Category Archives: @NFPA

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Electrical Inspector Professional Qualifications

Electrical Training

Compact Muon Solenoid / European Organization for Nuclear Research

NFPA 1078 Standard for Electrical Inspector Professional Qualifications identifies the minimum job performance requirements for electrical inspectors.   Qualifications for electrical inspectors are heavily regulated by state public safety agencies.   Many, if not most electrical inspectors are former electricians.   This means that part of their career has been spent working as an  Labor/Installer/Maintenance stakeholder, and another part of their career has been spend as an Enforcement stakeholder.  (See NFPA Classification of Committee Members).   This can be a sensitive condition in large research universities that have a resident full-time enforcement staff ; the subject of a separate post.

Free access to the current 2024 edition is linked below:

NFPA 1078 2024 Free Access

The 2028 revision is now open for public input.  It is always enlightening to follow the transcripts of the previous revision cycles to see what ideas have been in play.

Public Input Report

Electrical Inspection Practices (EEP-AAA)

Professional Qualifications (PQU-AAC)

 

Public input on the 2028 revision will be received until June 4, 2025

We have found that passions are elevated among stakeholders whenever compliance and conformance revenue is involved — i.e. in any consensus product that covers labor (i.e. billable hours).

We include this standard on the standing agenda of our monthly Human Resource, Power and Infotech teleconferences.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

"One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, "My little computer said such a funny thing this morning" - Alan Turing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Deicing & Snow Melting

Electrical Safety

“Snow at Argenteuil” | Claude Monet (1875)

Today our focus turns to outdoor electric deicing and snow melting wiring systems identified as suitable for the environment and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.  They work silently to keep snow load from caving in roofs and icicles falling from gutters onto pedestrian pathways.

While the voltage and ampere requirement of the product itself is a known characteristic, the characteristic 0f the wiring pathway — voltage, ampere, grounding, short circuit, disconnect and control — is relatively more complicated and worthy of our attention.   Articles 426-427 of the National Electrical Code is the relevant part of the NEC

Free Access 2023 National Electrical Code

Insight into the ideas running through technical committee deliberations is provided by a review of Panel 17 transcripts:

2023 NEC Panel 17 Public Input Report (633 pages)

2023 NEC Panel 17 Public Comment Report (190 pages)

We hold Articles 427 in the middle of our priority ranking for the 2023 NEC.   We find that the more difficult issues for this technology is the determination of which trade specifies these systems — architectural, electrical, or mechanical; covered in previous posts.   Instead, most of our time will be spent getting IEEE consensus products in step with it, specifically ANSI/IEEE 515 and IEEE 844/CSA 293.

Comments on the Second Draft of the 2026 NEC will be received until April 18th.

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We collaborate with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facility Committee which meets online 4 times per month in European and American time zones.  Since a great deal of the technical basis for the NEC originates with the IEEE we will also collaborate with IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 18 whose members are charged by the IEEE Standards Association to coordinate NFPA and IEEE consensus products.

Issue: [19-151]

Category: Electrical, Energy

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard, Jose Meijer


LEARN MORE:

IEEE Standard for the Testing, Design, Installation, and Maintenance of Electrical Resistance Heat Tracing for Commercial Applications

844.2/CSA C293.2-2017 – IEEE/CSA Standard for Skin Effect Trace Heating of Pipelines, Vessels, Equipment, and Structures–Application Guide for Design, Installation, Testing, Commissioning, and Maintenance

 

Code ignis MMXXVII

Winter Holiday Fire Facts

NFPA Fire Protection Systems Catalog (Lorem ipsum)

Crosswalk: NFPA Fire Code and ICC International Fire Code

“Prometheus creating Man in the presence of Athena” 1802 Jean-Simon Berthélemy

Free public access to the current edition of NFPA’s parent fire safety document is linked below:

2024 NFPA 1 Fire Code 

We attend to occupancy-specific chapters (listed below) because of their significant presence in education communities.

