Pilot Open Join our no-cost Pilot Phase ($0 initiation fee) or request a Free Single-Quote Audit. Claim a Spot →

Elevate Your Safety.
Protect Your Budget.

Stop overpaying on fire protection contractor quotes. Get 24/7 code oversight, expert quote audits, and insurance premium optimization for a flat monthly retainer.

Request a Free Quote Audit / Pilot Spot Take 30-Sec Tier Assessment
Interactive Platform Preview

Explore How You Can Use FPE Direct

A central hub for you, your Fire Marshal, and your insurance provider. Select a perspective below to see how the portal works for your role.

Sample Facility View

Stop Overpaying on Contractor Repair Quotes

Upload any contractor proposal, IT&M report, or code question from your phone. A licensed FPE audits the scope so you only pay for what code actually requires.

Potential Single-Ticket Savings $15,350+
Illustrative Quote Audit Scenario How It Works

Diesel Fire Pump Controller Estimate

Example Scenario • Alternative Code Scope

Typical Vendor Quote $24,800
FPE Verified Scope $9,450
How FPE Direct Saves You Money: Vendors frequently quote full controller replacements when a sub-component fails. By applying NFPA 20 and NFPA 25 allowances for component-level pressure transducer repairs, an FPE review can save $15,000+ on a single quote.
How Facility Managers Use the Portal Mobile & Desktop
1

Submit Quotes, IT&M Records, or Questions

Snap a photo or upload a PDF straight from the mechanical room.

2

Licensed FPE Performs Technical Triage

We audit pricing and scope against actual NFPA code requirements.

3

Instant Email & Dashboard Decision

Receive stamped engineering guidance to push back on inflated quotes.

Veteran Owned • 20 Years of Fire Protection Experience

Meet Your FPE

When you use FPE Direct, you are not handing your building over to an anonymous software startup. You get a licensed Fire Protection Engineer (P.E.) in your corner whose entire 20-year professional career has been dedicated to preventing fires and protecting complex facilities.

Levi Barr, P.E.

Levi Barr, P.E.

Founder & Lead Fire Protection Engineer

⚓ U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran
🏥 Former Director of Life Safety
☢️ DOE Nuclear & High-Hazard
Licensed P.E. in 10 States:
CA FL ID KY NJ NM NV TX UT WA

Independent Engineering Advocacy. We Work for You, Not the Contractor.

When a fire protection contractor brings in their own engineer to evaluate a problem, that engineer is often incentivized to design an expensive fix so the contractor's project fee increases. Because FPE Direct is retained directly by you and never sells equipment or bids on repairs, our only priority is protecting your facility and your budget.

My relationship with fire protection started long before I became a licensed engineer.

In high school, I served as a junior firefighter with my local volunteer fire department, seeing firsthand the effect of fire and the damage that it can inflict. In 2006, I joined the U.S. Navy Submarine Force, where I spent years advancing my real-world training in fire prevention and damage control. On a submarine, you learn a critical lesson in reliability: when a fire happens underwater, there is no outside help coming. Every system and procedure has to work.

After the Navy, I worked in healthcare facilities management as a Project Manager for Fire & Life Safety and was later promoted to Director of Life Safety. In that role, I was directly responsible for all hospital fire protection and life safety systems. I managed and maintained the facility life safety drawings, developed Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSMs), oversaw contractor quotes and capital projects, and maintained all IT&M documentation required for strict compliance with NFPA, CMS, and The Joint Commission.

From healthcare, I transitioned to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), where I help keep nuclear and high-hazard facilities safe from fire and reduce the operational impact of potential fire events for Department of Energy (DOE) missions. Alongside that work, I advise commercial building owners and contractors on fire alarm, sprinkler, and life safety systems to ensure safety and the client’s best interests are maintained from initial design through the entire operating lifecycle of the building.

I built FPE Direct because I saw a major gap across the facilities managed by my clients. Keeping a full-time Fire Protection Engineer on staff is expensive, leaving most facility managers to navigate contractor quotes and code challenges alone. FPE Direct gives any facility a dedicated FPE on their side for a fraction of the cost.

Built for Commercial, Institutional, and High-Hazard Footprints

🏥 Healthcare & Medical Life safety drawings, ILSMs, and audit readiness for CMS, The Joint Commission, and NFPA 99/101.
🏭 Industrial & High-Hazard High-piled storage, ESFR sprinkler systems, hazardous materials, and mission-critical continuity.
🏢 Commercial & Hospitality Complex addressable fire alarms, smoke control systems, high-rise life safety, and AHJ ledgers.
📦 Multi-Site Portfolios Standardizing contractor pricing, quarterly IT&M tracking, and HPR insurance scoring across states.
Protect Your Facility Budget

Real-World Scenarios Where an FPE Protects Your Facility

Having an independent engineer review your reports and citations prevents unnecessary capital projects before they start.

