NFPA LiNK Survey Finds 75 Percent of Fire and Life Safety Professionals Are Not Confident in Generational Knowledge Transfer

August 9, 2022 -- A recent National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) survey reveals stakeholder benefits of NFPA LiNK®, a subscription-based application that delivers NFPA codes and standards, expert commentary, and supporting content. The survey polled fire and life safety professionals to assess industry challenges and how digital tools like NFPA LiNK can help save increasingly limited time and resources. Findings from the survey and conversations with these professionals revealed three key industry challenges:

  • Collaboration: 78 percent of respondents said employees in their organization primarily work in teams, yet collaboration was the most cited challenge (22 percent) in the design and build process.
  • Knowledge Transfer: Only 25 percent of respondents felt confident about the transfer of institutional knowledge to the next generation as veteran employees retire.
  • Convenience: Respondents cited search time spent locating specific codes, the need to lug physical code books around, and an inability to obtain all publications in real-time as inconveniences when it comes to accessing codes.

Created with these challenges in mind and meant to uplevel the static PDF model, NFPA LiNK provides a one-stop-shop for subscribers to easily collaborate and document generational knowledge from any device, at any time. Teams with NFPA LiNK subscriptions can collaborate in real-time as well as create notes and bookmark collections for everyone to leverage. Additionally, unlike traditional PDFs, subscriptions include interactive visual elements and situational navigation that aid with employee training and onboarding. Advanced search features, offline mode, and the ability to access all publications at their fingertips also provide ease-of-use for subscribers.

“We are always grateful for a chance to gain valuable insights from the fire and life safety professionals who could most benefit from our digital platform,” said Kyle Spencer, Director of NFPA LiNK. “Collaboration and generational knowledge loss continue to be pertinent challenges in an evolving work landscape, and NFPA LiNK serves as a critical resource to drive efficiencies and retain veteran expertise.”

As an NFPA LiNK subscriber, users get access to all the platform’s features and functions, as well as continuously updated content and capabilities. Subscribers also benefit from NFPA DiRECT®, which provides content through situational navigation with industry-specific scenarios and interactive illustrations. Find more information about NFPA LiNK, including how to sign up for a free trial, at nfpa.org/link.

For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research, and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, self-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.

Contacts: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617 984-7275