Savvy fire and life safety designers advocate for the right systems for each large indoor venue, while respecting the sometimes conflicting goals and demands of others involved in the decision.
Archive for the ‘ Sprinkler Systems Monitoring ’ Category
Ask the Expert: Lock-Down Design in High-Risk Zones
Jim Mickowski, an engineer with PSJ Engineering, has more than 25 years of experience in the design and installation of fire suppression systems. His experience ranges from working on stadiums, museums and office buildings to high-security, high-risk areas in correctional facilities and nuclear facilities where there is “no access allowed.”
ACCESS DENIED: Finding a Safe Way Out of Danger
Inmates will abuse any building component within reach. So how do you design a system to detect and protect while keeping it safe, too?
THE EXTREMES: Hot Strategies for Cold Conditions
Environments with high airflow or excessive temperatures, such as freezer or cold-storage warehouses, require robust and flexible fire protection solutions. These extreme environments present unique fire detection and suppression challenges that do not follow standard fire and life safety design. For example, while extremely cold, these warehouses can have such dry atmospheres that fire can spread faster than normal. As a result, each scenario needs to be evaluated to provide the necessary protection. Because there is no one-size-fits-all fire and life safety solution, familiarity with all technologies associated with fire detection, notification and suppression are important for designing a dependable and suitable system.
Sophisticated & Strategic: Fire and Life Safety in Mission-Critical Applications
To protect information assets, a fire protection strategy must incorporate specific emergency identification and suppression alongside detection.
A/E Pros Discuss Life-Safety Design, Space Selection and Code Compliance
LifeSafety interviews Angie Wells, P.E., principal, and Rodwell King, senior project manager, of GPD Group in Akron, Ohio. GPD Group is a multi-disciplinary A/E firm that provides architectural, interior design, mechanical, electrical, structural, civil engineering and construction administration services to clients nationwide. Q. How much responsibility does the architect assume for life-safety matters? King: The [...]
Q&A: Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Fire- and Life-Safety Systems
Scott Bailey is the senior vice president of Koorsen Fire & Security, an installation and service company that has been privately held since 1946. The company focuses on inspection, testing and maintenance of fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire suppression, fire extinguishers, access control and video surveillance systems, as well as monitoring of residential and commercial [...]
Q&A: Managing Life Safety for the U.S.’s Largest, Fully Accredited School District
Billy Taddeo, a foreman in physical plant operations for Broward County School District’s maintenance division, is responsible for protecting more than 270,000 K-12 students and 38,000 district personnel. The Broward County School system in Florida is the nation’s largest, fully accredited school district, with 273 facilities covering more than 36 million square feet. Taddeo is NICET II (National Institute for Certification of Engineering Technologies) certified.
Fire- and Life-Safety Requirements for K-12 Schools by State
The following is a sample of fire- and life-safety requirements for K-12 schools in various states.
How to Manage the School Life-Safety Survey Process
LifeSafety interviews Mike Gilfillan, AIA and founding principal of Gilfillan Callahan Architects, a Rolling Meadows, Ill. firm that specializes in education and other community projects. Such projects include conducting surveys in K-12 schools to ensure that fire and life-safety systems are up-to-date on code.