THE ULTIMATE IN FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS DESIGN

The design of fire protection systems is a process. A good design is one that produces a cost-effective system, well matched to the expected problems, that will perform reliably and effectively during a fire event. We use a multi-step process to achieve these goals.

Fire Protection Engineering Consulting includes a wide range of activities other than system design. These services help parties in understanding fire threats, identifying vulnerabilities of life or property and business operations, and developing conceptual defense solutions that are reasonable and cost effective.

WORD OF MOUTH
I have learned the value of having a Fire Protection Consultant on board from the first day for our Design-Build projects. Because of your excellent service, you can be assured we will recommend to Owners of our future projects that your company be employed to provide design documents as well as consultant services on-going throughout the project duration. Thank you for your excellent service. 
Design of Systems

Design of Systems

Fire protection systems offer critical anti-fire defenses for life, property and business operations. In order to design effective defenses, fire threats--as well as the unique vulnerabilities of life, property and business operations--must be thoroughly understood. 

After conducting a detailed fire analysis, our team will develop a fire-protection solution designed to match the predicted fire performance. We achieve cost-effective solutions through creatively applying fire protection techniques and by optimizing our analysis and fire understanding so that the fire protection systems are not over-designed.

HGI has experience assessing a wide range of fire hazards and designing cost-effective fire protection systems to effectively defend life, property and business operations against various potential fire hazards. Our expertise is broad and covers a diverse range of systems and applications. 

Construction Administration

Construction Administration

Construction administration provides quality assurance to help make certain that equipment construction and installation are in general conformance with design documents and applicable codes and standards.

In the fire protection engineering industry, construction administration is a broad term that covers a wide variety of activities. At a minimum, construction administration should include a review of shop submittal documentation, field observation of construction works in progress, and witnessing functional testing. 

WORD OF MOUTH
We sprinkler VA hospitals all over the country and work closely with several other Architectural & Engineering firms and Harrington Group, by far, was the most thorough and professional in all aspects of their duties. 
Performance-Based Design

Performance-Based Design

Performance-based design is becoming an increasingly common solution for fire and life safety designs in unique buildings. It is a logical design process where specific performance objectives are determined by the design team related to fire and life safety. Performance-based design solutions are often used where prescriptive codes and standards are too expensive, inflexible, or the required solutions do not fit a particular situation well. Performance-based design offers a broader variety of possible solutions and make it possible to optimize solutions for cost and function.

Performance-based design is a growing sector and is increasingly entering mainstream use. The Life Safety Code incorporates a performance-based design option as an alternative to its prescriptive requirements, and the International Code Council published the International Performance Code, a performance-based building code. 

Fire-Safety Audits

Fire-Safety Audits

A fire-safety audit is an in-person survey of an existing building or building area. This audit is designed to identify and quantify various fire threats to life, property, and business operations. A fire safety audit also identifies and quantifies various defenses against those fire threats.

At HGI, we conduct fire-safety audits with careful attention to detail, and we thoroughly analyze the results. We’ll identify any significant weaknesses in the building’s fire defenses and offer specific solutions to correct these shortcomings. Solutions are developed by our HGI team and optimized for cost and function with the input of owners and stakeholders to achieve specific objectives. 

Life Safety Analysis

Life Safety Analysis

Life safety in a building fire is influenced by an array of factors, from building construction features and occupancy features to human factors. In the US, the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and local building codes set the standards for a building’s life safety; however, authorities sometimes allow for alternative life safety measures when needed. 

HGI’s life-safety analysis services help design and justify alternatives as equivalent to the Life Safety Code. We accomplish this through qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, often including computerized fire and evacuation models.

In the final step in a life-safety analysis, we assist, when necessary, in presenting the proposed alternative method to the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and obtaining their agreement when necessary. 

Code Analysis

Code Analysis

Around the world, buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained in compliance with legally binding fire codes and standards. These codes are usually prescriptive in nature, and many design parameters are dictated by the code. But with an almost infinite variety of building purposes and designs, it is impossible that these prescriptions can fit the needs of every building.

HGI’s code analysis specialists help interpret the intent of these prescriptive codes and offer customized solutions for your building. We develop alternative methods to provide equivalent fire safety, supported by documentation, that can then be presented to code officials for approval. With decades of experience, our code consultants have developed an approval approach with a long track record of success.

WORD OF MOUTH
Harrington Group has been highly professional … creative approach to fire protection design which saved the Owner approximately $200,000 … the Base Fire Department’s reviewer stated: ‘Total design is outstanding, the best 90% submittal I’ve seen’. 
Digital Fire Modeling

Digital Fire Modeling

HGI’s fire protection engineers utilize complex mathematical tools for analyzing fire safety and life safety in buildings. Our specialists use these tools, often referred to as computer fire models, to assess the values of a prescribed building code compared to an alternative method designed by one of HGI’s fire protection engineers. 

Computer fire models also serve as powerful tools for our investigators when performing post-fire reconstruction and analysis. The capabilities of our computer fire models cover a wide range of uses including predicting fire growth behavior, evaluating occupant egress, analyzing smoke control systems, predicting detector actuation time, and providing plausible post-fire timeline of events. 

Commissioning of Systems

Commissioning of Systems

As building and fire codes move closer to performance-based design, life safety systems become more complex and more often integrated into building management systems. To ensure that these systems function properly and protect business interests, it is imperative that systems be commissioned by qualified, experienced personnel.

As an Owner or Property Manager, you have a vested interest in the proper design, installation and performance of the life safety systems in your buildings. With life safety systems, discrepancies can happen on both large and small projects with devastating results. HGI’s commissioning process verifies that the entire life safety systems sequence performs as designed and as required. 

Water Supply Testing & Analysis

Water Supply Testing & Analysis

Properly designing water-based fire protection systems begins with an accurate and thorough understanding of the supply of the public water distribution systems. A mistake here can easily go undetected for months or even years after installation of the fire protection system is complete. This results in an unreliable or ineffective system that can be very expensive to repair.

Harrington Group has developed a detailed and systematic approach to testing and analyzing public water supply systems. The result is a thorough and accurate understanding of the public water supply characteristics at the point of connection to the fire protection system. This, in turn, enables the fire protection system to be correctly and economically designed. Our approach helps ensure a fire protection system that is properly matched to the fire hazard and will operate effectively when called upon in an emergency.