The Billing's Fire Department, Building Department, general construction and building contractors, and fire protection specialists recommend the approval of the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC).

The State of Montana adopted the 2021 Edition of the International Fire Code (IFC) on March 11, 2023. The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code was adopted by the City of Billings on September 1st, 2022. The IFC is considered a companion code created by the International Code Council that is designed to work in unison with other I-Codes (plumbing code, Mechanical Code, Fuel Gas Code, Etc). All I-codes adopted by the City of Billings are using the 2021 Edition, except the IFC. 

The stakeholders for adopting the 2021 Edition of IFC are the City of Billing's Fire Department, Billing's Building Department, fire protection system designers and contractors, general contractors, building and fire protection plan reviewers. 

City Council may:

• Approve 2021 IFC
• Not Approve 2021 IFC

The City Council may choose from two model fire codes in the United States to adopt; Uniform Fire Code (NFPA1/UFC) and the International Fire Code.
The Pros and Cons to the adoption of either code have been analyzed and are presented for the City Council as follows:
 
Alternative 1
Adoption of the 2021 IFC (recommended)

Pros: The IFC is a “companion code” and directly correlates with the International Building Code that is adopted throughout the state and in the City of Billings. Private industry, including architects and engineers, support the adoption of the IFC. Fire prevention bureau staff is prepared to implement the 2021 IFC immediately. The fire department has already purchased the 2021 IFC code books for staff. The State Fire Marshal's Office has already adopted the 2021 IFC. Adoption of the 2021 IFC will keep the city consistent with state law.

Cons: None

Alternative 2
Adoption of the 2021 Uniform Fire Code

Pros: None
Cons:NFPA1/UFC is not a “companion code” to the International Codes which control most of the construction in this state. Adoption of a non-companion fire code would decrease staff’s effectiveness, increase building plan review times, and cause confusion with architects and engineers concerning fire code requirements. Adoption of a non-companion fire code would cause inconsistencies between the building and fire codes.
 

Criteria	2021 IFC	2021 UFC
Companion Code	Works with IBC and other I-Codes	Independent, not a companion to IBC
Industry Support	Strong support from architects, engineers	More niche support, especially in fire protection circles
State and Local Adoption	Widely adopted and aligned with state law	Less common in some jurisdictions, including Montana
Implementation Efficiency	Easier to implement due to alignment with other codes	May increase plan review complexity
Comprehensiveness	Comprehensive, covering a wide range of fire safety topics	More focused on fire prevention and protection

 

There is no significant financial impact of adopting the 2021 IFC. 2021 IFC books have already been purchased.

Presented the 2021 International Fire Code adoption with State of Montana and City of Billing's amendments to City Council for public hearing and 1st reading ordinance on October 28, 2024. On June 3, 2024, I requested city council's guidance on changing the fire code adoption process from a city ordinance to an administrative order. It was city council's opinion to keep the process of adoption via city ordinance. On September 16, 2024, I presented the local amendments to the 2021 International Fire Code that are stricter than what the State of Montana adopted. All other changes from the state of Montana's code adoption to Billings local amendments are already in place. 2nd and final reading are scheduled for November 25, 2024.

State of Montana 2021 Fire Code Adoption
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/aec52c46-128e-4279-9068-8af5d5432d74/policies/3bc741e2-2367-4657-be3f-ccbb026e8746

IFC
https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IFC2021P2