The Fire Consultants
The Fire Consultants is a private fire protection engineering and consulting firm that helps design teams, building owners, and AHJs navigate building and fire code compliance. It serves clients nationwide from its Walnut Creek, CA and Raleigh, NC offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersWalnut Creek, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Fire Consultants does
The Fire Consultants, Inc. is a privately held fire protection engineering and consulting firm headquartered at 2890 North Main Street, Suite 210, Walnut Creek, California, with a regional office in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 2005, the firm delivers a unified portfolio of eight specialized services: building code consulting, code alternatives and equivalencies, performance-based design, fire protection system design and testing, smoke control design and testing, fire/smoke and egress modeling, litigation support and expert witness testimony, and third-party design review. Its primary customers are design teams (architects, structural engineers, developers), building owners and developers, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), with additional engagements for attorneys and insurance carriers.
The firm's technical work rests on industry-standard computational modeling — Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), CONTAM, Heat Transfer Software, FDS-EVAC, and PathFinder — used to demonstrate that available safe egress time (ASET) exceeds required safe egress time (RSET) and to substantiate performance-based code equivalencies. Engineers hold Professional Engineer registrations in 17 U.S. states plus Guam, and team members serve on ICC and NFPA codes and standards committees, which the firm credits for the interpretive depth behind its consulting work. Documented project experience spans more than 25 metropolitan markets (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, Washington DC, Honolulu, and others), with reference projects including 181 Fremont Street, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archives, and ATT Ballpark.
Revenue is generated exclusively through project-based professional services engagements — fire protection engineering consultation, code interpretation, performance-based design analysis, smoke control rational analyses, third-party special inspection, and expert witness work — sold directly to clients on a quote basis. The go-to-market is consultative and relationship-driven, with no active digital marketing; top-of-funnel demand is generated through professional networks and codes-and-standards committee participation. Notable recent events include the April 2024 retirement of long-tenured California PE Don Moeller and the January 2022 retirement of Jeff Maddox, indicating ongoing succession in the firm's small technical bench.
The Fire Consultants firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Fire Consultants
- Legal name
- The Fire Consultants, Inc.
- Website
- https://thefireconsultants.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Fire Consultants is a private fire protection engineering and consulting firm that helps design teams, building owners, and AHJs navigate building and fire code compliance. It serves clients nationwide from its Walnut Creek, CA and Raleigh, NC offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Fire Consultants industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fire Protection Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Other Specialized Design Services (541490), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support) (BPABAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fire Safety Compliance, Risk Assessments & Training (Code Consulting) (IMAIAJAL), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG), Fire & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers/Alarms) (IMAIAAAI)
Keywords
Where The Fire Consultants is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walnut Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Fire Consultants business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering Consulting Services: The firm generates revenue through professional engineering consulting services including building code consulting, performance-based design, fire protection system design, smoke control analysis, and litigation support. Services are provided on a project basis to design teams, building owners, and authorities having jurisdiction.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Fire Consultants product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Fire Consultants provides professional fire protection engineering and consulting services to design teams, building owners, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). The firm delivers eight specialized services including building code consulting, code alternatives and equivalencies, performance-based design, fire protection system design and testing, smoke control design and testing, fire/smoke and egress modeling using tools such as FDS and PathFinder, third-party review, and litigation support with expert witness services. Engagement follows a three-step consultative process: understanding the client, developing a proposed approach, and gaining regulatory acceptance.
Product overview
The Fire Consultants is a fire protection engineering and consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of eight specialized services. These include Building Code Consulting, Building Code Alternatives & Equivalencies, Performance-Based Design, Fire Protection System Design & Testing, Smoke Control Design & Testing, Litigation Support & Expert Witness, Fire/Smoke & Egress Modeling, and Third-Party Review. The services range from prescriptive code interpretation to advanced computer modeling (FDS, PathFinder, CONTAM) and are delivered through a three-step process: understanding client needs, developing proposed approaches, and gaining regulatory acceptance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Building Code Consulting
Companies that use The Fire Consultants
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Fire Consultants technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Fire Consultants partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Fire Consultants competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Arup: Global engineering consultancy with a dedicated fire engineering practice serving design teams and building owners on performance-based design, egress modeling, and smoke control—closely matching The Fire Consultants' technical service mix while operating within a broader multi-discipline firm.
- Jensen Hughes: Largest pure-play fire protection engineering and code consulting firm in North America, offering building code consulting, performance-based design, smoke control, and expert witness services—directly overlapping The Fire Consultants' eight-service portfolio but at significantly larger scale across multiple continents.
- J.S. Held: Specialty consulting firm with fire and building code expertise within a broader forensic, construction, and engineering practice—overlapping with The Fire Consultants' code consulting and expert witness offerings while serving larger enterprise clients.
- Rimkus Consulting Group: Multi-disciplinary engineering and forensic consulting firm with fire origin/cause investigation, building code consulting, and expert witness services—comparable to The Fire Consultants in litigation support while extending into broader forensic engineering.
- Code Consultants, Inc. (CCI): Specialty building code consulting firm providing code compliance, third-party review, alternate means and methods, and AHJ negotiation—directly competing with The Fire Consultants on the code consulting core of its practice.
- Exponent: Engineering and scientific consulting firm with substantial fire investigation, failure analysis, and expert witness practices—directly overlapping The Fire Consultants' litigation support and expert witness service for attorneys and insurers.
Broad incumbents
- GHD: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with fire protection engineering capabilities—overlaps with The Fire Consultants but offers a much broader multi-discipline portfolio to enterprise and public-sector clients.
- Thornton Tomasetti: Engineering consultancy with fire protection services and applied science including fire investigation—overlaps with The Fire Consultants' performance-based design and litigation support, while specializing primarily in structural engineering.
- Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): Engineering consultancy with fire damage assessment and code-related consulting within a broader structural and materials practice—comparable in expert witness and code consulting but operates at substantially larger scale.
Emerging players
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): Engineering firm with fire protection engineering and code consulting capabilities alongside structural and building envelope specialties—provides comparable services to The Fire Consultants while anchored in structural and building science.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Fire Consultants social profiles
Digital presenceThe Fire Consultants financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Fire Consultants leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
The Fire Consultants funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Fire Consultants M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Fire Consultants
What does The Fire Consultants do?
The Fire Consultants provides professional fire protection engineering and consulting services to design teams, building owners, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). The firm delivers eight specialized services including building code consulting, code alternatives and equivalencies, performance-based design, fire protection system design and testing, smoke control design and testing, fire/smoke and egress modeling using tools such as FDS and PathFinder, third-party review, and litigation support with expert witness services. Engagement follows a three-step consultative process: understanding the client, developing a proposed approach, and gaining regulatory acceptance.
Is The Fire Consultants a public or private company?
The Fire Consultants is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Fire Consultants founded?
The Fire Consultants was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Fire Consultants based?
The Fire Consultants is headquartered in Walnut Creek, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Fire Consultants make money?
One revenue line is on record: engineering Consulting Services.
Who are The Fire Consultants's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Arup, Jensen Hughes, J.S. Held, Rimkus Consulting Group, Code Consultants, Inc. (CCI) and Exponent. Broad incumbents are GHD, Thornton Tomasetti and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE). Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Fire Consultants have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Fire Consultants.
What industry is The Fire Consultants in?
The Fire Consultants's product category is Fire Protection Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAHAJ, Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support), with a secondary code of IMAIAJAL, Fire Safety Compliance, Risk Assessments & Training (Code Consulting). Its NAICS code is 541490 and its SIC code is 8711.