Have you ever wondered what level of fire protection is needed for a historic building which also contains artifacts of irreplaceable value?  Most historic buildings are protected by water mist fire suppression system, not traditional fire sprinklers.  The most common fire protection system installed in a historic building is a pre-action water mist system.  What most people don’t know is that pre-action water mist systems are not Listed for installation within the hazards commonly found within historic buildings.  So how can you provide a higher level of protection within a historic building with an unlisted system and still meet Building Code requirements?  The answer is a combination of ingenuity, fire modeling, and good engineering judgment.  This presentation will discuss the code requirements for fire protection within historic buildings and will review case studies of building types and applications to determine when a high-pressure water mist system, low pressure water mist system, or a hybrid nitrogen/water mist system is ideal for a specific building.

Speaker: Christopher Crivello, PE, MSFPE

Christopher Crivello is a Principal and licensed Fire Protection Professional Engineer for RAN Fire Protection Engineering. His position as Vice President of Engineering in the firm requires him to manage projects to ensure they are delivered on time and are of superior quality. As a lead Professional Engineer, his responsibilities include designing fire protection systems, contract drawings and specifications, as well as project coordination and cost estimating. Mr. Crivello’s education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, along with a Master of Science degree in Fire Protection Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  With over 11 years of experience, Mr. Crivello has earned some of the top awards and recognition in the fire protection industry including the 2017 National Fire Sprinkler Association Top-Tech Champion, 2018 American Fire Sprinkler Association Young Professional of the Year recognition, and 2020 Consulting Specifying Engineer Magazine 40-Under-40 Award. 

Mr. Crivello has worked in fire protection design on commercial, healthcare, industrial, historical and residential buildings.  He has designed fire protection systems for these types of buildings, including fire alarm, sprinkler/standpipe, water spray, water mist, foam and clean agent systems.  His experience with existing buildings includes the documentation of as-built conditions for fire protection system plans to evaluate system reliability. Mr. Crivello’s knowledge of National, State and NFPA Codes make him an expert in fire protection code analysis and compliance review.