Presentation: When the Code Says it’s Time to be an Engineer: An Exploration of Technical Opinion Reports
Description: The International Fire and Building Codes continuing to add reliance upon the FPE to provide various technical opinion reports for unique and challenging hazards. Examples include flammable / combustible liquid storage, hazardous material classification, energy storage systems, explosion control, etc. However, these requirements for the technical opinion report are not always well defined in the code. This leaves the engineer and the fire code official to interpret what should be provided/required. This presentation will review examples of these technical opinion report requirements and discuss how this is changing fire protection engineering for both the fire code official and the consulting/designing engineer.
Guest Presenters: Andrew Taggart, PE and Julie Brown, PE
Andrew J. Taggart, PE is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer at Coffman Engineers with over 17 years of experience. His experience includes fire protection engineering, project management and technical oversight responsibilities for projects involving, fire and life safety code consulting; fire protection system analysis and design; storage and use of flammable and combustible liquids, and other hazardous materials; development of alternate compliance means for existing facilities and unique operations; fire hazards and risk-based analysis; emergency response; explosion engineering; construction management; and fire protection system commissioning. Andrew has worked in a variety of sectors with a focus on the industrial, manufacturing, energy storage system and oil & gas sectors. Andrew is also a past president of SFPE RMC.
Julie Brown, PE is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer at Coffman Engineers with over 15 years of experience as a consultant - specializing in collaboration with architecture and engineering teams on the design and construction of new and renovated buildings in the public and private sectors. She takes pride in guiding the talented team of Fire Protection Engineers in Coffman’s Denver office who are dedicated to solving complex fire safety challenges. Julie’s experience includes fire and life safety code consulting; fire protection system analysis and design; storage and use of hazardous materials; development of alternate compliance means for existing facilities and unique operations; and fire protection system commissioning. Julie is immediate past president of SFPE RMC and remains actively involved, continuing to contribute her leadership and expertise.