NRMCA Advocates for Building Code Changes at National Fire Protection Association Committee Meetings

NRMCA participated in technical committee meetings July 15 - 22 in Baltimore as part of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual 2026 revision cycle for the 2027 editions of the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code® and NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code®. Darryl Dixon, senior director, energy codes and standards; Julian Mills-Beale, director, structural codes and standards; and Shamim Rashid-Sumar, senior vice president, codes and standards, participated in the second draft meetings of the technical committees on Structures, Construction and Materials (SCM); Building Construction (BLC); Fire Protection Features (FIR); Building Systems (BSY) and Residential Occupancies (RES). They advocated for code changes impacting the concrete industry, including fire testing for noncombustible materials, requirements for NFPA 285 testing of exterior walls and reference of industry standards for fire resistance calculations.

NRMCA also teamed with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) to advocate for reference of ACI codes developed by ACI-TMS Committee 122 on Energy Efficiency of Concrete and Masonry Systems, including the following:

• ACI-TMS CODE 122.1 – Thermal Bridge Mitigation for Buildings Having Concrete and Masonry Walls and Masonry Veneer - Code Requirements and Commentary
• ACI-TMS CODE 122.2 – Thermal Properties of Concrete and Masonry for Use in Determining Energy Code Compliance for Low-Rise Residential Buildings - Code Requirements and Commentary
• ACI-TMS CODE 122.3 – Thermal Properties of Concrete and Masonry for Use in Determining Energy Code Compliance Except for Low-Rise Residential Buildings - Code Requirements and Commentary 

NRMCA won the support of the technical committees to create second revisions for all these changes. NFPA technical committees and panels serve as the principal consensus bodies responsible for developing and updating all NFPA codes and standards. However, the standards development process encourages public participation. The deadline for Notice of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAM) for the final draft of the NFPA 5000 Standard is March 31, 2026.

Interested parties may view more on how the NFPA standards development process works. For more information on NRMCA codes and standards advocacy efforts, contact Shamim Rashid-Sumar at ssumar@nrmca.org.