Fire protection engineers are a valuable part of any building design and construction team. Although fire suppression system design is one of the FPE’s important responsibilities, the role of the FPE is much larger than just designing fire protection systems.
Society demands that the buildings it occupies not have a significant threat from fire. As a result, a significant portion of the cost of modern building construction is devoted to fire protection features. These features may include, but are not limited to: structural fire protection; suppression systems; egress systems; detection and emergency communication systems; and smoke management systems. The fire protection engineer assures that these systems all work together as a unified fire protection system that protects life, property, the environment and preserves continuity of operations.
In my previous May 2011 pme article “Know Their Roles” (available at www.pmengineer.com), I discussed the role fire protection engineers play in designing fire protection systems. This time, I’ll take a broader look at the role fire protection engineers play in designing buildings and will discuss some of the important factors that will impact fire protection design in the future: performance-based design; fire models; building information modeling; and how humans behave during fires.
Fire protection engineering is a unique profession that applies science and technology to make buildings safer from fire. Specifically, FPEs analyze how buildings are used, how fires start, how fires grow, and how fire and smoke affects people, buildings and property. Additionally, they use the latest technologies to design systems that control fires, alert people to danger and provide means for escape.
Specifically, fire protection engineers have the knowledge, training and experience in the following subject areas: