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NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments

2022 NFPA 551 Guide - Current Edition
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  • Description

    Get the reliable guidance you need to properly evaluate fire risk assessments (FRA) with NFPA 551, 2022 edition.

    It's vital that personnel responsible for analyzing or executing fire risk assessments have an understanding of and ability to comply with consensus performance criteria. NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments, specifies the various methods of assessing fire risk, including the components and characteristics of these procedures.

    First created in response to the growing need for a dedicated document on fire risk assessment methods, the guide assists in judging the suitability and application of performing assessments of fire safety concerns. NFPA 551 also describes the significance of using an operations and maintenance manual to guide risk assessments and checklists that help determine both the probability and ramifications for a given fire safety issue.

    NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments, can assist users with:

    • Comprehending the fundamentals of fire risk assessments
    • Improving fire safety through risk-informed decision making
    • Choosing fire scenarios, identifying relatable and challenging scenarios, and bundling them into groups with the goal of administering more productive consequence analysis
    • Determining the professional qualifications of personnel carrying out fire risk assessments

    The updated 2022 edition of NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments, offers the most current information and direction in measuring the appropriateness and performance of an FRA.

    A valuable tool for authorities having jurisdiction, NFPA 551 is also intended for use by professionals who review FRAs, including building owners and insurance company representatives. The 2022 edition represents a reconfirmation of the guide, with updates to references to account for the latest industry knowledge.

    Content of the 2022 edition covers:

    • Direction on addressing uncertainty when conducting a fire risk assessment
    • Aspects to take into account when conducting or reviewing a fire risk assessment
    • Insight on addressing the evolving successfulness of equipment, features, programs, and procedures for fire protection
    • Guidance into the part that qualitative, semiquantitative likelihood, semiquantitative consequence, and quantitative methods play in a fire risk assessment
    • Details on cost-benefit analysis
    • Guidance on appropriate documentation methods and the components of a fire risk assessment
    • Instruction on utilizing risk-informed decision making for various fire safety goals, including heritage resources preservation
    • Explanatory material and references to further guidance and provisions in other documents

    Help improve fire safety and be prepared for hazards and challenges by referencing NFPA 551.

    NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments, is a vital resource for anyone with concerns for conducting effective FRAs. Upgrade to the 2022 edition today. (Print, 36 pp., 2022)

  • Table of Contents (2022 Current Edition)

    NFPA® 551 Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments, 2022 Edition

    Chapter 1 Administration
    1.1 Scope.
    1.2 Purpose.
    1.3 Application.
    1.4 Qualifications for Practitioners.
    1.5 Risk.
    Chapter 2 Referenced Publications
    2.1 General.
    2.2 NFPA Publications.
    2.3 Other Publications.
    2.4 References for Extracts in Advisory Sections. (Reserved)
    Chapter 3 Definitions
    3.1 General.
    3.2 NFPA Official Definitions.
    3.3 General Definitions.
    Chapter 4 Evaluating a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)
    4.1 General.
    4.2 Stakeholders.
    4.3 Role of the Authority Having Jurisdiction in the Process.
    4.4 Scope of FRAs.
    4.5 Uncertainty and Variability Analysis.
    Chapter 5 Selection and Evaluation: FRA Methods
    5.1 General.
    5.2 Qualitative Methods.
    5.3 Semiquantitative Likelihood Methods.
    5.4 Semiquantitative Consequence Method.
    5.5 Quantitative Methods.
    5.6 Cost-Benefit FRA Methods.
    Chapter 6 Information Requirements
    6.1 General.
    6.2 General Quality of Information.
    6.3 Method-Specific Issues.
    Chapter 7 Documentation (Deliverables)
    7.1 General.
    7.2 Fire Risk Assessment Concept Report.
    7.3 Comprehensive Project Documentation.
    7.4 Operations and Maintenance Manual.
    7.5 Enforcement.
    Chapter 8 Review
    8.1 Technical Review Approaches.
    8.2 FRA Review Techniques.
    8.3 Review Questions.
    Annex A Explanatory Material
    Annex B Informational References
  • Prior Editions

    2019 Edition

    NFPA 551 helps users evaluate the appropriateness and execution of a fire risk assessment for a fire safety problem.

    Professionals who review or conduct fire risk assessments -- AHJs, insurance professionals, and building owners -- rely on NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments to spell out the various types of fire risk assessment methods and describe the properties these methods should possess.

    Understand the basis for fire assessments and learn how to confidently:

    • Apply risk-informed decision making for fire safety
    • Select fire scenarios, identify representative challenging scenarios, and group such scenarios into clusters for the purposes of conducting more effective consequence analysis
    • Develop appropriate documentation to accompany a fire risk assessment
    • Evaluate qualifications of those conducting a fire risk assessment

    Comprehensive coverage includes:

    • Guidance on how to address uncertainty when conducting a fire risk assessment
    • Factors to consider when conducting or reviewing a fire risk assessment
    • Guidance on how to address the changing effectiveness of fire protection equipment, features, programs, and procedures
    • Discussion on the role of qualitative, semiquantitative likelihood, semiquantitative consequence, and quantitative methods in a fire risk assessment
    • Discussion on cost-benefit analysis
    • Details about proper documentation and elements of a fire risk assessment
    • Guidance on applying risk-informed decision making for various fire safety goals including the preservation of heritage resources
    • Updated Annex B, with explanatory material and references to additional guidance in other documents

    NFPA 551 also covers the purpose and importance of using an operations and maintenance manual in conducting a fire risk assessment, and the importance of using checklists that address both likelihood and consequence. (Print, 36 pp., 2019)

    2016 Edition

    Correctly evaluate the appropriateness and execution of a fire risk assessment for a fire safety problem with guidance in NFPA 551.

    Developed for AHJs, insurance professionals, building owners, and anyone who reviews or conducts fire risk assessments, NFPA 551, Guide for the Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments identifies the various types of fire risk assessment methods and describes the properties these methods should possess.

    NFPA 551 helps AHJs and others understand the basis for fire assessments and learn how to confidently:

    • Apply risk-informed decision making for fire safety
    • Select fire scenarios, identify representative challenging scenarios, and group such scenarios into clusters for the purposes of conducting more effective consequence analysis
    • Develop appropriate documentation to accompany a fire risk assessment
    • Evaluate qualifications of those conducting a fire risk assessment

    Comprehensive coverage in the 2016 edition includes:

    • Guidance on how to address uncertainty when conducting a fire risk assessment
    • Factors to consider when conducting or reviewing a fire risk assessment
    • Guidance on how to address the changing effectiveness of fire protection equipment, features, programs, and procedures
    • Discussion on the role of qualitative, semi-quantitative likelihood, semi-quantitative consequence, and quantitative methods in a fire risk assessment
    • Discussion on cost-benefit analysis
    • Details about proper documentation and elements of a fire risk assessment
    • Guidance on applying risk-informed decision making for various fire safety goals including the preservation of heritage resources

    NFPA 551 also covers the purpose and importance of an operations and maintenance manual in conducting a fire risk assessment, and the importance of using checklists that address both likelihood and consequence. (Softbound, 27 pp., 2016)

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