NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 62
efficiency and turnover, being able to
reset faster," Ellis told me. Manufacturers, he added, "are all looking for us to
build bigger machines."
As ExtractionTek's market expands
with legalization, revenues have
jumped from $1.8 million in 2015 to
about $8 million last year, according
to Sean Winfield, the company's chief
marketing officer. Since sales of the
machines are contingent on clients
receiving permission from local agencies to build a facility and install them,
the number of fire and building officials that need to be educated about the
process has grown, too.
"I basically interview the regulators
at the beginning of the process to see
how much they know, for lack of a
better description," Winfield said. "It
all really depends on the market. It can
be a totally different story from one to
another."
Rules and regulations between jurisdictions can be all over the map as well.
"I deal with most regions of the country
on a county-by-county level, and there
is an utter lack of consistency," Winfield
added. "If there was an agreed-upon
national standard for everyone to
follow, you would give me 20 percent of
my time back on a day-to-day basis."
mechanical engineer who once made
a living reviewing designs for highly
customized nuclear energy equipment,
Witherell now conducts independent
review and verification of extraction
equipment and facility design. As such,
he wields the power in Denver and
elsewhere to make or break a proposed
project. This is true for two reasons:
his engineering firm is one of the few
nationwide willing or able to work in
the marijuana space, and virtually none
of the industry's specialized processing
equipment has undergone standardized
testing or is listed by UL or other product safety firms. The lack of equipment
safety standards means that Witherell's
professional judgment alone is usually
the main deciding factor in whether
a marijuana extractor or facility is
deemed safe by regulators.
"The fire code says that you must use
a piece of listed equipment or something else that is allowable," Lukus told
me. "Since none of it is listed, it comes
down to the word 'allowable.' We require
an engineer to write a report on the
machine saying it is safe and then to go
through the facility after it is inspected
to give a report that it is safe." The new
marijuana facilities chapter in NFPA 1
also requires onsite inspections and peer
reviews of equipment.
At least one equipment manufacturer
I spoke with, who declined to have his
name used, told me some in the cannabis industry view this requirement as
a "cash grab" and likened it to "paying
off" engineers in order to do business.
Aside from the cost (equipment peer
reviews cost between $10,000 and
$20,000 depending on equipment
complexity, Witherell told me), the
manufacturer's main gripe was his
contention that engineers don't know
enough about his equipment to make
the review worthwhile; he even suggested the industry could form a group
to oppose it. Witherell said he's heard
these complaints before, but maintains
that the onsite review is critical. "It's
a public welfare issue," he said. "We're
doing engineering and making sure
people don't die. That's what we're
supposed to do. I have no doubt in my
mind that our reviews have made this
equipment safer since 2014."
As a result of his work, and the lack
of competition, Witherell has seen
more equipment designs and has likely
The search for expertise
In lieu of a standalone equipment
standard, the industry currently relies
on a small cadre of experts to set
benchmarks for safety and efficiency.
One of those experts is Chris Witherell,
who co-founded a company called
Pressure Safety Inspectors in 2014.
The firm's modest offices are located
at the back of a small, well-manicured
office park about a half-hour south
of Denver. There is no sign above the
door, no administrative assistant to
greet visitors, and no indication whatsoever that Pressure Safety Inspectors
is one of the most influential players in
the nation's cannabis industry.
Few plans for marijuana extraction
facilities or new equipment designs
are approved in Denver-or in any
other jurisdiction in the 15 states
where the company is certified-without first crossing Witherell's desk. A
62 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 8
Marijuana hydrocarbon extractors have come a long way
in only a handful of years, from a homemade model (left)
to professionally engineered, peer-reviewed machines
made by ExtractionTek Solutions (center and right) that
can sell for more than $100,000. JESSE ROMAN
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2018
Contents
NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 1
NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - Contents
NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 3
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