NFPA Journal - Summer 2022 - 4

NFPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
First Word
by Jim Pauley
NFPA President
Defending Standards
I
've shared with you the
challenges we face related
to copyright protection of
standards. The safety standards
developed by NFPA
and other nonprofit standards development
organizations are incredibly important to
our communities and our economy. Without
them, people would face more physical
harm, property loss, and jeopardized livelihoods.
It's not a world I want to live in.
That's why we're fighting hard to preserve
the current standards development system,
which is under attack by special interests.
These groups make the misguided argument
that when a government entity incorporates
by reference a privately developed standard,
the copyright protection is lost. As a nonprofit,
our work is funded by publishing,
selling, and licensing standards. We can't do
this without copyright protection.
Incorporation by reference happens when
a legislature or agency, in a statute or regulation,
refers to a privately authored standard
to set minimum compliance requirements.
For example, parts of our National Electrical
Code®
have been incorporated by reference
in all 50 states-a great public benefit. More
broadly, the rigor of our standards development
process means that the value of codes
like the NEC®
is never in question.
As you all know, developing, maintaining,
and updating standards requires a tremendous
investment of resources. Extinguishing
the copyright for standards incorporated
4 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2022
by reference would dismantle the current
system, which works because our mission is
funded by those professionals who use our
standards in their work. There are no alternatives
anywhere as effective or efficient.
In February, an important step to defend
that system occurred when Reps. Ted
Deutch (D-Florida) and Darrell Issa (R-California)
introduced the Pro Codes Act in the
US House of Representatives. The proposed
legislation reiterates what we know to be
true: copyright is protected for safety stanThere
is much more
to do to secure the
future of standards
development, and we'll
be asking for your help.
dards like ours. It's gratifying to see leaders
on both sides of the aisle take up this cause,
and we appreciate their leadership.
But there's much more to do to secure the
future of standards development. We'll be
asking for your help, too, so stay tuned for
updates on the progress of these efforts. I
feel confident that by working together, we
can ensure that this system, which has done
untold public good for more than a century,
continues to serve Americans and people
around the world in the years to come.
OFFICERS
Amy R. Acton, Chair
The Phoenix Society for
Burn Survivors, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
James Pauley, President
President and CEO, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
Russell B. Leavitt, First Vice Chair
Telgian Corp.
Tempe, Arizona
R. David Paulison, Second Vice Chair
Global Emergency Solutions
Davie, Florida
John D. Bonney, Secretary
Alendi Consulting Ltd.
Ropley, United Kingdom
Donald R. Cook, Assistant Secretary
Shelby County Department of
Development Services
Pelham, Alabama
Kwame Cooper, Assistant Secretary
Los Angeles Fire Department, retired
Los Angeles, California
Roger W. Montembeault, Treasurer
The Montembeault Group, Inc.
Tampa, Florida
Michael Wallace, Assistant Treasurer
West Palm Beach, Florida
Keith E. Williams,
Immediate Past Chair
Underwriters Laboratories, retired
Northbrook, Illinois
*Sally P. Everett, Assistant Secretary
Secretary of the Corporation, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
*Paul DeFronzo, Staff Officer
Chief Financial Officer, NFPA
Quincy, Massachusetts
Terms Expire 2022
Patrick J. Morrison
International Association
of Fire Fighters
Washington, DC
Teresa L. Deloach Reed
Oakland Fire Department, retired
Oakland, California
Stacy N. Welch
Marriott International
Bethesda, Maryland
Term Expires 2023
Dr. Denis Onieal
US Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, retired
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Terms Expire 2024
Raj Arora
Jensen Hughes
Baltimore, Maryland
Brion Callori
FM Global
Johnston, Rhode Island
Reginald D. Freeman
Oakland Fire Department
Oakland, California
William J. Fries
Department of Defense
Washington, DC
Louis Paulson
California Professional Firefighters
Walnut Creek, California
*Not a board member
NFPA
NFPA Journal - Summer 2022

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