Team Category: Project Managers / Technical Advisors

Robert Viall is a professional fire protection engineer and Project Manager at Code Red Consultants with over 15 years of experience in designing fire protection systems and providing building/life safety code consulting services. His expertise includes sprinkler and standpipe systems, specialty fire suppression systems, fire pumps, and fire alarm/mass notification systems. He works on projects for commercial facilities, high-rise buildings, warehouses, laboratories, aircraft hangars, and various military facilities. Mr. Viall is well-versed in the International Building and Fire Codes, NFPA codes and standards, FM Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets, and Unified Facilities Criteria (UFCs).

Driven by a passion for fire protection and a commitment to lifelong learning, Melissa joins Code Red Consultants after nearly 20 years in research and development of fire protection products. Melissa brings extensive product knowledge in sprinklers and special hazards (with a little bit of electrical and valves), combined with an understanding of the fire protection industry from a unique perspective. She enjoys keeping up with all the current discussions in the fire protection industry and understanding the various perspectives on the issues. Her exceptional communication skills, honed through years as a Toastmaster, allow her to effectively connect with clients and colleagues alike.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

During my research and development years, it was an almost daily activity to light very large fires (both standard and non-standard) at our facility and evaluate how our current product in development interacted with the fire. To stay safe during a particularly large and complex project, a group of us trained at TEEX, part of Texas A&M, to be an industrial fire brigade for interior structures. We all had our own turnout gear, including a SCBA, and we were trained in multiple different fire scenarios. I was able to don all of my gear in 1 minute and 59 seconds, narrowly passing the 2-minute requirement.

Josh is a fire protection and life safety consultant who thrives in a fast-paced and collaborative environment. With experience in automatic sprinkler system installation, existing fire protection system evaluation, and a variety of general code consulting, he finds value in identifying client needs and providing solutions that exceed expectations. Josh’s educational background in Civil Engineering allows him to readily understand the construction process and contribute to the various consulting services provided thereof. He is drawn to the consulting industry by his passions for problem-solving and helping clients meet and exceed their goals. Josh aims to immerse himself in a wider variety of consulting disciplines, smoke control special inspections, and fire protection and alarm system designs/reviews. As a young consultant, he is eager to take advantage of all learning opportunities presented to further develop himself personally and professionally.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Leading a client from their current standpoint to their goal in an efficient manner is always rewarding to be a part of. Providing life safety consulting is a direct way to serve our community and contribute to a safer built environment, which is why I find value and take pride in the work I do.

Jake is a motivated life safety consultant who seeks to gain as much knowledge of the fire protection industry as possible. As a result, he offers support in many services offered by Code Red Consultants including construction fire safety, firestopping special inspections, healthcare surveys, and building and life safety code consulting. Jake concurrently took classes for his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and his Master’s in Fire Protection Engineering while being a member of the wrestling team and acting as an officer in his fraternity. He is no stranger to hard work! Completing two summer internships with Code Red and another with a residential construction firm, Jake joined fulltime with an understanding of how to be successful. Jake enjoys working with others to solve unique problems in the field and in the office and is excited for the growth he will achieve while working at Code Red Consultants.

What do you love most about your job?

I enjoy the constant variety of work and challenges faced each day. I love expanding my knowledge base through all facets of fire protection engineering and look forward to connecting with individuals within FPE and the many related fields.

Andrew joins Code Red with over 30 years of experience in the fire service, including the last 3.5 years as head of the Fire Prevention Division of the Providence, RI Fire Department.  Working in that role he oversaw fire investigations, public education, inspection, code enforcement, and plan review across a wide variety of building types and occupancies including educational, industrial, nightclubs and other assemblies, business, mercantile, high-rise, and large-scale storage of gasoline, LP and LNG.  He brings to Code Red the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) perspective of construction fire safety, having witnessed many fire safety failures in his career.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

I enjoy gardening.  I grow blueberries, black raspberries, tomatoes, peas, green beans, zucchini, winter squash, peppers, lettuce, rhubarb, various herbs, and sunflowers.

