At Collings and Associates, our expert staff with a combined 70 years in the fire protection field provides a wide range of fire protection consulting services through our extensive and diverse experience in the industry.
Mr. Yakel is CEO/President of Collings & Associates and holds degrees in Fire Science Technology, Business Management and the Firefighter Academy. In addition, he is an ICC Certified Building Inspector and Plans Examiner, NICET Certified (#142617) Fire Alarm Systems Level IV, and holds California State Fire Marshal certifications.
Mr. Yakel has over twenty eight years of experience in the fire protection industry, including broad experience in the following areas:
- Mass Notification System Design
- Emergency Voice Alarm Communications System Design
- Fire Code Analysis, Interpretation & Consultation
- Fire & Life Safety System Review for Buildings & Facilities
- Building and Fire Suppression System Design and Field Inspections
- Fire Suppression and Fire Alarm Systems Plan Review
- Inspection of Projects Under Construction for Compliance With Approved Documents
- Hazardous Materials Business Plan Compliance
- Land Use Master Fire Protection Planning
Office manager extraordinaire, Mary has been the face and voice of the company for the past eight years. Mary has over 20 years’ experience as an office manager in the construction field. Insurance, contracts, spreadsheets, invoicing, and running the front office are all in a day’s work for Mary. Give her a call she will be happy to speak with you.
A veteran of the fire sprinkler design industry for 21 years, Ernesto is meticulous and enthusiastic about the designs he creates. He is an expert in the application of NFPA 13 and uses his knowledge to manage our fire sprinkler design division. From standard wet pipe systems to complicated pre-action systems, Ernesto utilizes his skill set to exceed our customer’s expectations.
Felipe is a multi-talented fire protection professional, over the past 18 years he has been the lead designer for clean agent systems, mass notification systems, emergency voice alarm/communication systems, fire alarm systems, as well as fire suppression systems. A jack of all trades in the industry, he is always looking for new challenges to expand his knowledge and skills. On top of managing our fire alarm division, Felipe also maintains all our software licenses which is the engine of company.
Blake is the newest member of our team; he has three years of experience using his AutoCAD skills and three years of experience in the fire protection industry. Blake is a current student at Meyer Fire University and absorbs code related information like a sponge. Blake assists both Ernesto and Felipe with drafting for fire sprinkler and fire alarm system designs as well as supporting our plan review division.
Seth graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in December of 2021 as a Mechanical Engineer. He is now an engineer in training and will be working towards becoming a licensed engineer. Seth uses his strong computer skills and ability to understand codes to assist his dad with code consulting projects, fire sprinkler system design under Ernesto’s direction, and fire alarm system design under Felipe’s direction.
Joseph recently graduated with a Fire Protection Engineering (F.P.E) Degree from Eastern Kentucky University in the summer of 2022. Joseph has joined our team as a full time engineer in training. His primary role is supporting his father with fire sprinkler system design work as well as assisting with code consulting projects on a wide variety of fire protection subjects. We are extremely excited to be part of the journey with Joseph becoming a licensed F.P.E.