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We promised a big announcement in our December newsletter, and now we are pleased to announce that Tim DeRuyscher has joined the RAN team!
Tim has been a fire protection engineer for over thirty-seven years and offers a treasure trove of industry knowledge. He is an expert in building and fire codes and currently serves as a representative member on the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Council. Our current fire protection engineers are thrilled by Tim’s arrival and his ability to extend our capabilities in code consulting. We value Tim’s fire protection engineering and building code expertise, and are excited to see what the new year will bring!.
Note from Tim:
My introduction into the fire protection engineering profession was through my early fire service activities many decades ago. When faced with my first year of community college (yes, before the internet!), my fire science professor asked me on day one why I wasn’t going to be a fire protection engineer. I thought I’d be a fire fighter and rise through the ranks, helping people along the way. That professor challenged me and changed my 2-year program for a transfer to the University of Maryland’s Fire Protection Engineering program, the only accredited institution for that degree at the time in the USA. That allowed me to help people in a new way, which is really what I continue to enjoy to this day. The only thing was, I didn’t realize how much impact this profession change would provide to me and others.
Upon my graduation with a BS in Fire Protection Engineering, I worked with the Syracuse NY Fire Department (1983-1986) as the Fire Protection Engineer using “the old green books” fire & building codes for New York reviewing all sorts of projects. It was during this time that I helped form the NY Empire Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and assisted getting the NCEES fire protection engineering profession recognized in New York State. I eventually joined a locally based MEP consulting engineering firm (Robson & Woese, Inc Consulting Engineers), where I started a Fire Protection Engineering and Code Consulting group in 1986. Decades went by doing all sorts of small and large fire and life safety projects, all which provided a great challenge with a variety of clients and fire protection solutions. In 2011, I led the merger of RobsonWoese Inc. Engineers with GHD Inc., a 10,000-person international consulting engineering firm and again started a fire engineering and life safety services offering within GHD. This grew to a healthy business encompassing the east and west coasts of the USA and New Zealand/Australia personnel. In the summer of 2019, with various changes underway it was time for me to move on and maybe start to enjoy a little more time away from “work” ……maybe?
Over the years, my professional relationships with various clients, peers and people have let me understand that doing the right thing, being nice and respectful, standing up for what you believe in, coming up with different and innovative solutions while working with like-minded and “nice” individuals who return the respectfulness is what makes helping others so enjoyable. I continue to like the challenges and solving problems in ways that many other engineers never get the opportunity to do. I can’t help it…. I love my profession and I don’t view it as work but as a way of helping others from the many unrecognized dangers of uncontrolled and unwanted fires. So, when an opportunity to work with Doug, Chris and the good people at RAN came up, it’s an exciting chance to have some more fun! That being said, I’m looking forward to meeting new people, clients and using my past experiences with continued learning of technologies to understand your businesses and solve fire problems you may be faced with in the coming years. Whether it be Building & Fire Code Consulting, NFPA and Insurer standards consulting, Fire Modeling, Performance Based Design or Alternative Solutions or Fire Systems Designs/Consulting, I know our team can help you. See you all soon!
Note from Doug:
19-10…Our BIG Announcement!
"The Entrepreneur Always Searches For Change, Responds To It, And Exploits It As An Opportunity." – Peter Drucker
Nineteen years ago I was in an Albany SFPE seminar, the first one that I attended since leaving Boston to work in Albany. At the end of the seminar I introduced myself as a fire protection engineer and asked a question. It is striking how a question can lead to an opportunity 19 years later. After the seminar concluded, Tim DeRuyscher approached me and introduced himself. Anyone that knows Tim would say he is a charismatic guy and that it takes little time to realize his intelligence and expertise in the fire protection field. After that first meeting, Tim and I kept in touch, often talking about wanting to work together.
RAN is going into our 10th year! Time flies when you are having fun, it has been 10 years of working around the globe, providing fire protection services, and enjoying the friends we made along the journey. After 19 years of knowing a great fire protection engineer and ten years of adventures with RAN, it is with great enthusiasm to announce that Tim DeRuyscher decided that he wanted to help RAN grow and come on board to …
open a Rochester office.
This is a big deal! The timing is right for Tim and RAN to seize the opportunities we have in front of us. Many of you will have the chance to meet Tim on future projects. RAN is looking forward to meeting the people that Tim has worked with over the decades. We have no intention of slowing down and are poised to expand our code consulting services, commissioning, master planning, and facility wide fire safety analyses.
19 and 10, two numbers that came together in 2020! I am looking forward to the decade ahead. We have the ability and now it is time to create our opportunities.
Networking is a great way to meet new people, but maintaining communication can be a challenge. Tim and Doug are a prime example of the power of communication and building meaningful business relationships, but what can you do to grow relationships and retain clients? To learn more, click here.