Fire Code
History
The International Code Council, a nonprofit association dedicated to building safety, published the first edition of the International Fire Code (IFC) in 2000. However, the IFC is not the first and only fire code in use today. The history of fire codes goes back to the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. that destroyed 70 percent of the city. In its aftermath, King Nero redesigned the city with a plan that featured wider streets, restricted the height of houses and the use of common walls between buildings, and required homes and buildings to be constructed with stone or other fire-resistant materials instead of wood. Fast forward to the late-19th century, and you see a more recent history punctuated by devastating fires that galvanized support and demand for regulation to improve fire safety in public spaces and the workplace:
- The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 killed up to 300 people. One year later, the City Council banned wooden building materials, requiring flame-resistant materials for construction.
- Three decades later, in 1903, Chicago would again experience a devastating fire when the Iroquois Theater burned with 602 people trapped inside. The construction of the theatre violated numerous fire codes, and when the fire broke out, many of the exits were hidden behind thick black curtains, and most were locked. After the Iroquois Theatre fire, the use of a fire curtain became mandatory in large theatres to prevent fires starting on stage from spreading into the auditorium, which is how the fire started. This fire also prompted the widespread use of “crash bars” on doors, which were invented some 20 years earlier, and the requirement that all doors in public buildings be open in the direction of egress, two requirements that have saved countless lives since.
- In 1911, the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire claimed the lives of 147 workers trapped on the top three floors of the 10-story building. The exits had been locked to reduce theft and prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks. Many died jumping from the windows to escape the fire while most succumbed to flames and smoke inhalation. A year following the fire, New York established the nation’s first fire prevention bureau charged with the development and enforcement of fire safety regulations.
These are just a few examples of how deadly fires have helped to shape modern fire safety regulations. Improvements in code have also been driven in part by insurance companies to better manage their risk and reduce their losses resulting from fires. Over the decades, changes in building materials and methods have improved our understanding of risk, and the introduction of new technologies in the fire protection industry has helped to significantly mitigate risk and continue to inform changes in fire codes.
Fortunately, we now have a significant body of codes and standards that have helped reduce the loss of life and property resulting from fires. Prior to the development of the IFC, there were four separate standards for fire protection, the National Fire Prevention Code, the Standard Fire Prevention Code, the Uniform Fire Code, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1 – Fire Prevention Code. While having codes to guide the design and construction of safer structures, as cities and states began adopting different sets of standards, understanding the regulations became complicated.
That is why, in 1994, the National Fire Prevention Code, Standard Fire Prevention Code, and the Uniform Fire Code were merged by the International Code Council to create the IFC. The two main fire codes in use today are the IFC and the NFPA 1. And, while there remains a good deal of confusion regarding the application of the IFC and NFPA 1, together, they ensure that states, cities, towns, and counties have a strong body of code upon which they can base their regulations.
Enforcement
The Township of Upper St. Clair prioritizes safety and regulatory excellence by aligning our practices with the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC). Published by the International Code Council (ICC), this model code establishes the benchmark for safeguarding lives, property, and communities from fire and explosive hazards. Our dedication to compliance means we rigorously adhere to its comprehensive standards, which govern everything from advanced fire suppression and alarm systems to life safety egress planning and emergency responder access. By keeping pace with the 2021 edition’s modern updates—including strict guidelines for Energy Storage Systems (ESS), industrial 3D printing safety, and heightened construction site management—we ensure that every project we touch is built for the future and fully protected today.