Functions of Nfpa and OSHA in Fire Service

NFPA and OSHA in Fire Service:

The National Fire Protection Association is a global nonprofit organization that was founded in 1896 to lessen the burden of fire and other hazards throughout the globe. The organization seeks to enhance the quality of life through offering and supporting universal codes and standards, training, research, and education that focus on dealing with hazards. Given its membership and presence in almost 100 countries, NFPA is regarded as the leading supporter of fire prevention and a powerful source on public safety. In contrast, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is a governmental agency that focuses on regulating safety in the workplace. The organization is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor whose emphasis is to promote and strengthen safer and healthy workplaces throughout the country. Consequently, OSHA and NFPA play a crucial role in fire service because of their focus on enhancing workplace and public safety.

Functions of NFPA in Relation to Fire Service:

The main focus of the National Fire Protection Association is to enhance the quality of life through dealing with fire and other emergencies or hazards. NFPA seeks to accomplish this objective through promoting and supporting fire prevention as well as being a powerful source on public safety ("Overview," n.d.). The organization's functions in relation to fire service are attributed to the various initiatives it undertakes to accomplish its mission and objectives. Generally, NFPA's function in relation to fire service is based on the establishment of standards, regulations, and laws that focus on lessening fire incidents and dealing with hazards.

The organization's function in relation to fire service is evident in its code and standards, public education, advocacy, and information resource. NFPA develops and publishes codes and standards that focus on reducing the risks and effects of fire incidents. These codes and standards establish criteria for design, building, processing, service, and installation with regards to fire and other hazards. Actually, nearly every organization is affected by the organization's codes and standards because disasters can take place anywhere, especially when least expected ("Codes and Standards," n.d.). The most commonly used codes are related to establishing reasonable fire safety and property protection levels, fuel gas installations, electrical installations, and protection of building occupants from such incidents.

Secondly, NFPA relates to fire service by its provision of various resources for fire, electrical, and life-safety instructions through different public education programs. Third, the organization's functions relate to fire service by supervising the operation of advocacy campaigns committed to enhancing fire safety and awareness. NFPA's advocacy initiatives are fostered by its information resource for fire data analysis and research. The information resource or data generated from analysis and research helps in directing educational outreach and supporting the initiatives of the organization's Technical Committees.

Functions of OSHA in Relation to Fire Service:

As previously mentioned, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a federal agency that regulates safety in workplaces. In its efforts to promote workplace safety, the organization deals with various occupational hazards such as fire incidents. OSHA's objective of promoting workplace safety is achieved through developing standards, regulations, and laws that companies and organizations are required to comply with. The standards, laws, and regulations developed by this organization are enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor. While OSHA develops a wide range of standards, there are aspects related to fire service. The organization works to promote safety in workplaces through establishing and enforcing standards, partnerships, and offering training, education, and outreach ("Fire Service Features," 2006).

The first way with which OSHA is related to fire service is through developing and establishing standards related to fire and emergency protection. The organization has created hazard-specific safety and health standards including those related to fire service. OSHA's standards on fire and emergency protection focus on different fire service features of buildings such as building and site, fire alarm and communication systems, fire department connections, sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, and firefighter emergency power systems.

Secondly, OSHA works with the National Fire Protection Association to foster safer and better workplaces with regards to fire service. The partnership is geared towards lessening fire incidents in the workplace through various initiatives such as lessening and preventing exposure to obvious electrical hazards in the workplace ("Agreement Establishing an Alliance," 2011). Moreover, OSHA uses the partnership as a means for developing standards since it relies on third parties to develop binding standards for protection against fire and other hazards in the workplace. Third, OSHA necessitates companies and organizations to adhere to various fire safety issues or segments. As a result, organizations are required to use OSHA's criteria to determine standards about fire protection or use them to develop their standards (Adams, 2007).