Fire Protection Services
Newcomb & Boyd fire protection engineers provide comprehensive design services for all types of fire detection, fire extinguishing, and smoke management systems for new and existing facilities. Our consultants hold fire protection engineering registration, and are active in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association.
Design services include automatic sprinklers, standpipes and hoses, total flooding clean agent (Halon replacement), AFF foam, and dry chemical systems. We have extensive experience in design of conventional and early warning fire detection and alarm systems, and occupant notification systems.
Diligent research and analysis of applicable building and fire safety codes is an integral first part of the design of any fire protection system. Close coordination is required with the client and architect to achieve an economical design that meets applicable code requirements.
Various building configurations demand the use of a smoke control system for the protection of building occupants during a fire emergency. The two methods used to meet these requirements are smoke containment, using pressure differences, and smoke management, using smoke removal techniques.
Smoke Containment Design:
• Stair pressurization
• Elevator pressurization
• Floor-to-floor pressure differences
Smoke Management Design:
• Atrium smoke layer interface via zone modeling
• Atrium tenability analysis via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling
Fire Alarm Systems monitor the status of a protected area, initiate the appropriate response, and provide notification on the type of action required in order to protect life and property.
• Voice Evacuation
Emergency Communications Systems can alert people as to what actions need to be taken in crisis situations. Public, private and commercial institutions are turning to real-time emergency notification systems to warn and direct people to seek shelter, relocate, evacuate, or take whatever appropriate safety measures the emergency calls for.
• Mass Notification
Certain facilities require Special Hazard Fire Protection due to the nature of their operations. Below are some examples of common facilities where Newcomb & Boyd can address and support these unique needs.
Power Generating Industry:
• Fossil Fuel Plants
• Turbine Generating Facilities
• Transformer Vaults
• Data Transfer Centers
• Boiler Buildings
• Electrical Substations
• Office Buildings
• Material Handling Systems
Chemical Processing Industry:
• Hazardous Chemical Recycling Facilities
• Hazardous Chemical Storage
• Gas and Liquid Tank Farms
• Large Chemical Silos
• Chemical Transfer and Processing Facilities
• Chemical Laboratories
Manufacturing Industry:
• Heavy Machinery Manufacturing/Assembly Facilities
• Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing/Assembly Facilities
• Painting Operations
• Metal Working/Refining Facilities
• Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems
• Tire Storage
• Warehouses
• Hazardous Exhaust Systems
• Fueled and Unfueled Aircraft Facilities
Water-based extinguishing systems include fire sprinklers, stand pipes, water mist, and exposure protection systems. In all cases, preliminary analysis must be made of the water supplies, and models must be constructed of the systems. Here are some other examples of the important foundational steps we take with water-based extinguishing systems:
• Municipal water supply tests
• Construction of hydraulic models
• Determination of code-required water demands
Foam suppressant systems are commonly employed in two types: total flooding high expansion foam and Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF). Total flooding systems employ foam generators suspended from the ceiling or walls. AFFF systems employ monitors or grate nozzles. Newcomb & Boyd supports both types through the following services:
• Determination of application rates and foam concentrate requirements
• Determination of the strength of the water supply
• Design of a detection and release system
Clean Agent Fire Suppression utilizes inert gases and chemical agents to extinguish a fire.
These systems include:
• FM200 Systems
• Low- and High- Pressure Carbon Dioxide Systems
• Inert Gas Systems
• Aerosol Systems