C

ORPORATE

RESENTATION

Main Offices: C/ Playa de las Amricas, 2 B5 28290 Las Rozas ,

Madrid,Spain
www.ashesfire.com

ASHES FIRE Consulting, S.A., established in 2000, is an Independent

Engineering and Technical Consulting firm, specialized in the Fire
Safety segment.
From its inception, ASHES FIRE has successfully achieved a sustained
growth and access in several international markets, , consolidating a
solid, high level and highly diversified customer base spread across
several segments, emphasizing the industrial , energy generation, oil &
gas, logistic, pharmaceutical , banking, telecommunication operators,
large retail and shopping malls, as well as singular building and facilities.
Our services are oriented to both the property owner and property
promotion firms and in a case by case scenario to: Architecture firms,
Global engineering firms; Fire Safety installers and Insurance brokers and firms specialized in Industrial
and General Building segments.

ASHES FIRE human capital is a 18 people team of engineering, chemistry and architecture
professionals, specialized in diverse fire safety technology areas, and with experienced fire safety
professional with more than 15 years of experience with specific exposure to the whole spectrum of
the fire safety value chain, which includes Fire Safety installers, equipment manufacturers, insurance
firms, engineering firms and fire safety specialized engineering firms.

As a complement to the described multidisciplinary set of experiences, our team encompasses

specialized fire safety knowledge from formal education and specialized training: Engineering
professionals with more than 15 years of experience in Fire Protection, Recognized as Fire Safety
Engineers by SFPE (Society of Fire Protection Engineers) - USA., Certified Specialists in Fire protection
(CEPI) by NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) USA, Members of APICI (Asociacin
Profesional de Ingeniera Contra Incendios, Fire Safety Engineering Professional Association) Spain
and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association).

Today, ASHES FIRE is very proud to be a well-known and renowned firm in the Fire Safety market by
the whole Fire Safety market players: Public Authorities, Insurance brokers and firms, manufacturers,
installers, and other related parties. This achievement is a result of a positive valuation from the
marketplace of our permanent obsession: Quality and Professional decisiveness.

ASHES FIRE has offices in Spain and Mexico, and has developed
close links with Fire Safety consulting and engineering firms in
several other countries, which allow us to have enough
technical and human resources to successfully address the
regulatory, cultural and language-barrier challenges in
international projects, offering our vast service catalog
wherever our customer requires them.
Our corporate culture, as well as any action performed by each
of our professional staff members, is based in a strict ethical
principle: ASHES FIRE do no respond to any particular interest
of manufacturers or general contractors, construction and/or
installation firms. Our commitment is based in offering our
customers an objective total solution, which is aligned to their
requirements and maximizing the benefit/cost ratio.

Our independency allow us to work in a coordinated way, per our customer requirement, with
architecture, installation & maintenance, project management, insurance brokers and any other fire
safety related party; and supported by our technical staff, we are able to offer an un independent
and specialized Fire Safety assessment.

Fire Safety Engineering is a discipline that covers

several diverse fields, which include science,
technology, management and legal frameworks,
providing an integration area between Fire Safety
measurements and the People safety concept.
The United Kingdoms Institution of Fire Engineers defines
Fire Safety engineering as: The action of applying science,
engineering, law, design codes and knowledge coming from
a subject matter expert (Fire engineer), to achieve people,
goods and environment protection from the damages of a
fire. All those aspects are based on the fire phenomena and
its characteristics, as well as people behavior in the event of
a fire.

The main subjects under scope are: Fire science ,

active and passive protection engineering, smoke
and heat control, human behavior, fire risk
evaluation, people egress analysis and the
subsequent evacuation means, system design and
quantification, and finally, human and material
resources management in the event of a fire. Its
application directly affects and conditions almost
all the disciplines that are used in the
development of building project: Architecture and
distribution, civil works and structural engineering,
mechanical and electrical systems engineering and
building operation management.

Because of that reason, and to avoid important design, deployment

and/or licenses concession issues during building process, the presence
a Fire Engineer from the initial or early project stages is fundamental.

