of office space, which can support rates per unit or per area. A count of fires alone does not provide the full exposure needed for every rate.<ref name="Hall-5-65" />		Exposure data provide denominators for frequency estimates. Examples include the number of units in use or the amount of office space, which can support rates per unit or per area. A count of fires alone does not provide the full exposure needed for every rate.<ref name="Hall-5-65" />

Jan: New FSE wiki article: NFPA (written by Kimi Code CLI)

2026-11-02T02:57:53Z

New FSE wiki article: NFPA (written by Kimi Code CLI)

New page

'''NFPA''' is the National Fire Protection Association, an organisation that develops, publishes and distributes consensus codes and standards intended to reduce the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. Its documents address subjects such as building systems, alarms, sprinklers, extinguishing agents, electrical installations and fire analysis.<ref name="NUREG-E1">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), p. E-1.</ref><ref name="SFPE-iii">DiNenno (2002), pp. iii–iv.</ref>

NFPA documents can support legislation, regulation, design, specification and risk evaluation. Their legal effect depends on adoption by an authority and on the edition referenced. An NFPA publication is therefore not automatically a binding building regulation in every jurisdiction.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1">Keough and Grill (2005), pp. 1–2.</ref>

The organisation also publishes fire-analysis and engineering resources. The third edition of the SFPE Handbook identifies NFPA as publisher and John R. Hall Jr. of NFPA as a section editor. Hall and Martha Ahrens are identified as NFPA fire-analysis specialists in the chapter on engineering data.<ref name="SFPE-iii" /><ref name="Hall-5-65">Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-66.</ref>

== Role and document families ==

NUREG-1805 describes NFPA documents as consensus codes and standards intended to minimise fire and other risks. It reports more than 300 documents in the National Fire Codes series at the time of that 2005 report. This is a source-specific description, not a current count.<ref name="NUREG-E1" />

The document families cover different technical needs. Some address installation requirements for complete systems, while others address equipment performance, testing or specific hazards. The title and scope of each document determine the question it can answer.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

[[Building regulations]] establish legal requirements within their own jurisdiction. NFPA documents may be used as a basis for regulation or referenced by it, but the authority determines what is adopted. A technical standard and an enforceable building provision should therefore not be treated as identical.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

The NIST fire-alarm history illustrates that separation. It describes NFPA 72 as providing performance requirements for alarm equipment and devices, while the local building code determines where systems or devices are required. NFPA 70 addresses installation of supporting cable and hardware rather than choosing the required devices.<ref name="Keough-1" />

NFPA also publishes the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering. Its third edition credits the Society of Fire Protection Engineers as copyright owner and NFPA as publisher. This publication role is distinct from issuing a consensus code or standard.<ref name="SFPE-iii" />

== Codes, standards and system design ==

A [[Sprinkler system]] can be designed using documents dedicated to sprinkler installation and related water supplies. NUREG-1805 lists NFPA 13 for sprinkler systems, NFPA 14 for standpipes and hose, NFPA 20 for fire pumps and NFPA 22 for water tanks in its 2005 appendix. Their editions must be read with that source year.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Fleming-4-73">Fleming (2002), p. 4-73.</ref>

Fleming explains that sprinkler system criteria include experience and full-scale testing as well as hydraulic calculations. The existence of a standard arrangement does not prove that every commodity and fire challenge is controlled. Hazard classification, head selection and water delivery must match the application.<ref name="Fleming-4-73" />

A [[Fire alarm system]] likewise depends on the relationship between equipment and building requirements. NFPA 72 covers alarm-system performance in the NIST account, while the local code establishes where protection is required. Equipment compliance alone does not establish complete building compliance.<ref name="Keough-1" />

Other NFPA documents address water-based and non-water suppression. The NUREG appendix includes standards for portable extinguishers, foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemicals, wet chemicals and water spray. These are different agents and system arrangements rather than interchangeable versions of one design.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="NUREG-B15">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), p. B-15.</ref>

The technical scope should be checked before using a document as evidence. A pump standard does not define the fire suppression outcome, and an alarm-equipment standard does not define every occupant response. The complete design must connect the technical provisions to the intended fire-safety objective.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="Fleming-4-73" />

== Adoption and legal context ==

The authority having jurisdiction determines which documents are adopted and how. NIST describes New York City adopting sections of the National Fire Alarm Code and National Electrical Code as reference standards. It did not necessarily adopt every provision or the newest edition.<ref name="Keough-1" />

