NSSA Accredited Professional (NSSA AP) Program
Why should you consider becoming an NSSA AP?
The NSSA AP credential is not required for design professionals by current model building codes such as the IBC, IEBC, IRC, and the IPMC but it may be required by authorities having jurisdiction, owners, or registered design professionals in responsible charge hiring various registered design professionals as consultants on a project. Furthermore, an individual with NSSA AP credential may rank higher in qualifications-based selections than one who is not. Given that many peer reviewers spend significantly more time reviewing work by design professionals without storm shelter experience, there is also a potentially lower fee for the code-required peer review services when the design professionals of record for each design discipline are NSSA Accredited Professionals.
Requirements to attain NSSA AP status
An individual must meet all of the requirements for at least one NSSA AP Specialty to attain NSSA AP status. The following are the requirements for each specialty:
To attain NSSA AP status with Architecture Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Architect of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Architect of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
To attain NSSA AP status with Structural Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Structural Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Structural Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
To attain NSSA AP status with Mechanical Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Mechanical Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Mechanical Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
To attain NSSA AP status with Electrical Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Electrical Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Electrical Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
To attain NSSA AP status with Civil Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that either:
a. they are an ASFPM Certified Floodplain Manager, or
b. they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
i. Civil Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
ii. Civil Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
To attain NSSA AP status with Architecture Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Architect of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Architect of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
- Take and pass the NSSA AP General Exam;
- Take and pass the NSSA AP Architecture Exam;
- Agree to follow the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
To attain NSSA AP status with Structural Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Structural Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Structural Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
- Take and pass the NSSA AP General Exam;
- Take and pass the NSSA AP Structural Engineering Exam; and,
- Agree to follow the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
To attain NSSA AP status with Mechanical Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Mechanical Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Mechanical Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
- Take and pass the NSSA AP General Exam;
- Take and pass the NSSA AP Mechanical Engineering Exam; and,
- Agree to follow the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
To attain NSSA AP status with Electrical Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a
building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
a. Electrical Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
b. Electrical Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
- Take and pass the NSSA AP General Exam;
- Take and pass the NSSA AP Electrical Engineering Exam; and,
- Agree to follow the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
To attain NSSA AP status with Civil Engineering Specialty, an individual must:
Submit evidence to NSSA that either:
a. they are an ASFPM Certified Floodplain Manager, or
b. they have legally performed one of the following roles on a storm shelter project for which a building permit has been issued and/or on-site construction has been completed:
i. Civil Engineer of Record for the design of the storm shelter, or
ii. Civil Engineer of Record for a code-required peer review of the design of a storm shelter
- Take and pass the NSSA AP General Exam;
- Take and pass the NSSA AP Civil Engineering Exam; and,
- Agree to follow the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
Submitting Evidence of Project Experience
Evidence of experience on a storm shelter project can be related to a community tornado shelter, community hurricane shelter, residential tornado shelter, or a residential hurricane shelter. “Safe Rooms” as defined by FEMA guidelines today are required to comply with ICC 500 but in the past this was not the case (e.g. FEMA’s guidelines issued before the first edition of ICC 500). Therefore, only safe rooms which were designed in accordance with ICC 500 can be considered relevant experience for attaining NSSA AP status.
By submitting relevant construction documents or peer review documents on a storm shelter project to NSSA for the purposes of attaining NSSA AP status, an applicant represents that the performance of the professional services were legally allowed (e.g. that the design professional is registered or licensed as a design professional to provide those services in a State of the United States of America), and that either a building permit has been issued or construction has been completed (or both).
Only a few sheets of a set of construction documents or a peer review report may be all that is required; however, the documents submitted need to:
Applicants can bring a hard copy of relevant construction documents or peer review documents to the test site on the day they take an NSSA AP exam and give the documents to NSSA’s Director of Operations, or a delegated representative, before taking the exam.
Alternately, before or after taking the exam, applicants can email [email protected] a .pdf of relevant construction documents or peer review documents with a written request that the information be added to NSSA’s file for the purposes of attaining NSSA AP status.
