The ARVC Foundation’s NFPA 1194® Completion Certificate class, offered Nov. 4 in Knoxville, Tenn. during this year’s Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE), is designed to ensure park owners and operators have an in-depth understanding of the current standards for RV parks and campgrounds. The NFPA 1194 Completion Certificate class will provide guidance to park owners in interpreting the NFPA 1194 standard, a nationally-recognized standard developed, maintained and published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

(DENVER) The ARVC Foundation’s NFPA 1194® Completion Certificate class, offered Nov. 4 in Knoxville, Tenn. during this year’s Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE), is designed to ensure park owners and operators have an in-depth understanding of the current standards for RV parks and campgrounds. The NFPA 1194 Completion Certificate class will provide guidance to park owners in interpreting the NFPA 1194 standard, a nationally-recognized standard developed, maintained and published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The course is designed to provide campground owners with confidence in applying the standard to their park and understanding how to use it when they are having conversations with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). Being familiar with the code and knowing how to use it can help follow a roadmap to success and minimize mistakes. The class is led by a selection of experts in each of the key topic areas including general park design, fire, electrical, water and sanitation and risk management.

“Knowledge of the NFPA 1194 is vital if you are planning to build, remodel or expand your park, as it serves as a road map for what you should and shouldn’t do. You can give a copy to your engineers and it will show you the way to do things right, the first time,” says Jeff Sims, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ (ARVC) senior director of state relations and program advocacy.

“Since NFPA 1194 focuses specifically on campgrounds, this will save campgrounds money on planning and construction costs if any issues are brought up during the construction process by AHJs, such as zoning boards, health inspectors, etc. You can show that you did your due diligence and built your park to nationally recognized consensus standards. Educating yourself will better enable you to educate your AHJs to resolve issues and achieve a better solution.”

The NFPA 1194 standards are constantly evolving, as part of three-year cycle, so it is important to stay up-to-date on the most current version of the standards.

One of the industry experts instructing the class is Wade Elliott, owner of Utility Supply Group and a member of the NFPA Technical Committee, responsible for overseeing the NFPA 1194 and the National Electric Code (NFPA 70). His knowledge about the upcoming changes to the standards will provide attendees with insight and guidance that can’t be found in the NFPA 1194 manual. There are several changes to the code being discussed for the upcoming cycle which could have a large impact on campground owners.

“I think it is important that Campground owners attend the classes to stay connected and up-to-date with the code,” says Elliott. “You need to be aware of the nuisances of the National Electric Code between editions and armed with this information should it go through.”

Completing the class can also earn park owners a discount of up to 15 percent off on property and liability insurance with ARVC Member Benefit Provider Leavitt Recreation and Hospitality Insurance. ARVC members campgrounds that complete the class and create a risk management plan approved by Leavitt Recreation can receive up to a 5 percent discount at time of renewal. This opens a second portion of the program in which a campground can document it has taken certain procedures to decrease risk at the property and be eligible for an additional 10 percent discount from Leavitt.

OHCE is a four-day event from Nov. 4-7 in Knoxville, Tenn. including more than 40 educational seminars, a trade show with more than 120 vendors, tours of local campgrounds, a CPR/disaster preparedness class and ARVC’s Awards of Excellence program.

For more information about OHCE or to register, visit arvc.org/OHCE.