The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. As of 2018, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 members and 9,000 volunteers working with the organization through its 250 technical committees.

History

In 1895, a Committee on Automatic Sprinkler Protection was formed in Massachusetts by men affiliated with several fire insurance companies and a pipe manufacturer to develop a uniform standard for the design and installation of

fire sprinkler A fire sprinkler or sprinkler head is the component of a fire sprinkler system that discharges water when the effects of a fire have been detected, such as when a predetermined temperature has been exceeded. Fire sprinklers are extensively use ...

systems. At the time, there were nine such standards in effect within of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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, and such diversity was causing great difficulties for plumbers working in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

region. The next year, the committee published its initial report on a uniform standard, and went on to form the NFPA in late 1896. The committee's initial report evolved into NFPA 13, ''Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems,'' which is now the most widely used fire sprinkler standard. Around 1904, the NFPA began to expand its membership from affiliates of fire insurance companies to many other organizations and individuals, and also expanded its mission beyond promulgating fire sprinkler standards.

Codes and standards

The association publishes more than 300 consensus codes and standards that are intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. The codes and standards are administered by more than 250 technical committees, consisting of approximately 8,000 volunteers.

Mascot

Sparky the Fire Dog is the official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. Created in 1951 to promote fire safety education for children, he is a Dalmatian dressed in firefighting gear. A children's book written about Sparky by Don Hoffman was published in 2011. He serves as the spokesdog for Fire Prevention Week each October in the United States and Canada.

References

External links

*
Official website for Sparky the Fire Dog

Child education resources
{{authority control Electrical safety standards organizations Fire protection organizations Firefighting in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Massachusetts Occupational safety and health organizations Organizations established in 1896 Quasi-public entities in the United States Quincy, Massachusetts Standards organizations in the United States