When Your Code Book Needs A Passport

We record from BICSI CALA, Costa Rica to clear up a stubborn myth about the National Electrical Code and explain how it becomes enforceable outside the United States. Fernando Escelente frm the NFPA clears up some confusion. We also dig into how NFPA supports adoption across Latin America through translation, access, training, and certification as new technology and new NEC editions arrive.

• NEC as a reference code vs a legally adopted code
• How Latin American countries adopt different NEC editions
• Why outdated NEC versions create safety gaps
• The challenge of translating legal technical language into Spanish
• Using AI translation with subject matter expert review
• NFPA resources for access including NFPA Link
• Training and certification as the difference between rules and real compliance
• Local amendments and how jurisdictions tailor enforcement
• Timeline expectations for NEC 2026 translation and adoption
• Committee participation and why balanced panels protect safety
• Why adoption must be paired with training and inspection

Transcript

Welcome From Costa Rica

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey Wire Monkeys, welcome to another episode of Let's Talk Game Link. I'm Chuck Dowser, your favorite RCDD, as you know. As you can tell, here though it looks like I'm in my studio, I am not in my studio.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Stay connected. Do it right.

Is The NEC Actually Law

Translating The Code Into Spanish

NFPA Access Training And Certification

When The 2026 NEC Spreads

Adoption Is Not Enough Without Training

SPEAKER_01 0:33

I'm in Costa Rica at Bixie Cowa, a very well-attended event. I got a very special guest with me today because we're gonna talk about the code book, the NEC. There's a huge misperception about does the code actually apply outside of the US? Right? And a lot of people think that it doesn't. So I had to find a guest. My guest is Fernando Escalante, right? And uh won't you please give us a 15-second view of who you are? What do you do? Hi, Chuck. Very grateful to be here in your program. Uh yeah, my name is Fernandez Calante. I'm in charge of uh business development for NFPA for Latan. So I take care from Guatemala through uh Argentina, and that's my responsibility to uh push and help countries in the adoption of the NFPA codes and standards. And uh for my American audience will be seeing this Latam is Latin America. That's that's just a short way of saying uh Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, uh, and all those countries that are in Latin America. So just just in case they hear that and they don't know, don't know what that means. So I got some pre-arranged questions for you. Let's go through them since you're my NEC expert, right? Yeah, uh so let's let's go with the first one. There's a huge misconception that the NEC is US law. Could you clarify the difference between the NEC being a Maruco or legally adopted? Yeah, well, uh in Latin uh it's well known, the NEC. It's a reference for all the designers, installers, and inspectors for electrical installation. So for all the countries, Mexico through Peru, it's uh well known the NEC, and it's uh a reference code. So in several countries, it's used by adoption as uh in US in the several states. And let's say, for example, Guatemala going from north to south, uses the NEC 2020 edition. Uh, what's the last version when they adopted Tier? They did it in corporation by reference. So they use an article in that says uh we will use the NEC version 2020 in Spanish for to be the National Electric Code of Guacemala. So uh that's uh what we are doing there. Also, Honduras is uh right now going through the process of uh getting the adoption of the NEC 2026. So they are reviewing the all the details in English, and hopefully in in next year, the Chicho bow will be this translation in Spanish. So they they want to go ahead. Uh in Costa Rica, we have adopted the 2020, it's uh the the edition we have adopted Panama also, and it's will go into the 2023. Colombia is using uh transcription of the NC 2017, and in Ecuador, they are using a lot an old version of the 1996. So they're too old, they don't have uh new old technologies over there, so we are helping them to uh renew their code and make the adoption my my reference. So I'll make sure one say, Paige in in the US, when a state adopts a code book, and just just so everybody knows this, doesn't operate on 0.26 code, right? There's there's states that operate all the 2008, right? Yeah, but when a state adopts a code, then it becomes legally enforceable. There's gonna be an inspector, an authority having jurisdiction coming out to look at that job. Is that the you say adopt you here in Latin with Latin, is that the same thing? Yeah, it works the the same thing, and well, we have like Mexico, uh they have the the 20 away neck, but they have a transcription. Uh their version is 2012, uh their code, so it's more none. But in this case, yeah, even though the countries uh overall or the states in Mexico are doing an effort to adopt the NECA and upgrade the version of, yeah. So the NEC is a very legalistic document, it's not written in layman's terms, yeah. I do it. I understand it. Yeah, I consider myself uh an expert, not an expert, but well-versed. I hate the term expert. So I consider myself well versed in the in the code board. And sometimes when I read the code bear, if I'm reading a paragraph, sometimes I have to read the paragraph three or four times before I can even figure out what it's actually trying to tell me. So that leads me to think, because you got to convert it from English to Spanish. And I was having a conversation with a guy this morning over in the area, and he started asking me some bonding and bounty questions. I probably could have answered it, but you know, bonding and down is a very technical subject, and I speak very little Spanish, he spoke very little English. So, what's that process look like converting a very technical docking like the cobalt into another language? Yeah, uh well, it's uh it's a hard process in the that's in the last two cycles, the 2020 and then 2023. I participated as subject matter expert and leader of the project of the translation. So we have a base using AI to be the base for the translation, and we have to check the terms in Spanish, even though it's the same Spanish, but have different language or understanding per country. So that's uh something we have to we take care of that, and the rule is what is the term we have used in the past? So try to to keep it or to correct it, but we don't use like terms in Mexico or Costa Rica or Colombia, specific terms we tried to use the world common for every