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Mid-Atlantic (3) -->
Fire Protection Engineers are the First Word in Workplace Life SafetyWe all understand the life-saving value of fire protection systems both at home and in our office environments, and this is a service and feature we often take for granted. The Mid-Atlantic Region has a small but dedicated staff of experts to help ensure that every project, lease, and workplace—whether government owned or leased—meets the appropriate fire protection requirements. GSA’s Fire Protection and Life Safety Program provides a safe and healthful workplace, as well as uninterrupted performance of essential services, and limits federal government losses. GSA implements these objectives for both government owned and leased buildings and facilities, but the methods employed to ensure compliance are different. In government owned facilities, GSA follows the Facilities Standards for PBS—also referred to as the P100. The P100 establishes design standards and criteria for new buildings, major and minor alterations, and work in historic structures for PBS. Chapter 7, Fire Protection and Life Safety for federal owned property, is based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and the International Building Code (IBC), with additional requirements and restrictions specific to GSA. This means that GSA is ensuring the safety of your employees, customers, and visitors up to and beyond the nationally accepted industry benchmark standards. GSA Fire Protection Engineers (FPEs) act as the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in government owned property for: all technical requirements in Chapter 7 of the P100, all fire protection and life safety code requirements, and code enforcement requirements. In simple terms, GSA’s FPEs serve as the “Fire Marshal” for government owned property. Also, no new construction or renovation project can be occupied until the GSA FPE has issued a Certificate of Occupancy to the GSA Project Manager. A Certificate of Occupancy is a document issued to a building owner from the AHJ certifying that the building complies with building codes, indicating it to be in condition suitable for occupancy. To this end, FPEs also witness acceptance testing and commissioning of fire protection systems (such as sprinklers and fire alarms), verifying that all systems perform in accordance with their design and intent. As stated, the requirements and authority described have been in reference to government owned facilities. There is a difference in responsibility for leased facilities in that GSA is not the only authority for fire code compliance in leased space—the local fire official also serves a role. GSA inspects your leased workplace to make sure it complies with applicable fire codes; and if a new construction or a renovation project, ensuring compliance with all fire protection features in the contract. This may mean enforcing a fire protection feature that the contract requires, above and beyond the local fire code requirements. FPEs also work with your realty specialist to review fire safety checklists submitted by potential lessors prior to lease award, ensuring a safe workplace. GSA is committed to providing you, your clients, employees, and visitors with the safest workplace we can. Please visit www.gsa.gov/fireprotectionengineering and www.gsa.gov/p100, or contact one of the following GSA representatives to learn more about GSA’s Fire Protection and Life Safety Program.
This article appears in the Summer 2008 issue of the FOCUS newsletter. Please visit the current and past issues page to download and read the entire newsletter. To subscribe to FOCUS, complete the online subscription form.
Last Reviewed 7/30/2008
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