About Us

Since 1991, Specialized Fire has been providing modern, comprehensive solutions and services to meet all of the commercial fire protection needs of our clients. From the moment we first opened our doors, we have worked diligently to provide the highest quality fire suppression products available, delivered with exceptional service and unparalleled support.

As a full service fire protection company, we offer our customers turnkey solutions to their fire protection needs. Our valued clientele experiences world class service from project inception to final system commissioning, and every step along the way. That’s because our commitment to our customers doesn’t stop with a successful project implementation, but continues as we move forward together to ensure that your systems are inspected and maintained as per code requirements.

What sets us apart from others in the field of fire safety goes well beyond the extensive selection of superior products we offer. With over 150 collective years of industry experience in the fire systems field, our team members are thoroughly trained in the emergency and safety procedures of each client site – from our factory trained Project Managers and Field Service Engineers to our owner. We even employ firefighters who provide invaluable insight into the advanced safety systems with which we work.

When it comes to protecting your personnel and hard-earned assets, you need a partner whom you can trust for many years to come. You also want to be sure that the fire protection provider you choose is committed to staying ahead of the curve, both from a technology standpoint as well as for compliance reasons.

Over the past 25+ years, Specialized Fire has continued to adapt to the changing face of the fire protection industry. As such, we have established a strong, long-term distributor relationship with Siemens Fire Safety division and were among the first participants in the new Siemens Advanced Partner program. We are also distributors for ANSUL, among others.

Our strong distributor partnerships allow us to provide all of our clients with a level of service and support that goes above and beyond that of our competitors. On time project delivery- from shop drawings and submittals to permits and product – when they are needed are the hallmarks of our Specialized Process.  Our motto “solutions not excuses” adequately sums up our business philosophy and is something our satisfied customers have come to appreciate and rely on. Unlike many other fire protection companies, we are not tied to a specific manufacturer. To the contrary, we offer several product lines, providing our clients with the freedom and flexibility to shop competitively. Furthermore, we handle every part of the process, from evaluation and design to service and inspection of a broad spectrum of systems. Above all else, the entire team at Specialized Fire remains steadfastly committed to supporting our clients in their ongoing mission to preserve the life and property associated with their businesses. We understand how important protecting your employees, your property and your assets is to the future success of your company, and we are truly honored to partner with you in achieving this crucial goal.

Our commitment to our customers doesn’t end with a successful project implementation. It continues as we move forward together to ensure that your systems are inspected and maintained as per code requirements.

From the first day of design to the finalized sign off and for every day following, SFSI is fully engaged and committed to the ongoing satisfaction and support of that facility.With Specialized Fire, you’re more than just another client in our extensive book of business.

At Specialized Fire, we make it our business to remain at the cutting edge of technological advances and always stay ahead of the curve on the complex and ever-changing regulations that govern the fire protection industry.

As a former code official, Chris Kelly, President of Specialized Fire possesses valuable hands-on experience and unique insight into these code requirements. His background has also helped us establish a strong working relationship with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), which helps us stay steps ahead of our competitors.

When your company is tasked with making the important decision of which fire protection company to trust, it’s not a decision that should be taken lightly. After all, the well being of your people and assets is at stake.

Specialized Fire is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to support and serve all of your fire protection needs. Our goal is to exceed your expectations with each and every interaction.We want to become your trusted partner, working together toward the shared goal of a safe, secure and successful future for your business. Since 1991, Specialized Fire has been proudly serving the commercial fire protection needs of our clients and we’d love the opportunity to do the same for you!

The Specialized Difference

Our Company’s Area of Expertise & Relationships

We have a focus on pharmaceutical, telecommunicationsand chemical manufacturing solutions. This includes documentation services to comply with cGMP (FDA) and change control requirements of our clients. As a full service fire protection company, we offer our customers a turnkey solution to their fire protection needs. Our customers experience world class service from project inception to final system commissioning. Our team of factory trained Project Managers and Field Service Engineers are there to guide you every step of the way. Our commitment to our customers doesn’t stop with a successful project implementation, it continues as we move forward together to ensure that your systems are inspected and maintained as per code requirements. We offer a five year warranty on system components to all of our inspection and maintenance customers. As part of our commitment to our customers, we offer this warranty which exceeds the industry standard warranty of one year.

Value Engineering

Excellence in value engineering, value management, and value analysis are the hallmark of our design team. Our team will review the original contract drawings and specifications in an effort to implement cost effective installations by refining and evaluating the system designs. Each project is assigned a dedicated Project Manager that has the experience required to successfully manage each unique project. Application engineering and shop drawing preparation is completed in house, streamlining preparation and on time delivery. We pretest every system in our lab to ensure a successful on site startup and delivery.

Total Turnkey Packages

Our Turnkey solution passes the responsibility of your project to us. As the name suggests, Turnkey comes from an analogy of being able to put in the key, turn it and away you go. The nature of our solutions work in exactly this way. Our Turnkey option helps you to avoid investing extensive resources of your own in a project, as we effectively manage the entire process for you. We provide a full project management solution from inital contact through design, engineering working directly with the A&E team, drawings, final testing and acceptance. Our highly-skilled project personnel manage and minimize any risks, utilizing our project tools which have been developed and tested extensively in many projects. We have been selected as Prime Contractors on several projects to provide total program management.

What business benefits does it deliver? Our end-to-end deployment process leads to fast launch of the system and a quick return on your investment.What business benefits does it deliver? You can reliably plan your level of investment at the very beginning of the project, without having to budget for a big increase.

