International Fire and Safety Journal (IFSJ) Managing Editor Duncan J. White recently sat down with Telgian Engineering & Consulting’s Ralph Bless, Jr., PE, CFPS, SET to discuss the company’s full-scale fire testing programs, held at UL Solutions in Illinois. These tests, which were available to experience in Virtual Reality at the NFPA Conference and EXPO, help prove the efficacy of performance-based solutions when challenges fall outside the realm of the code and standards.
Full-scale fire tests help answer crucial questions such as “What is my risk?” “What about compliance?” and “What’s the proper level of protection for this facility or commodity?”
Bless, Telgian Engineering & Consulting’s Executive Vice President, Innovation and Excellence, is uniquely qualified to speak on the topic. He has over 40 years of experience in fire protection, including a broad range of water-based and special hazard system design, fire protection engineering and code consulting services. 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.
Telgian Engineering & Consulting, LLC (TEC) is a full-service global design, engineering and risk mitigation consulting firm providing professional services related to the protection of people, property, information and organizational mission against preventable losses. These include fire protection engineering, security risk consulting, strategic and enterprise risk management, and environmental health and safety.
Learn more about TEC’s full-scale fire testing program or reach Ralph Bless directly at rbless@telgian.com.
For media interviews with Ralph Bless, please contact Susan McNeill, Corporate Communications Manager at smcneill@telgian.com.