Fire Protection
ARS is a leader in the commercial nuclear power fire protection industry and provides unique fire protection solutions for nuclear and non-nuclear industries worldwide. Our staff draws from a diversified set of skills, including experience as fire protection program owners, to address our clients’ unique needs, addressing every aspect of the fire protection and safety process. The ARS staff also has extensive experience in government nuclear and non-nuclear facilities as well as the Highly Protected Risk (HPR) class of industrial facilities. The fire protection team evaluates and aids in demonstrating compliance with both deterministic and probabilistic fire protection regulations.
ARS has the knowledge, tools, and experience to develop or enhance an existing fire protection plan for any plant. Our engineers and consultants have an in-depth understanding of the traditional, deterministic tools for performing a safe shutdown, as well as a thorough understanding of performance-based risk analysis tools to analyze potential core damage.
ARS provides comprehensive fire protection planning and regulatory compliance to nuclear power plants throughout the US and internationally. The combination of years of experience and cutting-edge technology allows ARS to perform a thorough analysis and develop a complete action plan for all of our clients.
The specialties of the fire protection team include:
- Classical Fire Protection
- Fire PRA, including the following NUREG/CR-6850 Tasks:
- Task 1, Plant Partitioning
- Task 6, Fire Ignition Frequencies
- Task 8, Scoping Fire Modeling
- Task 11, Detailed Fire Modeling
- Fire Modeling, including FDS, Pyrosim, CFAST, FDTs
- Fire Protection Design Review
- Fire Hazards Analysis
- Fire Safety Assessments
- Audits and Assessments
- Code Compliance Review, including NFPA Codes and Building Codes
- Licensing Support, including Inspection Preparation
- Fire Protection Training
- Plant Walkdowns
Classical Fire Protection
As part of the comprehensive fire safety services offered by ARS, our fire protection engineers and consultants perform a complete classical fire protection analysis. Classical fire protection is a term coined by the nuclear power industry to refer to measures taken to prevent fires from occurring in a plant through the use of design modifications, staff training, and equipment upgrades. Through plant walkdowns, fire modeling, plant operations reviews, and many other methods, we help nuclear power plants develop plans to ensure compliance with all governing regulations and safety codes. Classical fire protection includes the prevention, mitigation, detection, suppression, and containment of fires in the nuclear power plant. We create comprehensive classical fire protection plans for our clients, including developing fire monitoring schedules and updating individual water- and gaseous-based suppression mechanisms.
Fire Probabilistic Risk Analysis
ARS fire protection engineers and consultants are integral to the FPRA process, particularly NUREG/CR-6850 Tasks 1, 6, 8, and 11. By defining compartment barriers and characteristics, identifying ignition frequencies, and using advanced fire modeling techniques to determine the effects of a fire, the ARS fire protection team is integral to the risk reduction process. Through each step of the PRA process, ARS fire protection works with the operations team, electrical team, and the client to provide realistic plant modeling and analysis, as well as effective risk reduction services.