Industry

On Tuesday, September 22, Congressmen Tom Reed (NY-23) and James “Jim” Langevin (RI-2), AFSA’s 2007 Advocate of the Year, introduced the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (H.R. 3591).  Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Thomas Carper (DE) introduced identical legislation, S. 2068, in the Senate on the same day. As introduced, the …

Significant Changes Coming in 2016 NFPA 13 If you’ve ever installed or designed a system with a fire pump or a header then you’ve probably used pipe stands in some form or fashion. But how did you know how to design the pipe stands? Sure, there have been several manufactured pipe …

“Rode hard and put away wet.” That was a cliché that I have heard many times when witnessing something that had undergone a severe test and was just about ready to fall apart. The cliché started out describing horses that were put away without proper grooming, but the imagery matches …

Electronic Review Considerations If you are an employee or supervisor of a reviewing agency and are thinking about going to electronic review (and you should be), there are some things that need to be taken into account. Following are things I have experienced that will help you avoid potential problems. …

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 …

AHJ Perspective Back in the good old days, all it took to solve a problem was a Swiss Army knife, a roll of duct tape and a guy named MacGyver. But, nothing is sacred, and MacGyver eventually went off the air. His reputation of being an expert at Rube Goldberg …

Costly Consequences for Worker Misclassification When business is growing and companies are adding workers, classifying employment status of each one can be tricky. Accidental misclassification of workers carries penalties and payment of back wages. Intentional misclassification of workers can carry criminal penalties and back wages. Since the Fair Labor Standards …

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part two of a six-part series that will be continued in future issues of Sprinkler Age. Last month we initiated a discussion of how important it is for the fire marshal and members of the fire prevention bureau to understand fire testing and national standards as it …

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part one of a six-part series that will be continued in future issues of Sprinkler Age. One of the most serious decisions a fire marshal faces is to approve or disapprove a building material or a fire assembly to install in a structure, especially one in …