NRS392.405. Standards for new school buses purchased by school district on and after January 1, 2016.

      1.  On and after January 1, 2016, with respect to any new school bus which is purchased by a school district to transport pupils, the school bus must meet the following standards in addition to being equipped as required by the regulations of the State Board:

      (a) Occupant seating within the school bus must be tested in accordance with either:

             (1) The ASTM International Standard ASTM E1537, “Standard Test Method for Fire Testing of Upholstered Furniture”; or

             (2) The School Bus Seat Upholstery Fire Block Test established by the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures adopted at the most recent National Congress on School Transportation.

      (b) For the purposes of paragraph (a) such testing must be conducted on a complete seat assembly inside a test room or school bus, and occupant seating shall be deemed to have failed the ASTM E1537 test or Fire Block Test, as applicable, if:

             (1) The seat assembly exhibits a weight loss of 3 pounds or greater during the first 10 minutes of the test; or

             (2) The seat assembly exhibits a heat release rate of 80 kilowatts or greater.

      2.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, each plastic component contained in the engine compartment of a new school bus which is purchased by a school district on and after July 1, 2016, to transport pupils must meet one of the following classifications when tested in accordance with the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Standard 94, “the Standard for Safety of Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances testing”:

      (a) A V-0 classification; or

      (b) If the component is located within 100 millimeters directly above an exhaust component that is not shielded, including, without limitation, a catalytic converter, an exhaust gas recirculation pipe that carries uncooled exhaust gas, an exhaust manifold or an exhaust pipe:

             (1) For molded parts, a V-0 classification;

             (2) For foams, an HF-1 classification; and

             (3) For thin films, a VTM-0 classification.

      3.  In lieu of meeting the requirements set forth in subsection 2, a new school bus may be purchased by a school district on or after July 1, 2016, to transport pupils if it meets the following requirements:

      (a) The school bus has an automatic system for fire extinguishment in the engine compartment that includes a mechanism for activation by the driver;

      (b) Any nozzles for fire suppression are located, without limitation, under the school bus, in the electrical panel or under the dashboard, but are not located in the passenger compartment; and

      (c) The system for fire suppression includes a lamp or buzzer to alert the driver when the system is activated.

      (Added to NRS by 2011, 470; A 2013, 1022)