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Industry Event Offers Education and Networking The Sacramento Valley Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) held its 11th Annual Training & Trade Show on March 9, 2023, in The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California. This was the first trade show in the new space. …

The beginning of 2023 brought optimism that the U.S. would avoid a recession. Many of our members still have strong backlogs of work, with a severe shortage of manpower being the greatest challenge to growth in our industry. Despite the drop in material prices and increase in availability over 2022, …

While standpipe systems may seem very simple and are often considered an afterthought in the overall design of a fire protection system, they are critical components that can result in the loss of life if not designed and installed properly. Standpipe systems are installed to help response personnel deploy hose …

One thing we all know by being in this business is that labor can make or break a job. If you have been doing this for longer than one year, you’ve seen it happen both ways! As most of you know, I did not grow up in this industry from …

As the May/June 2023 issue of Sprinkler Age will be available at the NFPA Annual Conference and Expo® in Las Vegas, this column will serve a special purpose. In preparation for the 2023 NFPA Technical Meeting, AFSA has reviewed the posted Certified Amending Motions (CAM) for the relevant standards on …

For a very long time, I owned a 1983 Jeep CJ7 Renegade, which is now in the possession of my daughter and son-in-law, who enjoy weekends in the desert. I bought that vehicle in early 1990 from a Marine who was deploying, and it’s since been driven by multiple friends, …

I am sitting in California in early February as I write this column. The AFSA Board of Directors is meeting, and I have the opportunity to present the status of work in progress and answer questions regarding the Engineering & Technical Services Department. To prepare for this discussion, my department …

CATCHING UP WITH PAST NATIONAL APPRENTICE COMPETITION COMPETITORS Thirty years ago, the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) launched the National Apprentice Competition in 1994 at the 13th Annual AFSA Convention & Exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That inaugural year, the competition was well represented, with seven apprentice finalists from member …

CAN YOU MEET THE CHALLENGE? Each issue, AFSA’s Engineering & Technical Services Department staff present technical challenges. Besides testing yourself and your co-workers, these exercises are excellent preparation for professional certification tests and may count as CEUs. Check with your certification organization. To participate, read through and work the problems. …

Review of NFPA 20 First Draft Report For the installation of water-based fire protection systems, the NFPA standard development process aligns every three years. During this time, NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, and NFPA 24 are all under the microscope, with the technical committees reviewing …