By submitting relevant construction documents or peer review documents on a storm shelter project to NSSA for the purposes of attaining NSSA AP status, an applicant represents that the performance of the professional services were legally allowed (e.g. that the design professional is registered or licensed as a design professional to provide those services in a State of the United States of America), and that either a building permit has been issued or construction has been completed (or both).
Only a few sheets of a set of construction documents or a peer review report may be all that is required; however, the documents submitted need to:
- Identify which specialty experience is claimed by labelling the documentation accordingly (e.g. placing at the top of the first page in large bold text: “This documentation provides evidence of experience with Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering on a storm shelter project.”);
- show project identification information (e.g. the information which is common in titleblocks for construction documents and letterheads for peer reviews);
- bear the seal of the applicant;
- show relevance to a storm shelter (e.g. plan or section drawings of a storm shelter or a peer review list of storm shelter items);
- show relevance to the design discipline of the specialty claimed (e.g. a titleblock with A, S, M, E or C sheets or peer review with items labelled Architectural, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical or Civil; and,
- show that the storm shelter design complies with a specific version of ICC 500 (any edition of ICC 500 is acceptable).
Applicants can bring a hard copy of relevant construction documents or peer review documents to the test site on the day they take an NSSA AP exam and give the documents to NSSA’s Director of Operations, or a delegated representative, before taking the exam.
Alternately, before or after taking the exam, applicants can email [email protected] a .pdf of relevant construction documents or peer review documents with a written request that the information be added to NSSA’s file for the purposes of attaining NSSA AP status.
NSSA AP Exams
Pre-Requisites
There are no pre-requisites required before taking any NSSA AP Exams. Anyone may take the NSSA AP Exams, regardless of whether they meet other requirements at the time for attaining NSSA AP status. However, there are some significant requirements other than passing the exam, as noted below, for attaining NSSA AP status.
Exam Format
Exams are only provided in-person at this time. Exams can be taken where advertised (e.g. the 2021 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference in November 2021). Alternatively, individual applicants and/or groups of applicants can request an appointment with an NSSA Proctor at a mutually agreed-upon location by contacting Jim Bell (NSSA’s Director of Operations) at [email protected], although NSSA does not guarantee that such appointments can be arranged within any specific proximity to applicants or within any specific time-frame of a request.
Exams are written exams with multiple-choice answers with the following time limits:
NSSA AP General - 60 minutes
Architectural - 60 minutes
Structural Engineering - 60 minutes
Mechanical Engineering - 60 minutes
Electrical Engineering - 45 minutes
Civil Engineering - 45 minutes
When multiple people take the exam at the same time:
Applicants cannot start specialty exams at will. Therefore, applicants may need to wait before taking subsequent exams. NSSA’s Proctor will distribute the General Exam module first and collect all responses within 60 minutes before distributing specialty exams. Responses to exams will not be accepted after the time-limit. Then, NSSA’s Proctor will distribute specialty exams with one per applicant, distributing the specialty exam of the applicant’s choice, and then collect all responses from the first specialty exam series within the time limit before distributing any additional specialty exams. It is to be expected that various professionals will be taking different specialty exams at the same time during the first specialty exam period. If time allows during the exam event, this will process will continue for any subsequent exam modules.
There are no pre-requisites required before taking any NSSA AP Exams. Anyone may take the NSSA AP Exams, regardless of whether they meet other requirements at the time for attaining NSSA AP status. However, there are some significant requirements other than passing the exam, as noted below, for attaining NSSA AP status.
Exam Format
Exams are only provided in-person at this time. Exams can be taken where advertised (e.g. the 2021 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference in November 2021). Alternatively, individual applicants and/or groups of applicants can request an appointment with an NSSA Proctor at a mutually agreed-upon location by contacting Jim Bell (NSSA’s Director of Operations) at [email protected], although NSSA does not guarantee that such appointments can be arranged within any specific proximity to applicants or within any specific time-frame of a request.