We optimize the Fire Safety System Budget

for both active and

passive protection.
This is possible thanks to an exhaustive knowledge of
fire
codes,
system
design
norms
and
recommendations, products and technology, as well
as the capability of performing advance hydraulic
thermodynamic, material resistance and other fire
related calculation.
At the same time, it is also possible to reduce costs
through performance-based design techniques and
Computer-Based simulations, which allow predicting
fire behavior adjusting the protection level to the
exposure conditions on each particular case.

We take care of the complete fire safety project

and we

develop it from its conceptual or basic phase up to the construction or completion stage.

This means that we answer to the existing

challenge in the vast majority Fire Protection
Projects due to the lack of integration
among the different fire safety measures.
Those issues are a consequence of the
traditional processes followed by the Spanish
Fire Protection market, where the
sectorization and egress conditions are
traditionally worked by the architects and
general contracting engineering firms, and
the active fire protection design and
engineering, structural protection and smoke
control are considered in a late Project phase
and contracted to fire Protection system
installers and manufacturers.
With this approach, ASHES FIRE resolves the
serious consequences of the lack of system
integration, expensive design, deficient
installations
and
ineffective
security
conditions.

We make possible a more flexible architectural design

which allows envisioning singular and modern
building and industries, which can accommodate
ample open spaces and large atriums that
communicate different levels, providing at the
same time, an equivalent security level to the
one established by the basic requirements of the
construction codes.
Particularly, we address the issues that architects
normally face to match their building design with
the fire safety regulation.

We answer to any requirement in the Fire Safety field.

As the English speaking markets define it, we
provide a ONE STOP SHOP in Fire Safety.
Specifically, we are able to perform fire load
calculation, system pre-commissioning and testing,
verify fire protection system installation
and
operation condition, justify pertinent regulatory
compliance, to analyze and calculate fire risk levels;
to simulate smoke movement, structural behavior,
fire development or egress; to prepare selfprotection manuals and procedures ; to perform
emergency simulations to provide consultancy
services to insurance firms, installers and public
authorities among other activities.

In ASHES FIRE, we are always concerned about the real market trends, even if they are small or incipient. We are
motivated to grow the scope and to adapt to changes and new trends, to provide maximum benefit to our
customers.
This attitude, without variation from our inception, is what allows us to be reliable fire safety engineering and
consulting firm where your projects can be confidently achieved.
ASHES FIRE business model is based on the most advanced and experienced business models in an
international scale.

We are an innovative firm and as a proof of that, we have

been pioneers in
the introduction in the Spanish fire safety and CAD market of AutoSPRINK. This revolutionary and innovative
software tool is an advanced automatic sprinkler design and calculation, which allows modeling all the
installation components and even the building where the system will be installed in 3D virtual reality.
Based in this tool, and with the digital model built based on intelligent solids, it is possible to simulate the
hydraulics of the system while we interact with it at the same time, opening and closing valves , changing the
number of sprinklers, hydrants, BIEs and /or any component characteristics.
The use of AutoSPRINK allows a significant engineering, building and installation time reductions, which
translates in very important savings in the system final cost.

The promotion of the usage of computer simulation, being Fire Modeling applications and of virtual evacuation
computer models our vision of the future, today this is a reality in which we work excited.
The organization of engineering conferences. ASHES FIRE organized the I and II Fire Safety Congress in Spain
(2001 and 2003), with a significant number of high caliber speakers, several international, with an attendance to
the Congress of more than 300 professionals. In the year 2005, ASHES FIRE yields free of charge to APICI
(Spanish Fire Safety Engineers Association) the Congress organization rights.

The Organization of training courses related to NFPA outside the United States, being in our country where
most attendees were formed in the first year of NFPAs expansion into Spanish speaking countries. We have
transferred the continuity of this formation in Spain free of charge to other associations in the Fire Safety
Industry in Spain in 2004, free of charge.
Our customers have always considered that restless spirit that leads us to continuously innovate in concepts and
procedures, to set guidelines, to take risks. They have recognized us with their confidence and support and this
is the recognition that matters most of all.
Currently we offer a complete set of engineering and consulting services for all types of buildings and uses. We
seek long-term relationships based on trust, quality of service, value-added and final satisfaction from our
customers. Our specialists are able to provide expert advice on all the disciplines of safety in case of fire and at
any stage of the project, either in the case of new buildings or for existing ones.

