NFPA – National Fire Protection Association

NFPA is a standards writing organization, founded in 1896 and dedicated to the concept of voluntary consensus standards writing. While it is not an enforcing agency, NFPA enjoys a unique reputation and its standards have been adopted by all levels of government, in many cases giving the standards the force of law. Each NFPA standard undergoes revision every 5 years to insure that it is kept current with new fire protection knowledge and technologies. The NFPA process is open and anyone can participate.

Third-Party Certification

In order for an element to be labeled compliant to a given NFPA Standard it must be tested by an independent third-party organization that is not owned or controlled by manufacturers or vendors of the product being certified, nor can the third-party testing agency have any monetary interest in the product. Additionally the certification organization must be primarily engaged in certification work, such as Underwriters Laboratory. This independent third-party verifies that the design and construction is in accordance with design requirements, and that the element has successfully passed all performance requirements set forth in the Standard to which it is labeled. Any change in design requires re-testing and random samples are also taken to insure that every requirement is tested annually. A third-party registrar is also required to validate the manufacturing quality process, in accordance with ISO 9001.

Federal and State OSHA Standards

Several states have their own OSHA Standards; however, NFPA Standards are generally more rigorous than OSHA Standards. Since the FED-OSHA Standard has not been revised for over twenty years, clothing that is labeled to NFPA 1971, will easily exceed FED-OSHA Standards. However, clothing meeting OSHA will not necessarily meet NFPA, and so it is important for the end users to be aware of existing state OSHA requirements and how they compare to NFPA requirements.

NFPA 1500, 2002 Edition
Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program
This document addresses the occupational safety in the working environment of the fire service as well as safety in the proper use of tools, equipment, vehicles, protective clothing, breathing apparatus, even details such as overlap between coats and pants:

There shall be at least a 2" overlap of layers of the coat and trousers so there is no gaping of the total thermal protection when the garments are worn. The minimum overlap shall be determined by measuring the garments on the wearer, withough SCBA, in both of the following positions:

Position A. Standing, hands together reaching overhead as high as possible.
Position B. Standing, hands together reaching overhead, with body bent forward, to the side, and to the back as much as possible.

Career, volunteer, private and military departments are included.

NFPA 1851, 2008 EDITION
Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting

Originally published in February of 2001 and revised in June of 2008, this Standard deals with fire departments' selection and care of Personal Protective Equipment. The standard contains chapters on administration, definitions, program, selection, inspection, cleaning and decontamination, repair, storage, retirement, verification and test procedures.

NFPA 1951, 2001 Edition
Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR Operations
The 2001 edition of NFPA 1951 was titled Standard on Protective Ensemble for USAR Operations. Although the title has been changed, the standard still deals with technical rescue incidents in urban and other non-wilderness locations that require special equipment. This Standard sets forth requirements for the protective clothing and equipment needs of emergency responders engaged in technical rescue activities, and also includes optional requirements for CBRN protection.

NFPA 1971, 2007 Edition
Standard on Protective Ensemble for Structural Firefighting
This standard sets the minimum requirements for design, performance, testing, and certification of the elements of the ensemble for body protection in structural firefighting – coats, trousers, one-piece suits, hoods, helmets, gloves, and footwear. As with all NFPA Standards, the 2007 Edition of NFPA 1971 replaced the 2000 edition, and all previous editions.

The 2007 edition had an effective date of August 2006 and manufacturers were given a six month timeframe in which to complete the required testing, meaning that you could see 2000 edition labeled gear until March of 2007. Unlike previous editions, the 2007 edition of NFPA 1971 incorporates design and performance requirements for proximity protective ensemble elements as well as structural protective ensemble elements. NFPA 1976 will cease to exist as a stand alone document now that it has been incorporated into "NFPa 1971 Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting".

Additionally, the 2007 Edition incorporates design and performance requirements for optional CBRN requirements. This means that departments who wish to specify CBRN protection are able to do so, although not required to do so. Manufacturers who label a garment as providing CBRN protection are required to test against the specific requirements set forth in the standard. In other words, the CBRN protection is optional, but if you are labeling to that option the test requirements for doing so are mandatory and must also be third party certified.

Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB)

CAN/CGSB-155.1-2001 the Canadian General Standards Board Standard for Firefighters' Protective Clothing for Protection Against Heat and Flame was revised in 2001. Although, very similar to NFPA 1971 (2000 Edition) there are some exceptions.

• The Moisture Barrier is subject to a diffusion resistance test, with no THL values required
• The NFPA 1971 Shower Test is not required to validate design
• The method specified for Flame Resistance Testing is different
• Tear Strength Testing is performed after exposure to UV

Certification is currently required only in the Province of Ontario.

NFPA 1999, 2003 Edition
Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations (EMS)
EMTs require specialized protection in some ways more stringent than structural firefighting. These include protective clothing, gloves and face-shielding equipment to protect EMS providers and disaster victims from bloodborne and liquid pathogens. Testing includes 25 wash/dry preconditioning cycles. If this standard stays within cycle, it will be revised in the year 2008.