Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Last Chance for AFSA Training in Design and ITM for 2022
The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) offers a variety of education programs to serve members’ needs. From the field to the office with apprenticeship; design; and inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) training, AFSA can help take your business to the next level. This fall, take advantage of design schools and hands-on ITM training.
Design Schools
AFSA’s new blended format for its Beginning and Intermediate Design Schools has proved popular this year with students and employers alike. The blend of in-person and virtual learning has saved employers time and money while expanding their services with sprinkler system design. Each class will be offered one more time in 2022.
Start at the Beginning Each beginning school will be held over a four-week period and features a mix of virtual and in-person training. The plan includes two live webinars per week in the three weeks leading up to in-person training. The webinars will be two-and-a-half hours in length and held midday on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Exercises will be assigned through Canvas. The fourth week of learning will be held in person and taught by AFSA’s expert technical staff, focusing on hydraulics and layout. This new format will be offered one more time in 2022, October 20 – November 11 (in-person location is Orlando, Florida).
The beginning program covers what designers need to know about sprinkler system layout in accordance with the 2019 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. This class is designed for trainees and entry-level technicians with at least six months experience, as well as those with experience in the sprinkler trade looking to make the transition to design.
The school presents a comprehensive, practical approach to preparing fire sprinkler system drawings. Students receive two full weeks of instruction—60 percent is the study and review of NFPA 13 (2019 edition), and 40 percent is the preparation of fire sprinkler system layout, shop drawings, and how to do hydraulic calculations by hand. There is no CAD or third-party software taught in this class. To register, visit firesprinkler.org/design.
Next Level Design AFSA’s Intermediate Design School will begin with an orientation and two three-hour webinars providing an overview of the toolsets available in the Autodesk® Revit® software to allow students to utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM) for exercises. This is followed by five days of in-person instruction.
The course is designed for those with layout experience looking to understand the tools they utilize in-depth and gain a more profound knowledge to apply the design and installation requirements for general storage, install and calculate seismic protection, layout and calculate standpipe systems, size, and select-fire pumps, and apply hydraulic principles to complex wet, deluge, and preaction systems. Seismic protection and sway bracing will also be covered in detail. The final 2022 intermediate school will be held October 31– November 11 (in-person location is Dallas, Texas). Visit firesprinkler.org/nextlevel for more details and to register.
NFPA 25 Three-Day Course
AFSA’s new NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, Hands-On ITM Training will be offered December 5-7 in Cranston, Rhode Island. This class will provide a three-day hands-on review of the ITM requirements for sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, fire pumps, and common components for water-based fire protection systems. Half of the class will involve a classroom-based review, and the other half will include hands-on demonstrations and practice. Specific hands-on tests include main drain test; valve status test; dry system trip test; preaction/deluge trip test; resetting dry and preaction/deluge valves; weekly, monthly, and annual fire pump tests; and air supplies (air compressors and nitrogen generators). The course is approved for credit by the Florida Fire Safety Board. More details are available at firesprinkler.org/programs/nfpa-25-hands-on-itm.
ITM Certification Prep Course
Regardless of the type or level of certification you are pursuing in inspection and testing of water-based systems, AFSA’s two-day, in-person ITM Certification Prep Course is designed to equip your inspectors with test-taking and time-management strategies to help prepare for exam day. This course will be offered December 8-9 in Cranston, Rhode Island, intentionally following three-day hands-on class so that people can register for one or both. It’s also helpful if the student schedules their certification exam to be taken shortly after they complete this training. Visit firesprinkler.org/programs/itm-certification-prep-course-2022 for more details and to register.
ITM Inspector Development Program
AFSA’s Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance (ITM) Inspector Development Program can help companies expand their services and grow their business in just 20 short months. Graduates of AFSA’s ITM program lead the way and outperform national average exam scores on both NICET Level I and Level II I&T exams. Test results show that AFSA students have a 93-percent NICET Level I and II exams pass rate versus the national average of 63 percent! The program is facilitated by AFSA’s Manager of ITM Technical Training John T. Johnson, CFPS, who has worked in the fire protection and fire suppression industries for over 30 years.
Professionalize the role of your inspection team with AFSA’s comprehensive 20-month program that provides a blended learning environment teamed with a robust curriculum created by top industry leaders. The program is a high-impact, dynamic program that strives to treat every student like a VIP through its variety of teaching methods. The program professionalizes the role of the inspector, providing:
• a blend of on-demand, live webinar, and in-person instruction;
• a guided on-the-job training (OJT) learning plan; and
• classroom, fire training lab, mock walk-thru exercises, and NICET prep.
The first six months of the program are also conducted online. The Fall 2022 class has already sold out, but registration is open for the Spring or Fall 2023 program at firesprinkler.org/itm.