Exams are written exams with multiple-choice answers with the following time limits:
NSSA AP General - 60 minutes
Architectural - 60 minutes
Structural Engineering - 60 minutes
Mechanical Engineering - 60 minutes
Electrical Engineering - 45 minutes
Civil Engineering - 45 minutes
When multiple people take the exam at the same time:
Applicants cannot start specialty exams at will. Therefore, applicants may need to wait before taking subsequent exams. NSSA’s Proctor will distribute the General Exam module first and collect all responses within 60 minutes before distributing specialty exams. Responses to exams will not be accepted after the time-limit. Then, NSSA’s Proctor will distribute specialty exams with one per applicant, distributing the specialty exam of the applicant’s choice, and then collect all responses from the first specialty exam series within the time limit before distributing any additional specialty exams. It is to be expected that various professionals will be taking different specialty exams at the same time during the first specialty exam period. If time allows during the exam event, this will process will continue for any subsequent exam modules.
Exam Focus
The purpose of taking and passing the exams is to demonstrate that an applicant knows and understands how to properly apply code requirements to the design of community tornado shelters, community hurricane shelters, residential tornado shelters and residential hurricane shelters as defined by ICC 500. Questions will therefore cover all 4 types of storm shelters.
The purpose of the exams is not to determine if an applicant is a minimally qualified design professional in general, because it is a requirement to become an NSSA AP that an applicant already be allowed to practice their professional discipline by an entity such as a licensing board for a State in the United States. For example, while the NSSA Structural Engineering exam could ask a Structural Engineer to design an embed plate in a concrete wall for a certain load, that is not a likely question because that is a structural engineering task that is not unique to storm shelter design and the applicant is required to demonstrate basic competency as a structural engineer separately from the exam, by showing their license to practice as a Structural Engineer. On the other hand, determining how ICC 500 requires a Structural Engineer model the minimum required debris load on a storm shelter is unique to storm shelters and would be well within the scope of what the NSSA Structural Engineering exam might cover.
As ICC 500 is a minimum construction standard, the purpose of the exams is not to determine if an applicant can identify the safest answers to all questions. Owners, Building Officials, other Design Professionals, Contractors and Inspectors often request that Design Professionals make designs “less safe” for numerous reasons that seem valid to those parties because of their various perspectives on a project (e.g. financial concerns by an Owner). ICC 500 often requires interpretation. And, it is the obligation of a Building Official to interpret ICC 500 where an interpretation is required. However, Building Officials do not have the authority to simply waive written code requirements, even if they indicate so in writing and issue a building permit. Therefore, an NSSA AP is expected to understand how to comply with the minimum ICC 500 provisions as written and in concert with other industry standards. This is certainly not to say that NSSA expects design professionals to always design to the minimum and never design storm shelters to be any safer than that; this is simply to say that a qualified storm shelter design professional needs to know when it is not an option to design to a lower level of safety.
The purpose of the exams is not to determine if an applicant is a minimally qualified design professional in general, because it is a requirement to become an NSSA AP that an applicant already be allowed to practice their professional discipline by an entity such as a licensing board for a State in the United States. For example, while the NSSA Structural Engineering exam could ask a Structural Engineer to design an embed plate in a concrete wall for a certain load, that is not a likely question because that is a structural engineering task that is not unique to storm shelter design and the applicant is required to demonstrate basic competency as a structural engineer separately from the exam, by showing their license to practice as a Structural Engineer. On the other hand, determining how ICC 500 requires a Structural Engineer model the minimum required debris load on a storm shelter is unique to storm shelters and would be well within the scope of what the NSSA Structural Engineering exam might cover.
As ICC 500 is a minimum construction standard, the purpose of the exams is not to determine if an applicant can identify the safest answers to all questions. Owners, Building Officials, other Design Professionals, Contractors and Inspectors often request that Design Professionals make designs “less safe” for numerous reasons that seem valid to those parties because of their various perspectives on a project (e.g. financial concerns by an Owner). ICC 500 often requires interpretation. And, it is the obligation of a Building Official to interpret ICC 500 where an interpretation is required. However, Building Officials do not have the authority to simply waive written code requirements, even if they indicate so in writing and issue a building permit. Therefore, an NSSA AP is expected to understand how to comply with the minimum ICC 500 provisions as written and in concert with other industry standards. This is certainly not to say that NSSA expects design professionals to always design to the minimum and never design storm shelters to be any safer than that; this is simply to say that a qualified storm shelter design professional needs to know when it is not an option to design to a lower level of safety.