This means that a citation should include jurisdiction, code edition and adoption context. Saying that a system follows NFPA is incomplete without identifying the document and its applicable requirements. The same technical title can have different editions with different provisions.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />

NFPA 805 provides a specialised example. It is a performance-based standard for fire protection at light-water reactor plants, and the NRC amended its rules in 2004 to permit voluntary adoption by existing reactor licensees. That pathway belongs to US nuclear regulation, not to general building design.<ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2010), pp. 1-1–1-2.</ref>

The NRC example also shows the need for change evaluation. Changes to a previously approved programme can require assessment of their effects, including design, maintenance, procedures and impairments. A performance-based standard does not eliminate regulatory review of later changes.<ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1" />

Adoption can therefore be voluntary or mandatory within a defined legal framework. The project must establish which route applies and which supporting guidance is recognised. A standard's existence does not answer those jurisdictional questions.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1" />

== Editions and code of record ==

NUREG-1805 reports that NFPA codes and standards are revised on three- to five-year cycles. It identifies the code or standard in effect at design or implementation as the code of record for that application. This statement belongs to the 2005 guidance and should be applied through the actual project requirements.<ref name="NUREG-E1" />

NIST explains why the newest document is not necessarily the applicable one. An authority may adopt an earlier edition, and the code in effect during design may continue to govern the system unless retroactive provisions apply. Development and adoption are separate stages.<ref name="Keough-1" />

Project records should identify the edition used for every relevant system. This includes related standards for alarms, sprinklers, water supplies and maintenance. A later edition cannot be assumed to change the approved basis without the required adoption or review.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />

Older source documents remain useful for understanding methods and history. NUREG-1805's appendix lists editions from its period, while NIST reviews historical systems and codes. Their contents should not be represented as the latest NFPA requirements.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

Change evaluation also applies to system alterations. NFPA 805's nuclear context requires assessment when approved programme elements change. That provides a concrete example of why edition control and management of change belong together.<ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1" />

== Fire data and engineering analysis ==

[[Fire statistics]] provide evidence about ignition, consequences, reliability and exposure. Hall and Ahrens identify fire-incident data, field observations, usage or exposure data and laboratory results as data sources for engineering analysis. The data needed depend on the analysis question.<ref name="Hall-5-65" />

Their chapter distinguishes deterministic fire-hazard analysis from probabilistic fire-risk analysis. It links each phenomenon to the data required to characterise it, such as activation time, system output, reliability or structural performance. This makes fire statistics an input to engineering, not a substitute for the analysis.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Hall-5-66">Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.</ref>

Exposure data provide denominators for frequency estimates. Examples include the number of units in use or the amount of office space, which can support rates per unit or per area. A count of fires alone does not provide the full exposure needed for every rate.<ref name="Hall-5-65" />

Laboratory evidence can describe fire size, material behaviour and activation under planned conditions. Field observations can reveal reliability, impairments and degradation in actual use. Combining those forms of evidence helps connect tested performance with operational experience.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Hall-5-66" />

The NFPA affiliation of the chapter authors illustrates the organisation's fire-analysis role. Hall is identified as an NFPA assistant vice-president for Fire Analysis and Research, and Ahrens as a fire analysis specialist. These are roles documented in the 2002 handbook, not a complete description of the present organisation.<ref name="Hall-5-65" />

== Relationship with SFPE ==

[[SFPE]] is the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, a professional society associated with fire-engineering handbooks and guidance. NFPA and SFPE have different roles even where they collaborate on publications. One should not be used as a synonym for the other.<ref name="SFPE-iii" /><ref name="IFEG-0-3-2">Australian Building Codes Board et al. (2005), p. 0.3-2.</ref>

The third-edition SFPE Handbook credits an editorial team from both organisations. Philip DiNenno is editor-in-chief, and section editors include specialists from universities, NIST, industry and NFPA. This illustrates technical collaboration rather than a single authorship model.<ref name="SFPE-iii" />

NUREG-1805 derives its methods primarily from the SFPE Handbook, the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook and other fire-science literature. This shows how NFPA-published resources contribute to engineering methods beyond their direct use as standards. The report then adapts them to its nuclear-inspection context.<ref name="NUREG-1-1">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), pp. xxxvii–xxxviii and 1-1.</ref>

