The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released its 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC) in digital format. It is available as a PDF and through the National Fire Codes Subscription Service (NFCSS). The hard copy of the code will be available by the end of August.
“To members of the electrical community, the release of the latest edition of the code is highly anticipated because it provides the most up-to-date electrical safety requirements that will impact their work,” Mark Earley, NFPA’s chief electrical engineer, said in a statement.
The NEC sets the standard for safe electrical installation and inspection to protect people and property from electrical hazards. It is one of the most widely used codes for the built environment in the world. NFPA has been the developer and publisher of the NEC since 1911.
“I would argue that the NEC is equally as important to people outside of the electrical community, many of whom may not even know it exists, yet are protected daily from fire and electrical hazards because of it and have been for years,” Earley added. “The NEC protects people in all aspects of their lives — everything from requiring tamper-resistant receptacles in homes to prevent children from inserting an object and risking electrical shock, to requirements for safety for renewable energy such as photovoltaic systems and wind turbines, and charging stations for electric vehicles.”
In addition to publishing the code, NFPA offers companion resources and education to help professionals learn how to understand and apply the latest code. A host of resources are coming soon including the 2014 NEC Handbook, pocket guides for residential and commercial applications, ebooks and an app. Many items are more accessible than ever and are offered in a variety of formats with options to purchase as a set and have content available in both print and digital formats.
NFPA is also conducting four-day seminars throughout the end of 2013. They will be held in Seattle; Baltimore; St. Louis; Danbury, Conn.; Denver; Nashville; Atlanta; Houston; Garden Grove, Calif.; Hasbrock Heights, N.J.; Phoenix; Quincy, Mass.; Kissimmee, Fla.; and Las Vegas. For full info on these sessions, visit www.nfpa.org.
A new online destination, nec connect (www.necconnect.org), has also been launched to provide a resource for installers and contractors, designers and engineers, code enforcers and policymakers for all things related to the NEC. It is a place where participants can engage with others who share an interest in electrical safety.
Also: Sprinkler Protection for Cloud Ceilings
The Fire Protection Research Foundation has completed a project aimed at better understanding sprinkler protection for cloud ceilings. The Foundation, an affiliate of the NFPA, initiated the project to examine how sprinkler protection is impacted by these ceilings, and studied fire sprinkler performance when they were placed above and below the panels.
Cloud ceilings — panels that sit beneath the structural ceiling of a room with gaps — are becoming increasingly popular in commercial and industrial buildings. NFPA 13, the Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, does not have definitive guidance on automatic sprinkler installation for these types of ceilings.
To provide guidance for NFPA 13, the primary tasks of this research project included literature and modeling data review and gap analysis, creating and implementing a modeling evaluation plan, and developing recommendations for appropriate sprinkler installation criteria. Check out the full report at www.nfpa.org/Foundation.
