Government Relations Committee
Who We Are
The FEMA Government Relations Committee (GRC), whose members include Amerex Corporation, Badger Fire Protection, Brooks Equipment Co. and Buckeye Fire Equipment, was established in 2003 to advance federal, state, and local policies promoting layered fire protection to safeguard life and property. Layered fire protection assures safety by not relying on any single safeguard that can fail. By combining passive fire protection with active measures such as portable fire extinguishers potential failures will most likely be avoided.
Why Our Work Matters
Fire codes that incorporate layered fire protection combine fire alarm systems, fire sprinklers, portable fire extinguishers, pre-engineered fire suppression systems, and other measures. This approach is proven to be the most effective way to save lives, protect property, and assure continued business operations.
Portable fire extinguishers are a vital component of an effective layered fire protection plan. They are easy to use and highly effective in extinguishing fires in their early stages. Data provided to the GRC by the city of Nashville shows that 87% of the time that portable fire extinguishers are used, they are used by occupants to completely extinguish a fire in commercial and governmental buildings before the fire department arrives. In Texas, over a two-year period, 40% of all fires in state buildings were extinguished by portable fire extinguishers. Additionally, a study by Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Eastern Kentucky University revealed that 98% of untrained participants successfully used a portable fire extinguisher by following simple instructions: pulling the pin, squeezing the trigger, and discharging it.
These facts highlight the critical role of portable fire extinguishers in preventing small fires from escalating into major disasters, making them an indispensable component of any fire safety strategy.
Download our infographic: Portable Fire Extinguishers Are Safe & Effective Tools for Building Occupants
Navigating Complex Regulations
Cities, states and federal agencies base their fire codes on model codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The FEMA GRC closely monitors state and local adoptions and actively engages with code officials to ensure that codes reflect the need for installing and maintaining portable fire extinguishers and extinguishing systems.
Our Impact
The FEMA GRC has been successful on the federal, state and local levels to protect the need for portable fire extinguishers and extinguishing systems.
National Advocacy
On the national level, working closely with the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), the GRC was at the forefront of advocacy that resulted in the reinstatement of portable extinguisher requirements in assembly, business and educational occupancies regardless of the presence of sprinkler systems, in the 2012 edition and subsequent editions of the International Fire Code (IFC). This was an essential step in preventing small fires from escalating into significant threats.
Download our infographic: Ordinary People with No Training Can Safely and Effectively Use a Fire Extinguisher
State Advocacy
The GRC’s efforts have also led to significant advances in state fire codes. Twenty states have strengthened their fire codes to require portable fire extinguishers in most buildings, regardless of the presence of a fire sprinkler system. Today, nearly every state fire code mandates portable fire extinguishers throughout commercial and governmental buildings.
The GRC continues to advocate at the state and local levels to ensure that states maintain the national model code language as they continually update their fire codes. Additionally, the GRC engages with states on licensing issues to ensure a qualified workforce is available to install and maintain fire protection equipment across the country.
Federal Advocacy
The FEMA GRC has been working since 2017 to ensure that the nation’s men and women in uniform have the same level of fire safety that civilians enjoy throughout the country. In that year, the Department of Defense (DoD) moved to weaken fire and life safety on US military bases worldwide by no longer requiring portable extinguishers in occupancies that had quick-response sprinklers. The GRC immediately executed an intensive effort to engage the DoD and congressional stakeholders to enhance safety and install portable fire extinguishers throughout military bases around the world.
Legislative Success
- We secured language in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mandating that all DoD facilities install and maintain portable fire extinguishers in accordance with national model fire codes.
- The GRC successfully petitioned Congress again, resulting in stronger language in the 2021 NDAA regarding portable fire extinguishers. The DoD responded by requiring bases to adopt NFPA 101 – significantly increasing fire safety by increasing the availability of portable extinguishers.
- GRC then secured even stronger language in the 2022 NDAA, which requires DoD to adopt the requirements in NFPA 1 that mandates portable fire extinguishers throughout every military base. This move will ensure civilian employees, military personnel, and their families receive the same level of fire safety in DoD facilities as in private businesses, hospitals, and schools around the country.
GRC is now working with DoD to ensure the successful implementation of the NFPA 1 portable fire extinguisher requirements, which is expected to be completed in 2025.
GSA Advocacy
Beyond the DoD, the GRC actively engages with the federal General Services Administration (GSA)—the largest landlord in the U.S., which manages every federal courthouse and general office building. The GSA’s building code, known as the P100, currently mandates fire extinguishers only in hazardous areas in buildings with fire sprinkler systems. Recognizing the safety gap in GSA-owned buildings, the GRC is engaging directly with GSA officials and key Congressional leaders with oversight of the GSA to advocate for broader inclusion of portable fire extinguishers in all areas of these buildings.
Stay Informed
Stay updated on our efforts by reading our latest GRC Newsletter. Subscribe below for regular updates.
