Robert C. Andrews, Jr.
P.E., M.Sc., FIFireE, PMSFPE, EFO, CFO (Ret.)
Founder
President and CEO
Principal Fire Protection Engineer
Principal Rail Engineer
President and CEO
Principal Fire Protection Engineer
Principal Rail Engineer
8620 N. New Braunfels Ave., Ste. 100
San Antonio, Texas 78217-6361
Main phone: 210.828.7533
Direct: 210.547.2410
Mobile: 361.548.8787
[email protected]
www.PDIFire.com
LinkedIn Profile
Role
Mr. Andrews, as the Principal-In-Charge, utilizes the combination of education, training and experience together with his leadership skills to ensure client satisfaction and quality deliverables from PDI. He is particularly effective in those unusual projects where the “book just doesn’t fit” and true engineering judgment and a lifelong understanding of fire and life safety principles must be applied in a creative way to address a unique challenge. Mr. Andrews is internationally recognized for his ability to integrate both fixed fire protection systems and the anticipated fire fighting efforts of fire departments and plant fire brigades in order to create a solution that is not only cost effective but also maximizes safety for facility personnel and emergency responders.
Education
Temple University
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Grand Canyon University,
Phoenix, Arizona
National Fire Academy
Emmitsburg, Maryland
(Residency requirements completed 1988 –1991)
University of Maryland,
College Park, Maryland
Licenses / Certifications
Fire Protection Branch Specialty
State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers
State of Texas (No. 57907)
57907
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement
Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement
Biography
Robert C. Andrews, Jr. founded Protection Development, Incorporated, (PDI) in 1985 and currently serves as its President and CEO. Mr. Andrews is a Texas Registered Professional Engineer (fire protection branch specialty), a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK), and a Professional Member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (USA). He has been practicing fire protection engineering for over thirty-five years and has specialized in the fire safe design of very complicated and unusual projects. He has been a member of the National Fire Protection Association for 37 years and is currently a member of the Fire Service Section. He is a lifetime (30 year) member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Mr. Andrews is a 2008 graduate of the Railway Management Program at Michigan State University. In 2009, he expanded his commitment to the rail / transit consulting industry by launching a new, dedicated PDI division, PDI Rail Solutions aimed specifically at that market.
Highly unusual amongst fire protection engineers, Chief Andrews was an active member of the fire service for 40 years, having joined his local volunteer fire company in suburban Philadelphia on his sixteenth birthday. His fire service experience includes serving with the East Whiteland Volunteer Association (PA), the College Park Volunteer Fire Department (MD), the Phoenix Fire Department (AZ), Marathon Oil Company (OH), Celanese Chemical Company (TX), the Refinery Terminal Fire Company (TX) and Industrial Emergency Services. He was one of the first Emergency Medical Technicians in the United States having received his Pennsylvania and National Registry EMT licenses in 1975. In addition to his fire service credentials, Mr. Andrews has been a Licensed Texas Peace Officer for over twenty-six years and currently holds Master Peace Officer and Instructor certifications. He is an internationally recognized police dog trainer.
Mr. Andrews earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1980 and a Master of Science Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2002. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and received the 1990 Outstanding Research Award for his paper that discussed the feasibility of applying the Incident Command System to incidents in the refining and petrochemical industry. He was one of the first industrial fire chiefs to earn the prestigious Chief Fire Officer Designation in 2003 and is an internationally recognized author and speaker having delivered emergency response, industrial firefighting, and railroad fire-safety presentations in the United States, Jamaica, France, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, and Germany.