Education

Recognizing Over a Century of Protecting People and Property The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and plans to commemorate the momentous milestone through a series of events and initiatives that reflect the steadfast commitment to fire, electrical, and life safety by the Association. …

Donations Help During Disasters and to Raise Sprinkler Awareness  Since 2018, the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) has partnered with the Red Cross to include fire sprinkler information in its Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, which works to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries in the U.S. by 25 percent. A critical part of the Home …

May 27 Webinar on Water Supply–Help Overturn Proposed Language that Could Hurt Sprinkler Contractors The topic of this month’s column is simple and short. Your attention and assistance are needed on an issue occurring with the development of the 2022 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler …

Over 50 Industry Experts to Present Over 60 Seminars  The Texas-sized tradition will be on display at AFSA40: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition, to be held September 18-21, 2021, with a whopping 100 hours of training across 60 different seminars with 50 industry subject matter experts (SMEs). Nine technical and …

Video, graphic and other resources at Home Fire Sprinkler Week Website Fire departments and public safety advocates across North America will unite May 16-22 to participate in a digital campaign and conduct community outreach activities to increase awareness about how dangerous home fires can be and the benefits of home …

2020 Honor Society Announced for Sprinkler Fitter Graduates The American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA) Fire Sprinkler Fitter National Honor Society was first established in 2012 to recognize those trainees, along with their sponsoring employers, who have completed all four levels of the AFSA Correspondence Course for Fire Sprinkler Fitters with …

A Brief History of the Premier Fire Sprinkler Association Before there was ever an American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), there was the Independent Sprinkler Training Committee (ISTC). During the 1981 NFPA convention in Dallas, ISTC held its third meeting, with over 60 people in attendance. At the time, the ISTC’s …

Calling all Fitters! Each issue, AFSA’s Engineering & Technical Services Department presents one or multiple challenges for fitters. Besides challenging yourself and your co-workers, working these problems enforces lessons that should be learned through an apprenticeship program and explains how requirements from the standard are applied in the field. To …

Competition Showcases the “Best of the Best” This year marks the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA)’s 28th Annual National Apprentice Competition. This year’s live, in-person competition will be held in the exhibit hall at AFSA40: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition September 18-21, 2021, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill …

AFSA’s Dallas School Goes on Following Historic 100-Year Winter Event As Texas faced record-low temperatures and snow and ice made roads impassable, the state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply, leaving 4.5 million without access to electricity and many subject to boil orders. Due to the prolonged …