Codes and Standards
The exam questions are based on the following codes and standards:
- ICC 500-2020 “ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters”
- 2021 International Building Code, and Referenced Standards
- 2021 International Existing Building Code
- 2021 International Residential Code
- 2021 International Property Maintenance Code
What To Bring and Not Bring To The Exam
- Applicants are required to bring at least one #2 pencil to enter answers on the forms that will be provided.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to bring a hard copy of ICC 500-2020 to the exam. (The version with just the standard alone and the version with both the standard and the commentary are permitted.) Other reference materials should not be required during the exam but applicants are permitted to bring in other materials. Notes in reference materials (other than copies of the exam questions and answers), tabs in reference materials, and blank sheets of paper are permitted. For some exam modules, handouts with relevant excerpts of related reference material may be provided by NSSA.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to bring a hard copy of the Code of Conduct for NSSA Accredited Professionals and Certified Inspectors.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to bring a hand-held calculator (e.g. one meeting NCARB or NCEES exam requirements) that has no ability to connect to the internet. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to bring fully-charged batteries.
- Smart phones will NOT be permitted.
- Computers will NOT be permitted.
- Food and drink will generally not be permitted unless permitted by both the event location and NSSA’s Proctor. NSSA’s Proctor may allow some types of food and drink on an ad hoc basis and may not allow others, at his or her discretion. If you require food, drink or medication during the exam, please discuss it with NSSA’s Proctor in advance.
No Leaving the Room While Taking an Exam Module
Because there is a relatively short time limit for each exam module, it will not be permitted for an applicant to leave the room (e.g. going to the restroom, making a call for work, getting supplies such as batteries or pencils, getting a drink or snack, or taking a break) when taking an exam module. Exceptions to this rule may be made at the NSSA’s Proctors discretion but it is highly discouraged. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare in advance so that they will not need to leave the room while taking an exam module. Applicants that have permanently submitted their response to the questions for an exam module are welcome to leave and come back before their next exam module.
Exam Preparation Resources
It is strongly encouraged that each applicant read ICC 500-2020 in its entirety. It is necessary to pass the NSSA AP General Exam module. The standard is relatively short when compared with many other codes and standards. And, many of the provisions are relatively straightforward. Many of the NSSA Design Practices Committee’s proposals to provide more consistency and clarity to the provisions of ICC 500 were approved by the IS-STM Committee responsible for the development of ICC 500 and published in the 2020 edition, which is why the ICC 500-2020 is the current basis of testing. Storm shelter design requires that each design professional have a fundamental understanding of the collective mission of the design team, to provide an integrated design. For example, an Architect needs to understand that adding a recessed fire extinguisher in an exterior concrete wall by an addendum without asking for the Structural Engineer’s approval can sometimes compromise the code-required debris resistance of the structural wall assembly. As another example, a Civil Engineer needs to understand that moving a sanitary sewer pump closer to a storm shelter by an addendum without asking for the Mechanical Engineer’s approval can sometimes compromise the code-required wastewater storage capacity of a storm shelter.
Many of the technical sessions from the 2020 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference are available for purchase and download on NSSA’s website through the following links. Among then, there is a 3 hour general introduction to ICC 500-2020 by Marc Levitan, the Chair of ICC 500, and the leaders of many of the chapter working groups that contributed to the development of ICC 500.
Free Sessions: Educational Information - NSSA National Storm Shelter Association
Pay-to-view Sessions: https://www.nssa-education.org
In addition to these sessions, the 2021 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference will provide technical sessions designed to provide attendees advanced technical instruction on how to properly apply the technical provisions of ICC 500-2020 in several separate design disciplines, including Architecture, Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. NSSA intends to film these sessions and make them also available for purchase and download after the November 2021 conference.
NSSA may also upload other exam preparation resources, such as possibly an advanced general exam preparation presentation. So, applicants are encouraged to check the NSSA website for materials over time.
