Fire Protection Program Guidelines

• Principal Orders
• Related Orders 
• Technical Standards
• Guidance 

DOE directives include policy statements, Orders, standards and guidance documents.  At this time, the Department is finalizing the transition from reliance on a number of prescriptive directives to more general, performance-based requirements.

Current fire protection requirements of the Department reside in: DOE O 420.1B, "Facility Safety", 10 CFR Part 851, Worker Safety and Health Program; DOE 440.1B, "Worker Protection Program for DOE (Including the National Nuclear Security Administration) Federal Employees". Specific requirements which are applicable to DOE facilities and programs are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations, NFPA Codes and Standards, and the applicable local building code.

Statutory requirements related to fire safety that are applicable to DOE programs and facilities are principally contained in Subpart E, "Means of Egress," and Subpart L, "Fire Protection," of the General Industry Standards delineated in 29 CFR 1910.  Construction-related fire safety requirements are contained in Subpart F, Fire Protection and Prevention," of 19 CFR 1926.  Additionally, other statutory requirements may be applicable depending on the nature of the program activity or facility.  For example, some of DOE's underground construction projects have come under the "Mine Safety" criteria delineated in 30 CFR 57.

To supplement these requirements and to facilitate the development and implementation of comprehensive fire protection programs across the Department, DOE has developed a series of fire safety guidance documents. These include DOE Standards, an Implementation Guide for DOE O 420.1 and DOE O 440.1A (PDF), "Fire Safety Program," as well as other guidance documents and instructions contained on this web site.