NFPA Approves Weapons Detection Amendment To Life Safety Code

The National Fire Protection Association approved Tentative Interim Amendment No. 1869 to NFPA 101^®, Life Safety Code®, with an effective date of May 5.

Organizations under the jurisdiction of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are not yet able to apply the provisions of this TIA until CMS formally adopts or recognizes the amendment.

TIA No. 1869 clarifies how weapons detection systems can be integrated into required egress paths in health care and ambulatory health care occupancies without compromising life safety. It does not add new regulations but rather defines the parameters for safe installation.

The amendment specifies that both portable and fixed weapons detection systems positioned at facility entrances are not considered obstructions to the means of egress if they meet minimum width and floor level requirements. Instead, they are to be treated similarly to turnstiles and exit doors.