1. Understanding and Getting More From The NFPA Process
I - The standards making system
II - Effectively working within the
process to get what you want
III - Where are we in the current cycle

2. Part I - NFPA’s Codes and Standards Making System

3. Revision Cycle
104 weeks or 141 weeks

4. The five steps 1) Call for Proposals 2) Report on Proposals (ROP)
3) Report on Comments (ROC)
4) Technical Committee Report (TCR) Session of the Annual Meeting
5) Standards Council Consideration/Issuance
Let’s now provide some detail about how the NFPA codes and standards process actually works.
At first glance, the NFPA codes and standards process may seem complex. Yet the essence of this process is comprised of five basic steps:
1) Call for Proposals
2) Report on Proposals, or ROP;
3) Report on Comments, or ROC;
4) NFPA Annual Meeting;
5) Standards Council Issuance.
Each of these steps provide opportunity for anyone to participate and to pursue a proposed change. Fire safety is everybody’s business, and only a process that allows broad input and full consensus on technical safety issues will ultimately generate highly credible and respected documents. The NFPA codes and standards making system is such a process.

6. Step 1: Call for Proposals
Public notice issued
Each document (or draft) has proposal closing date
Anyone can submit a change (except staff)
Proposals can request any change within a document
Reasons for changes must be provided
Blank proposal forms found in all documents and on the Web
The first basic step is the Call for Proposals.
Anyone can submit a proposal before the published “Call for Proposals” deadline to recommend a change to any part of a document. Blank proposal forms are included in the back of all NFPA codes and standards for submittal by mail or fax, and they can also be submitted through NFPA’s homepage.
Following a published “Call for Proposals”, the Technical Committee holds a meeting to consider all the submitted public proposals, and listen to anyone wishing to address the committee. The committee also develops its own proposals and incorporates them into their report.

8. Step 2: Report on Proposals
TC meets and…
Acts on all proposals
Generates own proposals
For every proposal, TC must:
Accept
Reject
Accept in principle or in part
TC must substantiate its actions to afford submitter opportunity for rebuttal
The second basic step is the Report on Proposals.
Following a published “Call for Proposals”, the Technical Committee holds a meeting to consider all the submitted public proposals, and listen to anyone wishing to address the committee. The committee also develops its own proposals and incorporates them into their report.

9. Step 2: Report on Proposals
TC is letter balloted on all actions (2/3 majority required)
TCC is letter balloted on all actions (3/4 majority required)
All proposals published (in ROP) & widely distributed
The committee members are required to approve their report by an ROP letter ballot.
If two-thirds of all committee members eligible to vote approve by letter ballot, then the process continues to the next step. Once the report is successfully balloted by the Technical Committee, all the proposals are then published in the ROP. The committee Report is published, along with the other documents in that revision cycle in a document called the Report on Proposals (ROP).
The ROP booklets, which are referred to by their revision cycles (e.g., Annual 1999 ROP), are sent automatically free of charge to all who submitted proposals and to each respective committee member, as well as anyone else who requests a copy.
Note that it takes two-thirds of the committee to agree before the Report on Proposals goes forward, and because of the one-third rule for committee membership, an inherent safeguard exists to make sure any single constituency group does not unfairly dominate the process.

11. Step 3: Report on Comments
Anyone can comment on any proposed change (in ROP)
Reasons for comments must be provided
Blank comment form in each ROP and on web
Deadline for submission published
Once the Report on Proposals (ROP) becomes available, there is a 60-day comment period during which anyone can submit a Public Comment on the proposed changes in the ROP. The Technical 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 in complied into a second Report, called the Report on Comments (ROC), which, like the ROP, is published and made available for public review for a seven-week period.

12. Step 3: Report on Comments
TC meets and…
Acts on all comments
Generates own comments
For every comment, TC must:
Accept;
Reject;
Accept in principle / part
Hold (if new material)
TC must substantiate its actions to afford submitter opportunity for rebuttal
With respect to public comments, if the committee revises or rejects a comment in whole or in part, it must include the reason for the change. All public comments for the document, without exception, are acted upon by the committee.

13. Step 3: Report on Comments
TC is letter balloted on all actions (2/3 majority required)
TCC is letter balloted on all actions (3/4 majority required)
All comments published (in ROC) & widely distributed
As before, a two-thirds approval vote by letter ballot of the eligible members of the committee is required for approval of actions on the comments.
The committee must again publish reasons for revising or rejecting any public comment. All of this information is compiled into a second booklet, this time called the Report on Comments (ROC), which is again available to anyone for review for a seven-week period.
The ROC booklets, just like the ROP booklets, are referred to by their revision cycles (e.g., Annual 2005 ROP), and are sent automatically free of charge to all who submitted comments and to each respective committee member, as well as anyone else who requests a copy.

15. Step 4: TCR Session Step 5: Standards Council Issuance
Process is handed off from the Technical Committee to the Standards Council
Out of our hands
Not yet cast in concrete – but pretty much in final form

16. Step 4: TCR Session
Motions Committee of SC reviews NITMAMs and certifies motions
Limitations on types of motions that can be made
Motions based on ROP and ROC (cannot introduce new material)
Limitations on who can make a motion
Every proposal and comment needs an advocate thus the reason why only the original submitter of a proposal or comment can move acceptance of their proposal or comment on the floor (i.e., file a NITMAM on the proposal).

17. Part II – Effectively Working Within The Process To Get What You Want

18. Must Do’s..... Communication / Organization
Be Involved - Early and Often
Making An Effective Proposal
Getting The Votes

19. Communication Inter – Company Intra – Company FAMA updates
General membership meetings
Tech Committee meetings
Intra – Company
Who should attend – YOU
If not you – someone who shares your vision
Discuss key issues – where you stand

20. Be Involved - Early and Often
Follow the process and use it to your advantage
Submit your comments early in the process
Documentation & supporting info helpful
Be actively involved
Attend and participate in all of the meetings

21. Probability To Impact Change:
Revision Cycle
104 weeks or 141 weeks
High
Medium
Low
Probability To Impact Change:

22. Making An Effective Proposal
Timing – use the NFPA process
Organized & objectively well supported
Educate the less knowledgeable
Be precise – concise – accurate
Use props, documentation, handouts
Identify & pre-educate key members
Achieve a critical mass of support

23. Getting The Votes (11 0f 28 – 15 Required)
FAMA affiliated Principal (Voting) Members:
Bill Ballantyne (FoamPro) – FAMA
Bob Barraclough – Special Expert (SE)
Peter Darley (Darley) - NTEA
Gary Handwerk - Hale
Jim Juneau – Special Expert (SE)
Roger Lackore - Pierce
Bill McCombs – E-ONE
Tom Mettler - Waterous
James Salmi - Crimson
John Terefinko - KME
Ken Koch - Sutphen

24. Part III – Where Are We In The Current Document Cycle

25. Two Standards Now In Cycle
NFPA 1906 – Wildland Apparatus
NFPA 1912 – Refurbishing
Currently Open for Public Comments
DUE BY May 29, 2009!!!!
FAMA Tech Committee Meeting
April 24, 2009 (FDIC)
NFPA ???? – Ambulances
Initial Meeting June 17, NFPA HQ

26. Probability To Impact Change:
1906 and 1912
Call For Proposals
Closes May 29, 2009
High
Medium
Low
Probability To Impact Change:

28. Questions