Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Welcome back to San Antonio, Texas, and AFSA45! If this is your first opportunity to attend AFSA’s annual convention, you’re in for an awesome experience! Whether you’re a competitor in this year’s apprentice competition, a new member, associate, guest, or just here for the CEUs, this convention and its opportunities for training and education, parties, and networking promise to be the best ever.
If you know me, or you’ve seen me anywhere near a soapbox, you’ve heard me banging the drum on the importance of inspection, testing, and maintenance of the systems we design, install, and service. We can all agree that any mechanical system requires some level of care to ensure its reliability and functionality. Beyond the obvious, let’s talk about liability and exposure to serious losses associated with the potential for a non-functioning fire protection system or just the plain old scourge of our industry… water damage claims.
Even if your company didn’t design or install a system, but you were the last company to touch it in the form of an inspection cycle or evolution, and especially where your sticker is on the riser, you’ll be named in time-consuming, often expensive litigation. Okay, so your insurance company covered the loss, and your premium rates only went up 10% from last year. The problem is that overhead expenses go straight to the bottom line, so you can either raise your prices or take a haircut on margins. By the way, you think that riser sticker says, “IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES: CALL 1-800-XXX-XXXX,” but what it really says is, “PLEASE SUE ME,” and they will.
So, how do we minimize our risks? Where do we start? Well, the first thing is to teach your inspectors and technicians to document everything as if you were going to trial. The more documentation you have in the files, the less likely you are to end up participating in one. Lawyers love ambiguous data and easy targets with deep pockets. The more prepared your firm is to answer questions and defend your actions, the smaller you become as a target.
Most of us know that two-thirds of water-based system failures result from a closed control valve, and we touch them all the time. Were we the last ones to touch that valve? Did we leave it open? Can we prove we left it open? We recommend that numbered valve seals be used every day, with the number recorded on the work order or inspection report. Something as simple as a zip tie with your company’s name or acronym and a unique number can be your best friend when someone asks if your tech left a valve open or closed.
Training your people to avoid water damage claims is worth the investment in time and energy. Starting with avoiding pulling a sprinkler head from a live sprinkler system, and managing discharging water during main drain tests, flowing inspectors test connections, forward flow testing back flow valves, and annual flow testing fire pumps are all opportunities to cause problems with customer relationships or ways to meet your legal team and insurance reps. All these opportunities for losses are things we can train on to limit and eliminate completely. These topics and more are just a small part of the training your people receive when they attend one of AFSA’s ITM training programs. We stress the importance of customer service and communication to ensure that customers understand what the identified deficiencies mean and why we write them up. Pre-planning appointments and mapping routes to minimize windshield time and maximize profit margins starts with technicians. Stewardship of tools and vehicles, along with professional appearance and good driving habits, are all contributors to your company’s success or failure.
As more fire sprinkler companies diversify their services, AFSA is here to help you grow and increase your value. We have procured an additional 11,000 ft² of lab and classroom training space for fire alarm ITM, special hazards, kitchen hoods, portables, e-lights, and other lines to cross-train your inspection and testing teams.
We’re still developing a DOL-approved apprenticeship program specific to inspection and testing, and working with certification organizations to broaden their offerings to serve your expanding business.
Lastly, a reminder that your membership benefits include a free 30-minute consultation with the nation’s leading labor law firm, for use when your company is under attack from unwelcome advances from outside influences. Reach out to us if you need that phone number. You don’t want to deal with those issues alone… this is an opportunity to work with an attorney who is on your side!
If you’re attending AFSA45, please come shake my hand and say hello!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bob Caputo, CFPS, is president of AFSA. He has been an important part of the fire sprinkler industry for over 41 years and is a long-time member of AFSA and promoter of merit shop contracting. He has chaired and served on many NFPA committees. Caputo has written and presented seminars throughout the world on fire protection and life-safety systems and is a regular speaker at AFSA and NFPA conventions. He has developed AFSA education and training materials and chaired two chapters of AFSA—Arizona and Southern California. Caputo is the recipient of numerous awards, including Fire Protection Contractor magazine’s “Industry Person of the Year,” San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association’s “Fire Prevention Officer of the Year,” and AFSA’s highest honor, the Henry S. Parmelee Award.