Mark Hopkins, PE, FSFPE
regional director and senior fire protection engineer
Mark has nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of fire protection engineering. In the role of regional director and senior fire protection engineer at TERPconsulting, Mark joined the company in the spring of 2020 to manage its Baltimore office. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Engineering at the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) where he oversaw the operations of the engineering department and was the chief technical expert on fire sprinkler systems for the national trade organization.
Throughout his career, Mark has actively leveraged his expertise and leadership abilities to make significant advancements in fire safety. He served as secretary and senior staff representative on multiple NFSA technical committees and councils as well as participated in 19 technical committees involved in the development of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards. He currently serves on NFPA 13, 72, 200, and 909/914TCs, and is co-chair of the Wet Collections Task Group (909), chair of the Water Supply Task Group (13), and is on numerous other task groups.
Previously, Mark worked for Hughes Associates, Inc., which later became Jensen Hughes, for 18 years. He designed fire protection systems (including sprinkler systems, water mist systems, water spray systems, fire alarm and mass notification systems, clean agent systems), conducted hazards assessments, forensic engineering examinations, litigation support, corrosion investigations, and consulted on life safety and building code issues for a variety of occupancies.
During his almost three decades in the fire protection industry, Mark has not only mastered the art of resolving technical issues with engineers, owners, contractors, and AHJs, but his knowledge has established him as a leading expert in the field with proficiency in the study of fire sprinkler systems and corrosion. In addition, he has directed fire sprinkler research, promulgated standards, and taught classes on fire protection systems-related topics.
Most notably, Mark’s expertise in corrosion resulted in him being selected to write a chapter entitled “Corrosion in Fire Sprinkler Systems” for the latest edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Protection Handbook, 21st Edition. This is a significant development in the handbook’s history because there has never been a chapter focused on this topic.
Mark is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Fellows of the Society, President of the SFPE Chesapeake Chapter, and a member of multiple SFPE committees (Performance-Based Design, Engineering Practice, CPQ, Existing Buildings, and Conference Planning). Mark has both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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