Aircraft Hangar Fire Protection Guidance Available for Free Download

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has released Aircraft Hangar Fire Protection Guidance—an educational guide for hangar owners and operators seeking a general understanding of updated hangar foam suppression system requirements, options, and alternatives.

In October 2021, the National Fire Protection Technical Committee on Airport Facilities (NFPA) released a document titled NFPA 409: Standard on Aircraft Hangars. Subject document specified changes to fire-suppression requirements in both extant and newly constructed aircraft hangars.

To supplement understanding of  NFPA 409 and its subsequent revisions, NATA developed Aircraft Hangar Fire Protection Guidance—which provides hangar owners and tenants better understanding of the codes now in effect, the application of said codes, and how to move forward with the business of eliminating foam from aircraft hangars.

Available online for no charge, Aircraft Hangar Fire Protection Guidance addresses the following subjects:

• Applicable Codes and Hangar Classification
• Code Exceptions and How to Avoid Foam
• If Foam is Required and Other Considerations
• Foam System Recommendations
• Frequently Asked Questions

The latest resource supporting NATA’s Hangar Foam Fire Suppression System Initiative includes 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 NFPA 409, 2016 edition.

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is the public policy group that represents the interests of the general aviation business community before the Congress and federal, state, and local government agencies. The organization represents nearly 2,300 aviation businesses.

FMI: www.nata.aero/assets/Site_18/files/NFPA%20409/NATAAircraftHangarFireProtectionGuidance.pdf