Codes, fire issue

Regulations, Codes, and Standards Relevant to Fire Issues in the United States... 

The new Uniform Fire Code (NFPA l)124 is a blend of two documents, the NFPA Fire Prevention Code (also known as NFPA 1) and the Uniform Fire Code previously issued by the Western Fire Chiefs, which was a partner of ICBO, when ICBO issued the UBC. The 2009 edition consists of 73 chapters, although several of them are reserved for future use. 

Beyond the Western Fire Chiefs Association issuing the Uniform Fire Code, now NFPA 1, another organization was a partner to ICBO, namely the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) who issued the Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC)138 and the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC). They continue to do so, but now have an agreement with NFPA so that the UMC and the UPC are NFPA s equivalents to the ICC codes. The UPC has little, if any, importance with regard to fire issues. 

Most villages, cities, and counties have safety and health laws of some kind. Frequently, local governments adopt national standards or portions of them as part of local ordinances. Typical laws and codes at the local level also address safety and health issues. They include zoning codes, building codes, fire codes, plumbing and sewer codes, and traffic codes. Major cities commonly have unique regulations and codes. 

Cables are available in a variety of constmctions and materials, in order to meet the requirements of industry specifications and the physical environment. For indoor usage, such as for Local Area Networks (LAN), the codes require that the cables should pass very strict fire and smoke release specifications. In these cases, highly dame retardant and low smoke materials are used, based on halogenated polymers such as duorinated ethylene—propylene polymers (like PTFE or FEP) or poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Eor outdoor usage, where fire retardancy is not an issue, polyethylene can be used at a lower cost. 

National Eire Protection Association 470 Adantic Avenue Boston, Mass. 02210 National Fire Codes, 1987 ed., issued in 11 volumes. One volume is devoted exclusively to ha2ardous chemicals, but most other volumes have some coverage of material ha2ards, use of materials in fine prevention or extinguishing, ha2ards in chemical processing, etc. More than 200 standards are described. 

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