Online Platforms for Codes and Standards

I love books, especially code books. I love getting that new code book in the mail, I love holding it in my hand and flipping through its pages, and I love to look over and see it on my physical bookshelf. The reality of books, though, is that they are heavy, bulky, take up space, you can lose track of your notes and highlights, and you can not take your full bookshelf with you wherever you go. With online codes and standards platforms this is possible. These platforms allow the user to easily bookmark, save, and annotate important sections. These platforms provide instant access to every code and standard that the user may need. And these platforms make those code sections, and your notes, easy to share with collaborators and clients. 

The NFPA and ICC each have their own online platforms. A third option, UpCodes, brings all of these together into one place. Below is a brief review and general information on each of these platforms.

Link.nfpa.org

Cost: $9.99 per month

The free view of NFPA codes and standards only provides a read-only file that cannot be marked, shared, or printed. NFPA LiNK, provides the user with full access to the codes and standard. The user can quickly and easily search, bookmark, annotate, and share code sections. This NFPA LiNK interface is visually appealing (it looks like books on a shelf) and user friendly. This program provides access to all NFPA codes and standards and multiple versions of each. This platform offers a feature that none of the others offer, that is offline access. At $9.99 per month, it is the most affordable of the online platforms. 

More information: https://www.nfpa.org/NFPA-LiNK

https://codes.iccsafe.org/signup/trial

Cost: $59.50 per month (members)

The free view of ICC codes only provides a read-only file that cannot be marked, shared, or printed. ICC Digital Codes Premium, provides access to the full library of ICC codes, standards, commentary, study guides, and other documents. This subscription also provides access to the documents that are published under the ICC family of companies, such as from, IAEI, SEAOC, Wiley. Also available are standards from ASHRAE, ANSI, FEMA, RESNET, and others. This platform lets the user search and access codes and standards by state, collection, or publisher.  This is the least user friendly and visually appealing of the platforms. It is also the most expensive.

More information: https://codes.iccsafe.org/premium-features

https://up.codes/

Cost: Free to view, link, copy, print

$33.00 per month for premium features

UpCodes, overall, is the best product and investment. It provides access to codes and standards across a wide range of publishers and organizations including: NFPA, ICC, ANSI, IAPMO, ASHRAE, OSHA, and more. These can be searched by publisher or by jurisdiction. UpCodes contains only the codes and standards that have been adopted into law by a government agency and, therefore, fall under public domain use. The free version of UpCodes allows the user to view, link to, copy, and print code sections. Premium features provide for bookmarking, notes, projects that can be created, saved, and shared with collaborators, illustrative diagrams and commentary, code calculators, and robust search functions. UpCodes provides access to multiple code families and publishers, with links to references within the documents. This platform is user friendly, and easy to navigate and visually appealing. 

More information: https://up.codes/features

In conclusion…

If your work requires codes and standards use and research, you have to get on-board with these online platforms. They increase efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance accuracy. If you primarily deal in the ICC family of codes then perhaps the ICC Digital Codes Premium would be your best option. For jurisdictional code officials, consultants, architects, and those who work across jurisdictions, UpCodes may be your best option. For those who use NFPA specific documents within their industry, such as the fire departments, manufacturers, or occupancy specific functions, and NFPA LiNK subscription may be the best option. Or, perhaps, a combination of one or all of these platforms is what will serve you, the user, best!

Beginners [Unofficial] Guide to Using Target Solutions for Fire Inspections

Several years ago our department was seeking to transition from paper files and inspections to an all digital solution.  I presented several software options, but in the end, I was told that we already pay for Target Solutions, can we make that work for inspections?  I did not know the answer to that question, as I had assumed that Target Solutions was only a training software program, however, as I began to search through and experiment with its other features, I quickly realized that it was a good fire inspection solution.

The key to making this work for your department is in the proper utilization of the ‘Activities Builder’ feature of the program. Knowing how to use the ‘Activities Builder’ can provide a viable solution for digital, cloud-based fire inspection activities.  The below guide will walk you through how to set-up a custom inspection checklist that may fit your departments needs.

• Log in to your Target Solutions account.
• Select the ‘Administration’ tab
• Select the ‘Activities Builder’ tab (left sidebar)

If you have not done so already, you will need to create a ‘category’ for your inspection activities. On the right side of the screen in the highlighted area labeled ‘Categories’, select ‘Add New’.  Insert category name, and select ‘submit’ to save.

• Select ‘Create New Activity’  (green button in the top right hand corner of the screen).
• Select ‘Category’
• Insert ‘Name’ and brief ‘Description’ of the form
• Select or deselect desired ‘Options’.
• Typically for inspection forms you will want to ‘Allow Self-Assign’ as this permits all users to select and complete the inspection form
• You may also want to ‘Require validation upon completion’ this will allow an administrator to review the report and reject or request changes.
• Select desired ‘Privacy’ options - these pertain to who can access and change the inspection form
• Add ‘Tags’ as necessary (your Target Solutions representative can assist with this)
• ‘Certificate’ is not normally required for an inspection document - this is primarily for custom activity training classes.
• Select ‘Save’

The next screen that appears will be the start of your form. The title of the form (that was given to it in the step above) will be in the top title bar. The description will be in a text box below that. The next step in building your inspection form is to add various components. Components that may be used are located in the right sidebar. These can be added by simply clicking on the title and completing the information as prompted.  For inspection forms we will only need to utilize a few of these components. You will notice that each of these components will have a checkbox labeled ‘User response required’. If this is checked it will prevent the form from being submitted until that component has been completed. It is advisable to select this option for inspection activities, as this can serve as a reminder to the inspector of items that need to be addressed.

• Select ‘Date Complete’
• Select desired options in the pop-up box, then click ‘Submit’
• Select ‘Units Involved’ - This is a good selection to identify the units or individuals conducting the inspection. In the question box you could enter, ‘Personnel conducting inspection’.
• Select ‘Location’ - this is where the property address or identification can be entered.
• Select ‘Request File’ - this allows inspection pictures or other documentation to be uploaded and attached to this specific report.

Next we will need to add some ‘Free Form Components’. The ‘Question’ component will be utilized most frequently.

• Select ‘Question’ - 
• Enter a brief description or instruction on the item to be inspected
• Select ‘User response required’ (recommended for most items), if desired
• Select ‘Answer’ - there are five options, the most common three that you will use are described below:
• Text - allows user to enter small amount of information, anything that can be typed from the keyboard.
• Long text - the best option for items that may require a longer explanation, or narrative material. I usually end my forms with the long text box so the inspector can provide a full narrative of any issues or deficiencies.
• Multiple choice - this allows for the more efficient information entry of a drop down selection box.  This is perfect for limited response items (such as, pass/fail, open/closed, etc.) or to create checklist items. To create a checklist of items, select the box labeled ‘Allow multiple selections’
• Select ‘Submit’ to save
• Repeat this process as necessary to account for all required inspection items.

The form auto-saves as it is being created. When you are done, you should click the eyeball icon (top right corner) to preview the form. Make changes as needed.

The great thing about using Target Solutions for fire inspections is that it is fully customizable, provides data output in a variety of outputs (.xml, .pdf, etc.), and since it is cloud-based, is instantly accessible from anywhere. Although, there are other software programs available specifically for fire inspections, for departments currently using Target Solutions for training, this can be an added value received from the program.

You may also like this article on how to use Target Solutions for regulatory audits.