Chapter 25: Grandstands and Bleachers, Folding and Telescopic Seating, Tents and Membrane Structures (N.B)

Chapter 26: Laboratories Using Chemicals

Chapter 29: Parking Garages

Chapter 32: Motion Picture and Television Production Studio Soundstages and Approved Production Facilities

Chapter 35: Animal Housing Facilities

Chapter 36: Telecommunication Facilities and Information Technology Equipment

Chapter 50: Commercial Cooking

Chapter 52: Energy Storage Systems

Some of the chapters reference other titles such as NFPA 45 Standard of Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals which support risk management in other occupancies.  It is noteworthy that in the 2021 revision cycle of NFPA 1 there are relatively few new concepts regarding education facilities that have been proposed.   You get a sampling of the ideas in play from the transcript of public input for the 2024 edition.

Public Input Report (525 Pages)

Use search terms such as school, college, university, dormitory(ies), laboratory(ies), classroom, children, day-care, student, et cetera for a sense of the ideas in play.

Results of the 2027 First Draft meetings have not yet been posted as on November 9, 2024.  A preview of the ideas in play can be found in the meeting minutes of the several committees linked below:

Fire Code (FCC-AAC): First Draft Meeting Minutes

First Draft: Fundamentals of the Fire Code (FCC-FUN)

Special Equipment, Processes and Hazardous Materials (FCC-HAZ)

Building Systems and Special Occupancies (FCC-OCP)

Public comment on the First Draft of the 2027 revision will be received until April 24, 2025.

We include NFPA 1 on our periodic fire safety colloquia — identified by the mnemonic Prometheus — and march along peak interests.

Campus fire safety is domain relatively well-covered by other organizations such as the Center for Campus Fire Safety and HigherEd Safety so we place NFPA 1 in the middle of our priority tier.   We are more interested in the harmonization of NFPA 1 with a competitor title International Fire Code; published by the International Code Council; to wit:

International Fire Code:   The purpose of this code is to establish the minimum requirements consistent with nationally recognized good practice for proving a reasonable level of life safety and property protection from the hazards of fire, explosion or dangerous conditions in new and existing buildings, structures or premises and to provide a reasonable level of safety to fire fighters and emergency responders during emergency operations

Fire Code: The scope includes, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Inspection of permanent and temporary buildings, processes, equipment, systems, and other fire and related life safety situations (2) Investigation of fires, explosions, hazardous materials incidents, and other related emergency incidents (3) Review of construction plans, drawings, and specifications for life safety systems, fire protection systems, access, water supplies, processes, hazardous materials, and other fire and life safety issues (4) Fire and life safety education of fire brigades, employees, responsible parties, and the general public (5) Existing occupancies and conditions, the design and construction of new buildings, remodeling of existing buildings, and additions to existing buildings (6) Design, installation, alteration, modification, construction, maintenance, repairs, servicing, and testing of fire protection systems and equipment (7) Installation, use, storage, and handling of medical gas systems (8) Access requirements for fire department operations (9) Hazards from outside fires in vegetation, trash, building debris, and other materials (10) Regulation and control of special events including, but not limited to, assemblage of people, exhibits, trade shows, amusement parks, haunted houses, outdoor events, and other similar special temporary and permanent occupancies (11) Interior finish, decorations, furnishings, and other combustibles that contribute to fire spread, fire load, and smoke production (12) Storage, use, processing, handling, and on-site transportation of flammable and combustible gases, liquids, and solids (13) Storage, use, processing, handling, and on-site transportation of hazardous materials (14) Control of emergency operations and scenes (15) Conditions affecting fire fighter safety (16) Arrangement, design, construction, and alteration of new and existing means of egress

Note that both ICC and NFPA parent fire safety documents are developed on coincident 3-year cycles.

