Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association

To remain consistent with my recent theme beginning articles, once again I must reflect upon how quickly time is passing. We are now already into September, more than two-thirds of the year in the books. WOW! For me, it is also a reflection on nearly two years in the books …

Numerous Opportunities to Get Involved in Phoenix One of the major draws to the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA) annual convention is education: this year over 55 hours of technical and managerial training are offered. Woven around the seminars, exhibition and National Apprentice Competition are many opportunities to immerse yourself …

Members in Utah, Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming Band Together As the newest chapter to join the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) family, the Rocky Mountain chapter will serve AFSA members from Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. The newly formed chapter met for the first time on August 20 in Salt Lake City, …

Are you tired of testing yet? I hope not, because continued testing of materials and assemblies is absolutely critical to fire safety engineering. The future calls for more and more precise use of test data to support decisions that we make for approving installations. And our ability to understand the …

The Best Four-Day Trip You’ll Ever Take for Your Business! When I sat down to write this brief article on one membership benefit of AFSA, I truly struggled to narrow my selection down. Between the apprenticeship program, training programs, technical assistance, and sponsored services I couldn’t settle on the best …

Part 1: Advantages I was asked in an interview one time whether a plan reviewer is a consultant or an enforcement agent. I would say both or perhaps neither. Plan review is actually supposed to be a quality control process that the government provides to protect the public from improper …

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) held its annual Manufacturers/Suppliers (M/S) Council election on August 21. Chuck Kitts of System Sensor in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, was re-elected to a three-year term. Derek Allen of HD Supply Fire Protection in Hayward, California, was newly elected for a three-year term. New members of the AFSA …

Retired Fire Marshal Dedicated to Life Safety As a proponent for total life safety, retired Aspen, Colorado Fire Marshal Ed Van Walraven has embraced all aspects of fire prevention. His work at the city, state and national level has helped establish ordinances and shape standards for those in the fire …

The Best From the Best It is a sad fact that the majority of companies that install fire sprinklers do not belong to either national association. Generally speaking, most of the “non-joiners” are smaller companies that are so busy staying one step ahead they think they don’t have the luxury …