Jarron Gass, PE, CFPS

Jarron Gass is a life and fire safety expert with more than two decades of experience designing, imple­ment­ing and trou­bleshoot­ing fire protection systems. He effectively manages multiple high-priority projects and analyzes his customer’s needs, evaluating fire and life safety code require­ments to promote compliance and improved safety. Jarron is a licensed fire protection engineer in 12 states and a Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Prior to joining CDM Smith, he worked on many high-piled storage facilities as well as several high-end luxury car dealership projects around the United States, imple­ment­ing fire protection criteria for new and renovated facilities. 

Why CDM Smith? Joining the firm provided me a chance to not only work on the types of projects I am interested in, but also to be part of the team developing and growing the fire protection discipline as well as the overall offerings from CDM Smith. 

What inspires you? At work, I have a passion for making our built environment safer. It sounds cheesy, but I was born into this industry. My dad worked in fire protection and introduced me to fire protection at a young age. I grew up wanting to be in fire protection because he was in fire protection, and he taught me a lot and was a crucial mentor for me, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. 

What do you find most rewarding about your job? It’s always nice to have an opportunity to validate the work that we do. There have been facilities I’ve worked with where there was an unfortunate fire, but the sprinkler system worked and either contained or put out the fire. It’s rewarding to know that not only did we save the structure, but no one was harmed. 

What are your three non-work passions? I am a big sports fan (especially ice hockey!), long weekend trips to the beach with my wife and learning new home improvement skills for the many at-home projects I’ve started since quar­an­ti­ning.