SFPE engineering guides address design processes, uncertainty and professional judgement. NFPA codes and standards often define technical requirements for particular systems. Both can inform a project, but they answer different questions about process and performance.<ref name="Notarianni-5-43">Notarianni (2002), pp. 5-43–5-44.</ref><ref name="NUREG-E1" />

Their documents must still be applied critically. A handbook correlation has a validity range, and a standard has a scope and adoption context. Organisational reputation does not remove those limits.<ref name="NUREG-1-1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

== Interpretation and limitations ==

NFPA publications do not provide one universal answer to every fire-safety problem. System-specific standards must be combined with building requirements, fire scenarios and operational evidence. The intended outcome should guide which documents are relevant.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="Hall-5-65" />

Consensus development does not remove uncertainty in fire behaviour or human response. Notarianni discusses how design criteria, model limitations and behavioural assumptions can change acceptability. These issues require explicit review even where established documents are used.<ref name="Notarianni-5-43" />

Historical values need their dates and test conditions. NUREG-1805 and NIST documents describe particular editions and systems, and their numerical examples are not current universal requirements. The source context should travel with any reused value.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

Performance-based documents also require professional review. NFPA 805's implementation history includes further guidance and resolution of interpretation questions. A performance-based label alone does not demonstrate that the analysis is complete or accepted.<ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1" />

The most reliable description of NFPA's role is therefore document-centred. Identify the publication, its technical purpose, edition and legal status, then assess its evidence against the actual project. This avoids both unsupported organisational claims and misuse of standards.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Keough-1" />

== Historical and evidentiary context ==

NIST's fire-alarm history records publication of an early fire-alarm signalling standard by NFPA in 1899. It traces later editions towards the National Fire Alarm Code. This is a document history and does not imply that the 1899 provisions resemble current requirements.<ref name="Keough-1" />

The same history describes a shift from predominantly property-focused alarm technology towards a broader view of occupant life safety. It identifies studies published in 1962 as part of that change. This helps explain why a modern assessment connects alarms with other building systems rather than viewing them as isolated equipment.<ref name="Keough-1" />

Historical development also reinforces the need for edition identification. A document can retain a familiar title while its technical content and application change. Referring only to NFPA 72 or NFPA 13 without an edition would omit information needed to interpret a provision.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-E1" />

Fire-analysis data have their own context as well. Incident records can show what happened in reported cases, while laboratory tests examine controlled variations and exposure data describe the population at risk. These sources answer different questions and should not be merged into an unsupported general rate.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Hall-5-66" />

The use of standards by government agencies demonstrates another form of document influence. NUREG-1805 notes references by US agencies and by insurance and design organisations. Such use depends on the adopting body's purpose and should not be confused with universal legal acceptance.<ref name="NUREG-E1" />

Water-supply documents illustrate the value of reading related standards together. Sprinkler demand depends on the distribution design and the available supply, so a sprinkler installation document may be connected to pump, tank and standpipe provisions. The complete system must satisfy the relevant combination rather than one isolated title.<ref name="NUREG-E1" /><ref name="Fleming-4-73" />

The claimed performance of a system must remain evidence based. An installed arrangement can match a cited standard but still face a changed commodity, impaired supply or altered building conditions. Ongoing review and relevant test evidence remain necessary.<ref name="Fleming-4-73" /><ref name="NUREG-10-2">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2005), p. 10-2.</ref>

For every project, the useful NFPA citation is therefore precise about the document, edition, scope and adopting authority. This lets a reviewer distinguish a technical requirement from a handbook method or a legal obligation. It also prevents the organisation's name from being used as a substitute for the underlying evidence.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="Hall-5-65" />

Document control also applies when a design is reviewed years later. The reviewer must be able to recover the cited edition and understand its status at approval, rather than comparing the old system only with an unrelated newer text. Any subsequent evaluation should state whether it addresses original compliance, a proposed alteration or a new regulatory objective.<ref name="Keough-1" /><ref name="NUREG-6850-1-1" />

Evidence used to satisfy a document should be distinguished from the document itself. A test report can support equipment performance, while a building analysis examines how that equipment behaves in its actual setting. Combining those sources gives a traceable basis for judging the complete application.<ref name="Hall-5-65" /><ref name="Fleming-4-73" />

== See also ==

* [[Fire safety concepts tree]]
* [[Fire statistics]]
* [[SFPE]]

