The NFPA has developed guidelines for acceptable levels of fire and life safety for animal facilities.
Concern for the welfare of animals has increased in recent years. Organizations that, because of the nature of their business are involved with animals, face unique challenges. Similar to any other entity, these organizations are obligated to provide a safe environment for the human occupants.
Traditional building and fire codes provide for broadly applied concepts to the facilities, but lack any specificity with regard to the very unique nature of the animal inhabitants. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), www.nfpa.org, has taken one step forward to remedy this situation.
The Technical Committee on Animal Housing Facilities has the responsibility of developing and updating NFPA 150, Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities. Members of the committee represent various interest groups such as consultants, government officials, manufacturers, zoos, insurance companies, animal welfare organizations, and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs). The text of NFPA 150 was developed to coincide with applicable codes, to eliminate conflicts, and to provide information gathered from other resource documents. The final document provides additional safeguards for animals without attempting to duplicate the applicable fire and building codes.
Defining terminology
Regulations to facilitate better care of animals in captivity are being improved continuously. Image: Edstrom.
According to NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, which is enforced in 40 states, storage occupancies are defined as those occupancies used for the storage or sheltering of goods, merchandise, products, vehicles, or animals. This occupancy classification shall be subject to the ruling of the AHJ when there is a question of proper classification in any individual case. This may lead to inconsistencies in classification at a national level.
NFPA 150 defines buildings in three classes. It determines the animal class of a building by evaluating the level of public interaction with the animals in the building. Class 1 facilities are those that have no general public access, including research laboratories, food processing plants, and quarantine areas. Class 2 facilities are those that have restricted general public access, including the dairy barn that may offer tours and breeding facilities. Class 3 facilities are those with regular general public access. This includes viewing areas in zoos, board and care facilities, and pet stores. As is the case with the Life Safety Code, classification shall be subject to the ruling of the AHJ when there is a question of proper classification in any individual case.
Furthermore, NFPA 150 divides animals into two major categories. Category-A animals are those that pose a potential risk to the health and/or safety of handlers, rescuers or the general public; animals that cannot be removed without potential risk to the health and welfare of the animal or other animals; animals that are physically impossible or impractical to move; animals that are not mobile or are placed in a mobile enclosure; or those that cannot be safely released or directed to an area of refuge. Category-B animals includes all animals not identified as Category-A.
Outlining the standards
The primary goals of the NFPA 150 standard are safety and facility usability for both human and animal occupants, including property protection as it relates to the primary goals. The fire safety goals of this standard are as follows:
(1) To provide an environment for human occupants inside an animal housing facility that is reasonably safe from fire and similar emergencies (2) To provide an environment for animal occupants inside or adjacent to a structure that is reasonably safe from fire and similar emergencies (3) To provide reasonable safety for firefighters and emergency responders during search and rescue operations for animal and human occupants (4) To attempt to minimize loss of property and interruption of facility operations from fire and similar emergencies
The safety-during-facility-use goal of NFPA 150 is to provide an environment for both the human and animal occupants of the facility that is reasonably safe during the normal use of the facility. Facilities must be designed and constructed to provide for reasonably safe animal and crowd movement during emergency and non-emergency conditions, provide reasonable safety for animal and human occupants and workers during construction and demolition, provide reasonable and appropriate notification to occupants during emergency situations, and provide reasonable signage to identify hazards, means of egress, and other building safety features. The purpose is to ensure that the facility is capable of functioning at the level for which it was designed and to provide reasonable assurance that its systems, features, and construction are capable of performing their intended use to satisfy the objectives of this standard.
It is ultimately the responsibility of the owners to provide a safe and stress-free environment for their animals. NFPA 150 is only one instrument for the owner and the enforcing officials to provide an acceptable level of fire and life safety for the animals.
—Timothy A. Hawthorne, Chairman, Technical Committee on Animal Housing Facilities, NFPA
— Hossein Davoodi NFPA staff liaison to the Animal Housing Facilities Committee
