Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
As most of our members know, the stated mission of AFSA is “to be the voice of the merit shop fire sprinkler contractor. We educate and train the industry while promoting fire protection systems to save lives and property.”
This mission statement is a living, breathing mantra that reminds us of who we are and why we are here, and, more importantly, it is the primary focus driving our team toward constant improvement in the programs we offer and the way they are delivered. Over three years ago, AFSA launched our virtual classroom training to make it easier for your enrolled sprinkler fitter apprentices to complete their required 200 classroom hours without having to show up after a long workday. This distance learning program provides training twice each month, with two starting times each day (East/West coast), featuring live virtual training with an assortment of subject matter experts, exposing your apprentices to unsurpassed training and perspectives. Our trainers bring enthusiasm, experience, and cautionary tales to make training more than a check box, helping others learn from the best.
As of this writing, our VIP program has over 280 apprentices enrolled in courses covering all four Sprinkler Fitter books, but the success of this program is a continuing story; we cannot rest on our laurels and expect to fulfill the mission or earn your support and membership.
Our industry is continuing to change, clearly driven by mergers and acquisitions, with more sprinkler contractors expanding their services and geographic reach. Many of our AFSA members are no longer just in the water-based fire protection business, but are now in the fire and life safety business. To help our members navigate this changing landscape, AFSA is expanding its training catalog and our training facility. We recently signed an agreement to take another 6,000 ft² of lease space to build out classrooms and labs for low voltage (fire alarm) and special hazards systems training programs. Beginning in early 2027, we will offer training programs for the inspection and testing of all fire and life-safety-related equipment, including fire doors, fire dampers, portable fire extinguishers, kitchen hood systems, and fire suppression systems.
This is a shift from isolated courses to connected learning ecosystems, blending live and on-demand training and education programs in support of your growing business model. AFSA training and education focus on the outcomes and the skills needed to build a well-trained, prepared workforce for our industry. Training and education go a long way toward limiting liabilities and ensuring that the systems we install, test, and inspect will do the job when a tragic event occurs. Our training courses go well beyond providing certificates or CEUs. As we say every day, send us your people, and we will send them back better.
If you have not yet visited the AFSA training center, we have developed a world-class facility with the help of our manufacturers and suppliers, along with help from a team of fitters from a few member contractors. Our lab space provides hands-on opportunities for layout technicians, fitters, inspectors, and others to see, touch, feel, and play with every type of system valve from every major manufacturer. Attendees get to perform fire pump and fire hydrant flow testing and see over 40 different sprinklers and nozzles flow water without having to mop up after pulling a sprinkler from a live system.
Attendees who fly into DFW airport can board the DART Silver Line train and, for about $6.00 round-trip, be within a two-block walk of our sponsored hotel in less than 40 minutes. The Drury Inn offers a special rate for AFSA training, along with free breakfast and dinner. (Not to mention two adult beverages per night.) The hotel is a 10-minute walk from the office, and they also provide a free shuttle service to and from our facility. Of course, AFSA provides lunch, snacks, coffee, and soft drinks for every class. These conveniences and amenities are intended to make our training programs as streamlined as possible, because we understand the real cost of sending people for training includes your loss of production and revenue while they’re here, rather than performing their normal work routines.
While we think we “get it,” the only way we really know we’re getting it is to ask for feedback from our customers—you, the members. So, please reach out to us and let us know what we’re doing, or not doing well. Let us know what programs matter to you and how AFSA can continue to earn your membership.
As we move into summer, the months fly by, and AFSA45 will be upon us before we know it. This year’s convention will return us to San Antonio, Texas, at the beautiful JW Marriott Hotel in the heart of Texas Hill Country. If you missed this one a few short years ago, you missed one of the best conventions ever, so don’t miss this one. No suits and ties here, folks…this one is cowboy boots, jeans, and hats. It will be a full lineup of seminars and a full house of expo booths showing you the latest and greatest our industry has to offer! Don’t forget to join us to crown this year’s winner of the National Apprentice Competition and see who takes home that $10,000 prize. Lookin’ forward to seein’ y’all in San Antonio!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bob Caputo, CFPS, is president of AFSA. He has been an important part of the fire sprinkler industry for over 41 years and is a long-time member of AFSA and promoter of merit shop contracting. He has chaired and served on many NFPA committees. Caputo has written and presented seminars throughout the world on fire protection and life-safety systems and is a regular speaker at AFSA and NFPA conventions. He has developed AFSA education and training materials and chaired two chapters of AFSA—Arizona and Southern California. Caputo is the recipient of numerous awards, including Fire Protection Contractor magazine’s “Industry Person of the Year,” San Diego County Fire Chiefs’ Association’s “Fire Prevention Officer of the Year,” and AFSA’s highest honor, the Henry S. Parmelee Award.