== Notes ==

<references />

== References ==

* Australian Building Codes Board, National Research Council of Canada, International Code Council, & Department of Building and Housing New Zealand. (2005). ''International fire engineering guidelines'' (2005 ed.). Australian Building Codes Board.
* DiNenno, P. J. (Ed.). (2002). ''SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering'' (3rd ed.). National Fire Protection Association.
* Fleming, R. P. (2002). Automatic sprinkler system calculations. In P. J. DiNenno (Ed.), ''SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering'' (3rd ed.). National Fire Protection Association.
* Hall, J. R., Jr., & Ahrens, M. J. (2002). Data for engineering analysis. In P. J. DiNenno (Ed.), ''SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering'' (3rd ed.). National Fire Protection Association.
* Keough, R. J., & Grill, R. A. (2005). ''Fire alarm systems'' (NIST NCSTAR 1-4C). National Institute of Standards and Technology.
* Notarianni, K. A. (2002). Uncertainty. In P. J. DiNenno (Ed.), ''SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering'' (3rd ed.). National Fire Protection Association.
* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (2005). ''Fire dynamics tools: Quantitative fire hazard analysis methods for the U.S. nuclear regulatory commission fire protection inspection program'' (NUREG-1805). Author.
* U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (2010). ''Fire PRA methods enhancements'' (NUREG/CR-6850, Supplement 1). Author.

[[Category:Fire Safety Design & Regulation]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:38, 2 November 2026
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	[[File:fse-nfpa-v2.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=New editions move through adoption into project-specific code-of-record decisions.\|The newest edition is not automatically the applicable edition. Based on Keough and Grill (2005), pp. 1–2 and Iqbal and Salley (2004), p. E-1.]]		[[File:fse-nfpa-v2.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=New editions move through adoption into project-specific code-of-record decisions.\|The newest edition is not automatically the applicable edition. Based on Keough and Grill (2005), pp. 1–2 and Iqbal and Salley (2004), p. E-1.]]

	Retroactive provisions are the exception rather than the rule. Normal practice is not to apply building code changes to existing buildings unless they undergo major renovation or a change in primary use.<ref name="Lew-141" /> Even so, two New York City local laws of 1973 and 1984 contained retroactive provisions.<ref name="Lew-141" /> The Life Safety Code is a notable case, because NIST notes that NFPA 101 applies retroactively to all buildings, whether or not any work is being done on them.<ref name="NIST-221">National Institute of Standards and Technology (2005), p. 221.</ref> ~~Which edition applies, and to which building, is therefore a question about the adopting regulation as much as about the NFPA document itself.~~		Retroactive provisions are the exception rather than the rule. Normal practice is not to apply building code changes to existing buildings unless they undergo major renovation or a change in primary use.<ref name="Lew-141" /> Even so, two New York City local laws of 1973 and 1984 contained retroactive provisions.<ref name="Lew-141" /> The Life Safety Code is a notable case, because NIST notes that NFPA 101 applies retroactively to all buildings, whether or not any work is being done on them.<ref name="NIST-221">National Institute of Standards and Technology (2005), p. 221.</ref>

