The focus is fire protection engineering for energy and high-hazard facilities: battery energy storage systems, data centers, special-hazard spaces, and the suppression and detection systems that protect them. Work ranges from stamped design and code consulting to risk assessment, computational modeling, and expert witness support.

Yes. Beyond US codes, the practice brings experience with fire code compliance in international markets, including Australia and Europe. Energy storage developers and manufacturers deploying across borders face a patchwork of national codes, standards, and approval pathways, and the work includes navigating those requirements so a project conceived in one market can be approved and built in another.

Yes. Active and prior involvement with the committees that shape fire protection and energy storage standards means working knowledge of not only what the codes require today, but where they are heading. That involvement spans:

• NFPA 15 — Standard for Water Spray Fixed Systems for Fire Protection

• NFPA 855 — Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems

• CSA/ANSI C800 — Testing protocol for energy storage system reliability and quality assurance, including large-scale fire testing

• CSA C801 — Testing protocol for evaluating the effectiveness of detection and mitigation systems for battery failure events

• UL 9540 — Standard for Energy Storage Systems and Equipment

• UL 9540A — Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems

Yes. Deliverables can be sealed by a licensed Professional Engineer, which is what authorities having jurisdiction, owners, and courts expect when accountability matters.

Absolutely. Much of the work is as a specialist resource inside a larger team, handling the fire and energy storage scope while your architects, electrical engineers, and project managers handle theirs.

This is the heart of the practice. That includes NFPA 855 compliance, interpreting UL 9540A test data, thermal runaway and propagation analysis, deflagration venting under NFPA 68 and 69, and direct coordination with the authority having jurisdiction to resolve open questions and get the system approved.

UL 9540A is a test method that characterizes how a battery storage system behaves during thermal runaway. Many jurisdictions across the globe now require the test data, and how that data gets interpreted and applied often determines whether a project is approved as designed. Part of the work is translating those results into a code-compliant, defensible design basis.

Yes, using FDS for fire growth, smoke movement, and tenability analysis, and FLACS for gas dispersion, deflagration, and vapor cloud explosion scenarios. Modeling is especially useful for performance-based designs and for demonstrating energy storage safety to reviewers.

The underlying engineering and fire physics are the same everywhere, but the regulatory frameworks differ significantly. Australian projects work within relevant AS standards and recently published BESS Fire Safety guidelines by the respective fire authorities (FRNSW, FRV, CFA, etc.); European projects navigate EN standards and country-specific regulations alongside CE conformity. The value is in translating a single design basis across these frameworks so developers meet local requirements without re-engineering each deployment from the ground up

Yes. Services include independent technical investigation, written reports, and testimony for attorneys handling fire, explosion, and energy storage matters

No. A brief introductory call to understand the project and determine fit costs nothing. You'll get a clear sense of scope, approach, and cost before any work begins.

Projects are billed one of two ways. Smaller or open-ended efforts are billed hourly at a standard rate. Defined-scope projects are quoted with a Not To Exceed amount that is scoped to be fair and appropriate for the work involved, so you get cost certainty without paying for hours that aren't needed.

It depends on current commitments, but availability is generally good, and an introductory conversation can usually happen within a few days. As a focused practice, there's no long internal queue between you and the engineer doing the work. Turnaround varies with scope and complexity. A focused review moves quickly; a full design or modeling effort takes longer. A realistic timeline is provided with every scope, and it's treated as a commitment, not an estimate.

Currently licensed in California and can easily get licensure in additional states when a project requires it. If you're unsure whether a given location is covered, just ask.