country, so it's a uh tough uh process. Oh, I can imagine. I can imagine. So what will be right for the FPA? What role would they play in helping spread the the NEC to all these other countries? Well, in this case, having the the codes and and standards available for everyone, we have in uh in the webpage a free access. So uh if you go to the uh Spanish uh version of the webpage, you can see the standards and codes that are in Spanish. And uh we have other digital platform that is called NFPA Link, that is uh we have it to since five years ago. Now we integrated AI to the page, and we have the books common to have it. So that's one part to have it, everyone to get it, and and the other part is training. So we have trainings for central uh for LATAM in Spanish versions, and we have instructures for from LATAM also that gave it how we deliver those through AN providers, authorized education network providers, and we have uh several per countries, uh so we we try to give that training and certification uh with the NSC. So it's uh a way that the participants uh really get uh proof that they know the codes and standards or the fundamentals and get get the the backup of uh certification from NFPA directly. It's not that anyone that gave us a training or something like that, it's NFPA directly. So so in the US, when a state adopts a code, they also have the option to add to the code book. So, for example, in Chicago, because I'm a local leash guy, so we've got to talk about low voltage cabling, right? Um, all the voleas cabling in the city of Chicago has to be placed inside a conduit. That's not stated in the code book, that's just something extra that AHJ wants to be done. So those this do the countries like Costa Rica and Nicaragua and and and all the other states, do they do they do the same thing? Do they do they look at and add on, or they just say this is what we want? What thing is to have their responsibility. So NFPA gives uh the the codes for the countries and adopted by reference, and uh each country can do some advan amendments to some uh technical things that they want, but it's with possibility of each country to do those amendments in this case. So uh in Guatemala there is an amendment not listed products, uh it's well, some commercial things. Costa Rica has some amendments regarding to the translations. Uh Panama has another one regarding to the uh main disconnect for the residential or doing units. So it's some kinds of that, yeah. So in your experience of representing this market, what do you think is the biggest misconception that you have to deal with on a daily basis? Uh basically, one of those, as you began saying, it's a US code. No, it's uh a worldwide code that helps us uh to do the installations correctly. And it's the I for my point of view and and also knowing other uh codes or or laws uh of cabling for several countries, it's the must complete that covers uh most of the topics for electrical installation and and communications in buildings. The root voltage stuff that's in the code book, article 800, 805, 810, article 770, um, and all those same articles are still also in the the code book here. Correct? Yes, uh yes, all the the chapters and our inputs are are included here. And well, um you know the the NSE is um updated every three years uh because of public inputs or injuries, reports and all that, and also new technology. So that's very useful to have it update because technology is growing so far so fast. So if we have uh electrical vehicles, how we connect those safety, that's part of it. So we have uh in the NEC 2033 the the production of cable task for so that's new for it for the markets, and we have to to update and and to be used here. So you you mentioned that we'll that we're currently in the 2020 here in Costa Rica and some of the other countries. 2026 is already published, came out in November of last year. Um what what time what so what time frame do you think of 2026 will start becoming uh uh influenced here globally? Okay, well, probably first of all, we haven't begun with the process of the translation yet. We are beginning probably in in April, and I we expect to have it, as I mentioned before, in Q2 2027, the translation of the 2026. So after that, uh will be a period of uh reviewing for the local guys of the changes and get it out to the Ministry of Economic, Industrial and Commerce of Costa Rica that has the reglement of the electrical code here to have the the adoption of this edition. So hopefully, I think maybe the political process could be at the end of 2027 or at the beginning of 2028. So, you know, the way the code is made is there's committees, and people can get on those committees. Is there representation on those committees from Latin American countries? Yeah, yeah. In several committees uh for the NSC are Latin guys, and uh and the committees are open to anyone. Uh remember that those committees or panels are made of different kinds of uh representations as manufacturers, installers, uh HA, the enforcement uh so uh it's uh well-balanced panels, so uh we will take care of the fundamentals or the scope of the NEC that is safety. So if you had if you had an ultimate wish of something, if you you make a wish and it automatically appears concerning the cobalt, yeah, it's only the cobalt, what would that wish be? Uh well to have it adopted in all uh in all countries, and uh one thing it's adopted, and the other key thing is training. Yeah, so you have to, it's a big book, it's a lot of details. So that's a key thing to have it training every person that has the involvement, and also the um the inspection to get a to do that. So that's why so you have to do training anyway because a lot of electrical inspectors don't know low voltage very well. Yeah, so there's that training, and then for those who may not know, there's a lot of changes in the 2026 code. Yeah, right. They deleted Article 805, they deleted Article 770, they stripped away the independence of Chak A, they renamed our industry with no longer low voltage, we're limited energy. Yeah, so now that's additional stuff that you gotta train. So when so when you decide you start implementing 2026, how long does it take to come up with a training process and what's that process look like? It's uh well here in Costa Rica, it's done uh through the College of Engineers, Electrical, Mechanical, and Dosa Engineers is done the the training process also through the association of the electricians, the ACT, those those parts. So uh, and also well, the construction challenger is also involved, I think, this process and the local one. Fernando, thank you for coming on, and uh I appreciate anybody who loves the code as much as I love the code. Thank you very much. Thank you.