NFPA is an international, private, nonprofit membership organization founded in 1896 as the National Fire Protection Association. Today, with more than 81,000 members representing nearly 100 nations and 320 employees around the world, NFPA serves as the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and is an authoritative source on public safety. In fact, NFPA's 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the United States, as well as many of those used in other countries.

NFPA codes and standards have helped save lives and protect property around the world. The volunteers and staff of NFPA are dedicated to the single mission of continually enhancing public safety. That dedication can be seen in the codes and standards that are adopted - documents developed through NFPA's commitment to creating a true consensus among those interested in safety.

NFPA's mission to save lives and property from fire and other hazards isn't limited by national boundaries.  Over the past decade, NFPA has transformed itself from a national organization with international influence to a truly international organization.  We have established offices in Canada, Mexico, France and China, and many of our codes have been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Korean.  We've established collaborative relationships with our counterparts around the world, and not a week passes that we don't get visitors from other countries.  We also conduct seminars worldwide and host hundreds of international visitors during our annual member meeting NFPA's World Safety Congress and Exposition.  For more detail information on NFPA's international outreach programs visit the Association's homepage www.nfpa.org/international.