Program Overview
Fire protection is a systems discipline. Fire behavior, building construction, detection, suppression, egress and human behavior all interact, and the specialist must judge how a change to one affects the rest. This program gives engineers and safety professionals a structured, code-based view of that whole system, using the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook as the reference framework behind the Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) body of knowledge.
Participants work through fire dynamics and heat transfer, passive and active protection, detection and alarm technology, and inspection, testing and maintenance obligations. Throughout the week, codes are applied to realistic occupancies: an office building, a warehouse with high-piled storage and an industrial process area. The emphasis is on reasoning from first principles to code requirements, so participants can defend a recommendation rather than recite a clause.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe fire chemistry, the fire tetrahedron and conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer
- Assess fire risk in an occupancy and identify the NFPA codes that govern it
- Evaluate passive fire protection, including fire-resistance ratings, compartmentation and opening protectives
- Compare sprinkler, foam, clean-agent and other suppression systems for a given hazard
- Specify appropriate detection and notification approaches in line with NFPA 72
- Plan inspection, testing and maintenance programs under NFPA 25 and NFPA 72
- Navigate the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook efficiently in preparation for the CFPS examination
Program Modules
- CFPS Process and the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook — eligibility, exam structure and an efficient method for navigating the handbook
- Fire Behavior and Heat Transfer — the fire triangle and tetrahedron, ignition, flame spread, and conduction, convection and radiation
- Fire Behavior in Materials and Environments — how fuels, compartment geometry and ventilation shape fire growth, flashover and smoke production
- Passive Fire Protection — fire-resistance-rated construction, compartmentation, firestopping and protection of openings
- Fire Prevention and Life Safety — hazard control, housekeeping, means of egress and occupancy requirements under NFPA 1 and NFPA 101
- Suppression Systems — sprinkler, standpipe, foam, clean-agent and portable extinguisher selection and application
- Fire Detection and Alarm Technologies — heat, smoke, flame and gas detection principles, signaling and notification under NFPA 72
- Testing and Maintenance of Fire Protection Systems — inspection, testing and maintenance frequencies and records under NFPA 25 and NFPA 72
Who Should Attend
- Fire protection and life safety engineers
- HSE managers and loss prevention specialists
- Facility and property managers
- Fire inspectors and authority having jurisdiction staff
- Insurance risk engineers
- Candidates preparing for the CFPS examination
Standards & Codes Referenced
- NFPA 1
- NFPA 10
- NFPA 25
- NFPA 70
- NFPA 72
- NFPA 101
- NFPA 921
- NFPA 1031
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910
Assessment & Certification
Assessment combines a written examination on fire science, NFPA code application and fire protection system design basics with a practical assessment in which each participant completes a code-based fire risk assessment of a case-study facility and defends the protection recommendations to the assessor. Practical sessions take place at ASEEE-approved training centers, using calibrated equipment and realistic work scenarios under the supervision of a qualified assessor.
Participants who meet the competency criteria receive an ASEEE competency certificate carrying a unique certificate ID that employers and clients can verify online through Certificate Check. ASEEE recommends recertification every 3 years to keep skills aligned with current practice and revised standards. The program supports, but does not replace, the separate CFPS examination administered by NFPA.