	Edition control matters outside the United States as well. The first edition of the New Zealand C/VM2 required its referenced documents to be used in the editions it listed, among them NFPA 285 of 1998, a fire test for exterior walls.<ref name="MBIE-3-4">Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2013), pp. 3–4.</ref> The second edition of C/VM2 (2025) removed its references to building product standards, including NFPA 285, and points instead to separate Building Product Specifications.<ref name="MBIE25-3">Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2025b), p. 3.</ref> The Australian data sheets of 2020 cite NFPA 72 in its 2019 edition, whereas the NUREG-1805 list of 2004 gives the 2002 edition.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109">Australian Building Codes Board (2020a), Data Sheet C3, pp. 109–111.</ref><ref name="Iqbal-E" />		Edition control matters outside the United States as well. The first edition of the New Zealand C/VM2 required its referenced documents to be used in the editions it listed, among them NFPA 285 of 1998, a fire test for exterior walls.<ref name="MBIE-3-4">Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2013), pp. 3–4.</ref> The second edition of C/VM2 (2025) removed its references to building product standards, including NFPA 285, and points instead to separate Building Product Specifications.<ref name="MBIE25-3">Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2025b), p. 3.</ref> The Australian data sheets of 2020 cite NFPA 72 in its 2019 edition, whereas the NUREG-1805 list of 2004 gives the 2002 edition.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109">Australian Building Codes Board (2020a), Data Sheet C3, pp. 109–111.</ref><ref name="Iqbal-E" />
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	Two NFPA staff members, John R. Hall Jr. and Martha J. Ahrens, wrote the chapter on data for engineering analysis in the SFPE Handbook.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65">Hall and Ahrens (2002), p. 5-65.</ref> At the time, Hall was NFPA's assistant vice-president for fire analysis and research, and Ahrens was a fire analysis specialist.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" /> They group the data needed for fire hazard and fire risk analysis into incident and field observation data, usage or exposure data, and laboratory test results.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" /> Exposure data supply the denominators of rates, such as the number of portable heaters in use or the floor area of offices. With these, a count of fires becomes a frequency, such as fires per year per heater in use.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" />		Two NFPA staff members, John R. Hall Jr. and Martha J. Ahrens, wrote the chapter on data for engineering analysis in the SFPE Handbook.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65">Hall and Ahrens (2002), p. 5-65.</ref> At the time, Hall was NFPA's assistant vice-president for fire analysis and research, and Ahrens was a fire analysis specialist.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" /> They group the data needed for fire hazard and fire risk analysis into incident and field observation data, usage or exposure data, and laboratory test results.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" /> Exposure data supply the denominators of rates, such as the number of portable heaters in use or the floor area of offices. With these, a count of fires becomes a frequency, such as fires per year per heater in use.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-65" />
	[[File:fse-nfpa-v3.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=Incident records, exposure data, field observations and tests support analysis.\|~~Fire~~ analysis ~~uses different forms~~ of ~~evidence for different questions~~. Based on Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.]]		[[File:fse-nfpa-v3.svg\|thumb\|upright=1.5\|alt=Incident records, exposure data, field observations and tests support analysis.\|Main types of data for fire analysis. The arrows show examples of use; hazard and risk analyses typically need the same generic types of data. Based on Hall and Ahrens (2002), pp. 5-65–5-67.]]

	Analyses of NFPA data are also used outside the United States. The Australian data sheets for the Fire Safety Verification Method (2020) take values for wet pipe sprinkler systems from an NFPA analysis of US fires in 2007–2011.<ref name="ABCB-C2">Australian Building Codes Board (2020a), Data Sheet C2, p. 76.</ref> In residential properties, the sprinklers operated in 95 per cent of the fires large enough to activate them.<ref name="ABCB-C2" /> They were effective in 97 per cent of those fires, so they operated effectively in 92 per cent.<ref name="ABCB-C2" /> The same data sheets draw on NFPA's periodic report on smoke alarms in US home fires, whose 2015 edition covers 2009–2013.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109" /> In that period, battery-powered smoke alarms operated in 80 per cent of the home fires large enough to activate them, and hard-wired alarms with battery backup in 95 per cent.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109" />		Analyses of NFPA data are also used outside the United States. The Australian data sheets for the Fire Safety Verification Method (2020) take values for wet pipe sprinkler systems from an NFPA analysis of US fires in 2007–2011.<ref name="ABCB-C2">Australian Building Codes Board (2020a), Data Sheet C2, p. 76.</ref> In residential properties, the sprinklers operated in 95 per cent of the fires large enough to activate them.<ref name="ABCB-C2" /> They were effective in 97 per cent of those fires, so they operated effectively in 92 per cent.<ref name="ABCB-C2" /> The same data sheets draw on NFPA's periodic report on smoke alarms in US home fires, whose 2015 edition covers 2009–2013.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109" /> In that period, battery-powered smoke alarms operated in 80 per cent of the home fires large enough to activate them, and hard-wired alarms with battery backup in 95 per cent.<ref name="ABCB-C3-109" />

	NFPA has also taken part in research on human behaviour in fire. In the days after the attacks of 11 September 2001, NFPA and the National Research Council Canada began to collect published first-person accounts of World Trade Center survivors.<ref name="Fahy-1">Fahy and Proulx (2005), p. 1.</ref> The material was coded and analysed to understand the evacuation experiences of survivors on different floors of the two towers.<ref name="Fahy-1" /> NIST contracted the two organisations to index a collection of more than 700 previously published interviews with survivors for its own investigation.<ref name="NIST-~~155~~">National Institute of Standards and Technology (2005), p. ~~155~~.</ref> The SFPE Handbook adds that fire risk analysis methods have been a recurring emphasis of projects organised by NFPA's Fire Protection Research Foundation.<ref name="WattsHall-7" />		NFPA has also taken part in research on human behaviour in fire. In the days after the attacks of 11 September 2001, NFPA and the National Research Council Canada began to collect published first-person accounts of World Trade Center survivors.<ref name="Fahy-1">Fahy and Proulx (2005), p. 1.</ref> The material was coded and analysed to understand the evacuation experiences of survivors on different floors of the two towers.<ref name="Fahy-1" /> NIST contracted the two organisations to index a collection of more than 700 previously published interviews with survivors for its own investigation.<ref name="NIST-157">National Institute of Standards and Technology (2005), p. 157.</ref> The SFPE Handbook adds that fire risk analysis methods have been a recurring emphasis of projects organised by NFPA's Fire Protection Research Foundation.<ref name="WattsHall-7" />

