Ross Bahl.
Ross owns Bahl Fireproofing, the commercial fireproofing and insulation subcontractor his family started in 1977. He grew up in it, he has been in the trade more than forty years, and he reads every bid request that comes through this site. He is the reason the answer here is never "sure, we can do that" when the honest answer is "that will not hold the rating."
Who writes and reviews what is on this site
Ross has been in the industry nearly 40 years, growing up with his family in the business before him. Ross and his team of dedicated experts work on bid requests daily, and manage daily operations across the entire country. He knows the code, answers the phone, and even makes time to see his grandkids.
Reach out to him directly with any questions or bid requests you have, he is always ready to help.
Bahl Fireproofing has been a fireproofing subcontractor since 1977, working for general contractors and construction managers on schools, hospitals, athletics facilities, retail, warehouses and industrial buildings. Ross owns the company and runs the estimating side of it. The company holds the licence or registration each state it works in requires, and those are named on the individual state pages rather than summarised into a badge.
Away from the office he is a father and a grandfather, which is worth saying on a page like this only because it is the same reason the company is still family owned and still answers its own phone.
The technical guides on this site exist because general contractors kept asking the same questions and getting answers from people selling a product rather than installing one. Everything published here is traced back to the code body, the standard or the manufacturer listing that actually governs, and it gets corrected when an edition changes rather than left up to go stale.
We will not name a job
we agreed not to name.
A lot of our work sits under confidentiality with the general contractor or the owner. That is why the portfolio is shorter than the job list, and it is the same reason nothing on this site claims a certification the company does not hold. Ask for references and we will get you what the agreements allow.
What Ross is responsible for here
Every bid that leaves the office
Scope, thickness schedule, production rate and schedule. If the spec is asking for the wrong product, you hear it before you award, not after.
What this site claims
The service area, the project list, the credentials and the code citations. Nothing goes up that the company cannot stand behind.
The install standard
The listed system at the specified thickness, readings taken and logged as we go, and a closeout package the special inspector can work from.
Correcting what is already published
When a code edition changes or a figure turns out wrong, the old article gets fixed rather than quietly left up.
From the Bahl library
IBC Table 601 fire resistance ratings
Read the guide →
SFRM special inspection: what IBC Chapter 17 requires
Read the guide →
When does spray foam need a thermal barrier?
Read the guide →
How to specify intumescent fireproofing
Read the guide →This page describes Bahl Fireproofing's scope of work and general code context. Requirements, adopted code editions and inspection procedures vary by jurisdiction and project; confirm them with your licensed architect or engineer and the authority having jurisdiction. Nothing here is a warranty of a building's compliance or a substitute for the approved construction documents.
Want Ross on your job?
Call, email, or send the drawings through the form. All three land in the same place, and Ross reads them.