[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 77 (Thursday, April 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22383-22385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8040]


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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 Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is 
publishing this notice on behalf of the National Fire Protection 
Association (NFPA) to announce the NFPA's proposal 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.

DATES: Interested persons may submit proposals by 5 p.m. EST/EDST on or 
before the date listed with the code or standard.

ADDRESSES: Amy Beasley Cronin, Secretary, Standards Council, NFPA, 1 
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169-7471.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Beasley Cronin, Secretary, 
Standards Council, at above address, (617) 770-3000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 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 code revision Process contains five basic steps that 
are followed for developing new documents as well as revising existing 
documents: Call for Proposals; Report on Proposals (ROP); Call for 
Comments on the Committee's disposition of the Proposals, and 
publication of these Comments in the Report on Comments (ROC); the 
Association Technical Meeting at the NFPA Conference & Expo; and 
finally, the Standards Council Consideration and Issuance of documents.

    Note:  NFPA rules state that, anyone wishing to make Amending 
Motions on the Technical Committee Reports (ROP and ROC) must signal 
his or her intention by submitting a Notice of Intent to Make a 
Motion by 5 p.m. EST/EDST of the Deadline stated in the ROC. 
Certified motions will then be posted on the NFPA Web site. 
Documents that receive notice of proper Amending Motions (Certified 
Amending Motions) will be presented for action at the Association 
Technical Meeting at the NFPA Conference & Expo. Documents that 
receive no motions will be forwarded directly to the Standards 
Council for action on issuance.

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

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 a code 
or standards. 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 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 
Committee's action on 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 Committee member, as well as 
anyone else who requests a copy. All ROP's are also available for free 
downloading at http://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 is 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 further opportunity for debate 
and discussion through the Association Technical Meeting that takes 
place at the NFPA Conference & Expo.
    The Association Technical Meeting 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

[[Page 22384]]

to amend the Report. Before making an allowable motion at an 
Association Technical Meeting, 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 Association Technical Meeting.
    For more information on dates/locations of NFPA Technical Committee 
meetings and NFPA Conference & Expo, 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 an Association Technical 
Meeting.

