The Board of Fire Prevention Regulations was established by the Massachusetts Legislature after the 1942 fire at Boston’s Cocoanut Grove nightclub. That tragedy killed 492 people and remains the deadliest nightclub fire and the second-deadliest single-building fire in American history. The 16-member board promulgates the Massachusetts Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code (527 CMR). Its membership is defined by MGL c. 22D, s. 4:
| Board Members | |
|---|---|
| Larry S. Fisher, Chair | Electrical Contractor with a master electricians license |
| Jon M. Davine | State Fire Marshal (Ex-Officio) |
| Paul Burke (designee Colin Kelly) | Boston Fire Commissioner (Ex Officio) |
| Quincy Fire Chief Joseph Jackson | Fire chief from a community with a population of more than 50,000 |
| Saugus Chief Michael Newbury | Fire chief from a community with a population of 25,000 to 50,000 |
| Dartmouth Fire District 3 Chief Richard Arruda | Fire chief from a community with a population of less than 25,000 |
| Lt. Christopher G. Towski | Representative, Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts |
| John D. Cox | Registered professional chemical engineer |
| Alfonso F. Ibarreta | Registered professional mechanical engineer |
| Keith R. Pogarian | Registered professional electrical engineer |
| vacant | Member of the public |
| Paul C. Scheiner, Ph.D. | Graduate fire chemist |
| Paul J. Kennedy, Jr. | Inspector of wires |
| Kenneth A. Smith | Blasting association member |
| Patricia Sheehan | Building official |
| Jonathan M. Eisenberg, P.E. | Registered professional fire protection engineer |
| Board Staff | |
| Glenn Rooney | Legal Counsel |
For further information on board activities, including, but not limited to:
- Procedures for the adoption, amendment or repeal of regulations;
- availability of regulations;
- filing of regulations; and
- advisory rulings,
Please contact the Executive Director to the Board.
Stay Informed
If you would like to receive email notifications of upcoming BFPR and Code Committee Meetings, please send an email to MaryAnn Smith at MaryAnn.E.Smith@mass.gov.
Board Meeting Information
Notice of Meeting
In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 20, notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams Meeting.
BFPR Board Meeting Notices and Minutes
Code Committee Meeting Notices
The link below provides a list of upcoming code committee meetings.
Revisions to 527 CMR 1.00: Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code (Effective May 12, 2023)
The Board of Fire Prevention Regulations recently promulgated revisions to 527 CMR 1.00, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code which is largely based upon the 2021 Edition of NFPA 1. This amendment package supplements the current code, bridging the gap between the current 2021 NFPA 1 base code and the recently published 2021 NFPA 1 edition. The amendment package revises some items for clarity and adopts new chapters from the 2021 edition of NFPA 1. The revisions went into effect on May 12, 2023.
Additional Resources
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Open PDF file, 304.05 KB, 527 CMR 1.00 2021 Errata (English, PDF 304.05 KB)
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Open PDF file, 1.68 MB, Massachusetts 527 CMR 1.00, 2021 Edition (effective May 12, 2023) (English, PDF 1.68 MB)
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Open PDF file, 127.48 KB, Advisory - MA Comprehensive Fire Safety Code Chapter 18 Typo (English, PDF 127.48 KB)
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Open PDF file, 174.58 KB, Recent amendments to 527 CMR 1.00 effective May 15, 2020 (English, PDF 174.58 KB)
BFPR Interpretations
The link below provides a list of BFPR Interpretation Requests.
Please submit Requests for Interpretation with the form below to Mary Ann Smith Fire, Electrical Code Administrator MaryAnn.E.Smith@mass.gov.
Request for Interpretation Form
Mailing Address:
Attn: Mary Ann Smith
Department of Fire Services – Fire Safety Division
1 State Road
Stow, MA 01775-1025
Phone: 978-567-3713
Requests for Interpretaion will be submitted to the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations (BFPR) for an official response.