Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
Just over one year into its reformation, AFSA’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC), chaired by E. Parks Moore, P.E., CFPS, SET, vice president of engineering–sprinkler division at Pye Barker Fire & Safety, is hitting its stride and making its mark on the NFPA standards development process. The TAC establishes the technical positions of the association through 123 principal/alternate seats on 62 NFPA technical committees reviewing design, installation, inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements on over 47 NFPA documents. AFSA is well represented in the process, and our presence and impact are noticed.
With the recent realignment of AFSA’s regions, the TAC has grown to include 20 voting contractor members, representing all geographic regions and economic tiers of AFSA. New appointees include Robert Anderson, SET, Silco Fire & Security (Region 6); Chris Russell, ET and Cody Sharp, Security Solutions NW (Region 1); and Jason Williams, CET and Tammy Mayo, Telgian Corporation (Region 3). We welcome our newest members and look forward to their input and contributions to promote the mission of AFSA.
Just recently, the merit of the TAC’s inputs was put to the test as the technical committee on standpipes met in New Orleans to review public inputs and create the first revisions for the 2027 edition of NFPA 14. The TAC developed 30 public inputs, resulting in 23 first revisions on topics including acceptable pipe materials for high-pressure systems, clarifications on hose cap requirements, air supplies, design requirements for pressure-regulating devices, and flow testing requirements. While we would like to see all our inputs result in changes to the standard, resolved (or rejected) inputs should not be perceived as failures. The responses from the technical committee on the resolved inputs also provide clarity on the requirements through the committee’s statement. With the first draft meetings for NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, and NFPA 20 coming up later this year, we are hopeful and expect similar results for over 65 public inputs developed by the TAC.
It should be noted that the TAC is not just involved in the NFPA arena. Through AFSA staff, the association is represented on other industry standards, including UL standards and technical committees. This is particularly beneficial to our associate members, where we can influence the requirements in product standards. A prime example is the recent update to the listing requirements for air compressors for fire sprinkler systems. UL 1450 has been revised and now includes a supplement for listing fire sprinkler air compressors. Specific requirements for the UL 1450-SC listing include permanent connections for hardwired power connection, increased pressure testing to five times the maximum relief valve setting, requirement for a pressure relief valve as the only means to relieve pressure, and durability testing under rated load for 100,000 cycles. Listed air compressors for sprinkler systems will be marked “This Air Compressor Has Been Evaluated for Fire Sprinkler Use According to UL 1450, SUPPLEMENT SC,” and compressors that are not tested to the SC Supplement cannot imply suitability for use in sprinkler systems. With the adoption of these new requirements, UL will review the catalogue of listed air compressors, and we should see updates to the manufacturer’s literature within the next year to comply with the new requirements.
It should be apparent that the TAC is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the technical arm of AFSA, but this work is not achieved in a vacuum—unless that vacuum is created by listed negative pressure systems! In order to be effective, the TAC relies on input from all our members to get an accurate picture of the sprinkler industry across all regions and economic tiers. Please get involved and reach out to your regional representatives or AFSA staff to address any specific issues that you are dealing with.
ABOUT THE TAC: TAC meetings are open to all AFSA members in good standing. Contact your regional representative to discuss any issues that the TAC should hear. While the number of voting members on the TAC is currently restricted to 20 contractor companies, there are other opportunities for interested AFSA members. If you are interested in serving on an NFPA or UL technical committee, email technical@firesprinkler.org. All technical committee appointments are made by the TAC.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Hall, M.Eng., P.E., ET, CWBSP, PMSFPE, is the senior manager of engineering and technical services for the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA). He is a member of several National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committees responsible for developing the model codes and standards, including, NFPA 1 Fire Code, NFPA 13/13R/13D Installation of Sprinkler Systems, NFPA 20 Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection, NFPA 25 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, and NFPA 200 Hanging, Bracing, and Anchorage of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. He also represents AFSA on numerous UL technical committees responsible for revising and maintaining the product standards used in the sprinkler industry. He is a registered professional engineer in Delaware and Maryland, NICET III certified in water-based system layout, a certified water-based system professional through NFPA, and a professional member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from the University of Maryland College Park in fire protection engineering. In 2021, he was recognized as one of SFPE’s “5 Under 35” award recipients. Prior to his association and committee work, he worked for Reliance Fire Protection in Baltimore, Maryland as a project manager overseeing projects of various sizes and complexity.