Technician Spotlight

David Payne, Principal Nuclear Fire Protection Engineer for National Security Technologies

The concept of fire protection is centered on the core principles of protecting life, property and the environment by preventing or mitigating fire hazards. In order to effectively apply these principals, one must first identify the hazard. As such, Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians are employed in a number of commonly known fields such as construction, insurance, research, code enforcement, etc., and are charged with identifying fire hazards and providing key input in the process of identifying appropriate engineering and or administrative controls to prevent or mitigate a credible fire event. They are also responsible for ensuring all regulatory requirements are met throughout the design, construction and commissioning phases of the project. 

Another area where Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians are employed that is not quite as common as the previously mentioned areas is in the nuclear engineering field. Commercial nuclear power plants and the nuclear weapons complex, which consists of United States Department of Energy operated nuclear weapons sites, also employ a large number fire protection engineers as well. One of these nuclear weapons complex sites is the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The NNSS is located about 70 miles north of Las Vegas in Mercury Nevada and is about 1900 square miles in size.

One of the major facilities located in Area 6 of the NNSS is the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) and National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC). Currently the DAF/NCERC has a construction project underway to replace twenty seven (27) large diameter underground lead-in lines that supply water for the fire suppressions systems throughout the facility. The lead nuclear fire protection engineer involved with this work is David Osceola Payne. David is currently a Principal Nuclear Fire Protection Engineer for National Security Technologies, LLC, the current prime Maintenance and Operations contractor for the United States Department of Energy at the NNSS. He holds several qualifications including a NICET Level III Certification in Water Based Systems Layout and was first certified in 2004. David also regularly participates as a volunteer content Subject Matter Expert (SME) for NICET’s program development efforts.

As the fire protection technical lead for this project, David’s responsibilities include approving the system design and hydraulic calculations, materials and methods used for construction and all acceptance testing that is performed. He must also coordinate with other engineering leads to ensure all interdisciplinary conflicts are addressed up front. Recently we had the opportunity to ask him some questions about his career and how NICET played a role in his success.

How did you get into this field? What was your career track?

I started my career in the fire protection engineering field as an intern with Vegas Valley Fire Protection. I had never observed fire suppression, fire pumps, standpipe system layouts and hydraulic calculations before, and at the time, these designs seemed very complex and quite frankly intimidated me a bit. But the owner of the company was very knowledgeable and convinced me that learning the fire protection engineering discipline would one day pay off. That day I made the decision to go all in. I worked there for about two (2) years and learned a lot about fire suppression system design, materials selection, installation, multi-discipline coordination, etc.

After I left the company, I went to work for Western States Fire Protection where I received quality tutelage from the engineering manager and field superintendent and really started to grow in my understanding of system design and installation as well as the interpretation, application and implementation of various codes and standards. I worked for Western States Fire Protection for about eight (8) years before leaving and to take on my first Design Manager position and eventually coming to work for National Security Technologies, LLC and the United States Department of Energy.

How did you learn about NICET certification?

I first learned about NICET certification while working at Vegas Valley Fire Protection. After I left the company and went to work for Western States Fire Protection, it was clear to me that in order to establish myself as one of the best and continue to progress in my career that I needed to add the NICET credential to my resume.

What did achieving higher levels of NICET certification mean to you?

It provided tangible evidence to me that I was starting to meet the short and long term career goals that I had established for myself. Passing each level gave me a nice since of accomplishment. Another accomplishment that was very rewarding to me was being selected as one of NICETs SMEs and volunteering to support various exam review sessions over the last few years. Being able to interact with other SMEs who spoke the same language if you will, gave me additional tangible evidence that I was becoming more knowledgeable in the discipline.

How has NICET certification played a role in advancing your career?

The process that I went through to reach higher levels of certification is what has allowed me to advance my career. In order to pass each level of certification you really do need to have a solid understand of the fundamentals of the discipline and then build on those fundamentals to get to the next level. You also need to understand the finer details of the interpretation, application and implementation of various codes and standards in the design and construction process that only come by working in the discipline over time. This understanding has allowed me to advance my career and become the technical lead on incredibly interesting and challenging projects. I’ve now been working in the nuclear engineering field as a nuclear fire protection engineer for about eight (8) years. I discovered that in the DOE standard for fire protection engineering functional area qualifications, DOE-STD 1137, NICET certification is encouraged and is used as a way of gauging subject matter competence. As an engineer or technician, obtaining and maintaining the NICET credential adds credibility to your name. During the course of a project, be it the design phase, construction phase or commissioning phase, when others see that you have a NICET credential they expect you to be a valuable asset to mission and project execution.

Since coming to work in the nuclear engineering field, I’ve been able to interface with some of the brightest minds in the science and engineering realm. I’ve been able to directly support projects with organizations that I dreamed of as a child such as the National Aeronautical Space Administration and National Laboratories such as Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia as well as other nuclear weapons complex sites. I could not have accomplished these goals and arrived at this point in my career without having the NICET credential in my qualifications base. I’m proud to say I’m a member of the NICET community.

What would you recommend to someone brand new to your industry?

Who knows where your career path will ultimately lead. As such, I would recommend that as they start to advance in their career that they obtain their NICET credentials as early as possible. When you obtain the NICET credential, credibility will be attributed to you and it will open doors for you in the fire protection industry. It is one of the most recognized and respected credentials you can have and represents achieving a significant milestone in your career.