Industry

Member Recognized for Technical Committee Service The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) congratulates AFSA member Jim Fantauzzi, North East Fire Protection Systems, Inc., Ballston, New York, on his 25 years’ service on NFPA technical committees. Fantauzzi has served as AFSA’s representative on NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. According to NFPA, …

Assisting Firefighters from Construction Through Demolition Firefighters who respond to an emergency at a building with sprinkler and standpipe systems can perform their life-saving work (figure 1) with much greater efficiency if their first-responder needs have been considered by the building’s designers and code officials. OSHA’s manual, “Fire Service Features …

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) was created with training and education as the cornerstone of its foundation. This is evident in its development of its fire sprinkler apprentice correspondence courses to meet education goals and the establishment of the Technical Advisory Council (TAC) to provide technical services to members. Established in May 1985, the TAC allowed AFSA to address …

Residential Ordinance Celebrates 30 Years NFPA has produced a new video underscoring the benefits of a home fire sprinkler ordinance in Scottsdale, Arizona, that went into effect 30 years ago. To date, fire sprinklers protect more than half of the town’s homes. In this video, Jim Ford, fire marshal with the Scottsdale …

Free Resources Available to Fire Service The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Fire Sprinkler Initiative and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) awarded the Maryland State Firemen’s Association with the 2016 Bringing Safety Home Award, presented at the Fire Sprinkler Coalition Chair Summit and HFSC May Board Meeting at NFPA Headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. …

AFSA Representative Dedicates Time, Expertise on Technical Committee The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) serves its members in numerous ways: through training, education, technical representation, and social networking among others. A major workhorse for AFSA is serving on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) committees to impact the standards-making process. NFPA technical committees keep codes and standards up to date. Numerous AFSA …

Residential Fire Sprinklers Remain for Now The International Code Council (ICC) has posted the results of online voting on Proposal RB129-16, which sought to repeal the International Residential Code’s (IRC) requirement for all new homes to be equipped with fire sprinklers. The IRC committee disapproved this proposal, and now, the online vote challenging that decision has failed by a …

The State of the Standard NFPA 14, Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems, has been radically revised since I first came onto the committee in the second half of the 2000 cycle. The 1996 edition contained less than one page of definitions, did not make specific provisions for high-rise buildings, and referred …

Informal Interpretations Offer Assistance on Technical Questions The informal interpretations featured in this post address NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, early suppression fast response (ESFR) sprinklers. AFSA’s informal interpretations are provided to AFSA members by Vice President of Engineering & Technical Services Roland Huggins, P.E. and Manager …

Commitment to Codes and Standards The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is, among other things, the leading authority on all fire codes and standards. These codes and standards are kept up to date by NFPA Technical Committees (TCs), which serve as the principal bodies responsible for the development and revision …