Fire & Risk Alliance

Fire protection and code consulting for detection, suppression, life safety, and compliance requirements.

• Code Consulting

  Code compliance services ensuring energy storage and building projects meet NFPA 855, the International Fire Code (IFC), California Fire Code (CFC), and local requirements.

• Fire Protection and Life Safety Narrative Reports

  Comprehensive narrative reports describing the design rationale of fire protection systems and their interaction to provide required life safety.

• Fire Alarm Design

  Comprehensive fire safety solutions including the design of fire alarm systems, integration with campus networks for mass notification, and smoke control systems.

• Sprinkler Design

  Code-compliant fire protection and suppression designs including wet, dry, and pre-action sprinkler systems to minimize risk and protect property.

• Alternative Materials and Methods Requests (AMMR)

  Assistance with developing unique and innovative alternative designs and fire variances that meet project expectations and secure approval from the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

Modeling and performance-based evaluation for fire, smoke, and occupant movement scenarios.

• Performance-Based Design

  Innovative performance-based design solutions identifying stakeholder goals and utilizing computational models to achieve approval from authorities having jurisdiction and insurers.

• Smoke Control Rational Analysis (SCRA)

  Design and evaluation of mechanical and passive smoke control systems using hand calculations, zone models (Contam), and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling.

• People Movement

  Egress and crowd simulation utilizing agent-based modeling to assess occupant behavior, demographics, mobility limitations, and response to fire alarms.

Qualitative and quantitative hazard analysis, process safety, and facility risk studies.

• Risk Assessment

  Qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative risk assessments to evaluate hazard likelihood and impact, helping establish risk management strategies.

• Hazard Mitigation Analysis (HMA)

  Comprehensive analysis tying together battery energy storage assembly information, building codes, inspection testing and maintenance, and fire testing to limit fire propagation and mitigate explosion hazards.

• Process Hazard Analysis (PHA/HAZOP/HAZID)

  Process Safety Management (PSM) support utilizing methodologies such as HAZID, HAZOP, What-If, LOPA, FMEA, Bowtie, and Fault Tree Analysis.

• Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA)

  Risk-based evaluations and compliance audits to identify fire, flash fire, and explosion hazards from processing and handling combustible dust.

• Hazardous Area Classification

  Evaluation of flammable gases, vapors, combustible dusts, or ignitable fibers to establish NEC, CEC, and ATEX electrical installation compliance.

• Facility Siting Studies (FSS)

  Risk assessment for permanent and portable buildings in process plants using recognized engineering practices such as API RP 752, 753, and 756.

• Community Risk Assessments

  Evaluations of thermal, overpressure, and toxic hazards to surrounding populations from industrial or energy storage facilities.

Design and evaluation of special hazard suppression and site firewater systems.

• Special Hazard Systems

  Tailored fire suppression, detection, and control systems for unique environments, including engineering evaluations of PFAS-free firefighting foams.

• Firewater System Design Services

  Development of site firewater plans, including monitors, hydrants, and sprinkler/spray layouts for storage, power generation, and processing facilities.

• Site Water Supply Reliability

  Analysis of municipal water supplies, ponds, rivers, or dedicated storage tanks using hydraulic software tools like HydraCalc and Pipenet to determine water adequacy and fire pump specifications.

• Fire and Explosion Protection Design

  Analysis and design of fire and explosion protection systems to manage dust and industrial hazards in a safe, cost-effective, and code-compliant manner.

Fire, explosion, and emergency response support for battery energy storage system projects.

• UL 9540A Testing

  Evaluation of fire safety hazards associated with thermal runaway propagation across cell, module, and unit levels.

• NFPA 68 / NFPA 69 Deflagration Analysis

  Evaluation of potential consequences of thermal runaway events in BESS equipment using engineering calculations and FLACS CFD models.

• Heat Flux Modeling

  Thermal runaway simulation using Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) to evaluate heat flux transmission and ignition risks to adjacent battery equipment.

• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

  Evaluation of potential causes and effects of battery component failures to rank severity, occurrence, and detectability.

• Emergency Response Planning (ERP)

  Development of emergency response plans and Emergency Response Action Plans (ERAP) defining incident response tactics for batteries and ancillary equipment.

• Emergency Response Training

  Education programs for operators and fire services covering battery hazards, response tactics, post-fire operations, and site-specific tours.

Support during procurement, installation, and commissioning of fire protection solutions.

• Bid Assistance

  Procurement support and bidding assistance for fire and explosion protection systems.

• Construction Administration

  Construction phase oversight and administration services for fire protection installations.

• Vendor Design Reviews

  Review of vendor drawings and designs to ensure alignment with project and code requirements.

• Installation Oversight

  Field oversight of fire and explosion protection system installations to ensure compliance with specifications.

• Commissioning and Final Acceptance Testing

  Comprehensive system commissioning and final acceptance testing for fire protection and suppression systems.