In the next section, we summarize the main services we offer to our customers

ervice

ummary

Building and Fire Code Analysis

The enforcement of building codes that determine the level of risk a building
project, the conditions for the disposal of sectorization, structural protection
requirements, the degree of combustibility of materials, among others; as well as
the active protection systems required, should be done in combination with the
establishment of parameters and design conditions of such systems: detection,
extinction, water supply, signaling, smoke control, and other applicable, according
to the requirements of their respective design codes.
This procedure allows a correct integration of active protection, passive protection,
evacuation and smoke control measures together with other disciplines such as
HVAC, power, the building structure, process control, etc.
This task, when there is no fire engineers, is carried out by different figures in the
building design process; architects, engineering general practitioners,
manufacturers, installers, etc. The problems associated with this design model are
the lack of integration of the security measures and projected systems which lead
to expensive designs, poor facilities and less effective security conditions.
ASHES FIRE provides this type of specialized service during the phase of conceptual
or basic design, and as a result, it is feasible to obtain more effective security and
tighter designs from the economic point of view.
The analysis includes the identification of alternative solutions based on the
effectiveness that comply with the safety objectives set by the building regulations
in terms of people safety in the event of fire

Fire Due Diligence Surveys

ASHES FIRE implements fire safety audits and investigations, mainly in existing
buildings and industries, in order to verify the degree of compliance with the
building regulations and codes or standards that were used for the design of the
existing PCI systems.
Audits are strictly confidential and their scope must be conveniently bounded
depending on the needs of the client.
The main reasons why our clients have engaged this type of service have been:
Determine the protection requirements, to comply with the legislation in force,
and the cost of the required measures.
Determine the legislation compliance degree in the process of selling assets.
Optimize the planned investment.

Verify the efficiency of functioning of the installations of active protection

systems: detection, sprinkler, fire pumps, smoke control, fire hydrants, and
another applicable. Normally, this type of work requires operation testing of
these systems and design verification and installation conditions.
Legalize facilities.
Expert advice to achieve protection levels above those required by law, in order
to reduce people risk to, the loss of assets and discontinue or interruption of
the productive activity.

Cost Optimization Reengineering

The experience acquired by ASHES Fire in the Fire Safety review of Fire Safety
projects, for more than 10 years, allows us to verify that most of the projects are
developed by General Engineering Firms and that these projects can be
significantly optimized in its economic parameters, without reducing the level of
safety of the original design.
This is possible if your organization has a thorough understanding of the
applicable legislation and codes that allow the design of facilities, the possibility to
perform advanced calculations in the hydraulic, structural, smoke movement and
evacuation fields, as well as a broad knowledge in Fire Safety products and
technologies.
This is a very attractive formula to our customers since engineering fees could be
fixed as a percentage of the expected savings, and therefore, does not imply an
initial economic expense in consulting services.

Technical Peer Review

Currently, architects and engineers are facing numerous challenges during the
development of a building project. Fire safety is a complex discipline that
conditions the design process in buildings and industrial plants.
Many of our end customers, which are sensitized by the importance of secure
facilities for the people, as well as properly protected to limit the damages and the
activity stop, engage us in the technical review of the Fire Safety Project.
With the provision of this service, all project documentation, history, plans,
regulatory approach, security objectives, calculations, design parameters and final
budget specifications are carefully review. After that, a detailed report is issued for
the adaptation and update of the project, significantly reducing the range of
uncertainty for the promoter, in both the legal aspects and the project budget.

Commissioning

Fire safety systems have the particularity, when compared with other types of
systems or facilities, which they only come into operation in case of emergency.
This circumstance makes it imperative to establish standards of maximum rigor and
professionalism in 1) the final reception testing or commissioning and 2) the
periodic maintenance of the systems.
ASHES FIRE has engineers specialists and specific testing protocols , based on
technical rules of good practice, national and international industry associations
and entities (FM, NFPA, CEPREVEN, TECNIFUEGO etc.), that allow to verify the
correct functioning of the fire protection systems.

Emergency Planning
When your organization is concerned about fire safety in a building, emergency
procedure and the staffs assigned to the first response are fundamental aspects
that need to be defined and managed.
ASHES FIRE provides a full consultancy service aimed to prepare emergency plan
documents that can be completed with:

An analysis of the time of evacuation identifying evacuation strategies most

appropriate to each case as well as possible improvements in existing facilities.

