Webinar: Fire Protection & Life Safety for Historic Preservation & Adaptive Re-Use
Wednesday, May 14th – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Description
This presentation is an overview of the building codes and standards applicable to historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects, including an overview of alternative approaches to building, fire, and life safety code compliance. The program also includes two case studies based on two Ohio projects as examples of two tools available to design professionals to demonstrate compliance using an alternative approach to compliance.
This webinar is registered for 1.00 AIA HSW continuing education credit.
Our Presenter
Scott Voelkerding the Director of Fire and Life Safety at Osborn. He is technically experienced in many aspects of fire protection engineering including fire, building, and Life Safety Code consulting, hazardous materials storage, due diligence studies, and various design concepts for fire protection systems, fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, smoke control systems, means of egress, and other life safety systems. Scott has managed a range of projects from engineering studies to Blank Purchase Agreements (BPAs) for fire protection services. He is member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and an Associate Member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). Scott passed the Fire Protection Engineering PE Exam administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and practices engineering as a full-time fire protection engineer and life safety consultant.
Tax Incentives for Fire Safety Improvements
Wednesday, December 1st – 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Did you know there are very generous federal fire safety equipment tax incentives available for existing commercial properties?
This is a financial opportunity to upgrade buildings in your downtown, making them safer for the entire community. This is a path for putting underutilized buildings into more productive use. These incentives enable commercial businesses to expense the full cost of fire safety equipment in one year, rather than depreciating over a long term.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) was passed in December 2017 and allowed small commercial businesses to accelerate the cost recovery of fire safety equipment by increasing Section 179 expense limitations. The TCJA also eliminated several 15-year asset categories and consolidated them into Qualified Improvement Property (“QIP”).
The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act corrected a drafting error related to the TCJA that stopped larger businesses from the accelerated cost recovery benefits. The CARES Act assigned a 15-year MACRS depreciation recovery period to QIP and also made them eligible for 100 percent bonus depreciation for property placed in service after September 27, 2019 and before January 1, 2023.
You will learn:
- What improvements qualify as fire safety improvements.
- Which buildings qualify.
- Though you can’t claim historic tax credits while also utilizing the accelerated cost recovery incentives available for fire safety equipment at the same time, you will need to understand each incentive’s strengths and how to determine which is best for your project.
Join Ron Ritchey from the National Fire Sprinkler Association and Tom Boccia and Nick Gerhardt from Novogradac & Company LLP as they explain this opportunity and answer your questions.
This webinar has been approved for 1.0 HSW AIA continuing education credits.