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| Published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Pave the way to smooth, confident 2009 NFPA 101 compliance. The 2009 Life Safety Code Handbook has the practical insights and solutions you need!
Life safety has evolved! Don't let uncertainty about what new Life Safety Code requirements mean or how to apply them slow down jobs and compromise safety. Put reliable application advice at your fingertips with NFPA's exclusive 2009 Life Safety Code Handbook.
Avoid mistakes and redos. Get practical, authoritative support on every project with instant answers and solutions in the Life Safety Code Handbook.
Need clarification of new rules? Want to validate that your interpretations are correct? Looking for practical examples to help you implement provisions or provide explanations to clients? Just open the Handbook to find everything you need to succeed on the job and maximize occupant protection in all types of structures:
- Only NFPA's official Handbook contains the complete 2009 Life Safety Code text.
- Authoritative commentary provides insights into the reasoning behind rules and presents hands-on compliance advice. Plus, it's color-coded so it's easy to distinguish from requirements.
- First-time commentary shortens the learning curve on new provisions concerning egress-related criteria for evacuation strategies and new escape devices, additional sprinkler mandates, inspection of door openings, door locking for patient protective needs, and 2-way communication systems in areas of refuge.
- Life Safety Code text for new and existing buildings is presented side-by-side for easy comparison--this feature alone makes the Handbook a must!
- More than 400 two-color charts, tables, photos, and illustrations enhance your understanding of vital requirements.
- A handy chart makes it easy to see major changes that have been implemented.
Get up-to-speed on the 2009 Life Safety Code fast!
Occupant safety depends on you. So if you're a designer, architect, engineer, contractor, consultant, or AHJ, order your 2009 Life Safety Code Handbook today and gain the knowledge to do jobs right and prevent violations that cost time, money, and lives.
From the Preface
For more than 80 years, the National Fire Protection Association has been the developer and publisher of the Life Safety Code. Formerly known as the Building Exits Code, the Code is prepared by the NFPA Committees on Safety to Life - 14 of the more than 200 technical committees operating within the framework of NFPA's consensus standards-development system. The members of the Committees on Safety to Life bring to the committee deliberations their knowledge and competence in the design and construction of buildings and structures, in the manufacture and testing of building components and accessories, and in the enforcement of regulations pertaining to life safety from fire and other related hazards encountered in buildings and structures. The committee members also participate in the development of NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code, which is processed in the same revision cycle as NFPA 101. There are many similarities between the two codes, especially within the occupancy chapters.
The Life Safety Code is a unique document; its contents address specific requirements that have a direct influence on safety to life in both new construction and existing buildings - not new construction alone. Moreover, although the Code's paramount concern is life safety and not protection of property per se there are also - by observance of the Code's requirements - ancillary benefits to mission continuity and property protection.
The impact that application of the Code can have on saving lives is difficult to measure; however, it is reasonable to assume that its influence is extremely significant. For example, of the many fatal public building fires investigated by NFPA, invariably one or more of the building features contributing to loss of life from fire were in violation of the requirements of the Code.
NFPA recognizes that a code suitable for enforcement must by the nature of its purpose be concise and without explanatory text. In addition, a code cannot be written to cover every situation that will be encountered; thus, it must be applied with judgment and used with good sense and with an awareness of the rationale for the requirements to be enforced. A little help and counsel along the way can make the job a lot easier; hence, NFPA has also developed this Life Safety Code Handbook.
This handbook gives users of the Life Safety Code background information on the reasons for certain Code provisions. It also provides some suggestions, through its text and illustrations, on how some Code requirements can be implemented effectively. This kind of information is intended to provide users of the Code with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the requirements contained in the Code. The net result should be buildings and structures that are increasingly more fire safe. The reader is cautioned, however, to look upon the commentary that appears in the handbook as the views of the editors and - where commentary reads relatively the same as in earlier editions - the contributors to earlier editions of the handbook. The commentary does not necessarily reflect the official position of NFPA.
Where a pair of occupancy chapters addresses a given occupancy (for example, Chapter 12 for new assembly occupancies and Chapter 13 for existing assembly occupancies), the Code text for both chapters is presented in side-by-side columns to permit easy comparison. Further, the accompanying commentary points out differences between the provisions applicable to new construction and to existing buildings.
Annex B, Elevators for Occupant-Controlled Evacuation Prior to Phase I Emergency Recall Operations, and Annex C, Supplemental Evacuation Equipment, are new to the 2009 edition of the Code. The Code text and accompanying commentary are new to this handbook. David de Vries of Firetech Engineering Inc. drafted the commentary, and tracked down the associated photographs, for Annex C.
For this edition of the handbook, Gregory Harrington revised the commentary for Chapters 8 through 11, 24, 26, 28 through 33, 36 through 40, and 42; Ron Coté revised the commentary for Chapters 1 through 7, 12 through 23, and 43, wrote the commentary for Annex B, and finalized the commentary for Annex C.
About the Editors
Ron Coté, PE, is the principal life safety engineer in the Building Fire Protection and Life Safety group at NFPA. He joined the NFPA staff in 1981 and serves as staff liaison and secretary to several Safety to Life and Building Code technical committees. Prior to his employment with NFPA, Ron worked for seven years as a fire protection engineer for Factory Mutual Research Corporation. Ron is a registered Professional Engineer in the discipline of Fire Protection in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Gregory E Harrington, PE, is a principal fire protection engineer in the NFPA Building Fire Protection and Life Safety group and serves as staff liaison and secretary to several Safety to Life and Building Code technical committees. Following the publication of the 2009 edition of NFPA 1, Fire Code, he assumed staff responsibility for that project as well. Prior to joining NFPA in 1996, Greg spent three years as a fire protection engineer with the San Antonio, Texas, Fire Department and also worked as a consulting engineer with Schirmer Engineering Corporation. He holds the degree of Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is a registered Professional Engineer in the discipline of Fire Protection in the State of Connecticut.
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