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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!

How can you know if your facility is at risk of loss from fire? What features and processes are in place that decrease or enhance that risk? What mitigations can be put into place to minimize the fire risk?

Tweet: Risk: the combination of the likelihood of an accident occurrence and the severity of the potential consequences

Risk can be defined as “the combination of the likelihood of an accident occurrence and the severity of the potential consequences”. A fire risk assessment is a direct assessment of the fire risks pertaining to a building or other structure. By conducting a fire risk assessment the level of risk can be identified, specific hazards can be realized, and action can be taken to mitigate these risks.

When conducting a fire risk assessment you want to thoroughly examine your structure or facility. Your examination should focus on identifying potential fire hazards (those items that contribute to increased fire/loss risk), and fire risk reduction factors (Items currently in place that reduce fire/loss risk).

Potential fire hazards to be identified are:

Ignition sources present - Is there open flame in the area? Do hot work operations take place in the area? Is smoking allowed? Do industrial process create their own ignition source? Are their cooking facilities in the structure?
Fuel load present - Does the area contain a large amount of flammables or combustibles? Would the materials within the space contribute to excessive fire load? Are the interior finishes flammable? How are items stored and configured?
Occupant load - How many people can potentially occupy the space? How many people actually, regularly occupy the space? If a fire occurred, how many people would potentially be impacted?

There are five risk reduction factors that can reduce the risk of fire loss to a structure:

Building construction type - Construction types I, II, IV provide the greatest degree of fire and heat resistance. Construction types III, and V are the least resistive to fire. Related Post: Understanding Building Construction and Loads
Fire alarm systems - Fire alarm systems provide advanced notice of fire incident occurrence and can quickly contact emergency services. To ensure the reliability of these systems, they must undergo regular inspection, testing, and maintenance. Related Post: Beginners Guide to Fire Alarm Systems
Fire suppression systems - Fire suppression systems are designed to control fires and keep them from growing to an unmanageable level. These systems, to be effective when needed, must be regularly inspected, tested, and maintained. Additionally, these systems must be installed and appropriately engineered to appropriately protect the hazard that they are installed for. Relate Post: Understanding Pre-Action Sprinkler Systems
Building upgrades - As structures age they can become more susceptible to fire risk. As more is learned about building structure and systems, codes and standards are created and revised to make full use of the latest developments. Related Post: Aircraft Facility Fire Codes Index
Water supply and reliability - The successful extinguishment of a fire relies heavily on the water supply availability, and how quickly and easily that water can be accessed. Related Post: How to Conduct Hydrant Flow Testing

Are your tenants, employees, and customers really safe, or are they truly at risk, with just a perception of safety?

My book, Risk Assessment Guide for Aviation Facilities, is a complete reference manual for understanding risk, conducting a risk assessment, and applying assessment results to mitigate fire loss.

For free risk assessment guides, resources, and information visit the website - www.AviationFireRisk.com.

Buy the Kindle edition.

Buy the Print edition.

Related posts:

Using Google Chrome

While contemplating a new laptop purchase I came across the Google Chromebook. The Chromebooks run on the Linux based, Chrome OS. The Acer Chromebook starts at only $199, the next level up is the Samsung Chromebook starting at $249. These systems operate in the cloud while also allowing work to be performed offline. As I currently work heavily with Google Drive (docs, spreadsheets, slides, gmail, calendar, blogger, etc.) this sounded like a perfect option for me. Also, you can download and utilize apps from the Google Chrome web store, another plus as I currently use an Android based phone. Added benefits are no outdated software, the newest updates happen automatically, and all files can be located in the cloud, available wherever/whenever you need them.

As I have been researching this technology, it seems that governments have been taking note of the affordability of Google's array of software and hardware. Here are two stories of governments that have gone Google:

This makes good sense for use in the public sector. Astronomical financial savings would be found in, reduced funds for computer leasing and hardware updates, eleimination of software licensing and upgrade fees, and reduced cost of server maintenance and upkeep.

I have not purchased mine yet, but it will happen in a couple of days. I will be posting a review here as I begin to use it.

Sims U Share

Sims U Share is an application that allows anyone to create a training simulation. This FREE application (for phone, tablets, or web) allows you to take a photo of anything (buildings, vehicle, aircraft, etc.) and add smoke, fire, explosions, or other effects. This is a great practical training tool for fire crews to use.

For more information check out www.simsushare.mobi or simsushare.commandsim.com.