INSTRUCTOR:  Ahmed Said, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

OVERVIEW:
As the integration of renewable power generation into commercial and residential buildings increases, along with the increase in “electrification” of our economy, the need for on-site energy storage has increased rapidly and is forecast for explosive growth. New battery technologies with higher energy density and capacity are being introduced into buildings that were built to codes and standards that did not envision this type of energy hazard. This course aims to provide an overview of the technology, history and experience, in both research and real-world applications within the built environment.

Join us for three 90-minute sessions to review the basic operating principles of energy storage systems with more focus on lithium-ion battery uses and market deployment. We will review failures that have resulted in fires and the potential impacts in code compliant buildings.

BIOGRAPHY:
Ahmed Said is a post-doctoral fellow in fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Ahmed received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Cairo University and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Dr. Said is broadly interested in combustion, fire, and thermal sciences. The main topic of his Ph.D. focused on thermal safety of energy storage systems consisting of lithium-ion batteries. At WPI, Dr. Said is engaged in several research projects: battery safety, wildland fires, and façade fires. He is a member of the Electrochemical Society (ESC), the Combustion Institute (CI), the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS), the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).

LOGISTICS: April 12, 15 and 19, 2021 @ 4:00 pm (EST), via Zoom (three 90-minute sessions)

COST: $325 - UMD FPE Alumni are eligible for a $45 discount (email John Saams, jrsaams@umd.edu, for discount code)

Reserve your spot today! Follow this link to register ~

Please Note: This event will be recorded.

INSTRUCTORS:

  • William E. Koffel, P.E., President & Founder, Koffel Associates, Inc.
  • Larry Rietz, SET, Director at Jensen Hughes

OVERVIEW:

As fire alarm systems become more advanced and their application expands beyond sounding an evacuation alarm, proper design and integration into other aspects of facility management and operations have become more important. Integrating emergency response planning and the need for and design of a mass notification system (MNS) requires a detailed risk or vulnerability analysis. The importance of this analysis has been highlighted in the expanding requirements. However, there has been changing focus and expansion of the required risk analysis and guidance of how it should be performed.

Bill Koffel and Larry Rietz have extensive experience applying and addressing risk analysis for fire alarm systems addressing both compliance and risk management.

Join us for two 90-minute sessions to review the basics of risk analysis and methods to satisfy the requirement for MNS risk analysis. Successful completion of a group assignment and quiz will qualify participants for CEO credit. 

LOGISTICS: January 7 and January 28, 2021 @ 2:00 pm (EST), via Zoom

COST: $295

Follow this link to register for the webinar!

PDF iconDownload the program flyer here (PDF)

INSTRUCTORS:

Allison Ellis, P.E., Project Manager & Managing Member, Koffel Compliance, LLC
Lennon Peake, Director, Koffel Compliance, LLC

OVERVIEW:

There continue to be questions surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic. As we prepare for a potential "second wave" it may be timely to discuss the use of temporary treatment facilities and lessons learned from both recent as well as historic events. How did we respond during the onset of this pandemic and how can we prepare safely for the future?

Join us for a discussion of issues that temporary care facilities pose and approaches to managing risks and creating safe temporary facilities. Ellis and Peake have extensive experience addressing fire and life safety compliance in health care settings and will answer questions about the technical guidance that they have developed.

Join us for a presentation as we discuss the risks of temporary hospital facilities and how we can make adjustments for future needs!

LOGISTICS: Wed. October 7, 2020 @ 2:00 pm, Virtual/via Zoom

TARGET AUDIENCE: Open to the public

Follow this link to register!

INSTRUCTORS:

Jim Milke, Ph.D., P.E., FPE Professor and Chair
Traci Hanegan, Principal, Mechanical Engineer, Coffman Engineers

OVERVIEW:

There are many questions surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic. As more research is developed, we are learning more about how the virus is transmitted and the steps we can take to prevent the spread. Wearing masks and staying home are great options, but how can we modify the built environment to mitigate risk? 

The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force was formed to deploy technical resources to address these concerns and provide options to various facilities that can assist with safe operation. This presentation will cover our most recent understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission pathways and apply that knowledge to prioritize beneficial changes to building HVAC systems. 

Mechanical engineer and partner at Coffman Engineers, Traci Hanegan, PE, serves on the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force and will answer questions about the technical guidance that they have developed.

LOGISTICS: Tues. July 28 @ 1:00 pm, Virtual/via Zoom

TARGET AUDIENCE: Open to the public

Follow this link to watch the recorded webinar, and PDF iconthis link to download a PDF of the slideshow.

 

INSTRUCTORS:

Jim Milke, Ph.D., P.E., FPE Professor and Chair
Robert Gerard, Sr. Fire Protection Engineer, Coffman Engineers

COURSE SUMMARY:

As we approach a new phase in the ongoing pandemic, we are challenged to navigate the new normal and reenter potentially densely populated, highly social environments such as offices, malls, theaters, stadia, and other venues. It is natural to question what approach to use for reentry while complying with local, state, and national guidelines and meeting operational needs.

FPE has been a leader in developing methods and applying human behavior modeling to enhance life safety requirements and systems in buildings. The Fire Protection Industry has applied these methods to repurpose engineering analysis and modeling software used for life safety analysis to identify and confirm how social distancing practices can be achieved in everyday dynamic environments. This digital due diligence involves replicating the built environment and developing digital models to simulate best practices like crowd spacing control, screening, one-way directional travel, and other measures to satisfy business needs and promote reopening practices that are feasible and effective.

LOGISTICS: Virtual via Zoom

TARGET AUDIENCE: Open to the public

Follow this link to watch the recorded webinar!  

INSTRUCTOR: Ken Isman, P.E., FPE Clinical Professor

COURSE SUMMARY: This course was conducted in conjunction with the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) during the month of August, 2019.

This program is a series of short courses for the fire alarm industry that explains the roles, relationships and requirements of building codes, fire codes and the Life Safety Code with respect to fire detection and alarm systems. The series will consist of five sessions, each 60 minutes long. The courses will be taught using the University of Maryland’s Canvas Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS), which allows for both in-class and distance learning activities. FPE will partner with the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) to deliver the webinars. The five courses are as follows:

  • Session 1 – The Regulatory Environment
  • Session 2 – The International Building Code and  International Fire Code (IBC/IFC)
  • Session 3 – Fire Alarms and the IBC/IFC
  • Session 4 – National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards
  • Session 5 – Fire Alarms and NFPA 101/NFPA 5000

LOGISTICS: Hybrid course; offered in-class at the Siegel Center and online.

TARGET AUDIENCE: New fire alarm technicians

INSTRUCTORS:

SUMMARY: This series was a collaborative hybrid program organized with the Israeli Association of Construction & Infrastructure Engineers and S Netanel Engineers & Consultants in Tel Aviv, Israel.

TOPICS:

  • Fire Dynamics and Structural Fire Protection Engineering (Leventon)
  • Fire Suppression Systems and Life Safety (Isman)
  • Fire Alarm and Smoke Control Systems (Koffel)

RELATED MEDIA: https://fpe.umd.edu/news/story/fpe-engineers-conduct-firesafety-program-in-israel 


Questions? Please contact:
 

John Saams
Visiting Faculty Specialist
Fire Protection Engineering
rsaams@umd.edu
(202) 468-1076

Please Note: These sessions are recorded.


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