[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 66 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18513-18515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7054]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


National Fire Codes: Request for Proposals for Revision of Codes 
and Standards

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) proposes to 
revise some of its fire safety codes and standards and requests 
proposals from the public to amend existing or begin the process of 
developing new NFPA fire safety codes and standards. The purpose of 
this request is to increase public participation in the system used by 
NFPA to develop its codes and standards. The publication of this notice 
of request for proposals by the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology (NIST) on behalf of NFPA is being undertaken as a public 
service; NIST does not necessarily endorse, approve, or recommend any 
of the standards referenced in the notice.
    The NFPA process provides ample opportunity for public 
participation in the development of its codes and standards. All NFPA 
codes and standards are revised and updated every three to five years 
in Revision Cycles that begin twice each year and that take 
approximately two years to complete. Each Revision Cycle proceeds 
according to a published schedule that includes final dates for all 
major events in the process. The process contains five basic steps that 
are followed both for developing new documents as well as revising 
existing documents. These steps are: Calling for Proposals; Publishing 
the Proposals in the Report on Proposals (ROP); Calling for Comments on 
the Committee's disposition of the proposals and these Comments are 
published in the Report on Comments (ROC); having a Technical Report 
Session at the NFPA Annual Meeting; and finally, the Standards Council 
Consideration and Issuance of documents.

    Note: Under new rules effective Fall 2005, anyone wishing to 
make Amending Motions on the Technical Committee Reports (ROP and 
ROC) must signal their intention by submitting a Notice of Intent to 
Make a Motion by the Deadline stated in the ROC. Certified motions 
will then be posted on the NFPA website. Documents that receive 
notice of proper Amending Motions (Certified Amending Motions) will 
be presented for action at the Annual Association Technical Meeting. 
Documents that receive no motions will be forwarded directly to the 
Standards Council for action on issuance.

    For more information on these new rules and for up-to-date 
information on schedules and deadlines for processing NFPA Documents, 
check the NFPA Web site at http://www.nfpa.org or contact NFPA Codes 
and Standards Administration.

DATES: Interested persons may submit proposals on or before the dates 
listed with the standards.

ADDRESSES: Milosh Puchovsky, Secretary, Standards Council, NFPA, 1 
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269-9101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Milosh Puchovsky, Secretary, Standards 
Council, at above address, (617) 770-3000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) develops building, 
fire, and electrical safety codes and standards. Federal agencies 
frequently use these codes and standards as the basis for developing 
Federal regulations concerning fire safety. Often, the Office of the 
Federal Register approves the incorporation by reference of these 
standards under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR Part 51.
    When a Technical Committee begins the development of a new or 
revised NFPA code or standard, it enters one of two Revision Cycles 
available each year. The Revision Cycle begins with the Call for 
Proposals, that is, a public notice asking for any interested persons 
to submit specific written proposals for developing or revising the 
Document. The Call for Proposals is published in a variety of 
publications. Interested parties have approximately twenty weeks to 
respond to the Call for Proposals.
    Following the Call for Proposals period, the Technical Committee 
holds a meeting to consider and accept, reject

[[Page 18514]]

