Advisory Services

What is it? All levels of government have a responsibility to keep their communities safe from fire, electrical, and other hazards. They must create a policy and regulatory environment where laws, policies, and spending priorities are dictated by public safety needs and not by special interests. Similarly, within private entities, all levels of a company have a role in safety for employees, customers, and facilities.

What is the problem? Fire, electrical and life safety is a small part of what governments at all levels focus on. The fire and safety needs of the public can get lost in the shuffle and can be difficult to qualify on the surface. The policies also tend to be largely technical, and governments do not necessarily employ individuals with the knowledge to develop public-focused policy, so special interests have opportunities to steer initiatives.

How can we help?

• Provide data and case studies that highlight fire, electrical, and life safety challenges on both a global and a local level.
• Develop policy language to assist in resolving fire and life safety challenges for governments and private companies.
• Assess existing governmental and corporate authority structures to help create streamlined, safety-objective based technical authorities and approval processes.

What is it? Using the latest codes and standards developed by experts from around the world establishes minimum levels of safety to protect people and property. As technology changes, safety advocates constantly assess the risks as well as the behaviors and actions that can create new hazards. Codes and standards are updated (typically on a three- to five-year cycle) to reflect our changing world.

What is the problem? Developing codes and standards from scratch is time and labor-intensive process. Internationally recognized standards may not allow for geographical needs and restraints to be considered, making compliance, approval, and enforcement challenging. Changes in technology, hazards, and product development do not always happen conveniently within revision cycles delaying their implementation into the ecosystem.

How can we help?

• Develop custom standards amendment processes to allow for regional adaptations to existing codes and standards in a timely fashion.
• Support the development of company standards that focus on issues relevant to organizational safety goals and principles.

What is it? Referenced standards are a fundamental part of the primary fire, life safety, building, and electrical codes and standards, and they provide critical guidance to designers, installers, facility operators, and enforcers. Developed through the consensus process, these standards include references to installation and product standards that are developed by a wide range of organizations.

What is the problem? While “codes” sit at the top of the hierarchy when it comes to safety requirements, the majority of the information comes from the reference standards. This creates a complex web of requirements that need to be followed to assure compliance and limit liability. Often, these reference standards that sit several layers down from the code are missed, creating safety gaps in the ecosystem.

How can we help?

• Develop custom Code Compliance Approach Reports that outline the relevant requirements of a given project, system, installation, or facility. This includes a roadmap from the scoping criteria outlined in the codes down to the reference and product standards so that the full scope of compliance is understood.

What is it? Investing in safety should be everyone’s priority. We all must take a vested interest in the safety of the public and work together to allocate resources to reduce losses from fire and related hazards. If decisions are based solely on financial gains, tragedies can occur.

What is the problem? Critical safety practices such as compliance reviews, inspections, field evaluations, and maintenance activities are eliminated or scheduled less frequently as a cost savings measure. The absence of fire events over a period of time can often be a driver for a reduction in the investment in the ecosystem. This reduction in investment is essentially a reduction in safety and increases risk.

How can we help?

• Perform an existing Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem assessment to identify gaps and identify areas where additional investment or reallocation of resources could resolve gaps in safety.

What is it? It takes a skilled workforce to ensure the most current codes are applied correctly to reduce the risk of injuries, loss, and death for workers and the public. We all must support ongoing training and professional development in our workforces and encourage others to work in the fire and life safety fields.

What is the problem? Combining the ever-changing landscape of technical requirements with employee turnover makes maintaining an informed staff challenging. Off-the-shelf training does not necessarily focus on the technical concepts that are most important to a particular business or geographic region, minimizing the efficiency of dedicated training time. Similarly, many certification blueprints cover such a wide topic area that it becomes difficult to confirm individuals have the depth of knowledge on the specific task and functions that make up the majority of the work that they perform.

How can we help?

• Develop custom training for fire protection, life safety, industrial, and electrical professionals based on their job function within the ecosystem or business.
• Create custom certification programs based on job roles, industry segments, and technical functions.

What is it? Supporting effective code enforcement is critical. Whether a house or a new office building, the places people live and work are only as safe as the construction and code compliance in place.

What is the problem? While most people think compliance activities are limited to building and fire officials, the enforcement of codes and standards is often more complex and is not a “single point.” Insurance companies, federal agencies, and even corporate governance officials play a role in compliance. Understanding the technical authority structure and responsibilities is often confusing and difficult to navigate. This is especially true “post occupancy,” where the majority of compliance and change management falls on the owner.

How can we help?

• Assist in the development of technical authorities for governments, or companies. Create approval and compliance roadmaps. Develop change management and ITM compliance solutions. Provide consultative services on technical topics to help owners and designers understand the “how and why” of technical requirements.

What is it? When they put their lives on the line, first responders should feel they are prepared to protect their communities, and their communities are working to help prevent and prepare for emergency situations. Prioritizing and investing money in effective preparedness and response capabilities and resources for before, during, and after an emergency helps first responders meet the varied needs of their communities.

What is the problem? Staying up to date with the latest code requirements, suppression schemes for hazards, personal protective equipment requirements, and fire protection safety system functionalities can be challenging. Budget for responders continue to fall while the existing staff is required to wear many hats and have multiple areas of expertise. When these individuals and departments do find the time to expand their technical foundations, much of the training is written to design professionals and does not address the perspective of responders and fire service personnel.

How can we help?

• Develop custom training that considers fire, life safety, and electrical topics from the perspective of responders and authorities having jurisdiction.

What is it? When given education and resources to help address hazards, the public can make better, more informed decisions and take action to protect their home and personal safety. Without accurate information and concrete action steps, they may do things that place themselves and others at greater risk. People do take extra safety measures when they understand the risks and the consequences associated with fire and related hazards and they are given viable solutions.

What is the problem? The public is inundated with information, much of which they ignore because they cannot understand its importance or relevance. It can be difficult to determine what is truly important and what is just more “white noise.” Furthermore, the public does not always share the same understanding or values about safety related topics; therefore, if the call to action is not clear and concise, it is unlikely any change in behavior will take place.

How can we help?

• Develop safety campaigns for governments and private businesses that create clear and concise calls to action. It is critical to reach the public at the correct technical level so that the message is clear and actionable.