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So, to recover the thread from its errant direction - No one is aware of State Boards imposing a cradle to grave liability on PEs for designs they have sealed? Any DE PE here? The cases our engineer is referring to apparently involved the collapse of deck and the inaudibility of a fire alarm...

Ron, I understand the responsibility for design flaws and ommissions. Our employee is indicating that the boards (at least in DE) are pushing for PEs to be responsible for the final product as well as their design. According to him there have been two DE cases (a construction mistake and a...

We are evalyuating our practices in regards to overseeing the work of subcontractors and sealing drawings for which we have taken responsible charge of the design. One of our engineers has quoted several cases in which he believes licensees were disciplined by the board when a design they had...

The idea was to assume all conditions (temperatures,wind direction, etc...) being the same except for wind speed. Stephen Haines, PE, CFEI Haines Fire & Risk Consulting www.hainesfire-risk.com

Actually we did a prssure test on the building and know the ACH under test conditions (i.e., wind direction and speed, temperature, etc...). We were just looking for a Rule of Thumb or simplified formula to show the client the approximate change in ACH over different wind speeds so that they...

I'm looking for a ball park figure on the relationship between wind speed and a building's natural air exchange rate(i.e, no mechanical ventilation). A couple sources seem to indicate it is linear, although less than linear as wind speed increases, while others indicate it varies with wind...

Don't be fooled by a salesman. I am not aware of any independent tests that show 1% concentrates as being more effective at fire suppression than their 3% cousins. The solution flow rate required for 1% concentrates is the same as for 3% concetrates. The only true difference that I am aware...

I believe Ansul may be listing some of their chambers with their 1% AFF. You may want to theck with their Northeast represenative, Jim Schwander ((215) 297-8391). I'm not sure if WF&HC has listed their 1% Thunderstorm with any fixed equipment, but they may have done some testing with it. You...

This would not be permitted by most fire codes, as there are limits to the type of harware and modifications that can be made on a rated fire door. Take a look at the IFC or the local fire code. Stephen Haines, P.E. Haines Fire & Risk Consulting www.hainesfire-risk.com

Acceptance testing can be a bit difficult with a fixed system that is connected to tank foam chambers. In the past I've been involved with tests where the chambers were installed facing outwards and then rotated and bolted to the tank after the test. Most foam systems don't have any test...

I don't have it handy right now, but I believe there are size and weight restrictions for vents in NFPA 68. The problem is that the weight and the inertia related to larger panels can slow their movement and thus the relieving affect. This can increase the peak pressure experienced in the...

The American Pertroleum Institute (API) has completed a lot of research on this topic and has published their findings in their Publ 2214. You may want to lookit over if your not familiar with it. In applying it you will need to consider the differences in the ignition energy requirements...

You can get a rough estimate by assuming that the hose will flow its maximum flowrate with no pressure left at the end of the hose. Assuming the hydrant stays at 60-psi and you are using 100 ft of open ended 2" hose (pressure drop across the line of 60 psi) you will max out in the area of 300 -...

These are usually available from the manufacturer. Akso, it may not be a bad idea to have a mfr. authorized rep. do the fill on the bladder, as ii is my understanding that this can be tricky on some tanks (i.e., the baldder is easily damaged). Services provided include: Fire Protection...

The primary heading for this section reads, "4.2.2 Water and Foam Concentrate Pumps". As a result, anything within the section (4.2.2.1 & so on) applies to both water and foam pumps. An NFPA 20 controller is not required on a manually operated foam systems because there is no need for the...

I spoke with a contact at one of the foam companies and they indicated that this is up to the Authority Having Jurisdiction. As a minimum the switch/controller will need to be UL Listed electrical equipment. Also, expect that any old switch is not going to do. It's going to have to be in/on...

Most manual foam systems will include an instruction board mounted in the foam house. These can be quite extensive at most tank farms. as there may be multiple valves that need to be properly aligned in order to get foam to anyone tank. Tank fires are very rare, which makes the cost of...

Most of the foam system manufacturer's will provide a controller with their foam skid. The controller needs to operate more than the pump, as there will be a couple of motorized or solenoid valves on the skid as well. Services provided include: Fire Protection Engineering, Emergency Response...

As everyone else has indicated, you need to check with the local fire code. It will define when/where electronic supervision or an alternative (locking and additional inspections)is required. Only go to NFPA 25 if it's valve supervision requirements are referenced by the local code. Services...

As discussed above this will be dependent upon the ventilation provided and the quantity/type of batteries present. The local buildings codes, NFPA 70 (NEC) or API RP 500 can provide guidance. Services provided include: Fire Protection Engineering, Emergency Response Planning, Fire...