Telgian fire protection industry expert April Musser will present a Fire Smarts “Performance-Based Approaches to Egress” training opportunity on February 11, 2021 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern. This webinar is part of the monthly Fire Smarts series which explores timely fire protection industry topics and innovation solutions.
The Performance-Based Approaches to Egress webinar will cover when, where, and how to consider and apply performance-based egress approaches when unable to meet the code-prescribed egress.
“A performance-based approach in facility design is where the required level of protection is achieved through some means other than the means prescribed by the code,” explains Musser. “While the idea of applying a performance-based protection option is not a new concept and the approach has been widely embraced by jurisdictions and building authorities across the world, applying performance-based options to egress and evacuation requirements is often overlooked.”
Participants will learn how performance-based approaches provide equivalent protection to the prescriptive code and how they may work better for specific applications. Musser will provide specific examples, such as:
- changes in occupancy of existing facilities,
- adaptive reuse and renovation, and
- upgrades to historic buildings.
New structures will also be covered when performance-based egress may help better achieve the architect’s vision for the project. A review of how to work with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to obtain approval will also be discussed.
Upon completion of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- describe performance-based egress and its possible benefits,
- identify when performance-based egress should be considered,
- understand the engineer and architect’s responsibility when using performance-based egress, and
- understand equivalent protection and AHJ approval of performance-based egress.
About the Presenter
April Musser has more than 18 years of fire protection engineering experience including risk assessment and hazard analysis, design of specialized detection and suppression systems and use of performance-based design. She is a Professional Engineer, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) and holds a CVI certification from the US Department of Homeland Security. In addition, she serves on the NFPA 30 Technical Committee for Flammable and Combustible Liquids and is an active member of both NFPA and SFPE.
Musser is an in-demand speaker, as well as the author of numerous articles on fire protection engineering and fire safety. Recent examples include “The Constantly Changing Landscape of Risk in Campus Environments” and “Integrating Fire Safety and Security Solutions in the Campus Environment” both of which appeared in Campus Security & Life Safety magazine, as well as “Performance Based Egress and Evacuation” which was featured in Gulf Fire magazine.
To register for the Performance-Based Approaches to Egress webinar, please visit Fire Smarts.