Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1386104
July/August/September 2021 I 61 Development Process STEP STEP STEP STEP Public Comment Second draft meeting Committee ballot on second draft Second draft posted Public Input Stage Public input begins following the publication of the current edition First draft meeting Committee ballot on first revisions First draft report posted NFPA Technical Committee Notice of intent to make a motion (NITMAM) Certified NITMAM's voted on at technical meeting Council Appeals and Issuance of Standard Consent standards Issuance of standards and appeals One of the biggest challenges for code adoption is that technology changes so quickly. In an effort to mitigate this issue, there are always ways to work with the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to accept new technology. However, best practices recommend involving the AHJ early in the process to prevent having a solution rejected at the eleventh hour, just as a certificate of occupancy is about to be issued. THE NFPA STANDARDS PROCESS One of the most important features of NFPA's stan- dards development process is that it is a full, open, consensus-based process. "Full consensus" means that anybody may participate and expect fair and equal treatment because safety is everybody's business. NFPA standards are use throughout the world. The standards are used to ensure the highest level of life safety and property protection whether in a computer room or data center in the Pentagon, a research station in Antarctica, a power plant in the Middle East, the space shuttle, the hometown dry cleaner, or perhaps a historical library in Scotland. Each Technical Committee serves as the consensus body responsible for developing and updating their respective NFPA standard(s). Technical Committees are appointed by the Standards Council. They represent a balance of interests and appointment is based upon factors, including technical expertise, professional standing, commitment to public safety, and the ability to bring a specific point-of-view of interested people or groups. Each Technical Committee represents a balance of affected interests, with no more than one-third of the committee being of the same interest category. Currently, NFPA is represented by committee members from a range of industries including: • Insurance • Consumer • Enforcing Authority • Labor • Installer/Maintainer • Special Expert Although the NFPA encourages individual member- ship for full advantage of all the organization has to offer, membership is not required to serve on a Technical Committee or to participate in the process. The entire committee is made up of volunteers who give freely of their time, expertise, and passion to work together to make the world safer. The NFPA process encourages public participation in the development of its standards. Typically, a stan- dard's cycle takes approximately two years to complete. Each revision cycle proceeds according to a published schedule of the standards development process as shown below. • Applied Research/Testing Laboratory • User • Manufacturer