Scenario 1 Defending Your Building's "Code of Record" Against Unnecessary Retrofits
▼

The Situation: Your building has operated safely with its current configuration for years. Suddenly, a contractor or inspector points to a brand-new code edition and claims you need a massive, expensive system upgrade or repair to fix an existing condition.

How FPE Direct Protects You: Often, this is a misinterpretation of how retroactive codes work. If your building was constructed, approved, and accepted under an earlier design, it is frequently grandfathered under its original Code of Record. Because we work for you rather than the contractor, we verify your building's original design basis and push back against unrequired retrofits that drive up contractor fees.

Scenario 2 Separating True Code Deficiencies from Contractor "Recommendations"
▼

The Situation: After a routine inspection, your vendor hands you an IT&M report and a hefty repair quote that lumps minor observations, non-mandatory best practices, and sales recommendations right alongside actual code deficiencies.

How FPE Direct Protects You: Facility managers are often led to believe they are legally required to approve every line item on an inspection quote. We audit your IT&M reports line by line against NFPA 25 and NFPA 72, separating what you are legally required to fix from optional contractor upsells.

Scenario 3 Resolving Fire Marshal (AHJ) Citations with Practical Equivalencies
▼

The Situation: An inspector flags a field condition, clearance issue, or system impairment and demands a disruptive, high-cost modification on a tight deadline.

How FPE Direct Protects You: Instead of blindly paying a contractor to tear out and rebuild systems, we step in to communicate peer-to-peer with your local AHJ. We evaluate the actual risk, develop Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSMs) if needed, and propose code-compliant engineering equivalencies or alternative solutions that satisfy the Fire Marshal at a fraction of the cost.

30-Second Facility Assessment

Find the Right Engineering Tier for Your Building

Answer 3 quick questions about your contractor activity and compliance needs to see which retainer delivers the highest ROI.

Flexible Engineering Retainers

Choose the level of oversight your facility needs. Currently accepting Pilot applications ($0 fee to join).

Portal Access

For facilities with in-house experts needing better organization.

  • ✓ Centralized document & report storage
  • ✓ Basic self-serve compliance tracking
  • ✓ Read-only access for Fire Marshals & Insurance
Select Portal Access
MOST POPULAR

Remote Retainer

Expert engineering oversight and active quote auditing.

  • ✓ Everything in Portal Access
  • ✓ "Ask the Engineer" contractor quote audits
  • ✓ Quarterly FPE compliance sign-offs
  • ✓ Direct AHJ violation triage
Select Remote Retainer
CAPPED AT 12 CLIENTS

Premium HPR

Strictly capped at 12 facilities for dedicated, on-call FPE access.

  • ✓ Everything in Remote Retainer + Priority On-Call FPE
  • ✓ Active insurance premium negotiation
  • ✓ Annual On-Site Facility Assessment
  • ✓ Comprehensive Life Safety Score Report
Check HPR Availability
Direct Engineering Intake

Request Pilot Access or a Free Single-Quote Audit

Have an active contractor repair quote or deficiency list right now? Or want to claim one of our no-cost Pilot spots? Drop your details below and a licensed FPE will reach out directly.

100% confidential. Pilot participants pay $0 initiation fees and retain all organized compliance records and FPE reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the No-Cost Pilot Phase work, and why is HPR capped at 12 clients? ▼
Accepted pilot facilities pay $0 to join while we refine the platform alongside your team. Even after full launch, our Premium HPR tier is permanently capped at 12 facilities so every client receives top-notch engineering service and true on-call FPE availability. If you decide not to continue after the pilot, all of your organized data and engineering reports are packaged and delivered to you to keep.
What does having an FPE on retainer actually get me? ▼
You get an independent, 3rd-party engineering advocate. Instead of blindly approving expensive contractor repair quotes, you pass them through our portal. We triage your compliance risks, provide alternative code solutions, and ensure you only spend money on what actually improves your facility's safety posture.
Can I share my portal with Fire Marshals or Insurance Adjusters? ▼
Yes. This is one of our most powerful features. You can grant read-only access to your local AHJ or insurance provider. They can log in, view your spotless maintenance records, and see a hyperlinked chain of events proving that every deficiency was tracked, repaired, and signed off by a licensed Fire Protection Engineer.
What is the Annual Life Safety System Assessment Report? ▼
Included in our Premium tier, this is an independent, on-site audit of your entire fire safety posture. You receive a stamped summary of the year and a concrete safety score baselined against code requirements. It is the exact document you hand to an insurance broker to prove your facility is a Highly Protected Risk (HPR) to negotiate premium discounts.