IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey recently sat down with Telgian Engineering & Consulting’s Ralph E. Bless, Jr., PE, CFPS, SET, to discuss fire protection training in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Over the past 25 years, countries within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have experienced incredible growth leading to a myriad of electrical, fire protection, code enforcement, and ITM challenges. And as part of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) commitment to serving global stakeholders such as those in the MENA region, earlier this year Bless provided five days of CFPS test prep for team members from the Saudi Electricity Company fire protection group in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. By providing this training for NFPA, he supplied participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare them for the CFPS Exam.
Uniquely qualified to present this topic, Bless currently serves as Telgian Engineering & Consulting’s Executive Vice President, Innovation and Excellence. He has more than 40 years of experience in fire protection, including a broad range of water-based and special hazard system design, code consulting and fire protection engineering services. He has served as a liaison between customers, authorities having jurisdiction, and contractors/suppliers.
He is licensed as a Professional Engineer in six states, is a Level IV NICET Senior Water Based Fire Sprinkler Layout Technician, and holds a Level III in Inspections & Testing of Water Based Systems, a Level II in Fire Alarm Systems, a Level II in Special Hazards Systems Layout and a Level I in Special Hazards Systems. In addition, Bless holds multiple state and national certifications, including that of Certified Fire Protection Specialist.
Bless serves on six National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committees. These include chair for Record Storage, NFPA 232, as well as NFPA 1, NFPA 13 SSI (Installation) and the Correlating Committees, NFPA 15, and NFPA 915.
To read the CFPS Test Prep for Fire Protection Training in KSA article in its entirety, please visit International Fire and Safety Journal.
For media inquiries and interview opportunities with Ralph Bless, please contact Susan McNeill at smcneill@telgian.com.