Joe is a very driven fire protection consultant who is responsible for developing code compliance strategies, performing fire, life safety, and accessibility evaluations, and delivering high-quality design solutions for both new and existing structures that address the needs of all stakeholders involved in a project. With an academic background in both chemical engineering and fire protection, Joe looks to apply his professional experience and technical knowledge relating to hazardous materials, chemical analyses, and industrial fire protection to engineer solutions for complex fire protection and chemical usage challenges.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

One of my favorite hobbies is photography, I especially enjoy night sky and deep-space photography through a telescope.

Sullivan is a fire protection and life safety consultant eager to grow in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Working primarily with field services, he enjoys that every project provides a unique challenge and opportunity to develop professional relationships. Sullivan’s background in Mechanical Engineering and previous experience in shipyard construction provides a unique perspective on how clients and contractors interact during the construction process and allows him to better understand the nuances of communication in the field. As a young consultant, Sullivan is excited to be provided with numerous learning opportunities from his colleagues and continue to grow himself personally and professionally.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The sense of community in the office environment, and the continued support of my colleagues regarding professional and personal growth.

Sara is a fire protection and life safety consultant who thrives in the quick, team-based environment at Code Red Consultants. Her background in Civil Engineering provides a unique perspective on the design process and construction management, which allows her to communicate well with parties involved in the construction process. Sara focuses her consulting efforts on general code analysis but enjoys a variety of work. The many different challenges presented in consulting is what drew her to the field. As a young consultant, Sara is excited to have the opportunity to work in the many disciplines Code Red has to offer and learn from her colleagues.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

In my free time, I enjoy hiking and being outdoors. I have been to 19 US National Parks, and I hope to make it to the rest of them.

Anna is a fire protection and life safety consultant who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Working with a variety of clients, project types, and consultants, she enjoys that every day provides a new challenge to solve, and no two projects are the same. Anna mostly focuses her consulting efforts on residential projects including accessibility code analysis. Her background in Architectural Engineering provides a unique perspective on how clients come to decisions during the design process which allows her to communicate seamlessly with architects. As a young consultant, Anna is excited to be provided with numerous learning opportunities from her colleagues and continue to grow in her role.

What is something that colleagues and clients might not know about you?

In my free time, I enjoy singing and playing music. I grew up playing the piano and organ and being very involved in school and community choirs. At WPI, I was the student conductor of the festival choir and had the opportunity to conduct on our tour to Berlin and Prague, conducting in a beautiful church in Old Town Square with a huge crowd of people that were just walking by and wanted to listen.

Ben is a driven fire protection and life safety consultant project manager who thrives in a collaborative environment and is committed to minimizing a building’s fire and life safety risks throughout their entire life cycle. With the goal to be a thoughtful and trusted advisor to his clients, he is a proactive communicator who enjoys applying his problem-solving skills to reach creative solutions that are in the best interest of the client while also addressing the needs of all project stakeholders. Fascinated and passionate about the fire protection and life safety industry, he will work tirelessly to clearly communicate technical concepts and deliver the highest quality service while continuously learning from those around him. He takes great pride in working alongside such rapidly evolving clients with the very knowledgeable Code Red team.

Ben has had project involvement in major service markets primarily including aviation/rail infrastructure, mixed-use, and business as well as the science and technology market ranging from research and development laboratory facilities, manufacturing buildings, and educational laboratories. His experience of services includes building and fire code consulting, performance based egress analysis, smoke control special inspection, construction fire safety, fire protection systems consulting, and accessibility consulting. He specializes in developing design approaches for chemical related facilities, hazardous material analysis, chemical process safety as well as conducting performance based egress analysis at rail facilities. He’s also proud to offer services such as performing existing building evaluations, reviewing design drawings, and developing life safety plans.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of this job is when we can serve as an integral team member to help the vision for the project successfully come to fruition. Having the opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest and most professionally skilled individuals is a gift of its own.