Exemption for PE licensing for Fire Alarm System Design - Oregon

[dpc]

http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/bcd/boards/electelv/board_pack/08/20080522/EE_052208_VIIc.pdf

Apparently Oregon is considering exemption from requirement of a PE stamp for fire protection system electrical design.

Just curious as to what is done in other states? The electrical contractors in Oregon were successful in getting an exemption from PE requirements for electrical designs under 600 V years ago.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[DonPhillips]

Ohio allows certified designers for fire alarm and fire suppression. If think they must be NICET Level IV or something like that.


Don Phillips

http://worthingtonengineering.com

 

[SprinklerDesigner2]

Most other states have the requirement Oregon is considering. I would guess a full 75% require NICET without a PE review.

Down south, with the sole exception of Florida, it's 100% NICET.

 

[dpc]

Thanks for the feedback. The proposed OR rule just requires a journeyman's license. Nothing about NICET that I am aware of.

Dave

 

[stookeyfpe]

How can a journeyman electrician design a fire alarm system? That's like asking a guy running a plastic blow molding machine to design breast implants.

I love how fire protection is relegated to the weakest link. Isn't Oregon a "right to die" state?

 

[dpc]

I think the idea is to address just the electrical wiring portion of the fire alarm design. But I think it is a bad idea.

 

[SprinklerDesigner2]

Stookey,

Columbus, Ohio is even worse. To submit drawings the state requires a PE Seal, Architect Seal or NICET III/IV Signature.

Fine, excellent idea in my book.

State licenses are required but in addition to the state license Columbus requires a city license and to get that you have to pass a 50 question one hour timed fitters test given by the state fire marshals office.

In addition to the $100 annual state license the City of Columbus requires an annual $350 fee to "register" the NICET certificate holder plus another $350 fee to license the "responsible person" which must be a holder of the fitters license. The holder of the fitters license (an employee) is the one that has to sign for the permit. I'll never figure the rationale for that other then Columbus wants to extort nearly $1,000 a year from any company wishing to do business there.

But while city sprinkler permit fees are among the highest in the nation I must come to their defense and say with hundreds of building department employees and literally over 200 building department owned cars (you can see the annex parking lot just off I-71 overflowing with them) their overhead is high and they got to make millions to keep the city building department afloat from somewhere.

Yeah, I am pretty bitter when it comes to the over-bloated bureaucracy of the Buckeye state.

 

[dpc]

The IBEW and electrical contractors seem to have quite a bit of political clout in Oregon.

To Oregon's credit, they do have a pretty good licensing program for electricians and seem to enforce it.

City license fees? Ugh. I guess I'll quit complaining about my PE registration fees.

 

[DonPhillips]

SprinklerDesigner2,

Some of those requirements are Ohio, and some Columbus. Registration is a Columbus requirement.





Don Phillips

http://worthingtonengineering.com