 

Issue: [18-90]

Category: Fire Safety, Public Safety

Colleagues: Mike Anthony,  Joshua W. Elvove, Joe DeRosier, Casey Grant

Healthcare Facilities Code

“The Doctor”  1891 Sir Luke Fildes

The NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities Code committee develops a distinct consensus document (i.e. “regulatory product”) that is distinct from National Electrical Code Article 517; though there are overlaps and gaps that are the natural consequence of changing technology and regulations.  It is worthwhile reviewing the scope of each committee:

NFPA 99 Scope: This Committee shall have primary responsibility for documents that contain criteria for safeguarding patients and health care personnel in the delivery of health care services within health care facilities: a) from fire, explosion, electrical, and related hazards resulting either from the use of anesthetic agents, medical gas equipment, electrical apparatus, and high frequency electricity, or from internal or external incidents that disrupt normal patient care; b) from fire and explosion hazards; c) in connection with the use of hyperbaric and hypobaric facilities for medical purposes; d) through performance, maintenance and testing criteria for electrical systems, both normal and essential; and e) through performance, maintenance and testing, and installation criteria: (1) for vacuum systems for medical or surgical purposes, and (2) for medical gas systems; and f) through performance, maintenance and testing of plumbing, heating, cooling , and ventilating in health care facilities.

NFPA 70 Article 517 Scope:  The provisions of this article shall apply to electrical construction and installation criteria in healthcare facilities that provide services to human beings.  The requirements in Parts II and III not only apply to single-function buildings but are also intended to be individually applied to their respective forms of occupancy within a multi-function building (e.g. a doctor’s examining room located within a limited care facility would be required to meet the provisions of 517.10)   Informational Note: For information concerning performance, maintenance, and testing criteria, refer to the appropriate health care facilities documents.

In short, NFPA 70 Article 517 is intended to focus only on electrical safety issues though electrotechnology complexity and integration in healthcare settings (security, telecommunications, wireless medical devices, fire safety, environmental air control, etc.) usually results in conceptual overlap with other regulatory products such as NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) and the International Building Code.

Several issues were recently debated by the Article 517 technical committee during the 2023 National Electrical Code Second Draft meetings

  • The conditions under which reconditioned electrical equipment be installed in healthcare settings; contingent on listing and re-certification specifics.
  • Relaxation of the design rules for feeder and branch circuit sizing through the application of demand factors.
  • Application of ground fault circuit interrupters.
  • “Rightsizing” feeder and branch circuit power chains (Demand factors in Section 517.22)
  • Patient care space categories
  • Independence of power sources (517.30)

There are, of course, many others, not the least of which involves emergency management.  For over 20 years our concern has been for the interdependency of water and electrical power supply to university hospitals given that many of them are part of district energy systems.

We need to “touch” this code at least once a month because of its interdependence on other consensus products by other standards developing organizations.  To do this we refer NFPA 99 standards action to the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets online four times monthly in European and American time zones.

The transcript of NEC Article 517 Public Input for the 2023 revision of NFPA 70 is linked below.  (You may have to register your interest by setting up a free-access account):

Code-Making Panel 15 (NEC-P15) Public Input Report

Code-Making Panel 15 (NEC-P15) Public Comment Report

Technical committees will meet in June to endorse the 2023 National Electrical Code.

Public consultation on the Second Draft closes May 31st. Landing page for selected sections of the 2024 revision  of NFPA 99 are linked below:

Electrical Systems (HEA-ELS)

Fundamentals (HEA-FUN)

Health Care Emergency Management and Security (HEA-HES)

Second Draft Comments are linked below:

Electrical Systems (HEA-ELS)

Fundamentals (HEA-FUN)

Health Care Emergency Management and Security (HEA-HES)

NITMAM closing date: March 28, 2023

We break down NFPA 70 and NFPA 99 together and keep them on the standing agenda of both our Power and Health colloquia; open to everyone.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.

