NFPA Journal - May/June 2020 - 66

With the cancellation of this year's NFPA Conference &
Expo due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the
annual NFPA Technical Meeting will be conducted remotely.
For more information, visit nfpa.org/conference

THE CLASS OF
CODES & STANDARDS

	 A ROUNDUP OF IMPORTANT CHANGES TO SOME OF THE

		

MOST COMMONLY USED NFPA CODES AND STANDARDS

NFPA 1
nfpa.org/1next

The committee responsible for NFPA 1,
Fire Code, had a busy cycle as usual,
dealing with a host of new and emerging fire threats as well as some familiar
issues that won't seem to go away.
The vexing problem of valet trash
Valet trash collection services allow
apartment building dwellers to set containers of trash in the hallways outside
their apartments rather than having
to lug them all the way outdoors. The
trash-hauling company then collects
the containers from the hallway. The
service is popular among older residents who may have difficulty carrying
heavy bags down stairs or on potetially
slippery walkways.
While it sounds like a good idea, there
are concerns that the trash receptacles

will block egress in hallways and could
add a substantial fuel load in the event
of a fire, overwhelming protection systems and fire-resistance-rated walls.
There is also no good way to enforce
how long the trash is left in the hallway.
Though few committee members had
even heard of valet trash before this
revision cycle, the topic "was probably
the most controversial thing we discussed, to be honest," according to Val
Ziavras, the NFPA 1 staff liaison.
In its first draft meeting, the NFPA
1 technical committee put together a
set of requirements allowing the practice, but it failed ballot and was nixed.
In the meantime, the NFPA 101®, Life
Safety Code®, committee on residential
occupancies included requirements
that allowed valet trash under certain
conditions. Because NFPA 1 requires
compliance with NFPA 101, the Fire
Code would have allowed valet trash by
default if it remained silent. Instead,

the committee's proposed language specifically bans the practice.
NITMAMs, short for Notices of Intent
to Make a Motion, have been filed
opposing the proposed ban in NFPA 1, as
well as against the proposed allowance
in NFPA 101. "I honestly have no idea
what's going to happen," Ziavras said.

						
				

New chapter on 3D printing
Debuting in the 2021 edition of NFPA
1 will be a new chapter titled "Additive
Manufacturing (3D Printing)."
"This is a technology that has been
around for a while, but what we're
seeing now are these 3D printers getting put in occupancies that we never
expected them in because people are
getting more innovative with how
they're using them," Ziavras said. The
hazards could include combustible
dust, depending on the type of printer,
the materials being used, and where
the printer is located.

66 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 0

Codes Update_05.20 V4 DCS.indd 66

5/4/20 1:33 PM
http://nfpa.org/conference http://nfpa.org/1next
NFPA Journal - May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2020
