NFPA Journal

I have used this column a number of times recently to more than just hint that NFPA is changing how we do business. I have stressed our need to be more digital, more global, and more connected to address fire, electrical, and other hazards, and to meet the needs of those who rely on us to do their jobs.

NFPA LiNK®, our new digital content platform that we previewed in August, will be available this month. NFPA LiNK is a major component in how we will fundamentally change the way we deliver information. When it is fully developed, NFPA LiNK will deliver intuitive, seamless, situation-based, and code-based information on demand—not just the code itself, but additional information as well. It is a true digital transformation that will help us evolve from a book publisher to an information and knowledge provider. 

NFPA LiNK is the exciting outcome of what we heard from many of you: that a physical code book or a static digital version of a book are not the best means to help solve problems in real time. You want information faster, on multiple devices, and with an easy-to-use interface. You don’t just want the text of a code or standard—you want context and insights to help understand problems and develop solutions. 

As a mission-based organization, it is incumbent upon us to provide you with the tools you need to ensure that people and property are protected from harm everywhere. It is our job to help you solve problems. Our chief object in shifting the way we deliver content to you is to help all of you do your jobs better.  

It is also about more fully achieving our mission. A few years ago, we began to talk about safety in terms of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem™, the framework of connected cogs that work together to reduce loss. What we see when tragedies occur is that people are looking at safety through their own lens and not connecting the dots. But we also realize that those dots are sometimes missed because it isn’t easy to find all the information in one place.

With NFPA LiNK, users get the connected pieces. I’m convinced that NFPA LiNK will revolutionize safety through access to not just information but connected information. That will lead to more lives saved and more property protected. 

Most importantly, NFPA LiNK represents our continued collaboration with all of you to make the world a safer place.