With changes taking place in the latest edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 409 Standard on Aircraft Hangars, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has released an educational guide for hangar owners and operators wishing to better understand the updated hangar foam suppression system requirements and options and how they could factor into new hangar construction.
Under the latest guidance from NFPA, Group II hangars where hazardous operations are not performed are now exempt from foam system requirements, so NATA developed the free aircraft hangar fire-protection guidance to educate its members on those effects. It includes hangar classification, code exceptions, how to determine if foam protection systems are required, and recommendations on foam systems. It also features a flow chart on various options to achieve code compliance relative to fire suppression systems based on the International Building Code (IBC), 2021 edition; International Fire Code (IFC), 2021 edition; and 2016 edition of NFPA 409.
“[NATA] has been on the front line in educating the NFPA Technical Committee on the unique operating environment of general aviation businesses,” said NATA president and CEO Timothy Obitts. “Just as importantly, we’ve continued to work alongside our members to guide them throughout the entire process of hangar fire protection and to inform them of how NFPA 409 developments and requirements impact their operations.”