"The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest" - William Osler"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about" - Angela Schwindt "The true art of pediatrics lies not only in curing diseases but also in preventing them" - Abraham JacobiGermany

Issues: [12-18, [15-97] and [16-101]

Contact: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Robert Arno, Josh Elvove, Joe DeRosier, Larry Spielvogel

NFPA Staff Liaison: Jonathan Hart

Archive / NFPA 99

 

 

 

Electrical Safety

Starting 2025 we change our approach to responding to public consultation in the development of the NFPA catalog.  Draft proposals are listed at the bottom of this page.

NFPA 70 National Electrical Code

NITMAM Closing Date: April 18, 2025
NFPA 70B Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance

Second Draft Comment Closing Date: January 3, 2025
NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace

Public Input Closing Date: June  4, 2025

NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code

Public Input Closing Date: June 4, 2025

NFPA 78 Guide on Electrical Inspections

Public Input Closing Date: June 4, 2025

NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery

Public Comment Closing Date: January 6, 2026

NFPA 110 Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems

Public Input Closing Date: June 4, 2025

NFPA 111 Standard on Stored Electrical Energy Emergency and Standby Power Systems

Public Input Closing Date: June 4, 2025

NFPA 730 Guide for Premises Security

NITMAM Close Date October 31, 2025

NFPA 731 Standard for the Installation of Premises Security Systems

NITMAM Close Date October 31, 2025

NFPA 780 Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems

NITMAM Close Date March 27, 2025

NFPA 855 Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems

NITMAM Close Date March 27, 2025

NFPA 1078 Standard for Electrical Inspector Professional Qualifications

Public input June 4, 2025

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NFPA 101 Life Safety Code § UpCodes Free Access (Michigan 2012)

Means of Egress | Chapter 7

 First Draft (167 pages)

NFPA 70 National Electrical Code §  Upcodes Free Access (Michigan 2023)

Elevators | Article 620

Second Draft Report

National Electrical Definitions

Electric Vehicle Power Transfer

Hospital Plug Load

Stationary Energy Storage Systems

Luminaires, Lampholders, and Lamps

Data Center Wiring

Electric Service Metering & Billing

Information & Communication Technology Cabling

Reconditioned Electrical Equipment

Landscape Lighting

Solarvoltaic PV Systems

Arenas, Lecture Halls & Theaters

Campus Bulk Electrical Distribution

Farm Electrical Power

Marina & Boatyard Electrical Safety

Pool, Fountain, Agriculture & Water Infrastructure Electrical Safety

Lightning Protection Systems

Kitchen Wiring

Interconnected Electric Power Production Sources “Microgrids”

Outdoor Deicing & Snow Melting

NFPA 72

Definitions. 3.3.89 Dormitory Suite (NEW)

Here are 10 possible definitions or terms for college student housing facilities shared by 4 to 6 unrelated students:
  1. Dormitory Suite: A shared living space within a dormitory building, featuring individual or shared bedrooms, a common living area, and sometimes a small kitchen or bathroom, designed for 4–6 students.
  2. Apartment-Style Housing: On-campus or off-campus apartments with multiple bedrooms, a shared kitchen, living room, and bathroom(s), accommodating 4–6 students.
  3. Cooperative Housing (Co-op): A student-managed housing unit where 4–6 unrelated students share responsibilities for chores, cooking, and maintenance while living together in a house or apartment.
  4. Shared Residence Hall Unit: A section of a residence hall with private or semi-private bedrooms and shared common areas like a lounge or kitchen, housing 4–6 students.
  5. Cluster Housing: A group of bedrooms clustered around a shared living space, often including a kitchenette or bathroom, designed for 4–6 students in a residence hall or apartment complex.
  6. Pod-Style Housing: A modern dorm layout where 4–6 students share a compact unit with individual or paired bedrooms, a common area, and shared facilities like a bathroom or kitchen.
  7. Student Townhouse: A multi-level housing unit, typically off-campus or in university-owned complexes, with shared living spaces and multiple bedrooms for 4–6 students.
  8. Quad or Hex Apartment: An apartment specifically designed for 4 (quad) or 6 (hex) students, featuring shared amenities like a kitchen, living room, and bathroom(s).
  9. Communal House: An off-campus house leased by 4–6 students, with shared spaces like a living room, kitchen, and bathrooms, often independently rented but sometimes university-affiliated.
  10. Living-Learning Community Unit: A shared housing arrangement for 4–6 students in a residence hall, centered around a specific academic or thematic focus, with shared common areas to foster collaboration.
These definitions reflect common housing arrangements for unrelated college students, based on typical university housing structures and off-campus options.

