Fire protection engineering is normally understood by its technical appliances like sprinklers, fire alarms, and fire hazard warning signs. Although these tools are extremely effective at reducing risk and dealing with accidents when they occur, they do not tell the entire story. The human element is often overlooked.
Reactive Fire Protection
If a fire damages your property, you need a fire protection engineer to provide the expertise to evaluate the situation and prevent future situations from occurring. We are going through a situation like this right now.
The frequency of loss events regarding one of our client’s industrial roasters increased. Their fire protection systems mitigated losses, but we wanted to explain these events and reduce their likelihood in the future. We responded quickly (within a week) to their request for a consultation and tackled the problem, head-on. We analyzed the previous incidents and with focus on process safety management systems and determined where weaknesses were and what improvements were needed. These cost-effective solutions reduced the frequency of losses and will end up saving them money in the long-term.
Cost-Effective Fire Protection is Proactive Fire Protection
Building owners and developers learn the importance of proper fire protection expertise after they experience a problem that delays their project or causes damage. After experiencing problems, these clients continue to engage with us. They all say the same thing, “I wish I knew how much I could save before experiencing the problem.”
When we are brought into a project early, before problems arise, we can provide cost-effective recommendations to reduce the frequency and severity of a potential fire risk. Building owners can proactively reduce their risk before a problem occurs.
In addition to minimizing risks, you will have a go-to fire protection engineer who is familiar with your facilities. That relationship can become an even greater asset in dealing with insurers and local government officials. Our experienced fire protection engineers will look at your building’s fire hazards from your point of view and negotiate with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to optimize the outcome.
By Jeff Harrington, CEO and Founder of Harrington Group, Inc.