Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
I just had a birthday, which made me reflect on my career: what I have accomplished, what I have failed at, and what I still want to achieve. In my professional life, I can look at the buildings and projects I have protected, the range of systems I have designed, and the stories of systems performing when called upon to work. I have been fortunate: all the systems that operated worked as designed, and I am aware of no failures.
One interesting success story involves a friend of mine, Mark, who was the consultant on a project. This project involved an existing building that was being rebuilt after a major explosion and resulting fire. The use of the building involved the manufacture of road flares, whose ingredients and processes can lead to a rapidly developing fire. The system was designed, installed, and commissioned; then, within the first nine months, a fire occurred. That fire opened eight high-temperature-rated standard-response sprinklers and contained the situation until the fire department arrived to perform the final extinguishment. A true success story. The client was quoted as stating that the sprinkler system saved his company’s building, and operations were back the next week. I was proud of our team’s work.
Looking at my NFPA Technical Committee activities, I see many examples of how I changed and affected the standard over the years. It is my hope that I will be remembered for bringing a technical but practical voice to the standards. A funny example is the NFPA 13D requirement that pumps not be set directly on the floor. What does that mean? The TC wanted the pump off the floor, so a small amount of water on the floor would not affect the pump. I pointed out that, based on the current language, I could place a piece of paper on the floor and put the pump on it. That meets the requirements. The TC realized what I was saying and changed the requirement to be at least 11/2-in. off the floor.
Reviewing my impact on the next generation gives me the most joy. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to teach thousands of fitters, technicians, designers, and engineers. I enjoy what I do. We will always need new employees in our industry. Please encourage any interested person to come in and try this career. It will be rewarding.
What are you using your voice for? Are you proud of your current work? It was never my plan to do what I did. I just let my career take me to the next challenge. But the key is to always accept the challenge. I had the opportunity to listen in on a panel presentation in which Russ Levitt, Bob Caputo, and Steve Leyton discussed how their careers were shaped by their experiences. I took away the concept “Always accept a new challenge, assignment, or opportunity.” If you do not, a chance to make an impact might pass you by. A supervisor will understand if you say, “I have never done this, but I am willing to try and learn from it.” Amen! This has been my driving motivation throughout my career.
No matter where you are in your work experience, keep moving forward. AFSA is committed to education and training in the sprinkler industry. Use us in your career, and when you have the opportunity, give back. We are always looking for presenters, presentations, volunteers, VIP instructors, and other opportunities. I am challenging you to be all you can be and then give back.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John August Denhardt, P.E., ET, CWBSP, FSFPE, is the vice president of engineering and technical services for the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA). He is responsible for strengthening AFSA’s engineering and technical approaches to meeting member, industry, and operational priorities, with an emphasis on service, quality, and integrity. Denhardt is a registered professional engineer (P.E.) in the District of Columbia and the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He is NICET Level III certified in water-based systems layout, NICET Level III certified in inspection and testing of water-based systems, and a certified water-based system professional through NFPA. Denhardt is a member of the NFPA 13 technical committee on sprinkler system discharge criteria, a fellow in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), a member of the SFPE Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Trustees for NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation and sits on the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering’s Board of Visitors. A native of Maryland, Denhardt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland College Park in fire protection engineering. Prior to this role, Denhardt was employed by Strickland Fire Protection in Forestville, Maryland, since 1994, overseeing large-scale projects and assisting with design and installation technical issues.