Fire Protection for Veterans Affairs (VA) Facilities

Lawrence R. Eichner, P.E.

Course Outline

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expends over $1.2 billion yearly on construction programs, and it operates more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics, community living centers, domiciliaries, readjustment counseling centers, and other facilities.  This online course provides a comprehensive review of the specific fire protection engineering design criteria required in the renovation of existing facilities or in the construction of new facilities.  The course materials are based entirely on the Fire Protection Design Manual, VA Office of Construction & Facilities Management Sixth Edition, September 2011.  The course is intended to give engineers and architects an understanding of the fire protection requirements for all types of construction projects at VA facilities and will enable their active participation in the entire project development process.

This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be aware of:

• The VA’s primary and secondary fire protection goals;
• The intended application of the Design Manual;
• The fire protection codes and standards applicable to VA facilities;
• Fire protection criteria based on types of construction, building separation, and other relevant building features;
• Fire protection criteria for areas such as storage rooms, food preparation, laboratories, data centers, and other areas requiring special protection;
• The process to determine the correct occupancy classification for all types of VA facilities;
• Fire protection criteria for water supplies and fire pumps;
• Engineering and design criteria for automatic sprinkler systems and standpipe systems;
• The VA’s design strategy for fire alarm systems; and
• Unique requirements for design and installation of fire alarm systems.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for engineers and architects.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendee will understand the specific fire protection requirements for construction projects at all types of VA facilities, which will enable active participation in the entire project development process.

Course Introduction

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mission is to fulfill President Lincoln's promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans.  Currently the VA operates 1,700 facilities and it has a budget of over $1.2 billion for construction programs.  In order to participate in the VA’s construction programs, design professionals should understand and be able to apply the special fire protection engineering criteria specified by the VA’s Fire Protection Design Manual.  The course provides a comprehensive review of the Design Manual which will enable engineers and architects to actively participate in new construction projects or in renovation/addition projects for existing facilities.

Course Content

In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following document:

Fire Protection Design Manual, VA Office of Construction & Facilities Management, Sixth Edition, September 2011.

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

This course is a comprehensive review of the fire protection engineering and design criteria for all types of VA facilities based on the VA’s Fire Protection Design Manual.  The Manual covers the VA’s fire protection objectives, and presents the fire protection engineering criteria in seven sections and four allied appendices:

• General
• Building Features
• Special Protection
• Occupancy Classification
• Water Supply for Fire Protection
• Fire Extinguishing Systems
• Fire Alarm Systems
  

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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