NRMCA Seeks to Extend Results for Exterior Wall Fire Tests
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NRMCA participated in the 2022 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Meeting in Boston on June 8. The meeting included discussions on whether to amend standards presented as part of NFPA's Fall 2021 and Annual 2022 revision cycles. NRMCA Vice President, Fire Codes and Standards, Shamim Rashid-Sumar voiced support for the proposed new Annex B to NFPA 285, Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components. Annex B is the Guide for Extensions of Results from Assemblies that Meet NFPA 285 Test Requirements and serves as a guidance document for recent changes to the International Building Code (IBC). These changes, which will appear in the 2024 edition of the code, will permit extensions of existing test data in demonstrating compliance with requirements for limiting fire spread in exterior walls containing combustible materials.
Ms. Rashid-Sumar is a principal voting member of several NFPA technical committees, including the Technical Committee on Fire Tests, which oversees NFPA 285.
NFPA technical committees and panels serve as the principal consensus bodies responsible for developing and updating all NFPA codes and standards. However, NFPA encourages public input before standards are finalized. Interested parties may view more on how the NFPA standards development process works here.
For more information on fire codes and standards advocacy efforts, contact Shamim Rashid-Sumar at ssumar@nrmca.org.
