Building codes and standards are typically enacted in response to hazardous situations that threaten public health, safety, and welfare, or to natural disasters such as floods, fires, and earthquakes. Fire protection was the first major issue leading to the establishment of early building codes in the United States. In 1896, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) was founded to establish uniform sprinkler standards for the mills and warehouses in the Northeast. First published in 1897, NFPA standards were used until the 1950s. Modern structural related building codes were first introduced in the United States around 1900 in cities such as New York and Chicago.