NFPA CFPE cheat sheet

NFPA documents establish minimum requirements; the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) may require additional protection where conditions warrant.

Plan review of water-based suppression systems typically requires hydraulic calculations, shop drawings, and equipment data sheets submitted before installation begins.

Performance-based designs permitted by NFPA 101 Chapter 5 must document design fire scenarios, occupant response assumptions, and acceptance criteria for AHJ approval.

An equivalency request must demonstrate that the proposed alternative provides a level of safety at least equivalent to the literal code requirement.

Acceptance tests (hydrostatic, flow, alarm, and trip tests) precede final approval; NFPA 25 then governs inspection, testing, and maintenance.

The owner must retain as-built drawings and inspection, testing, and maintenance records and make them available to the AHJ on request.

Any change to approved construction documents requires a revised submittal and re-review before the changed condition is installed.

Occupancy classification under NFPA 101 determines which occupancy chapter applies and drives egress, sprinkler, and detection requirements.

Construction, alteration, and demolition safeguards follow NFPA 241, including site protection, hot work permitting, and fire watch provisions.

NFPA 220 defines Types I through V: Type I is noncombustible with the highest fire resistance, while Type V is combustible with the least.

Type II is noncombustible but permits lower fire resistance than Type I; Type III permits noncombustible exterior walls with combustible interior framing.

Type IV heavy timber requires minimum member dimensions and prohibits concealed combustible spaces within the assembly.

Fire resistance ratings are established by ASTM E119 or UL 263 furnace tests and are expressed in hours, such as 1-hour or 2-hour ratings.

Assemblies carry restrained or unrestrained ratings; for the same design, the unrestrained rating is often lower than the restrained rating.

Fire walls per NFPA 221 must be structurally stable and resist fire from either side, subdividing a building into separate building areas.

Smoke barriers must be at least 1/2-hour rated with protected openings; fire barriers separating fire areas are typically 1 or 2 hours.

Vertical openings such as stairways and shafts must be enclosed with fire-resistance-rated construction in accordance with NFPA 101 Chapter 8.

Roof coverings are classified Class A, B, or C by external fire exposure testing, with Class A providing the highest resistance.

A means of egress comprises exit access, exit, and exit discharge; each component must be continuous and unobstructed.

Required egress capacity is 0.2 in (5 mm) per occupant on level components and ramps; stairs require a greater width per occupant.

Business occupancy uses 100 ft² gross per occupant; assembly unconcentrated is 15 ft² net and concentrated is 7 ft² net.

Where two exits are required, they must be separated by at least one-half the diagonal of the area served, or one-third where sprinklered.

Dead-end corridors are limited to 20 ft, increased to 50 ft where the building is protected throughout by automatic sprinklers.

Travel distance is measured along the actual path of egress travel from the most remote point in the area to the nearest exit.

Emergency lighting must provide at least 1 ft-candle average and 0.1 ft-candle minimum at the floor for a duration of 90 minutes.

Egress doors must provide at least 32 in clear width and must swing in the direction of travel where serving 50 or more occupants.

Guards are required at least 42 in high where the drop exceeds 30 in; handrails on stairs are set 34 in above tread nosings.

Light hazard design density is 0.10 gpm/ft² over 1,500 ft²; Ordinary Hazard Group 1 is 0.15/1,500 and Group 2 is 0.20/1,500.

Extra Hazard Group 1 is 0.30 gpm/ft² over 2,500 ft²; Extra Hazard Group 2 is 0.40 gpm/ft² over 2,500 ft².

Sprinkler temperature ratings: ordinary 135–170°F, intermediate 175–225°F, high 250–300°F, very high 325–375°F.

Sprinklers require at least 18 in of clearance between the deflector and the top of storage.

Fire pumps must deliver at least 65 percent of rated head at 150 percent of rated flow (NFPA 20).

Standpipe classes per NFPA 14: Class I provides 2½ in outlets, Class II provides 1½ in outlets, and Class III provides both.

Spot-type smoke detectors on smooth ceilings: 30 ft maximum spacing and 21 ft maximum distance from a sidewall.

Fire alarm audible signals must be at least 15 dBA above average ambient and not more than 110 dBA at the minimum hearing distance.

Class A portable extinguishers: 75 ft maximum travel distance; Class B: 30 ft for high hazard and 50 ft for other than high hazard.

NFPA 704 marking: blue = health, red = flammability, yellow = instability, white = special hazards; hazard quadrants are rated 0 through 4.

NFPA 30 Class I liquids have flash points below 100°F: IA (FP < 73°F, BP < 100°F), IB (FP < 73°F, BP ≥ 100°F), IC (FP 73–100°F).

Class II liquids have flash points ≥ 100°F and < 140°F; Class IIIA is ≥ 140°F and < 200°F; Class IIIB is ≥ 200°F.

A single flammable liquid storage cabinet may hold up to 60 gal of Class I or II liquids, or 120 gal of Class III liquids.

Hot work requires a 35 ft clearance from combustibles, a written permit, and a fire watch in accordance with NFPA 51B.

Spray application of flammable finishes follows NFPA 33; dip tanks follow NFPA 34; ovens and furnaces follow NFPA 86.

Combustible dust programs use the fundamentals of NFPA 652, including a dust hazard analysis, plus commodity standards such as NFPA 654.

NFPA 70 Article 500 classifies locations as Class I (gases/vapors), Class II (dusts), or Class III (fibers/flyings); Division 1 means the hazard is normally present.

NFPA 58 governs LP-Gas storage and handling, including container separation distances and maximum quantity limits.