or revise, in whole or in part, all the submitted Proposals. The 
committee may also develop its own Proposals. A document known as the 
Report on Proposals, or ROP, is prepared containing all the Public 
Proposals, the Technical Committees' action and each Proposal, as well 
as all Committee-generated Proposals. The ROP is then submitted for the 
approval of the Technical Committee by a formal written ballot. If the 
ROP does not receive approval by a two-thirds vote calculated in 
accordance with NFPA rules, the Report is returned to the committee for 
further consideration and is not published. If the necessary approval 
is received, the ROP is published in a compilation of Reports on 
Proposals issued by NFPA twice yearly for public review and comment, 
and the process continues to the next step.
    The Reports on Proposals are sent automatically free of charge to 
all who submitted proposals and each respective committee member, as 
well as anyone else who requests a copy. All ROP's are also available 
for free downloading at www.nfpa.org.
    Once the ROP becomes available, there is a 60-day comment period 
during which anyone may submit a Public Comment on the proposed changes 
in the ROP. The committee then reconvenes at the end of the comment 
period and acts on all Comments.
    As before, a two-thirds approval vote by written ballot of the 
eligible members of the committee is required for approval of actions 
on the Comments. All of this information is compiled into a second 
Report, called the Report on Comments (ROC), which, like the ROP, is 
published and made available for public review for a seven-week period.
    The process of public input and review does not end with the 
publication of the ROP and ROC. Following the completion of the 
Proposal and Comment periods, there is yet a further opportunity for 
debate and discussion through the Technical Report Sessions that take 
place at the NFPA Annual Meeting.
    The Technical Report Session provides an opportunity for the final 
Technical Committee Report (i.e., the ROP and ROC) on each proposed new 
or revised code or standard to be presented to the NFPA membership for 
the debate and consideration of motions to amend the Report. Before 
making an allowable motion at a Technical Report Session, the intended 
maker of the motion must file, in advance of the session, and within 
the published deadline, a Notice of Intent to Make a Motion. A Motions 
Committee appointed by the Standards Council then reviews all notices 
and certifies all amending motions that are proper. Only these 
Certified Amending Motions, together with certain allowable Follow-Up 
Motions (that is, motions that have become necessary as a result of 
previous successful amending motions) will be allowed at the Technical 
Report Session.
    For more information on dates/locations of NFPA Technical Committee 
meetings and NFPA Annual Technical Report Sessions, check the NFPA Web 
site at http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=822&itemID=22818.
    The specific rules for the types of motions that can be made and 
who can make them are set forth in NFPA's Regulation Governing 
Committee Projects which should always be consulted by those wishing to 
bring an issue before the membership at a Technical Report Session.

Request for Proposals

    Interested persons may submit proposals, supported by written data, 
views, or arguments to Milosh Puchovsky, Secretary, Standards Council, 
NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269-9101. Proposals 
should be submitted on forms available from the NFPA Codes and 
Standards Administration Office or on NFPA's Web site at http://www.nfpa.org.
    Each person must include his or her name and address, identify the 
document and give reasons for the proposal. Proposals received before 
or by 5 p.m. local time on the closing date indicated would be acted on 
by the Committee. The NFPA will consider any proposal that it receives 
on or before the date listed with the code or standard.

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                                                                                                     Proposal
               Document-edition                                   Document name                    closing date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFPA 2--P*....................................  Hydrogen Technologies Code......................       5/30/2008
NFPA 10--2007.................................  Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers........       5/30/2008
NFPA 11--2005.................................  Standard for Low-, Medium-, and High-Expansion         5/30/2008
                                                 Foam.
NFPA 12--2008.................................  Standard on Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems       5/29/2009
NFPA 13E--2005................................  Recommended Practice for Fire Department               5/30/2008
                                                 Operations in Properties Protected by Sprinkler
                                                 and Standpipe Systems.
NFPA 14--2007.................................  Standard for the Installation of Standpipes and        5/30/2008
                                                 Hose Systems.
NFPA 18--2006.................................  Standard on Wetting Agents......................       5/30/2008
NFPA 25--2008.................................  Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and              5/30/2008
                                                 Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection
                                                 Systems.
NFPA 30--2008.................................  Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code..........       12/1/2008
NFPA 35--2005.................................  Standard for the Manufacture of Organic Coatings       5/30/2008
NFPA 37--2006.................................  Standard for the Installation and Use of               5/30/2008
                                                 Stationary Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines.
NFPA 45--2004.................................  Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories           5/30/2008
                                                 Using Chemicals.
NFPA 53--2004.................................  Recommended Practice on Materials, Equipment,          5/30/2008
                                                 and Systems Used in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres.
NFPA 70--2008.................................  National Electrical Code[reg]...................       11/7/2008
NFPA 70B--2006................................  Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment          5/30/2008
                                                 Maintenance.
NFPA 91--2004.................................  Standard for Exhaust Systems for Air Conveying         5/30/2008
                                                 of Vapors, Gases, Mists, and Noncombustible
                                                 Particulate Solids.
NFPA 120--2004................................  Standard for Fire Prevention and Control in Coal       5/30/2008
                                                 Mines.
NFPA 122--2004................................  Standard for Fire Prevention and Control in            5/30/2008
                                                 Metal/Nonmetal Mining and Metal Mineral
                                                 Processing Facilities.
NFPA 204--2007................................  Standard for Smoke and Heat Venting.............       5/30/2008
NFPA 211--2006................................  Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and          5/30/2008
                                                 Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances.
NFPA 214--2005................................  Standard on Water-Cooling Towers................       5/30/2008
NFPA 326--2005................................  Standard for the Safeguarding of Tanks and             5/30/2008
                                                 Containers for Entry, Cleaning, or Repair.

