Forensic Engineers and Consultants

Blog Posts by: Warren Team

Meet The Warren Group’s Construction Defect Team: Four Engineers, One Multidisciplinary Approach

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Construction defect investigations rarely fit neatly into a single engineering discipline. A water intrusion issue may involve the building envelope, roofing, windows, structural components, or mechanical systems. A failure that appears structural may have its origins in design, installation, materials, or an adjacent building system. And when plumbing, HVAC, electrical, or equipment issues enter the picture, understanding the interaction between systems can be critical to determining what happened and why. Read More

Warren Expands Its Structural Forensics Practice with Claire Benedict, P.E.

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Please join us in welcoming Structural Engineer Claire Benedict, P.E., to the WARREN family! Claire has over 10 years of engineering experience in the civil/structural field specializing in building design, building components, and foundation systems analysis.  Claire earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. Read More

You’re Just Not My Type – Part 1: Guards

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Selecting the best or most effective way to reduce or eliminate risk from a particular machine hazard is an extremely important process.  It can mean the difference between someone going home and hugging their wife and children…to never going home again.  The hazard control hierarchy (see figure below) is an available tool that illustrates what is known to be most effective to least effective when it comes to eliminating machine hazards or reducing the risk from those hazards to an acceptable level.  Removing the hazard by designing it out is by far most effective.  Read More

KEEP the CHANGE?

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As we all know, change is a part of life.  Sometimes the results from change are good.  And we know sometimes change may result in things becoming worse, although it may not be immediately evident.  I think it is safe to say that when we intentionally make changes to something, our goal is to make it better with respect to one or more metrics.  Engineers working in manufacturing facilities are often asked to make changes to existing machines and processes for multiple reasons: Read More

Don’t Get Burned With Your Gas Grill!

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If there is one thing Americans can agree upon, it is the enjoyment that comes from an outdoor barbeque.  Whether a summertime cookout or a fall BBQ to watch a football game, we all love the fun and fellowship that comes from sharing a meal that was prepared outdoors on a grill or smoker.  In fact, 64% of Americans own a grill or smoker.  The great majority of these are LP fueled gas grills with comparatively few natural gas fired grills.  These products can be enjoyed safely when designed, installed, and used in a proper manner.  However, given the grill’s use of flammable fuel gas and high temperatures, the potential exists for things to go wrong and result in burn injuries or uncontained fires that spread to the surroundings. Read More

Fire Sprinkler History and Development

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Did you know that I’m passionate about fire protection? Instead of proving it with stories recounting soakings by numerous fire hydrant, fire pump, and deluge system tests, I will share more about fire sprinklers! (Working on solidifying my fire sprinkler nerd status!)

Automatic fire sprinklers have an over 150-year history, with Henry S. Parmelee being credited with Read More

WARREN Welcomes Mechanical Engineer Brian Tenace, M.S.M.E., P.E.

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Brian’s Areas of Expertise Include:

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How Fire Alarm Information Can Fill in a Loss Puzzle

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Did I lose you in the title? Fire alarms! Ah, those mysterious systems required by, discussed in, and described by hundreds of pages of sometimes baffling and circular code text. They can be intimidating to think about. Have you considered that these mysterious red boxes could have information helpful in a loss? Let me describe why it could be advantageous to have a knowledgeable person to check out the fire alarm system after a loss, and not just for fires. Just as an airplane’s black box may hold information Read More

The Life of a Smoke Alarm – How A Decade Flies!

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A smoke alarm milestone birthday party!

No kidding, I’m passionate about fire protection!  To prove it, I could tell you stories about the damage I have seen from various failures from freezes to fire pump cooling to what happens when a fire hydrant’s weep holes are clogged…. But instead, I will tell you about smoke alarms!

Although it’s still new in my head, my home just turned 10 years old. The decade has seen the replacement of two household appliances and at least one HVAC repair… now what? A paint and décor refresh?  Maybe, but that’s not what the fire protection engineer is thinking! It’s time to replace the smoke alarms! Read More

In Cahoots – Interconnections of Fire Protection Systems with Ancillary Equipment

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Fire protection is an expanse that I am both fascinated by and passionate about. To prove it, I could show you my sprinkler collection… the old ones, the new ones, the sizes, the features!  But instead, I will share some information to show you the relationship between fire protection systems and other systems that you may have never thought about!

Fire protection, suppression, and alarm systems often do not act alone. They can be in cahoots with life safety systems or other equipment or building systems to mitigate fires and help firefighters. Many, but not all, of these functions are associated with fire alarm systems. Many, but not all, of these functions are customary and expected. Some of these functions will automatically reset when the alarm or system is reset, but not all! Read More

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