About Us!

The history of Fire Engineering began in 1947 when Herman L. Gillett, a young engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers, purchased a franchise in Viking Sprinkler Co.  Up to this time, fire sprinkler systems were essentially sold door to door.  Salespeople marketed fire sprinkler systems primarily on economic grounds.  Such a system would greatly reduce the cost of fire insurance, and therefore, the actual cost of the system would be regained over time. The second benefit was the Protection of Life and Property.  Today, however, the need for a fire sprinkler system is justified First and Foremost on the basis of protecting human life and of minimizing property damage, both from the fire itself, and from the use of excessive water. The direct reduction in cost of fire insurance in a sprinklered building is still a major reality, but its value is of secondary importance compared to the value of ones life.

Fire Engineering has enjoyed a long and distinguished history, as measured by the vast range of project-types we’ve completed, along with the size and impressive uniqueness of so many.  Fire Engineering has designed, fabricated and installed over 3000 different systems since 1960, this number does not include tenant improvements, work orders, or maintenance.  Our projects range from hospitals to elderly care facilities, airport concourses to aircraft hangers, federal buildings and court houses to jails and prisons, luxury homes and condominiums to lodges and hotels, cooling towers to conveyors, and from ordinary warehouses to gigantic distribution facilities.  Unlike so many applications in life, one size does NOT fit all.  Available water supplies differ, hazard environments differ, applicable building codes differ, and installation conditions differ.  The one thing that does not and will not ever differ, is the absolute need for the correct preventative system to safeguard each facility we do.

So here we are, in Salt Lake City, Utah, continuing a tenure exceeding half a century. The communities we primarily serve are Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming, but we also do work on an ongoing basis in California, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii, and even as far away as Mexico and Costa Rica. The level of experience, dedication to excellence, and collective expertise held by all at Fire Engineering is impressive, as measured against any applicable standard. Our previous President, Lowell H. Gillett still serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Fire Sprinkler Association. Both he and his brother, Richard Gillett retired from Fire Engineering at the end of 2000. Their combined years of service to Fire Engineering at retirement totaled 85.

Our President, Kent Mann joined Fire Engineering in 1976 directly after graduating from college with a degree in Economics and eight years of architectural experience.  Kent holds a NICET level 4 certification.    Our Vice-President, Bart Leeflang who joined our firm in 1972, holds a MBA and a BS in accounting, and is our company Comptroller. 

We at Fire Engineering are proud of our heritage, contributions to the community, and extensive customer base.  We would appreciate the opportunity to serve your needs.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Written By Norm Lindenlaub

I.T. Coordinator for over 21 years

Let Us Be Your Fire Protection Contractor of Choice!