7.24.20 – Southern Maryland Chronicle-
(July 23, 2020) –Residents of Maryland are protected by the most up-to-date editions of two key safety codes. The 2018 editions o fNFPA 1,Fire Code™and NFPA101®,Life Safety Code®, both part of the National Fire Protection Association’s codes and standards, have been adopted by the State Fire Prevention Commission as part of the overall revision of the State Fire Prevention Code that became effective in Maryland on February 7, 2020.
With the assistance of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Maryland State Fire Prevention Commission is happy to announce theonline availabilityof the the Maryland Fire Code – NFPA 1 and the Maryland Life Safety Code – NFPA 101. The codes are also available to view directly on the OSFM Blog Page
Both codes are widely used across the country to protect people and property in new and existing buildings. NFPA’sLife Safety Code, used in all 50 states, mandates building design construction, operation, and maintenance requirements to protect building occupants from the dangers caused by fire, smoke, and toxic fumes. NFPA 1 integrates the two most widely adopted fire codes in the country, NFPA 1,Fire Prevention Codeand theUniform Fire Code. The latest edition of NFPA 1 provides requirements necessary to establish a reasonable level of fire safety and property protection from hazards created by fire and explosion.
“Safety is our top priority,” said State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci. “The online editions of these widely used codes will allow us to provide the highest level of protection for the people of Maryland. When such substantial codes are updated with the latest safety advancements, our citizens deserve to have those protections.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, code enforcers in Maryland participated in an NFPA training program that covered the code’s requirements and ways it can be best utilized. NFPA made this training and the associated codebooks available free to the government code enforcement officials in the state. Free training and codebooks help to reduce costs for Maryland taxpayers. In addition, such training ensures that code enforcers have the latest reference materials.