Fire protection engineers understand the science of fire and human behavior. They use that knowledge to design egress, alarm and suppression systems that protect lives and property. But that is not the only services fire protection engineers provide! The scope of fire protection engineering also includes hazardous material’s storage and use.
At SFC, our fire protection engineers know the hazards present in a variety of high-risk buildings and use their knowledge and experience to ensure the safety of facility occupants and emergency responders.
Fire protection engineering has a key role in pharmaceutical facilities and other laboratories by identifying hazards and developing mitigation strategies for the multitude of chemicals that are present. Along with helping our clients safely store and handle flammable and toxic chemicals, our engineers ensure that buildings are constructed for the quantities and arrangements of materials present. SFC recently completed a chemical inventory review and process hazard analysis as part of the planning process for a laboratory upgrade in Connecticut and manufacturing line upgrade in New Hampshire. These reviews identified safety concerns with the proposed processes and storage arrangements so that they could be corrected prior to exposing the occupants to unnecessary risks. The result is a safe, and documented code compliant, facility. Our staff has also worked with other labs, including one of the facilities where the Moderna vaccine is manufactured and two where Covid-19 testing swabs are produced.
These projects and others like it demand a special understanding of hazardous materials and laboratory operations and the code requirements associated. Having the proper skill set on your design team allows the scientists and technicians to focus on the tasks as hand while working in a safe environment.
SFC Engineering serves clients throughout New England. Contact Chris Lizewski, P.E. at clizewski@sfceng.com or call (603) 647-8700 x232 to learn how we can help you.