Review of the automatic detection system including the fire control panel
programming and the messages and response of the PA/EVAC system.

Evacuation drills

Fire Detection Systems

It is a comprehensive service related to the automatic fire detection system. It
includes the review of the conceptual and constructive design as well as of the
installed system installation and its testing.
In particular the scope of the service is extended to the following actions: analysis,
testing, cost budgetary estimate, design, documentation for a RFQ, installation
review, reception tests, periodic revision planning, etc.

Fire Extinguishing Systems

ASHES FIRE extinction systems service includes everything you need from the predesign or conceptual design phase to the final reception tests.
The ASHES FIRE team of Engineering specialists has experience, knowledge and
sufficient training to perform hydraulic calculations, field research, water and other
fire extinguishing agents discharge tests, acceptance tests, etc.
In particular the scope of the service includes: water tanks, fire pumps, water supply
network for fire protection, wet, dry, pre-action and flood sprinkler systems, as well
as water spray, foam, gas extinguishing systems. Among the possible actions:
analysis, testing, costs estimation, design, documentation for a RFQ, installation
review, reception tests, periodic revision planning, etc.

Performance Based Design

The design of a building safety conditions to protect the people, the goods or the
environment, from damages resulting from a fire using the Performance Based
Design-PBD- methodology is synonymous of the application of fire engineering
design techniques in its broadest sense. In other words, this implies the use of
fundamental engineering subjects such as the thermodynamics, fluid mechanics,
combustion chemistry, hydraulics, structures calculation, statistics, human
behavior, etc.
In ASHES FIRE, we have proven experience in the development of performance
based solutions or efficiency based, to solve design problems of a different
nature as follows: fire sector size limitations , evacuation routes length limitations,
structural fire behavior and protection requirements, heat control systems and
smoke evacuation systems.
PBD is normally associated with the development of advanced calculations and the
use of specific computer models that predict the development and behavior of the
fire (temperature, smoke movement, filing etc.), the structures and the
evacuation.

Egress Simulation
Egress simulations allows to calculate and accurately predict the actual time to
perform an organized evacuation in both, buildings that are in project stage, and in
existing buildings.
Computational simulation of evacuation models is indispensable in complex
building with large numbers of occupants, levels and exits. These models can fully
analyze the evacuation process and make suitable decisions to optimize it.
Thus, in addition to quantitative results of evacuation times, it is possible to analyze
the existence of conflict zones where holdbacks are produced by accumulation of
occupants. ASHES FIRE egress simulations are performed with our own staff and
have proven experience in PBD designs where it was necessary to use these tools
to justify the validity of alternative solutions.
Egress simulations are also useful during the implementation phase the selfprotection plan, allowing your organization to visualize the behavior of the
occupants under maximum occupancy assumptions, allowing more effective
allocation of emergency personnel.

Fire and Smoke Simulation

Fire and smoke simulation is done with specific software, which allows
mathematical analysis of the fluid behavior by means of computational methods. In
this way it is possible to predict the growth of the fire, the spatial heat transfer and
the movement of smoke as most relevant aspects for the study of alternative
solutions of safety in case of fire.
In ASHES FIRE, our specialists in computer simulation use, principally, the FDS (Fire
Dynamic Simulator). This model, developed by the NIST (National Institute of
Standards and Technology), is suitable for fires in enclosures with different
ventilation factors, solves the equations that govern fluid dynamics phenomena;
Navier-Stokes equations, being valid for applications with low Mach number, low
flow rate from a thermal point of view, with emphasis on the heat and smoke
transport from the fire. In addition, it employs the technique of large eddy
simulations (LES) for the treatment of turbulence.

Structural Fire Engineering

The engineering of structures in a fire situation is multidisciplinary. It studies the
fire, behavior, determines the heat transferred to the structure and calculates its
mechanical response of the structure when exposed to real building loads and the
heat from the fire.
As a result, it is determined if the structure requires (or not) structural protection to
maintain its bearing capacity. And if this is the case, it allows identifying which
elements of the structure are necessary to protect, as well as the type of protection
most appropriate to each case.