Pennsylvania-Licensed Professional Engineer – Stamped Fire-Alarm Permit Drawings

Carson Helicopters, Inc. is seeking a Professional Engineer actively licensed in Pennsylvania to design and prepare signed and sealed fire-alarm drawings for an industrial cleanroom installation at our manufacturing facility in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The drawings must contain sufficient design detail to support a building or fire-code permit application and subsequent installation by a qualified fire-alarm contractor. The selected engineer must have demonstrated experience designing fire-alarm systems for commercial or industrial facilities. Experience with cleanrooms, controlled manufacturing spaces, high-airflow environments, or aerospace facilities is strongly preferred. **Project Location** Carson Helicopters, Inc. 952 Blooming Glen Road Perkasie, Pennsylvania 18944 Hilltown Township, Bucks County **Information to Be Provided by Carson** Available project information is expected to include: * Cleanroom architectural or construction drawings * Room dimensions and reflected ceiling information * Existing fire-alarm panel manufacturer, model, and available panel documentation * Available existing fire-alarm drawings or as-built information * Photographs of the cleanroom and surrounding areas * Available mechanical and HVAC information * Cleanroom operating and airflow information * Information regarding the intended use and occupancy of the cleanroom * Contact information for the fire-alarm installer and other project contractors The engineer will be expected to identify any additional field information needed to complete the design. **Scope of Work** The engineer will: 1. Review the existing building fire-alarm system and determine whether the existing panel and associated equipment can support the proposed cleanroom devices. 2. Review applicable requirements of: * Pennsylvania’s currently adopted Uniform Construction Code * Applicable International Building Code and International Fire Code provisions * NFPA 72 * Applicable accessibility requirements * Hilltown Township and other authority-having-jurisdiction requirements * Manufacturer listing and installation requirements 3. Determine the required fire-alarm and notification devices for the cleanroom, including as applicable: * Smoke or heat detectors * Specialized or aspirating detection, if required by the cleanroom airflow conditions * Horn/strobe notification appliances * Strobe-only or horn-only appliances * Manual pull stations * Monitor, control, relay, or isolation modules * Duct detectors * Interfaces with HVAC equipment, dampers, doors, cleanroom controls, or other building systems 4. Evaluate device placement in light of cleanroom-specific conditions, including: * Air-change rates * Supply and return-air locations * Laminar or directional airflow * Positive or negative room pressure * Ceiling construction * Obstructions * Potential delay or deflection of smoke movement * Restrictions on penetrations and device mounting 5. Produce permit and installation drawings showing, at a minimum: * Detector types and locations * Horn/strobe types, locations, and candela settings * Manual pull-station locations, where required * Fire-alarm panel or remote-power-supply connections * Cable and conduit routes * Circuit identification and circuit classifications * SLC, IDC, and NAC circuiting, as applicable * Device addresses or zone assignments, where appropriate * Mounting heights and mounting details * Penetration and sealing requirements * Applicable cleanroom-compatible installation details * Fire-alarm riser diagram * Point-to-point or typical wiring details * Equipment and device schedule * Sequence of operations or input/output matrix * General installation and testing notes 6. Perform and document applicable engineering calculations, including as necessary: * Notification-appliance voltage-drop calculations * Battery and standby-power calculations * Power-supply loading * Panel or circuit capacity * Visible-notification coverage * Audibility analysis * Detector-spacing analysis 7. Coordinate the design with the selected fire-alarm installer and Carson’s cleanroom, electrical, and mechanical contractors. 8. Prepare a written smoke-movement test specification or protocol for the cleanroom. **Smoke-Movement Test Specification** Because of the cleanroom airflow and pressure-control conditions, Carson also wants a field test to evaluate how smoke or an approved visual test medium moves through the space and reaches the proposed detection locations. The engineer’s test specification should address: * Purpose and scope of the test * Approved smoke-simulation or visualization method * Test equipment and materials * Safety and cleanroom-contamination precautions * Test-release locations * Detector locations to be evaluated * HVAC and cleanroom operating modes to be tested * Normal, reduced-flow, shutdown, alarm, and other relevant operating conditions * Door positions and pressure conditions * Required observations and measurements * Acceptance or pass/fail criteria * Required photographs, video, timing records, and test documentation * Required participants and responsible parties * Procedure for documenting deficiencies and corrective actions * Retesting requirements * Final test-report format The engineer should state whether the smoke-movement test can be performed by the installing contractor under the engineer’s written protocol or whether the engineer must attend and witness the test. On-site attendance may be included as a separate optional price. **Deliverables** The required deliverables are expected to include: * Permit-ready fire-alarm drawing set * Pennsylvania PE signature and seal * Applicable engineering calculations * Fire-alarm device and equipment schedule * Code and design-criteria narrative * Sequence of operations or input/output matrix * Fire-alarm riser diagram * Smoke-movement test specification * PDF drawing package * Editable CAD or BIM source files used to produce the drawings * Coordination call with Carson and the fire-alarm installer * Responses to one reasonable round of permit-review comments from the authority having jurisdiction Any substantial redesign resulting from a change in project scope may be handled as additional work. **Required Qualifications** * Active Professional Engineer license in Pennsylvania * Electrical-engineering or fire-protection-engineering background * Demonstrated fire-alarm design experience * Strong working knowledge of NFPA 72 * Experience preparing signed and sealed permit drawings * Experience coordinating with fire-alarm contractors and local authorities having jurisdiction * Ability to perform required voltage-drop, battery, audibility, visibility, and circuit-loading calculations * Professional liability insurance appropriate for the work Cleanroom or high-airflow industrial-space experience is strongly preferred. NICET fire-alarm certification is beneficial but is not a substitute for the required Pennsylvania PE license. **Please Include in Your Proposal** 1. Your Pennsylvania PE license number and discipline. 2. Confirmation that your license is active and that you can sign and seal this work. 3. Examples of comparable fire-alarm permit drawing sets. 4. Description of any cleanroom or high-airflow fire-detection work you have completed. 5. Your proposed fixed fee, including any assumptions about the number of drawings and revisions. 6. Separate pricing for: * Remote design and stamped permit documents * An initial site visit, if required * Attendance at the smoke-movement test * Responses to additional permit-review comments 7. Your availability to visit the Perkasie, Pennsylvania facility. 8. Confirmation that editable CAD or BIM files will be included in the final deliverables. Applicants who cannot personally sign and seal the final drawings under an active Pennsylvania PE license should not apply.