The conceptual design of the Sodium Advanced Fast Reactor (SAFR) was completed under the U.S. Department of Energy advanced reactor program to meet the future need for a licensable breeder reactor that has inherently safe characteristics and is economically competitive with other energy technologies. Safety is provided by a hierarchy of highly reliable engineered systems used for the initial lines of defense. The ultimate safety protection mode relies on the inherent response of the SAFR plant to ensure a safe response to all credible events in addition to postulated accidents without scram. The innovative SAFR incorporates two diverse and passive means for decay heat removal in addition to the two normal decay heat removal paths through the steam generators. Those former means include the inherent reactor air cooling system (RACS) and the direct reactor auxiliary cooling system. Recent design improvements to the RACS have resulted in significant increases in margin so that hot-pool and fuel cladding temperatures are maintained well below prescribed safety limits, even with uncertainties included. A comprehensive safety approach and licensing plan is described that focuses on providing a high level of safety and a predictable licensing process.