- The NFPA has set over 300 different regulations concerning building safety. These standards cover almost every aspect of building safety. Codes deal with the installation of electrical wires, the use of natural gas lines, the installation of fire sprinklers, standards for chemical wash stations and wetting agents, warnings on combustible or flammable material, and hundreds of other different issues. The NFPA has a code or regulation on almost every type of issue that exists in the building of a building or the continued safety of people within the building.
- The Fire Code was the first code the NFPA enacted. It is extremely comprehensive and deals with all aspects of fire safety. The Fire Code mandates that all buildings have set evacuation routes, and specifies the number of fire doors and the types of signs required alerting people to the presence of those exists. The Fire Code also contains rules regarding sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, and maximum occupancy levels within buildings. All of these codes are designed to ensure that people will not be hurt or killed needlessly in a fire.
The NFPA also investigates accidents or fires that occur. When a fire occurs and the conditions are suspicious or a death resulted, the NFPA may investigate building codes, the evacuation plan, and the storage and handling of material that may have led to the fire. For example, if a fire occurs and people perish because the exits were improperly blocked or marked, or because there were too many people in the building and they couldn't all get out in time, the NFPA will investigate and uncover the cause of those deaths. - NFPA 54 is called the National Fuel Gas Code. This NFPA regulation addresses the installation and maintenance of fuel gas pipe systems. The Code provisions regulate both the installation and maintenance of natural gas lines. Natural gas lines are used in appliances, equipment and accessories in both homes and commercial establishments. The NFPA has rules and regulations relating to the maximum and minimum pressure that a gas pipe can release in its destination (the stove, the hot water system, or whatever else the gas pipe is being used to power).
- Code NFPA 70 is the National Electric Code set forth by the NFPA. This code addresses safety in the installation and maintenance of electrical devices. It regulates everything from conductors to raceways and optical fiber connections. The NFPA code sets maximum voltage levels, and contains other rules regarding the installation of electricity, that are designed to ensure safety.
- The NFPA works in state units called Sections. These Sections are organized formal bodies. There is a hierarchy of positions within the sections, and each section oversees the creation and implementation of an NFPA regulation or rule. Certified Fire Inspectors and Plan Examiners are both part of NFPA sections. Their function is to visit buildings, check for NFPA violaltions, and report back to the NFPA.
NFPA codes are also regulated by a system of volunteers. Volunteers can work within a section that they are interested in, and help the NFPA to enforce building codes in the volunteer's local area. Volunteers run important programs including "Risk Watch: Learn Not to Burn," and "Fire Prevention Week." Volunteers are usually given "Save and Success" certificates for their work.