Why choose us? Our industry recognized expertise and large resource pool deliver an efficient solution and save CAPEX in the initial project phase. The resulting system is carefully planned and fine-tuned. Once up and running, it will also save OPEX.

Meet The Team

Chris Kelly is the founder and President of Specialized Fire, Inc , a NJ corporation founded in 1991.Christopher attended the University of Houston- University Park, Cullen College of Engineering (EE). He holds multi-jurisdictional licenses in fire alarm, fire sprinkler, special hazards and portable fire extinguishers. He is an active member of multiple professional organizations including NFPA, NFSA, FSSA, ICC and NAFED.
He has extensive knowledge of fire protection systems and code enforcement, as well as fire service management and operations. His leadership skills have been an important resource in the development and growth of his company, Specialized Fire & Security. He has unique vision and ability to rapidly identify, understand and solve complex challenges. This is reflected in the Specialized motto “Solutions not Excuses”. The organization has a substantial footprint in the high rise residential, mission critical, pharmaceutical and transportation sectors. The company services many Fortune 100 companies and is growing steadily. Geographic expansion is underway with multiple offices.
Chris resides with his wife Cheryl in Pines Lake in Wayne, New Jersey. He has over 29 years of service between both City of Garfield FD and Township of Wayne FD. 

Stephen DiRenzo is the Executive Vice President (EVP) for Specialized Fire , Inc. He began his career here in 2000 as a Field Engineer/Project Manager and through his hard work and dedication, was promoted to EVP.
Stephen graduated from Moravian College, located in Bethlehem PA, in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. He holds multi-jurisdictional fire alarm licenses. He is certified, Fire Alarm Level III, with the National Institute of Certification Engineering Technologies. He is an active member of multiple professional organizations including NFPA, NFSA, FSSA, ICC and NAFED.
During his tenure, in multiple positions within the company, he has developed a proven model for success and helped establish Specialized Fire & Security’s position as a leader in the fire alarm and suppression industry. The organization has a substantial footprint in the high rise residential, mission critical, pharmaceutical and transportation sectors
Stephen resides with his wife, Amy and family, in Chester New Jersey. Specialized Fire & Security has expanded its footprint to multiple offices. Stephen’s focus is to continue that growth while maintaining the excellence and quality type service that has been crucial to the success of Specialized Fire & Security.

Jack McHugh is Vice President of Operations for Specialized Fire & Security, Inc. and brings to his position an in-depth knowledge of construction operations.
His career began in 1972 as an IBEW LU #102 apprentice electrician with Beach Electric Company in East Orange, NJ. During the next eight years he completed his journeyman instruction, was given a position as on-site supervisor and promoted in 1980 to Project Manager.
In 1993, Jack became President of Beach Electric Co., Inc., responsible for all of the contracting operations throughout the state as well as the administration and the profitability of the district office. In 2000, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Fischbach & Moore Electric, Inc., Beach Electric’s parent company, responsible for F&M’s six U.S. regional offices, making use of an extensive background in field operations, management and administration skills. His range of experience in the construction industry includes site development, office, institutional, commercial, data centers, pharmaceutical operations and traffic systems.
From 2005 to 2010 Jack served as Executive Vice President of Schoonover Electric Co., Inc., in Mountainside, NJ and after some private consulting joined Specialized Fire and Security, Inc. in 2012 where his main focus is the “business” side of the business, concentrating on policies, procedures, contracts and profitability.
Jack currently resides in North Haledon, New Jersey and works out of the Specialized Fire headquarters office located in Riverdale New Jersey. He is licensed by the State of New Jersey as an Electrical Contractor and an Electrical Inspector and also holds and Unrestricted Low Voltage Contractors license in the State of Georgia.
Throughout his career, Mr. McHugh has been particularly successful in coordinating construction efforts within the restraints of schedule and budget and has remained dedicated to the principle of “Customer Satisfaction”.

Shawn Lawless is Director of Operations for Specialized Fire & Security, Inc., and brings to his position an in-depth knowledge of project management and operations across multiple platforms and industries.
His career began in 2006 as a Project Manager/Field Supervisor for a Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) contractor for Sprint/NEXTEL. He was tasked with managing the installation and maintenance of in-building DAS systems located in the greater Metro New York area.
In 2010, Shawn joined the Specialized Fire team as a Field Engineer/Project Manager. He started working on the inspection and testing of Fire Alarms Systems. He was the project manager for multiple suppression sub-systems and base building fire alarm projects for the pharmaceutical, financial services and mission critical industries.
In 2012, Shawn moved to DRS Technologies for a position in Systems Engineering. His primary focus was the development, installation and implementation of a boarder security/surveillance system for the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces. Shawn also served as a Software Engineer developing operating systems for the F-15 tactical fighter jet.
In 2014, Shawn returned to Specialized Fire to assume the role of Director of Operations.
He oversees the day to day field operations for repair service, inspection/preventative maintenance, and project management of: Fire Alarm (and related subsystems), Distributed Antenna Systems, Area of Refuge Systems, and other associated Life Safety Systems.
Drawing from experience over multiple disciplines, he is able to streamline the efficiency of day to day field operations, office support staff, and mange our IT infrastructure to help to ensure Specialized Fire continually meets and exceeds our customer’s expectations.
Shawn currently resides in Montclair, New Jersey and works out of the Specialized Fire headquarters office located in Riverdale New Jersey.