	== Engineering publications and performance-based design ==		== Engineering publications and performance-based design ==
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	== Limits and common misunderstandings ==		== Limits and common misunderstandings ==

	An NFPA document is not binding merely because it exists or is widely cited. In the United States, an NFPA code or standard becomes law only when a jurisdiction adopts it, possibly with changes, and only in the edition that the jurisdiction has chosen.<ref name="Lew-142" /><ref name="Keough-2" /> In New Zealand ~~and Australia~~, NFPA ~~documents enter fire safety design through the verification methods~~ and ~~handbooks that cite~~ them~~, and these define what is taken over~~.<ref name="MBIE-121~~" /><ref name="ABCB-H-8~~" />		An NFPA document is not binding merely because it exists or is widely cited. In the United States, an NFPA code or standard becomes law only when a jurisdiction adopts it, possibly with changes, and only in the edition that the jurisdiction has chosen.<ref name="Lew-142" /><ref name="Keough-2" /> In New Zealand, for example, Verification Method C/VM2 based its ten design scenarios only partly on those in NFPA 5000, and modified and expanded them to cover further fire events.<ref name="MBIE-121" />

	A second limit is scope. NFPA 72 covers the performance of alarm equipment but not where alarms are needed, and most protection criteria of NFPA 13 rest on experience rather than on calculations of fire suppression.<ref name="Keough-2" /><ref name="Fleming-73" /> ~~Compliance with one NFPA document therefore addresses only part of the~~ fire ~~safety of a building~~, and ~~the rest follows from~~ the building code ~~and the other parts~~ of the ~~design~~.		A second limit is scope. NFPA 72 covers the performance of alarm equipment but not where alarms are needed, and most protection criteria of NFPA 13 rest on experience rather than on calculations of fire suppression.<ref name="Keough-2" /><ref name="Fleming-73" /> For fire alarms, Keough and Grill (2005) state that the building code of the jurisdiction with authority over a building defines what alarm requirements apply to it, and when and where.<ref name="Keough-2" />

	Fire statistics have limits of their own. Participation in NFIRS and reporting practices are not uniform across regions and sizes of community, so NFIRS may be susceptible to systematic biases.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> This is why the NFPA survey is used to calibrate it.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> Fires with an unknown characteristic, such as an unreported cause, are usually allocated in proportion to the fires where it is known, which assumes that both groups are alike.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> Hall and Ahrens add that, at the time of writing, no one could quantify how far NFIRS deviates from an ideal, representative sample.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" />		Fire statistics have limits of their own. Participation in NFIRS and reporting practices are not uniform across regions and sizes of community, so NFIRS may be susceptible to systematic biases.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> This is why the NFPA survey is used to calibrate it.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> Fires with an unknown characteristic, such as an unreported cause, are usually allocated in proportion to the fires where it is known, which assumes that both groups are alike.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" /> Hall and Ahrens add that, at the time of writing, no one could quantify how far NFIRS deviates from an ideal, representative sample.<ref name="Hall-Ahrens-67" />

	Finally, ~~NFPA's role~~ as publisher ~~does not make it responsible for designs based on its publications. The~~ SFPE Handbook states that ~~neither~~ NFPA nor the authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of its contents, ~~and that they~~ supply information and opinion ~~rather than~~ engineering or other professional services.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" /> Where such services are required, the notice advises seeking the help of an appropriate professional.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" />		Finally, as publisher of the SFPE Handbook, NFPA states in the book's liability notice that the work is published to circulate information and opinion among those concerned with fire and electrical safety.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" /> Neither NFPA nor the authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of its contents, or accept liability for damage resulting from its use.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" /> They supply information and opinion but do not attempt to render engineering or other professional services.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" /> Where such services are required, the notice advises seeking the help of an appropriate professional.<ref name="DiNenno-iii" />

	== See also ==		== See also ==