Fire Protection Engineering Podcast

The Future of Intumescents and Passive vs Active FP Systems with Clarke O'Reilly

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:06:00 -0500

On the Podcast this month is a manufacturer that has embraced a culture of innovation to change the game in passive fireproofing and firestopping! I talk with Clarke O'Reilly, Sales & Marketing Manager for Pyrophobic Systems, about their "Intumescent Technology Platforms" - fire resistant polymer composites that contain trusted proprietary and patented intumescent materials. These materials, when combined with thermoplastics, create powerful passive barriers, including for battery fires caused by thermal runaway. Pyrophobic's team continues to innovate with OEM’s on new applications for their highly versatile intumescent polymer composites that solve fire safety challenges... We cover the basics and then get far (probably too far) into the weeds of how these materials are utilized in new and innovative ways including summarizing the debate behind active vs passive fire protection systems and how a holistic solution can be deployed in future designs. It's intense, but we're sure you'll enjoy it! &--> check out their podcast "FIRESTOP FEED: THE PYROPHOBIC PODCAST" on Spotify!

Nuclear Industry Trends and Safety Techniques with Mayur Patel

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:04:00 -0500

On the Podcast this month is one of our favorite past coworkers and all-around fun engineers... Mayur Patel, Nuclear Fire Protection Engineer! Ben chats with Mayur about the bridge between nuclear engineering, safety, and public understanding of how safe and clean nuclear energy production is... Public Relations (PR) needs of the nuclear industry naturally position fire protection and safety professionals as essential voices in nuclear’s future. By balancing deep technical credibility with big-picture relevance - Mayur is degreed and practiced as a nuclear engineer in the new reactor design space plus now is degreed/licensed in fire protection engineering to practice exclusively in that specialized space, while working on his PhD in the same.

Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fire Systems Design with Anthony Conte & Logan Breslin

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

On the Podcast this month is an innovative two-some looking to disrupt the fire protection engineering world with AI! Anthony Conte, VP of Engineering for FireCAD at Inspect Point & Logan Breslin, Chief of Staff at Inspect Point - FireCAD, powered by the Inspect Point data/knowledge-base, has been developed to provide a complete solution to produce fire and security designs, maximize efficiency, AHJ approval rates, and cut design time in half by auto-generating design elements based on pre-loaded templates and past project data... In this episode, we cover the basics of AI Agents, AI development pillars, AI's disruption of the industry, and explore arguments For/Against the use of Artificial Intelligence for fire protection - including current applications outside the realm of fire systems design. This episode is meant to set the stage for a future episode where we'll take a deep dive into the FireCAD AI tools when they are fully released - as well as compare it to other fire protection AI platforms currently on the market - these episodes are not to be missed!

Transportation Facility Design Strategies for Electric Vehicles with Daniel Lang

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

On the Podcast this month is one of our favorite transit project team leaders! Daniel Lang, Ph.D., PE, PMP is Global Director for Bus and Zero Emissions at Hatch - a firm of around 10,000 professionals with experience spanning over 150 countries around the world in the metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors. The Hatch infrastructure division includes a diverse transportation group that provides engineering design and business consulting to develop strategies for the delivery of complex capital projects. Ben and Kelly chat with Dan about his approach to Electric Vehicle (EV) retrofits and new facility designs for their transportation sector clients who continue to rapidly adopt EV technology for their vehicle fleets. In this episode, we cover the basic EV facility design concepts in order to define the causes of safety concerns - with a primary focus on fire as one of the most substantial risks from new EV battery technology and associated charging infrastructure.

Hot Topics in Fire Protection and broader AEC Industry including AI

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

On the Podcast this month, Ben and Kelly have a 1 on 1 chat about Artificial Intelligence in fire protection engineering and the broader AEC industry; the single-stair issue in codes and standards; and more hot and trending topics in our industry. Learn more about our podcast hosts perspectives - including engineering firm references and past colleague "shout-outs" associated with the topics of the day!

Grenfell Tower & Global Fire Protection of High-rises: A First Responder / AHJ perspective with Chris Conroy

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0400

On the Podcast this month is our multi-faceted colleague and mentor, Christopher Conroy, who joins us to discuss his wide-ranging career in fire protection... from firefighter, to code reviewer, to fire protection consultant and everything above, beyond, and in-between - Mr. Conroy has more experience than most and the most amazing stories to boot! Ben and Kelly, Memer-in-Chief, chat with Chris about the Grenfell Tower fire that was recently released as a Netflix documentary coinciding with the release of the final Public Inquiry Report that attempts to sort out what when wrong and why. In this episode, recorded on 9/11, we cover a broad range of perspectives and cultural differences surrounding the fire protection response to high-rise fires and their aftermath, affects on regulations, and the resulting attention they elicit which drives real change.

Evolving Education in Fire Protection with Rosalie Hrybyk

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0400

On the Podcast this month is our dear ol' friend... Rosalie Hrybyk, Assistant Clinical Professor of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland! Ben and Kelly, Memer-in-Chief, chat with Rosalie about the education system and how it has adapted over time to meet the challenge of training the best and brightest FPE's. In this episode, we cover the topic of Evolving Education in Fire Protection Engineering including the newest additions to the UMD program lineup - robust online course options and the latest "real-world" curriculum content taught by a clinical professor.

The History of Fire Protection Engineering with Jim Milke

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Drum roll please.... Jim Milke is on the Fire Protection Engineering Podcast! Ben and Kelly, Memer-in-Chief, chat with "the Great and Powerful, Doctor Milke". Professor Emeritus of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, past Chair of the Department, long-standing fire protection consultant, Ben's college Advisor, and just an all around good guy - who better to spend an hour chatting with? In this episode, we cover the topic of the History of Fire Protection Engineering then delve into the Future of Fire Protection Engineering based on the stories and trends of the past; including perspectives Jim has after a long career dedicated to advancing the profession in ways that few have before or since.

Best LinkedIn FPE Memes returns from the early years

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0500

We are back for round 3! Ben and Kelly, self-appointed Memer-in-Chief, discuss her silly, insightful, and thought-provoking memes that she's posted on LinkedIn over the years. In this episode we cover more of the best from prior years with the most impressions and comments.

Best LinkedIn FPE Memes Part Deux

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 08:00:00 -0500

We are back for round 2! Ben and Kelly, self-appointed Memer-in-Chief, discuss her silly, insightful, and thought-provoking memes that she's posted on LinkedIn over the years. In this episode we cover more of the best from the last year with the most impressions and comments.

Best LinkedIn FPE Memes

Benjamin Casey & Kelly Kidwell — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Inaugural episode! Ben and Kelly, self-appointed Memer-in-Chief, discuss her silly, insightful, and thought-provoking memes that she's posted on LinkedIn over the years. In this episode we cover the best from the last year with the most impressions and comments.