William E. Koffel, PE, FSFPE, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.
Articles
Applying NFPA 101 in mission critical facilities
Mission critical facilities—including health care, industrial facilities, and other buildings—rely on NFPA 101: Life Safety Code to define fire and life safety strategies.
Designing with NFPA 101-2015
NFPA 101: Life Safety Code dictates a great deal for all building types, including egress, features of fire protection, sprinkler systems, alarms, emergency lighting, smoke barriers, and special hazard protection.
Protecting our schools
Schools require fire detection and suppression, mass notification systems (MNS), and emergency communication systems (ECS) to protect occupants. Because many schools are becoming multi-use buildings with theaters, computer rooms, and flexible classroom spaces, the fire protection engineer's job has become more complex.
What are the impacts of NFPA 72-2016?
Although the revision process is not yet complete for NFPA 72-2016, this highlights some of the more significant changes that may be included in the 2016 edition.
Certified amending motions on NFPA 72
Several motions on NFPA 72 were discussed at the NFPA meeting in June.
Interpreting NFPA 72
Engineers must understand how NFPA 72-2013 can be specified into commercial buildings. While the 2010 edition is just being put into practice in many jurisdictions, the changes to the 2013 code should be noted.
Designing smoke control systems
A smoke control system should be designed by a fire protection engineer who can tailor the system to the characteristics of the building and its occupants.
Engineering considerations of NFPA 101
NFPA 101: Life Safety Code defines a building’s egress, along with numerous fire and life safety systems.
Key nonstructural changes to 2012 IBC
Learn about the significant nonstructural changes to the 2012 International Building Code that typically impact consulting and specifying engineers.