The International Code Council Releases the 2024 IBC Essential Fire Safety Provisions Publication
This publication includes code provisions with commentary designed for emerging economies and provides an entry point to International Codes-based building regulation.
The International Code Council has released the 2024 IBC Essential Fire Safety Provisions, published in both Spanish and English. This resource was created in response to requests from fire safety professionals in Latin America who recognized the value of the fire and life safety provisions in the International Building Code® (IBC) and International Fire Code® (IFC) and would benefit from a better understanding of the International Codes® (I-Codes®). This publication has been specifically developed to support jurisdictions with outdated or limited regulations that have not yet adopted the I-Codes, providing a pathway to progressively strengthen fire safety provisions and facilitate phased code adoption.
The 2024 IBC Essential Fire Safety Provisions contains excerpts from the fire and life safety provisions in the 2024 IBC along with commentary prepared by Jaime A. Moncada, PE, a fire protection engineer with substantial experience and notoriety in Latin America. The abbreviated nature combined with the commentary enables jurisdictions to take a significant step towards improved fire and life safety in buildings.
“It has long been my vision to offer fire and life safety provisions in a format that is both simplified as well as comprehensive, together with instructions to facilitate understanding and adoption in emerging economies. In other words, to include, in one document, in the simplest of terms, the essential aspects of fire and life safety that should be required for all buildings in developing economies,” said Moncada.
José Roig joined ICC in 2025 as the Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean to increase the availability and accessibility of ICC solutions in the region.
“Having Spanish language resources that are specifically designed to reach Latin American markets at precisely the right entry point is essential to ICC’s potential success in expanding our building safety mission throughout the Americas,” said Roig. “I have heard from stakeholders across the region on the demand for stronger fire and life safety provisions that are clear and implementable, so our focus on this area of building safety was a natural response.”
Roig has recorded a two-part introductory training video in Spanish (available for free at https://iccsafe.org/aesci) to provide an overview of the document and to offer use cases.
The development of the 2024 IBC Essential Fire Safety Provisions was supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP).
Additional information about the 2024 IBC Essential Fire Safety Provisions, including links to view, download and purchase, can be found on the ICC website in both English and Spanish.
About the Author
The International Code Council is a nonprofit association that provides a wide range of building safety solutions, including product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification and training. It develops model codes and standards used worldwide to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.
