Mechanical Stamp for Fire Protection (sprinkler)

[EdinNO]

Does anyone know if there should be any issue with an ME using his PE stamp on fire protection piping and sprinkler design?

There is no Fire Protection PE that I know is there?

A plumbing engineer at my office had my boss review and oversee the design of a system done by a subcontract engineer. The entity they did the work for is now questioning the ability of my boss' ME PE stamp to cover that type of work.

I don't know of any issues with that. Anyone else?

Ed

 

[benbo]

I think there might be a Fire Protection PE. I read some people on the other infamous site that were FPPEs. I guess it would depend on what the design was and the specific rules int he state. In some states I think they let PEs decide what they feel competent to stamp. Try this http://www.sfpe.org/

 

[TouchDown]

I don't know about a "fire suppression P.E."... I do agree with benbo that if you have adequate training, use your discression to sign off. Your state may have specific rules governing the stamping of fire suppression systems. Can you get on line and read the State regulations? For Missouri, it just requires that a P.E. stamp them... Here's the verbiage:

Title 4.DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Division 30.Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Landscape Architects

Chapter 21.Professional Engineering

4 CSR 30-21.010 Design of Fire Suppression Systems

PURPOSE: This rule requires the design of fire suppression systems to be designed, prepared, and sealed by a professional engineer.

(1) Pursuant to section 327.181, RSMo the design of fire suppression systems is engineering and therefore the plans for those systems must be designed, prepared, and sealed by a professional engineer. This can be accomplished two (2) ways:

(A) The design engineer seals the construction documents that specify the design and criteria for the fire suppression system, including sprinklers, fire alarms, and other suppression systems. The layout and sizing of these systems, done by a Level III Technician certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) or a professional engineer, can be submitted as a shop drawing. These shop drawings may be sealed by a professional engineer. The design engineer must review and approve the shop drawings for compliance with the design and specifications shown on the construction

documents; and

(B) If there is no design engineer for the fire suppression system, then the shop drawings for the sprinklers, fire alarms, and other suppression systems must be designed and prepared under the immediate personal supervision of a professional engineer. These shop drawings must be sealed by the profes-

sional engineer who prepared them.

(2) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the design engineer, at his/her discretion, to specify and require the shop drawings to be designed, prepared, and sealed, by a professional engineer.

 

[TouchDown]

According to the Laws and Rules, it is not specified in LA who can / can't stamp fire suppression systems:

http://www.lapels.com/lawsrules.htm

Read the last few pages of the rules section, sounds like as long as your boss has adequate knowlege and oversaw the design and had enough involvement to review and make changes (basically, he needs to know fire suppression and be able to justify design), then it meets all state rules.

I think that would go for any one of us, if I don't feel comfortable with a design or do not have adequate knowledge, I'm not stamping anything.

 

[EdinNO]

Thanks guys.

I guess I could have done that research. Sorry about that.

I'll look it up when I get the chance.

Ed

 

[TouchDown]

Ed - may want to go over the following (from LA state Fire marshall's office) on certifications certain firms must have to do design / install / test / etc. Based on type / class, there could be other requirements... Not sure if it applies or not:

http://www.dps.state.la.us/SFM/lic_fireprot.htm