Senior Consulting Engineer Amy Anderson has over 20 years of property loss prevention engineering and experience specializing in fire protection: fire sprinkler systems, fire suppression systems, special protection systems and fire alarms. Amy graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Fire Protection as well as a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator.
Amy has an extensive engineering background with experience evaluating a variety of buildings and occupancies, and advising clients on the prevention of property and business loss. While specialized in the evaluation of diverse chemical facilities, Amy is equally confident in textile plants, plastic production plants, warehouses, metal working facilities, commercial kitchens, offices and hospitals.
Amy regularly investigates property damage claims involving fire protection systems and their potential failures. She consults with representatives of property owners, fire protection system installers, and fire protection inspection and service companies. Amy also evaluates system failures in dust collectors and other dust handling equipment that result in fires, explosions, or deflagrations.
Amy has an in-depth knowledge of many fire protection codes and standards including NFPA, ICC, and FM Global. She is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, National Association of Fire Investigators, National Fire Protection Association, and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
Did I lose you in the title? Fire alarms! Ah, those mysterious systems required by, discussed in, and described by hundreds of pages of sometimes baffling and circular code text. They can be intimidating to think about. Have you considered that these mysterious red boxes could have information helpful in a loss? Let me describe […]
No kidding, I’m passionate about fire protection! To prove it, I could tell you stories about the damage I have seen from various failures from freezes to fire pump cooling to what happens when a fire hydrant’s weep holes are clogged…. But instead, I will tell you about smoke alarms! Although it’s still new in […]
Fire protection is an expanse that I am both fascinated by and passionate about. To prove it, I could show you my sprinkler collection… the old ones, the new ones, the sizes, the features! But instead, I will share some information to show you the relationship between fire protection systems and other systems that you […]
Many sites that are protected by fire sprinklers will have at least some amount of private underground fire water piping. Its purpose is to make water available for fire protection or suppression at a needed flow and pressure. Its presence is usually quietly evidenced by the connected objects that occasionally surface along its course, like […]
Privately-owned water tanks supplying fire protection systems have a long history. The NFPA published the Standard on Gravity Tanks in 1909. It is one of the oldest NFPA codes, predating even the Life Safety Code’s precursor, the Building Exits Code, first published in 1927. The Standard on Gravity Tanks evolved over the years to become NFPA 22, […]
Get primed! Fire protection water supplies can be made up of one or more common elements, including tanks, pumps, water sources and water systems. Sometimes elements are used together to develop an adequate supply for fire protection. An adequate water supply for a fire protection system will meet the needs of the fire protection system […]
In my last blog, we discussed the small PRVs that go on wet sprinkler systems to limit their pressure below 175 psi. That brought to mind a small PRV in another application that is used to keep something different cool: an electric motor-driven centrifugal fire pump. I can’t talk about electric fire pumps without also […]
Ah, summertime. Summer’s heat brings some good things: opportunities for outdoor swimming and seasonal produce: blueberries, and peaches, and watermelon… Summer’s heat doesn’t bring all good things. It can even trigger issues with fire sprinkler systems. Let’s zoom in on a small component on a wet fire sprinkler system that’s there in part because of […]
Statistics predict that about half grill owners will be firing them up this upcoming Memorial Day weekend [i]. Let’s look over a propane grill, as if we had just pulled it out for the grilling season, for some tips and red flags. Not beef tips or how to get the perfect sear on your steak […]
In Part 1, we looked at the basic parts of a fire sprinkler and took a closer look at other parts including heat responsive elements, wrench bosses, and kick springs. In this part, we’ll look at k-factors and deflectors. K-Factor and Orifice Size K-factor is a characteristic that relates water pressure to flow rate from […]
Senior Consulting Engineer Amy Anderson has over 20 years of property loss prevention engineering and experience specializing in fire protection: fire sprinkler systems, fire suppression systems, special protection systems and fire alarms. Amy graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Chemical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Fire Protection as well as a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator.
Amy has an extensive engineering background with experience evaluating a variety of buildings and occupancies, and advising clients on the prevention of property and business loss. While specialized in the evaluation of diverse chemical facilities, Amy is equally confident in textile plants, plastic production plants, warehouses, metal working facilities, commercial kitchens, offices and hospitals.
Amy regularly investigates property damage claims involving fire protection systems and their potential failures. She consults with representatives of property owners, fire protection system installers, and fire protection inspection and service companies. Amy also evaluates system failures in dust collectors and other dust handling equipment that result in fires, explosions, or deflagrations.
Amy has an in-depth knowledge of many fire protection codes and standards including NFPA, ICC, and FM Global. She is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, National Association of Fire Investigators, National Fire Protection Association, and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
Did I lose you in the title? Fire alarms! Ah, those mysterious systems required by, discussed in, and described by hundreds of pages of sometimes baffling and circular code text. They can be intimidating to think about. Have you considered that these mysterious red boxes could have information helpful in a loss? Let me describe […]
No kidding, I’m passionate about fire protection! To prove it, I could tell you stories about the damage I have seen from various failures from freezes to fire pump cooling to what happens when a fire hydrant’s weep holes are clogged…. But instead, I will tell you about smoke alarms! Although it’s still new in […]
Fire protection is an expanse that I am both fascinated by and passionate about. To prove it, I could show you my sprinkler collection… the old ones, the new ones, the sizes, the features! But instead, I will share some information to show you the relationship between fire protection systems and other systems that you […]
Many sites that are protected by fire sprinklers will have at least some amount of private underground fire water piping. Its purpose is to make water available for fire protection or suppression at a needed flow and pressure. Its presence is usually quietly evidenced by the connected objects that occasionally surface along its course, like […]
Privately-owned water tanks supplying fire protection systems have a long history. The NFPA published the Standard on Gravity Tanks in 1909. It is one of the oldest NFPA codes, predating even the Life Safety Code’s precursor, the Building Exits Code, first published in 1927. The Standard on Gravity Tanks evolved over the years to become NFPA 22, […]
Get primed! Fire protection water supplies can be made up of one or more common elements, including tanks, pumps, water sources and water systems. Sometimes elements are used together to develop an adequate supply for fire protection. An adequate water supply for a fire protection system will meet the needs of the fire protection system […]
In my last blog, we discussed the small PRVs that go on wet sprinkler systems to limit their pressure below 175 psi. That brought to mind a small PRV in another application that is used to keep something different cool: an electric motor-driven centrifugal fire pump. I can’t talk about electric fire pumps without also […]
Ah, summertime. Summer’s heat brings some good things: opportunities for outdoor swimming and seasonal produce: blueberries, and peaches, and watermelon… Summer’s heat doesn’t bring all good things. It can even trigger issues with fire sprinkler systems. Let’s zoom in on a small component on a wet fire sprinkler system that’s there in part because of […]
Statistics predict that about half grill owners will be firing them up this upcoming Memorial Day weekend [i]. Let’s look over a propane grill, as if we had just pulled it out for the grilling season, for some tips and red flags. Not beef tips or how to get the perfect sear on your steak […]
In Part 1, we looked at the basic parts of a fire sprinkler and took a closer look at other parts including heat responsive elements, wrench bosses, and kick springs. In this part, we’ll look at k-factors and deflectors. K-Factor and Orifice Size K-factor is a characteristic that relates water pressure to flow rate from […]
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