Vice President & General Manager
Senior Fire Protection Engineer
Gilead R. Ziemba, P.E. has a proven history of building and maintaining positive working relationships with clients and public officials. Mr. Ziemba is skilled in clearly communicating technical information and has excellent organizational skills. Previously, Mr. Ziemba held positions in fire protection system design, code consulting, and both civil and structural engineering.
Education
2006 Master of Science – Fire Protection Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Worcester, Massachusetts
2005 Bachelor of Science — Civil/Structural Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Worcester, Massachusetts
Licenses and Certifications
Texas Licensed Professional Engineer (No. 104873) – Fire Protection Branch
Certified Building Plans Examiner, International Code Council
Certified Fire Plans Examiner, International Code Council
Hazardous Materials Awareness Level Trained (OSHA Title 29 – CFR 1910.120)
Professional Experience
2009 – Present
Protection Development, Incorporated, San Antonio, Texas
Mr. Ziemba is responsible for providing engineered fire sprinkler and fire alarm system designs, construction administration, inspections and commissioning testing, project management, structural heat transfer, fire growth, smoke movement, and water distribution systems modeling, performance based alternative methods development and designs, building and fire code consultation, and seminar development and training (internal and external).
Major Project Experience
Hyatt Regency Hotel – San Antonio, Texas (’09-‘10): Atrium smoke control system analysis and design of sprinkler and fire alarm system remodel for grade floor of 11-story hotel. Single point contact for design team. Coordinated all project submittals and addenda. Project Role: Engineer of Record, Project Manager.
DPT Laboratories – San Antonio, Texas (2009): Process safety analysis for flammable liquids blending and dispensing operation. Risk analysis and engineering evaluation to determine required ventilation rate and process improvements to remove deflagration venting. Consultant to project Architect on sprinkler system design. Project Role: Lead Designer, Project Manager.
Airstar Jetport – San Antonio, Texas (2009): Design of high-expansion foam, sprinkler, and standpipe systems, fire pumps, and ground water storage tanks for 60,000 s.f Group I aircraft hangar. Code consultation that resulted in $800,000 project cost savings. Project Role: Lead Designer, Project Manager.
University Hospital Systems Capital Improvement Project – San Antonio, Texas (2010): Attend all meetings and act as single point of contact for all design team members. Distribute, coordinate, and review all code analysis work for five-phase project including new central utility plan expansion and heliport addition, new 11-story parking facility with roof-top heliport, and 11-story, 400 + bed hospital and acute care facility. Project Role: Project Manager.
2006 – 2009
City of San Antonio Development Services Department, San Antonio, Texas
As Fire Protection Plan Review Team Leader and Associate Fire Protection Engineer, Mr. Ziemba’s primary job responsibilities included assigning weekly workloads to staff, QA/QC on reviews to ensure completeness and consistency, overseeing timely review turnarounds and adjusting schedules and workloads to meet department goals, reviewing building permit plans, sprinkler plans, gaseous suppression plans, and smoke control system designs for conformance with the ICC, NFPA, and locally adopted Codes and Standards. He was a member of both Fire and Building Code Modification Request (Alternative Methods) Committees. Mr. Ziemba developed and presented internal and external training seminars and developed and implemented public policies related to on-going code enforcement or permit process issues. He worked closely with fire department personnel on field inspections to ensure facilities were constructed as designed and complied with code. Mr. Ziemba consulted with customers on the most expedient, cost-effective, and code-compliant methods of construction and consulted with customers on finding safe, effective, and logical alternative methods to prescriptive code requirements.
2005
AHA Consulting Engineers, Lexington, Massachusetts
As an intern at AHA Consulting Engineers, Mr. Ziemba was responsible for designing fire protection and fire alarm systems per NFPA and several state adopted Codes and Standards. His responsibilities included providing code consulting regarding storage and dispensing of hazardous liquids. He conducted field surveys to assess existing conditions for systems design. He also performed hydraulic calculations using multiple hydraulic modeling software programs as well as hand calculation methods.
2004 – 2005
HS&T Group, Inc., Worchester, Massachusetts
Mr. Ziemba’s duties while employed as a Field Worker, Drafter, and Surveyor included drawing Certified Plot Plans and Mortgage Inspection Plans using AutoCAD, completing tape surveys in field for Mortgage Inspection Plans, and operating Total Station surveying equipment and all other instruments.
2003 – 2004
CLA Engineers, Inc. Norwich, Connecticut
Some of Mr. Ziemba’s responsibilities as an intern in Structural Engineering Department and Surveyor were designing building structural elements such as concrete floor slabs, metal decking, and steel members. While at CLA Engineers, Inc., he revised structural plans using AutoCAD and operated Total Station surveying equipment and all other instruments.
Professional Memberships
Society of Fire Protection Engineers (National)
Society of Fire Protection Engineers (Austin / San Antonio Chapter)
International Code Council
Professional Engineers in Private Practice (PEPP – San Antonio Chapter, MEP Director