Should show up in NFPA 101 and referral to them is appreciated.

Annex G.

Settlement.

 

Campus Fire Pump Network.

 

NFPA 110/111

 

NFPA 78 and 1078

Guide to Premises Security

School of Aristotle | Gustav Spangenberg

Managing capital‐intensive campus infrastructure embedded within a politically sensitive community presents challenges not present in private industry real assets. Differences in everything from department culture to annual facility use patterns mean that facility managers cannot implement the same safety approaches in all buildings.  Approaches must be scaled and tailored to the occupancy type and informed by the interconnectedness and the specifics of a given facility.  Accordingly, the original University of Michigan standards advocacy enterprise (see ABOUT) began following the development of safety concepts in both NFPA 730 and NFPA 731 with the release of the 2008 Edition.   Thereafter, it collaborated with trade associations and subject matter experts from other universities (notably Georgetown University and Evergreen State University) to advocate user-interest concepts in the 2011 revisions.

Since 2008, campus security issues have only become more complex technically; across an expanding minefield of sensitivities.   Since 2008 we have observed the emergence of about one-hundred new consensus products being developed by the same number of new trade associations and producers presenting campus security solutions.

NFPA 730 Guide to Premise Security is a consensus document that describes construction, protection, occupancy features, and practices intended to reduce security vulnerabilities to life and property.  Related document — NFPA 731 Standard for the Installation of Electronic Premises Security Systems covers the application, location, installation, performance, testing, and maintenance of electronic premises security systems and their components.   The first is a performance document; the second a prescriptive document for the construction, operation and maintenance of electrotechnologies that support premise security.

Public consultation on the 2023 revision closed January 5, 2022 however the NITMAM process permits additional comment at the 2023 NFPA Annual meeting in Las Vegas in June 2023.

The 2026 Edition is now open for public input until January 4, 2024.

Public Comment on the First Draft of the 2026 Edition will be received until January 3, 2025

As always, we encourage direct participation by user-interests supporting the education facility industry.   You may do so by CLICKING HERE.

It is never a bad idea to key in comments on your own but if you would like some insight into our advocacy vectors since 2008 you are welcomed to click in our periodic Risk and Public Safety colloquia during which time we pick through technical, policy and enforcement specifics.   We have been hammering on Chapters 11 and 12, Education and Healthcare Facilities, respectively; for five cycles.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

 

Issue: [10-3], [11-58], [14-44] and [16-127]

Category: Electrical, Telecommunications, Information & Communications Technology, Public Safety, Risk Management, #SmartCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Richard Robben


More

Department of Homeland Security: K-12 School Security

National Campus Safety and Security Project

NFPA 730 2023 Public Input Report

NFPA 730 730_F2019_PMM_AAA_FD_PIresponses

NFPA 730_F2019_PMM_AAA_SD_PCresponses

ARCHIVE / NFPA 730 Guide to Premises Security

 

Arenas, Lecture Halls & Theaters

National Fire Protection Association | 2022 Revenue $82M

2026 NEC Code Panel 15 Public Input Report with Committee Response

Note in the transcript above that the four proposals submitted by Standards Michigan relate to healthcare facilities.  Code Panel 15 receives proposals for healthcare and assembly occupancy wiring safety concepts.

Marcel Jambon for an 1895 Paris production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello.

The standard of care for electrical system safety in dramatic art facilities in the education, and other industries, is largely established in Articles 518 through Article 540 of the National Electrical Code (NEC).   In some instances, dramatic art activity takes place in athletic arenas so we are mindful of parent standards for assembly occupancies generally; found in Chapter 3 of the International Building Code.