Many of the technical sessions from the 2020 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference are available for purchase and download on NSSA’s website through the following links. Among then, there is a 3 hour general introduction to ICC 500-2020 by Marc Levitan, the Chair of ICC 500, and the leaders of many of the chapter working groups that contributed to the development of ICC 500.
Free Sessions: Educational Information - NSSA National Storm Shelter Association
Pay-to-view Sessions: https://www.nssa-education.org
In addition to these sessions, the 2021 NSSA Storm Shelter Conference will provide technical sessions designed to provide attendees advanced technical instruction on how to properly apply the technical provisions of ICC 500-2020 in several separate design disciplines, including Architecture, Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. NSSA intends to film these sessions and make them also available for purchase and download after the November 2021 conference.
NSSA may also upload other exam preparation resources, such as possibly an advanced general exam preparation presentation. So, applicants are encouraged to check the NSSA website for materials over time.
Retaking Exams
Applicants can take NSSA AP exam an unlimited number of times, if they pay the associated fees each time.
It is not required to pass both the general and the specialty exams on the same day
It is not required to pass both the general and the specialty exams on the same day
Requirements to Maintain NSSA AP Status
Once a certificate indicating NSSA AP status is issued to an individual by NSSA, the status will need to be renewed every 2 years for the status to be maintained. NSSA AP’s are not required to take a new examination every time a new edition of ICC 500 is issued. However, NSSA AP’s are required to attain 6 hours of continuing education related to storm shelters every 2 years before they renew their status. The following are the types of continuing education that are acceptable and the limits for the total number of hours for each type that can be counted in each 2 year period. NSSA will require that NSSA AP’s verify before renewal that they have attained the required number of continuing education hours. Furthermore, NSSA may require NSSA AP’s provide evidence of such continuing education before approving renewal by auditing NSSA AP’s, individually or collectively. NSSA is not responsible for maintaining a log of continuing education for NSSA AP’s, even when the continuing education is provided through NSSA.
NSSA AP’s that fail to renew their NSSA AP status for more than 1 year after expiration will be required to retake the NSSA AP exams if they wish to be reinstated as NSSA AP’s.
- Attending NSSA Conference AIA CES Learning Units, in-person or on-line (up to 6 hours)
- Participating in NSSA Technical Committees (up to 2 hours)
- Self-study of ICC 500 and/or FEMA P-361 (up to 1 hour)
- Participation in the IS-STM (ICC 500) Committee Meetings and/or their Working Group Meetings (up to 6 hours)
- Development of NSSA Exams (up to 6 hours) included writing questions for exams and participating in cut score committees
- Time spent giving presentations on ICC 500 to peers and/or building officials (up to 2 hours)
- Writing Published Articles on Storm Shelters (up to 2 hours)
- Patenting Inventions for Storm Shelters (up to 2 hours)
NSSA AP’s that fail to renew their NSSA AP status for more than 1 year after expiration will be required to retake the NSSA AP exams if they wish to be reinstated as NSSA AP’s.
Current Fees
For NSSA Members, the fee to take NSSA AP Exams is $250 for each exam sitting. For individuals who are not NSSA Members, the fee is $500 for each exam sitting. These fees include the NSSA AP General Exam and any number of specialty exams that an applicant can take in the time allotted at the testing event. If an applicant does not pass the exam, the fees to retake the exam are the same fees.
Renewal of NSSA AP status is FREE for individuals who are NSSA Members at the time of renewal (every 2 years). For individuals who are not NSSA Members, the fee is $100 for each renewal (every 2 years).
Renewal of NSSA AP status is FREE for individuals who are NSSA Members at the time of renewal (every 2 years). For individuals who are not NSSA Members, the fee is $100 for each renewal (every 2 years).
Appeals
Direct appeals regarding the NSSA Accredited Professional program to NSSA’s Director of Operations at [email protected], who will then take all appeals to the NSSA Board of Directors for consideration. The NSSA Board of Directors may elect to seek counsel from other parties, but the NSSA Board of Directors will make all final decisions on appeals.
