When planning a commercial construction, renovation, or development project, fire protection is not something that should be addressed at the end of the design process. Decisions about occupancy, egress, fire protection systems, building codes, and life safety can influence the design, budget, schedule, and permitting process from the beginning.
That makes choosing the right fire protection consultant an important decision for building owners, developers, architects, and project teams.
A good fire protection consultant does more than review plans or identify code requirements. The right partner helps your team understand potential challenges early, coordinate fire and life safety requirements with the overall design, and keep the project moving toward construction and occupancy.
Before selecting or meeting with a fire protection consultant, here are 10 questions every owner should ask.
1. How early should you be involved in our project?
One of the most important questions is also one of the simplest: When should we bring you into the project?
The answer should generally be: as early as possible.
Fire protection and life safety requirements can influence building layout, occupancy, egress, fire-rated construction, fire protection systems, and other aspects of a project. Bringing a consultant into the process early allows potential issues to be identified while there is still time to address them.
Waiting until the design is nearly complete can limit options and potentially lead to redesign, additional costs, or permitting delays.
Early involvement gives the entire project team an opportunity to make informed decisions before those decisions become expensive to change.
2. What fire and life safety codes apply to our project?
Every building project has its own requirements.
Occupancy classification, construction type, building size, location, existing conditions, and intended use can all affect the applicable fire and life safety requirements.
Your fire protection consultant should be able to explain which codes and standards apply to the project and, just as importantly, explain how those requirements affect the design.
For owners, this distinction matters. Code compliance should not simply mean receiving a list of requirements. Your consultant should help translate those requirements into practical decisions for the project.
3. What information do you need from our architect and design team?
Fire protection engineering is highly dependent on coordination.
A fire protection consultant may need information about the architectural layout, occupancy, building construction, mechanical systems, electrical systems, structural design, site conditions, and other project components.
Asking this question early can help identify what information needs to be available and when.
Strong coordination between the owner, architect, engineers, contractor, and fire protection consultant can reduce conflicts and help keep the project moving.
4. Could the building’s occupancy or use affect the fire protection requirements?
Absolutely.
How a building is used can have a significant impact on fire and life safety requirements.
A change in occupancy or use can affect areas such as:
- Occupant load
- Means of egress
- Fire alarm requirements
- Fire sprinkler requirements
- Fire-rated construction
- Emergency access
- Hazard classifications
- Accessibility and life safety considerations
This is particularly important for renovations, adaptive reuse projects, tenant improvements, and buildings that may change uses over time.
An experienced consultant should help the owner understand how the intended use of the building affects its fire protection and life safety requirements.
5. Are there existing conditions that could create problems later?
For renovation and existing-building projects, this question can be critical.
The plans may show one thing while the building itself tells a different story.
Existing fire protection systems, construction conditions, previous renovations, undocumented modifications, and other field conditions can all affect the project.
Identifying these issues early gives the design team an opportunity to develop a solution before construction is underway.
For owners, this can mean fewer surprises, fewer change orders, and fewer delays.
6. How will fire protection coordinate with the rest of the building design?
Fire protection does not exist in isolation.
It needs to work with the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and other systems within the building.
For example, fire protection requirements can affect ceiling layouts, mechanical spaces, equipment rooms, shafts, rated assemblies, fire department access, and other design decisions.
Your consultant should be comfortable working as part of the larger project team and coordinating with the other disciplines.
The goal is not simply to make the fire protection design compliant. The goal is to make it work within the building as a whole.
7. Who will coordinate with the authority having jurisdiction?
The authority having jurisdiction, or AHJ, is the organization responsible for reviewing and enforcing applicable codes and regulations for a project.
Depending on the project and jurisdiction, this may involve building officials, fire officials, plan reviewers, or other authorities.
Understanding who will coordinate with the AHJ is important because communication during plan review and permitting can have a direct impact on the project schedule.
A consultant familiar with the local permitting process can help the project team understand requirements, respond to comments, and work through questions that arise during review.
8. How could fire and life safety issues affect our permitting and schedule?
Owners understandably focus on the overall project schedule. A delay in one part of the process can affect many others.
Fire and life safety issues discovered late in design or during permitting can result in plan revisions, additional reviews, coordination challenges, and delays.
That is why fire protection engineering, code consulting, and permitting should be viewed as interconnected parts of the project rather than separate tasks.
The earlier potential issues are identified, the more options the project team has to address them without disrupting the schedule.
9. What happens if existing conditions don’t match the plans?
This question is especially important for renovations and existing buildings.
Construction teams sometimes discover that actual conditions differ from the original drawings. Equipment may be in a different location. A wall may have been modified. A fire protection system may not match the documentation.
Your fire protection consultant should have a process for evaluating those conditions and determining what needs to change.
The goal should be to solve the problem efficiently while maintaining compliance and protecting the building’s occupants.
10. How will you help us identify problems before they become expensive?
This may be the most important question an owner can ask.
The value of a fire protection consultant isn’t simply measured by the drawings or reports they produce. It is also measured by the problems they help prevent.
A strong consultant looks beyond the immediate task and considers how fire protection, life safety, code requirements, permitting, and the overall project schedule interact.
That proactive approach can help identify issues while they are still relatively easy to address.
The Right Fire Protection Consultant Should Be Part of the Solution
Fire protection engineering is ultimately about protecting people, property, and the long-term success of a building. But for an owner, it is also about making informed decisions and reducing unnecessary risk throughout the project.
The right fire protection consultant should be more than a name on the consultant team. They should be a resource who can help the project team navigate fire protection engineering, life safety, building codes, and permitting from the earliest stages of design through construction.
At Protection Development, Inc. (PDI), we have been helping project teams navigate fire protection engineering, life safety, code consulting, and permitting since 1985. With more than 40 years of experience and more than 10,000 projects completed, our San Antonio-based team understands the importance of identifying potential issues early and keeping projects moving.
Whether you are planning a new commercial building, renovating an existing facility, or navigating a complex permitting process, bringing the right expertise to the table early can make a significant difference.
Have a project coming up? Talk with PDI about your fire protection engineering, life safety, code consulting, and permitting needs.
