NFPA 1600/NFPA 1660 and ISO 22301 Compared

 

NFPA 1600 / NFPA 1660 & ISO 22301
A Comparison

NFPA 1600 “Standard on Continuity, Emergency, and Crisis Management,” 2019 edition and ISO 22301 “Business continuity management systems — Requirements,” 2019 edition are the leading standards for programs or management systems for preparedness and resilience.

Brief History and Usage of NFPA 1600 and ISO 22301

NFPA 1600 is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited national standard. Its first edition was published in 1995, and 2019 is the 8th edition. It was endorsed as the USA’s “National Preparedness Standard” in PL 110 53 in 2007. NFPA 1600 was also the basis for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program’s EMAP Standard. NFPA 1660, “Standard for Emergency, Continuity, and Crisis Management: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery,” 2024 edition is a compilation of NFPA 1600 with NFPA 1616, “Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, and Re-entry Programs,” 2020 edition and NFPA 1620, “Standard for Pre-Incident Planning,” 2020 edition. Chapters 4-10 of 1600 and 1660 are essentially the same. NFPA 1600 has not been withdrawn, and all editions of NFPA 1600 are still available.

ISO 22301, 2019 edition is the second edition and cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2012. British Standard BS 25999 was the basis for the first edition.

Both standards are used extensively around the world. NFPA 1600 is predominant in the Western Hemisphere and was used as the basis of standards in Canada (Z1600) and several countries in South America. Parts of NFPA 1600 have also been incorporated into or used as the basis for emergency planning regulations in the USA. NFPA 1600 is used extensively in the Middle East and countries in East Asia. ISO 22301 is predominant in Europe and used extensively in the United States.

What are the main differences between the two standards?

ISO 22301 is one of many ISO “management systems standards.” The underlying requirements for the management system are more extensive than the program management requirements in NFPA 1600. ISO 22301 and all ISO management system standards align with the “Plan, Do, Check, Act” cycle. NFPA 1600 is written following a program management, planning, implementation, execution, training/education, exercises/tests, and maintenance/improvement process.

Click to read the full Preparedness Bulletin. 

Tools to assist with the evaluation of programs and management systems

Preparedness, LLC has compiled two self-assessment checklists--one based on NFPA 1600/1660 and the other based on ISO 22301--that provide hundreds of questions aligned with the two leading international standards. Click to download in Adobe PDF format.

NFPA 1600 +1610 +1616 = NFPA 1660

NFPA 1660, Standard for Emergency, Continuity, and Crisis Management: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, 2024 edition has been approved by the National Fire Protection Association as an American National Standard. 

NFPA 1600, “Standard on Continuity, Emergency, and Crisis Management,” 2019 edition, NFPA 1616, “Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, and Re-entry Programs,” 2020 edition, and NFPA 1620, “Standard for Pre-Incident Planning” 2020 edition, have been consolidated into a new standard, NFPA 1660. The technical committees responsible for these standards worked together to complete the consolidation, and the three committees continue to exist at this time.

The National Fire Protection Association’s consolidation plan for its Emergency Response and Responder Safety standards with “similar content areas” is intended to “increase usability, reduce errors and conflicts, and ultimately produce higher quality standards.” 

NFPA 1600 2019 edition’s chapters 4 through 10 are almost without change within the new 1660 and have retained their numbering. Chapter 1, “Administration” has been expanded to encompass the broader scope, purpose, and application of the three predecessor standards. An expanded list of publications can be found in Chapter 2, and a much longer list of definitions can be found in Chapter 3. A new section 4.1 “Administration” encompasses the scope, purpose, and application from 1600-2019 requiring subsections to be renumbered 4.2 through 4.9. Otherwise, there are no significant changes to the text from chapters 4-10 of NFPA 1600-2019.

A digital version of the new NFPA 1660 is viewable on the NFPA website, and the printed and PDF versions will be available from NFPA on January 27.

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Donald L. Schmidt, CEO of Preparedness, LLC has been a member of the NFPA 1600 technical committee since 1994 and served as chair for the 2010, 2013, and 2016 editions. He has also been a member of the NFPA 1620 technical committee since 1995.

Download Preparedness, LLC’s program self-assessment checklist that is based on NFPA 1600 (and chapters 4-10 of NFPA 1660). It includes more than 200 questions to help you evaluate your preparedness program.

Emergency Operations Plans

 

An employee complains of chest pains. A delivery truck backs into the gas meter, and a strong odor of gas invades the building. A “suspicious” package is found in the unattended lobby. Gunfire erupts in the shop area, and coworkers are fleeing. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued following an earlier tornado watch. Blocks away a group of protesters is growing larger. The power goes out on a bitterly cold day. Water is leaking through the ceiling of the server room.

Who is going to act? What actions should be taken to safeguard life and protect property? How quickly can they react? How effectively can they act? The actions taken in the critical initial minutes of an emergency often dictate the outcome.

An emergency operations plan that is risk-based, makes best use of available internal and external resources, and is executable by an organization with defined roles and responsibilities is essential.

Objectives, Priorities & Resources

The number one priority of emergency operations is to safeguard life. Other objectives include protection of property, the environment, and the organization’s reputation. Continuity of business operations benefits from effective emergency operations.

Priorities for emergency operations become apparent when conducting a risk assessment. Threats and hazards with high probability of occurrence or potential for significant impacts should be high on the list. The increasing frequency and severity of civil unrest, active shooter incidents, wildland fire, power outages, and severe weather warrants the need for enhanced planning.

Often overlooked when considering objectives and priorities is the availability and capabilities of internal and external resources. Are sufficient personnel with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities available during operational hours to respond to foreseeable threats? Are facilities protected with detection, alerting, warning, suppression, and life safety systems that have been designed, installed, and maintained in accordance with national standards? What are the capabilities of public emergency services, their knowledge of the facility and its hazards, and their response times? Answers to these questions will identify resource limitations that must be overcome for effective response to emergencies.

Planning for Emergencies

The emergency operations plan is a product of a process that includes understanding risk, the availability and capabilities of resources, and applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements. The risk assessment identifies threats and hazards that require protective actions. The resource needs assessment identifies the required personnel, competencies, systems, equipment, and supplies for response to the identified risks. The assessment also evaluates the availability and capabilities of resources and identifies limitations that must be overcome. Minimum requirements for emergency response are established by applicable Federal and state health, safety, and environmental regulations, state and local fire codes, and accreditation requirements (e.g., Joint Commission for health care facilities).

Together, the risk assessment, resource needs assessment, regulations, and accreditation requirements inform decisions about the functions of incident management teams and the actions they will take.

Download the Preparedness Bulletin "Emergency Operations Plans" to learn more about:

• Planning committee
• Regulations & standards
• Risk assessment & impact analysis
• Incident management team
• Alerting, warning, and communications 
• Incident management facilities 
• Emergency operations plan
• Concept of operations
• Incident management system
• Protective actions for life safety
• Threat or hazard-specific tactical plans
• Crisis communications
• Implementation, maintenance & continuous improvement

New Preparedness, LLC Website Launched

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new Preparedness, LLC website. The mobile-friendly site still includes hundreds of links to preparedness resources (all verified or updated) as well as new and revised Preparedness Bulletins to help with the development, implementation, and evaluation of your emergency management, business continuity, and crisis management programs.

Since the organization of the website has changed, may we suggest you update your bookmarks and links to the page.

Please send us your suggestions for new links and subjects for future Preparedness Bulletins.