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EDWartens UK

Free course · Building automation

Fire Fighting Design: Sprinklers, Fire Pumps and Hydrants

Design the water-based fire protection package that MEP consultants and contractors submit for approval: system types, hazard classification, sprinkler layout, hydraulic calculation by hand and in a spreadsheet, standpipes, hydrants and water supply, fire pump selection and the pump room, special systems, then testing, commissioning and maintenance.

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Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
15
Video
23 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Place a project in its code family (NFPA 13, 14, 20, 24 and 25, EN 12845 or a national code); choose wet, dry, preaction or deluge systems; classify hazards and read design densities; lay out sprinklers within spacing and coverage limits; select the remote area and calculate it node by node with Hazen-Williams, balancing branch lines and checking the demand against a water supply curve; design standpipes, hydrants and the fire water tank; select a fire pump against its NFPA 20 curve points and lay out the pump room with its pressure settings and fuel tank; size a clean agent system and list the signals sent to the fire alarm panel; and plan hydrostatic tests, acceptance tests, NFPA 25 maintenance and the design submittal.

  • Explain what sprinklers, standpipes, hydrants and fire pumps do and how NFPA 13, 14, 20, 24 and 25 and EN 12845 divide the work
  • Choose wet, dry, preaction or deluge systems and apply the design area adjustments that come with each
  • Classify hazards, read design densities and work Q = K x sqrt(P) for any sprinkler
  • Lay out sprinklers within the coverage, spacing, wall and obstruction limits
  • Size the remote area and calculate it node by node with Hazen-Williams, balancing branch lines against a water supply curve
  • Design Class I standpipes, run a hydrant flow test and size a fire water tank
  • Select a fire pump against its NFPA 20 curve points, lay out the pump room and set the jockey and pump pressures
  • Size a clean agent system, list the fire alarm signals, and plan hydrostatic tests, commissioning and NFPA 25 maintenance

Software

A spreadsheet (LibreOffice Calc is free) for the hydraulic calculator built in the course, and LibreCAD, AutoCAD or squared paper for the layouts. NFPA offers free read-only online access to its standards after a free account is made.

Hardware

None. Every exercise is done with a spreadsheet and a drawing tool or squared paper.

Syllabus

15 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Water-based fire protection and the codes behind it3 lessons
  2. 2Sprinkler system types: wet, dry, preaction and deluge7 lessons
  3. 3Sprinklers and the K-factor4 lessons
  4. 4Hazard classification and design density4 lessons
  5. 5Sprinkler layout: spacing, walls and obstructions4 lessons
  6. 6Design approach: pipe schedule, density/area and the remote area6 lessons
  7. 7Hydraulic calculation 1: Hazen-Williams, fittings and elevation6 lessons
  8. 8Hydraulic calculation 2: balancing, the demand point and the worksheet7 lessons
  9. 9Standpipes, landing valves and hose reels4 lessons
  10. 10Hydrants, underground mains and the water supply4 lessons
  11. 11Fire pumps: types, performance curves and selection8 lessons
  12. 12The fire pump room: piping, controllers, settings and fuel6 lessons
  13. 13Special systems and the fire alarm interface5 lessons
  14. 14Testing, commissioning, maintenance and submittals8 lessons
  15. 15Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Fire Fighting Design: Sprinklers, Fire Pumps and Hydrants

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

Who is this fire fighting design course for?
It is for mechanical and MEP engineers, draughtsmen and site engineers at consultants and contractors who are moving into fire fighting design, and for HVAC and plumbing engineers widening into fire protection. You should know basic fluid flow and use a spreadsheet; no fire protection experience is needed.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the project and the final assessment are free, and the software it uses is free. The certificate is optional.
Which codes and standards does it follow?
NFPA 13 (2025 edition) for sprinklers, NFPA 14 (2024) for standpipes, NFPA 20 (2025) for fire pumps, NFPA 24 (2025) for underground mains and NFPA 25 (2026) for maintenance, with EN 12845 compared where it differs. The notes explain the rules in their own words and never reproduce the standards; NFPA offers free read-only access to its standards online after a free account is made.
Does it cover the rules in my country?
It teaches the method and the NFPA family that most national codes build on, and shows how to read whichever code your project adopts. The United States and many other countries adopt NFPA standards through their building and fire codes, and Europe designs sprinklers to EN 12845. Other countries publish national codes of their own, and in the Gulf each civil defence authority publishes its own code, such as the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code or SBC 801 in Saudi Arabia, and approves contractors and products. Local regulations and the authority always govern.
Can I design a real sprinkler system after this course?
You will be able to prepare a design pack that a senior engineer can review: layouts, a hydraulic calculation, a tank and pump selection and a commissioning sheet. Fire fighting systems are life safety systems, so a real design must be done or checked by a competent engineer under local regulations, and in many places only an approved designer or contractor may submit it.
Which software do I need?
A spreadsheet such as LibreOffice Calc for the hydraulic calculator you build in the course, and LibreCAD, AutoCAD or squared paper for the layouts. Commercial hydraulic software is not needed.
How long does the course take?
About 23 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace, of which about 15 hours is video. The optional office building project takes about 18 hours more.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. The course covers much of the knowledge used in NFPA 13, 14 and 20 design and tested in exams such as NICET Water-Based Systems Layout, but it is not an NFPA certification (such as CFPS), a NICET level or a civil defence approval, and none of them is affiliated with EDWartens.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module