The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador adopted the 2006 Edition of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®. The adoption became effective on April 1, 2007.
The Life Safety Code is used with the National Building Code of Canada and the National Fire Code of Canada to address existing buildings and rehabilitation, areas not addressed by either of these codes.
Newfoundland and Labrador has adopted editions of the Life Safety Code to address existing building standards since 1979.
“The Life Safety Code provides important direction on minimum standards and requirements concerning building structures,” stated Fred Hollett, Fire Commissioner of Newfoundland and Labrador. “The Life Safety Code has been an important resource in assisting with training and implementation for national building and fire codes for the province and is essential to ensure that public safety interests are met.”
The Newfoundland and Labrador model that addresses existing buildings and building rehabilitation is being promoted to the other Canadian provinces to solve the current gap in the codes.
“This is not a great leap for many of these jurisdictions as NFPA 101 is well used as a source of information to augment information that might not already be in the Canadian Model Codes,” said Sean Tracey, Canadian regional manager for NFPA. “There are numerous examples of code equivalencies and interpretations from the provinces using the Life Safety Code.”
Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador adopts latest editions of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
NFPA’s Life Safety Code has also been adopted by the province of Prince Edward Island for over 20 years. It is currently used in every U.S. state, and adopted statewide in 39 states. The Life Safety Code sets minimum building design, construction, operation, and maintenance requirements necessary to protect building occupants from dangers caused by fire, smoke, and toxic fumes. The Life Safety Code also provides prompt escape requirements for new and existing buildings.
Newfoundland and Labrador will be participating in a training program developed by NFPA and offered to states that have adopted NFPA 1, NFPA 101 and other key NFPA codes and standards. This training is being customized for the specific needs of Newfoundland and Labrador and will cover the code’s requirements and the numerous ways it can be utilized and enforced with the National Building and Fire Codes of Canada. This training and the associated codebooks are free to government code enforcement officials.
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.