Counting sprinkler heads across multiple sheets, tracing pipe runs, and reconciling extinguisher schedules can drain precious bid time. Civils.ai assists by preparing a draft takeoff from your PDFs—so your team can focus on review, adjustments, and pricing, not starting from a blank page.
AI for Fire Protection Takeoff: Sprinkler Heads, Piping & Extinguishers
Automate fire protection takeoffs with AI. Civils.ai quickly counts sprinkler heads, measures pipe runs, and identifies fire extinguishers directly from PDF drawings — even scanned ones. Get accurate, metric or imperial quantities with marked-up PDFs and ready-to-bid takeoff tables in minutes.
Oct. 24, 2025
Julianna
Widlund, P.E
AI for Fire Protection Takeoff: Sprinkler Heads, Piping & Extinguishers
Civils.ai helps fire protection teams prepare draft counts and lengths from plan PDFs—so you can build clearer bids faster, with people firmly in the loop.
Why Estimators Use AI Assistance for Fire Protection
Quicker start
Turn plan PDFs and schedules into a draft count and length summary—ideal for early pricing and internal reviews.
Clear traceability
Draft outputs point back to the source pages, making checks and clarifications straightforward with your team and stakeholders.
Easier re-issues
When addenda arrive, it’s simpler to update and re-issue than to re-measure everything manually.
How It Works (Simple, Human-Centred)
- Upload your PDFs — Add plan drawings, riser diagrams, and any fire protection schedules or notes you want considered.
- Write your prompt — For example: “Prepare a draft fire protection takeoff: sprinkler head counts by type and level, pipe lengths as shown, and extinguisher counts per schedule.”
- Click “Run” — Civils.ai begins preparing a draft takeoff from the documents you provided.
- QA review & adjust — Your QA team reviews the draft, fixes anything that needs attention, and confirms assumptions.
- Share with confidence — Release the reviewed counts and notes to stakeholders with clear references back to the source PDFs.
Important: Civils.ai assists with preparing bids. It does not replace professional judgment—final quantities are reviewed and approved by qualified people.
What the Draft Can Cover
The aim is a clean starting point for pricing—prepared strictly from the drawings and schedules you upload.
Typical items
- Sprinkler head counts by type (as shown on plans/legends)
- Piping lengths where routes and sizes are indicated on the drawings
- Valves & devices listed on plans/schedules (e.g., control valves, FDCs, flow switches) where shown
- Fire extinguishers by rating/cabinet type per schedules
- Simple floor/zone summaries to support pricing discussions
How quantities are determined
All counts and lengths come from the plan drawings, riser diagrams, and schedules you provide. The system does not “interpret” anything beyond what is shown in your documents. Your QA team confirms inclusions/exclusions before numbers are released.
What to Expect (and What Not To)
What you can expect
- A draft takeoff to help your bid
- References back to the exact plan pages and schedules
- Faster internal reviews and fewer back-and-forths
Limitations to note
- Not a 100% automated takeoff—human QA remains essential
- Measurements are strictly based on the plans/schedules you upload
- No hydraulic calculations, code compliance checks, or design validation
- No automatic spacing coverage checks or clash detection
- Field routing, ceiling coordination, and final engineering are handled by your team
FAQ
Can we define how head types are grouped?
Yes. Use your prompt to request groupings (e.g., standard/quick response, concealed, dry). Your QA team confirms before numbers are released.
Where do pipe lengths come from?
From the routes and sizes shown on the plans. If anything is unclear or schematic, your team can adjust during QA and re-issue the draft.
Does this replace hydraulic calcs?
No. Civils.ai assists with bid preparation. Hydraulic calculations and compliance checks remain the responsibility of qualified professionals.
Is it helpful during busy bid periods?
Yes. It prepares a draft quickly so your team can review, adjust, and price with confidence instead of starting from scratch.
Prepare Stronger Fire Protection Bids with Civils.ai
Upload your plans and schedules, write a prompt, click run—then let your QA team review and release clear, traceable counts and lengths for pricing.
Interested in learning about how you can use AI in your Civil Engineering workflow?