I recently received my copy of the 2010 edition of NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors & Other Opening Protectives, and I spent some time today perusing the changes (indicated by a vertical line to the left of the revised text).

Many of the changes are related to glazing, and there are some updates to definitions and terminology.  I was happy to see the addition of the definition of “Qualified Person” (see below) because I thought it might clear up some of the questions about who can perform fire door assembly inspections, but unfortunately the standard talks about qualified people doing other types of installation, evaluations, and inspections, but still uses the term “individuals with knowledge and understanding” in regards to functional testing of fire doors.

This edition of NFPA 80 will likely be referenced by the 2012 building and life safety codes, so it will be a while before most of us actually use it.  If you’d like an overview, there’s a podcast available on NFPA’s website by Kristin Collette, who is the NFPA Staff Liason for NFPA 80.  Most of the podcast is spent discussing the application of NFPA 80 and changes from the 1999 to 2007 editions, so it’s worth a listen.

You can access the podcast by going to this page and then searching for the podcast called “NFPA 80 Updates.”  You can view a read-only copy of NFPA 80-2010, or purchase a hard copy or pdf by clicking here.

3.3.95 Qualified Person. A person who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, professional standing, or skill, and who, by knowledge, training, and experience, has demonstrated the ability to deal with the subject matter, the work, or the project.

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