Seminar: major changes in NFPA 13 in the making
23 april 2018
There are major changes in the making to the NFPA fire safety standards. The NFPA standard 13, for instance, is being completely revised. For all those who work with this standard professionally, keeping up is a must, says Tom de Nooij, managing partner at Riskonet. De Nooij, also a senior instructor at NFPA, is therefore convinced that the NFPA seminar from 15 to 19 October in Rotterdam is an “opportunity not to be missed to catch up in detail on all the changes in a relatively short period of time”. Tom explains why in this blog.
There is much to learn about the rationale behind and basic principles and details of the totally updated standard. Those who quickly want to be fully up-to-date on the latest insights will have the perfect opportunity this autumn at a seminar being organised by NFPA’s European partner Riskonet. Attending this NFPA seminar will enable participants to take the exam in 2018 already, and acquire the ‘Certificate of Educational Achievement’, as well as the new edition of the NFPA 13.
SAVE THE DATE: NFPA SEMINAR
Date: 15-19 October 2018
Location: Hotel New York, Rotterdam
Cost: €2,250
Registration: go to www.NFPA.eu
Changes to contents and structure
What has changed? De Nooij explains, “The NFPA standards originate in the United States, but are now applied worldwide. To keep each standard as relevant as possible, Technical Committees of professionals from the U.S. and other countries make sure that they are updated regularly. New legislation and regulations, as well as new insights in the area of fire safety, prevention and containment, are incorporated into the standard, so that systems do what they are supposed to do in practice, namely avoid or reduce risks, prevent and contain calamities and limit damage as much as possible.
The changes to the NFPA 13, which pertain to the installation of sprinkler systems, are largely content-related, but the changes go further. The experts who revised the standard concluded that the numerous changes and additions have taken their toll over the years. Amendment after amendment has made the NFPA 13 increasingly more complex.
New and improved
Something has now been done about this. Fully revising the standard has been time-consuming and painstaking work – and a tremendous accomplishment. At the same time, the structure of the standard and the order of its various components have also been modified. Those working with the NFPA 13 for the first time will be able to quickly find the information they need, thanks to its logical structure. Those who have been working with it for years will have to get used to the changes. I do not rule out the possibility that other standards will be given the same structure in the future.”
Who should attend?
Who should absolutely not miss this seminar? “Risk professionals in general, but absolutely also everyone who deals with this standard in their work. Insurers, consultants, installers, professionals at inspection institutions, risk managers and risk consultants will gain essential information and insights during the seminar.”
The programme
What’s on the programme? “NFPA expert Bob Caputo will be taking participants through the main aspects and all the important details. Participants will gain insight into the rationale and facts that led to the changes. At the same time, the seminar is a unique opportunity to talk with Bob and other risk professionals about the theory – particularly the one behind the standards – and the practice of risk management. We will also be closely examining the NFPA 13 requirements for storage safety.”
“In addition, we will be including practical cases involving NFPA 13, as well as the brand-new NFPA standard 4, which focuses on ‘Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety System Testing’. More details on the programme will be available in coming months. But I promise it will be an event filled with information and insight!”