[[Page 18515]]

 
NFPA 329--2005................................  Recommended Practice for Handling Releases of          5/30/2008
                                                 Flammable and Combustible Liquids and Gases.
NFPA 405--2004................................  Standard for the Recurring Proficiency of              5/30/2008
                                                 Airport Fire Fighters.
NFPA 408--2004................................  Standard for Aircraft Hand Portable Fire               5/30/2008
                                                 Extinguishers.
NFPA 409--2004................................  Standard on Aircraft Hangars....................       5/30/2008
NFPA 410--2004................................  Standard on Aircraft Maintenance................       5/30/2008
NFPA 422--2004................................  Guide for Aircraft Accident/Incident Response          5/30/2008
                                                 Assessment.
NFPA 423--2004................................  Standard for Construction and Protection of            5/30/2008
                                                 Aircraft Engine Test Facilities.
NFPA 495--2006................................  Explosive Materials Code........................       5/30/2008
NFPA 498--2006................................  Standard for Safe Havens and Interchange Lots          5/30/2008
                                                 for Vehicles Transporting Explosives.
NFPA 520--2005................................  Standard on Subterranean Spaces.................       5/30/2008
NFPA 551--2007................................  Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk                  5/30/2008
                                                 Assessments.
NFPA 600--2005................................  Standard on Industrial Fire Brigades............       5/30/2008
NFPA 601--2005................................  Standard for Security Services in Fire Loss            5/30/2008
                                                 Prevention.
NFPA 701--2004................................  Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Flame               5/30/2008
                                                 Propagation of Textiles and Films.
NFPA 750--2006................................  Standard on Water Mist Fire Protection Systems..       5/30/2008
NFPA 804--2006................................  Standard for Fire Protection for Advanced Light        5/30/2008
                                                 Water Reactor Electric Generating Plants.
NFPA 805--2006................................  Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection         5/30/2008
                                                 for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating
                                                 Plants.
NFPA 806--P*..................................  Performance Based Standard for Fire Protection         5/30/2008
                                                 for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Electric
                                                 Generating Plants.
NFPA 850--2005................................  Recommended Practice for Fire Protection for           5/30/2008
                                                 Electric Generating Plants and High Voltage
                                                 Direct Current Converter Stations.
NFPA 851--2005................................  Recommended Practice for Fire Protection for           5/30/2008
                                                 Hydroelectric Generating Plants.
NFPA 853--2007................................  Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fuel       5/30/2008
                                                 Cell Power Systems.
NFPA 900--2007................................  Building Energy Code............................       5/30/2008
NFPA 1003--2005...............................  Standard for Airport Fire Fighter Professional         5/30/2008
                                                 Qualifications.
NFPA 1035--2005...............................  Standard for Professional Qualifications for           5/30/2008
                                                 Public Fire and Life Safety Educator.
NFPA 1410--2005...............................  Standard on Training for Initial Emergency Scene       5/30/2008
                                                 Operations.
NFPA 1452--2005...............................  Guide for Training Fire Service Personnel to           5/30/2008
                                                 Conduct Dwelling Fire Safety Surveys.
NFPA 1600--2007...............................  Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and          5/30/2008
                                                 Business Continuity Programs.
NFPA 1620--2003...............................  Recommended Practice for Pre-Incident Planning..       5/30/2008
NFPA 1931--2004...............................  Standard for Manufacturer's Design of Fire             5/30/2008
                                                 Department Ground Ladders.
NFPA 1932--2004...............................  Standard on Use, Maintenance, and Service              5/30/2008
                                                 Testing of In-Service Fire Department Ground
                                                 Ladders.
NFPA 2001--2008...............................  Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing             5/29/2009
                                                 Systems.
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     Proposed NEW drafts are available from NFPA's Web site--
http://www.nfpa.org or may be obtained from NFPA's Codes and Standards 
Administration, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269.

    Dated: March 31, 2008.
Richard F. Kayser,
Acting Deputy Director.
 [FR Doc. E8-7054 Filed 4-3-08; 8:45 am]
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