Request for Proposals

    Interested persons may submit proposals, supported by written data, 
views, or arguments, to Amy Beasley Cronin, Secretary, Standards 
Council, NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169-7471. 
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 code or standard, and give reasons for the proposal. 
Proposals received by 5 p.m. EST/EDST on or before the closing date 
indicated with each code or standard would be acted on by the 
Committee, and then considered by the NFPA Membership at the 
Association Technical Meeting.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Proposal
        Document-edition              Document title       closing date
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NFPA 10-2010...................  Standard for Portable         5/23/2011
                                  Fire Extinguishers.
NFPA 14-2010...................  Standard for the              5/23/2011
                                  Installation of
                                  Standpipe and Hose
                                  Systems.
NFPA 17-2009...................  Standard for Dry              5/23/2011
                                  Chemical Extinguishing
                                  Systems.
NFPA 17A-2009..................  Standard for Wet              5/23/2011
                                  Chemical Extinguishing
                                  Systems.
NFPA 22-2008...................  Standard for Water            5/23/2011
                                  Tanks for Private Fire
                                  Protection.
NFPA 36-2009...................  Standard for Solvent          5/23/2011
                                  Extraction Plants.
NFPA 52-2010...................  Vehicular Gaseous Fuel        5/23/2011
                                  Systems Code.
NFPA 70B-2010..................  Recommended Practice          5/23/2011
                                  for Electrical
                                  Equipment Maintenance.
NFPA 77-2007...................  Recommended Practice on       5/23/2011
                                  Static Electricity.
NFPA 99B-2010..................  Standard for Hypobaric       11/23/2012
                                  Facilities.
NFPA 140-2008..................  Standard on Motion            5/23/2011
                                  Picture and Television
                                  Production Studio
                                  Soundstages, Approved
                                  Production Facilities,
                                  and Production
                                  Locations.
NFPA 211-2010..................  Standard for Chimneys,        5/23/2011
                                  Fireplaces, Vents, and
                                  Solid Fuel-Burning
                                  Appliances.
NFPA 225-2009..................  Model Manufactured Home       5/23/2011
                                  Installation Standard.
NFPA 241-2009..................  Standard for                  5/23/2011
                                  Safeguarding
                                  Construction,
                                  Alteration, and
                                  Demolition Operations.
NFPA 259-2008..................  Standard Test Method          5/23/2011
                                  for Potential Heat of
                                  Building Materials.
NFPA 260-2009..................  Standard Methods of           5/23/2011
                                  Tests and
                                  Classification System
                                  for Cigarette Ignition
                                  Resistance of
                                  Components of
                                  Upholstered Furniture.
NFPA 261-2009..................  Standard Method of Test       5/23/2011
                                  for Determining
                                  Resistance of Mock-Up
                                  Upholstered Furniture
                                  Material Assemblies to
                                  Ignition by Smoldering
                                  Cigarettes.
NFPA 270-2008..................  Standard Test Method          5/23/2011
                                  for Measurement of
                                  Smoke Obscuration
                                  Using a Conical
                                  Radiant Source in a
                                  Single Closed Chamber.
NFPA 274-2009..................  Standard Test Method to       5/23/2011
                                  Evaluate Fire
                                  Performance
                                  Characteristics of
                                  Pipe Insulation.
NFPA 289-2009..................  Standard Method of Fire       5/23/2011
                                  Test for Individual
                                  Fuel Packages.
NFPA 290-2009..................  Standard for Fire             5/23/2011
                                  Testing of Passive
                                  Protection Materials
                                  for Use on LP-Gas
                                  Containers.
NFPA 495-2010..................  Explosive Materials           5/23/2011
                                  Code.
NFPA 496-2008..................  Standard for Purged and       5/23/2011
                                  Pressurized Enclosures
                                  for Electrical
                                  Equipment.
NFPA 498-2010..................  Standard for Safe             5/23/2011
                                  Havens and Interchange
                                  Lots for Vehicles
                                  Transporting
                                  Explosives.
NFPA 501A-2009.................  Standard for Fire             5/23/2011
                                  Safety Criteria for
                                  Manufactured Home
                                  Installations, Sites,
                                  and Communities.
NFPA 501-2010..................  Standard on                   5/23/2011
                                  Manufactured Housing.
NFPA 502-2011..................  Standard for Road            11/25/2011
                                  Tunnels, Bridges, and
                                  Other Limited Access
                                  Highways.
NFPA 505-2011..................  Fire Safety Standard          5/23/2011
                                  for Powered Industrial
                                  Trucks Including Type
                                  Designations, Areas of
                                  Use, Conversions,
                                  Maintenance, and
                                  Operations.
NFPA 520-2010..................  Standard on                   5/24/2013
                                  Subterranean Spaces.
NFPA 551-2010..................  Guide for the                 5/23/2011
                                  Evaluation of Fire
                                  Risk Assessments.
NFPA 705-2009..................  Recommended Practice          5/23/2011
                                  for a Field Flame Test
                                  for Textiles and Films.
NFPA 801-2008..................  Standard for Fire             5/23/2011
                                  Protection for
                                  Facilities Handling
                                  Radioactive Materials.
NFPA 853-2010..................  Standard for the              5/24/2013
                                  Installation of
                                  Stationary Fuel Cell
                                  Power Systems.
NFPA 900-2010..................  Building Energy Code...       5/23/2011
NFPA 909-2010..................  Code for the Protection       5/23/2011
                                  of Cultural Resource
                                  Properties--Museums,
                                  Libraries, and Places
                                  of Worship.
NFPA 914-2010..................  Code for Fire                 5/24/2013
                                  Protection of Historic
                                  Structures.
NFPA 1002-2009.................  Standard for Fire             8/26/2011
                                  Apparatus Driver/
                                  Operator Professional
                                  Qualifications.
NFPA 1006-2008.................  Standard for Technical        5/23/2011
                                  Rescuer Professional
                                  Qualifications.
NFPA 1404-2006.................  Standard for Fire             5/23/2011
                                  Service Respiratory
                                  Protection Training.
NFPA 1451-2007.................  Standard for a Fire           5/23/2011
                                  Service Vehicle
                                  Operations Training
                                  Program.
NFPA 1600-2010.................  Standard on Disaster/         5/23/2011
                                  Emergency Management
                                  and Business
                                  Continuity Programs.
NFPA 1855-P*...................  Standard for Selection,       5/23/2011
                                  Care, and Maintenance
                                  of Protective
                                  Ensembles for
                                  Technical Rescue
                                  Incidents.
NFPA 1925-2008.................  Standard on Marine Fire-      5/23/2011
                                  Fighting Vessels.
NFPA 1962-2008.................  Standard for the              5/23/2011
                                  Inspection, Care, and
                                  Use of Fire Hose,
                                  Couplings, and Nozzles
                                  and the Service
                                  Testing of Fire Hose.

[[Page 22385]]

 
NFPA 1964-2008.................  Standard for Spray            5/23/2011
                                  Nozzles.
NFPA 1981-2007.................  Standard on Open-             5/23/2011
                                  Circuit Self-Contained
                                  Breathing Apparatus
                                  (SCBA) for Emergency
                                  Services.
NFPA 1982-2007.................  Standard on Personal          5/23/2011
                                  Alert Safety Systems
                                  (PASS).
NFPA 1999-2008.................  Standard on Protective        5/23/2011
                                  Clothing for Emergency
                                  Medical Operations.
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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 02169-7471.


    Dated: March 28, 2011.
Charles H. Romine,
Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-8040 Filed 4-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P