Free public access to the current 2023edition of the NEC is linked below:

2023 National Electrical Code

Of particular interest is the “technical power system” found in Article 640: Audio Signal Processing, Amplification, and Reproduction Equipment.

Access to the International Building Code on “related” occupancies is linked below (Chapter 3 Occupancy Classification and Use):

2021 International Building Code

Note the imperfect correlation between the NFPA and ICC occupancy definitions.  This never happens by design but is sometimes necessary.  Some risk aggregations have to be understood as terms of art; to be understood by seasoned experts in context.  Also, keep in mind that the NEC is a wiring installation safety code.

Proposals for revisions to assembly-related installations in the for 2023 is linked below:

NFPA 70 Public Input Report for 2023 Assembly Occupancies 

Second Draft Report for all articles assigned to CMP-15

The so called “song and dance” sections of the NEC have been fairly “stable” in recent cycles.  Changes to these articles in the NEC 2020 revision are incremental — i.e clarifications on grounding, wiring methods, cord wiring, illumination — and helpful for designers and inspectors.  Nothing budget busting.   Convergence of fire safety, mass notification,  environmental air and visual experiences continues as once-independent technologies continue integration.

2026 National Electrical Code Workspace

 

We collaborate with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets 4 times monthly in Europe and the Americas.   See our CALENDAR for the next online teleconferences; open to everyone.

Issue: [Various]

Category: Sport, Electrical, Telecommunications, Fire Protection, Arts & Entertainment Facilities, Lively Art

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Matt Dozier, Jim Harvey


LEARN MORE:

BS 7827_2011 – Code of practice for designing, specifying, maintaining and operating emergency sound systems at sports venues

Requirements for Hybrid Media Production

Digital Content Production

Archive / Places of Assembly, Lecture Halls & Theaters

Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals

Because of the robustness of the environmental safety units in academia we place this title in the middle of our stack of priorities. Laboratory safety units are generally very well financed because of the significance of the revenue stream they produce.  We place higher priority on standby power systems to the equipment and, in many cases, the subjects (frequently animals)

Chemical laboratory, Paris. 1760

 

We were advocating #TotalCostofOwnership concepts in this document before our work was interrupted by the October 2016 reorganization (See ABOUT).   Some of that work was lost so it may be wise to simply start fresh again, ahead of today’s monthly teleconference on laboratory safety codes and standards.  The scope of NFPA 45 Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals is very large and articulated so we direct you to its home page.

Suffice to say that the conditions under which NFPA 45 may be applied is present in many schools, colleges and universities — both for instructional as well as academic research purposes.  Some areas of interest:

  • Laboratory Unit Hazard Classification
  • Laboratory Unit Design and Construction
  • Laboratory Ventilating Systems and Hood Requirements
  • Educational and Instructional Laboratory Operations

We find considerable interaction with consensus documents produced by the ICC, ASHRAE and NSF International.

It is noteworthy that there are many user-interest technical committee members on this committee from the State University of New York, the University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, the University of Texas, University of California Berkeley and the University of Texas San Antonio; thereby making it one of only a few ANSI accredited standards with a strong user-interest voice from the education.  Most of them are conformance/inspection interest — i.e. less interested in cost reduction — but they are present nonetheless.  We pick our battles.

The 2023 revision is in an advanced stage of development and on the agenda of the June 2023 Technical Standards Agenda.  It will likely be approved for release to the public later this year.

We always encourage direct participation.  You may communicate directly with Sarah Caldwell or Laura Moreno at the National Fire Protection Association, One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02169-7471 United States.  TEL: 1 800 344-3555 (U.S. & Canada); +1 617 770-3000 (International)

This standard is on the standing agenda of our periodic Laboratory standards teleconference.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to anyone.

Issue: [19-60]

Category: Prometheus, Laboratory, Risk

Colleagues: Richard Robben, Mark Schaufele

 

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