Intent statements published for 2010 National Fire and Plumbing Codes
March 20, 2012 | By HPAC Magazine
Intent statements for the 2010 National Fire Code of Canada and 2010 National Plumbing Code of Canada have been updated and are now available, free of charge, on the National Codes website. The intent statements for the 2010 National Building Code of Canada are expected to be released by July 2012.
The intent statements were updated because they contain useful information, not available elsewhere, that helps users understand the rationale behind each requirement. This leads to a more accurate interpretation and application of the acceptable solutions published in Division B of the National Model Construction Codes, and a clearer understanding of what alternative solutions should achieve.
Intent and application statements were first released as additional, non-mandatory material to serve as guidance for users of the 2005 National Model Construction Codes. This information, published in the User’s Guide–NBC, NFC and NPC 2005, Application and Intent Statements, did not form an integral part of the Codes.
Application statements will no longer be published. Unlike intent statements, application statements contain guidance information that can be deduced through a proper reading of the code requirements. Concerns were raised on their added value and the considerable effort required to update them each code cycle. The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) recently reviewed this information and determined that the national code development system’s resources could be used more productively elsewhere and therefore decided to discontinue the publication of application statements. For further information, please contact Anne Gribbon, Secretary to the CCBFC, at 613-993-5569 or anne.gribbon@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.