FSSA’s 33rd Annual Meeting Underway February 22, 2015
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, Good Stuff to Share, Iowa Alarm Association, Mass Notification Systems, NICET, Uncategorized.add a comment
President, Eric Burkland, welcomed over 190 delegates to the opening session of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Fire Suppression Systems Association at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida. Burkland thanked all those in attendance for making the effort to attend and support the robust health of the organization.
With 17 new members during the last year and an upswing in revenues from dues, annual meeting fees, increased publication sales and promotions of the new training program, Burkland reported on the significant strides the association as made in the last 12 months.
Several committee reports followed Burkland’s opening remarks including Steve Carter, the FSSA’s current treasurer. Carter recapped several financial highlights and credited the membership with promoting addtional new members as well as supporting the on-line training program and publications.
Dan Hubert, chair of the Technical Committee, shared his committee’s activities by outlining the numerous tasks that the Board of Directors has charged them with including new Guides covering Hazard Analysis/Hazard Protection; “Clean” Gaseous Fire Extinguishing Agents; and two additional separate Guides on Water Mist and Hybrid Systems. Hubert also promoted the fact that several existing Guides are in their 3rd edition: Pressure Venting and Pipe Design. The Testing Guide for use with Special Hazard Fire Suppression Sytems is in its 4th edition.
FSSA’s Codes and Standards Oversight Committee Chair, Derek Wester, presented a comprehensive overview of FSSA’s participation on over 23 NFPA committees and noted that there are currently seven vacancies on various committees that FSSA needs to fill. Wester also announced that an added benefit of FSSA membership will be exclusive access to all NFPA committee meeting recap notices filed by FSSA representatives. This invaluable resource will help keep FSSA members up-to-date on specific committee actions and new developments within the codes and standards committees represented.
The expanding awareness of public policy by the FSSA was reviewed by Bill Eckholm, committee chair. Eckholm touched on numerous international agreements involving climate change and their affect on the special hazards industry. Along with the several protocols being watched, Eckholm highlighted two efforts in the U.S. that warrant members’ attention: Senate Bill 2911 seeking to authorize EPA to regulate short-lived greenhouse gases using the SNAP and the Super Pollutants Act. Eckholm invited all members to be vigilant with keeping FSSA’s headquarters appraised of any local or state initiatives affecting the industry as well.
The final committee report was offered by Joe Ziemba, chair of the Marketing Committee. He summarized the many efforts now underway to promote the FSSA to new and diverse audiences. The overall goal of the committee’s efforts is being led by P E G: Promote; Educate and Grow. In each task, the committee seeks to advance awareness of the FSSA in various formats and venues. Promotion of industry Guides as well as the On-line Training Program are beginning to take shape with this committee’s efforts. A future activity involves development of FSSA sponsored webinars which will focus on various topics important to the industry.
The 33rd Annual Meeting continues tomorrow, Monday, February 23rd.
Industry Gathers for 33rd Annual FSSA Meeting February 20, 2015
Posted by shawnpci in Change Leadership, Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, NICET, Uncategorized.Tags: alarm, Change Leadership, clean agent, clean agents, Data Centers, explosions, fire, fire protection, fire suppression, Fire Systems, FSSA, hot aisle cold aisle, life safety, NFPA, Protex Central
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Over 190 members of the fire suppression systems industry are gathering in Clearwater Beach, Florida to participate in the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Fire Suppression Systems Association at the Sandpearl Resort.
The three-day event will feature presentations from the Association’s Technical Committee Chair, Daniel Hubert, as well as the Association’s Technical Director, Tom Wysocki. Association president, Eric Burkland, will recap recent developments and improvments in the Association’s new on-line Training Program.
FSSA’s involvement with NFPA Code and Standards development will be highlighted by Derek Wester who provides oversight of the Association’s participation. Bill Eckholm, chair of FSSA’s Public Policy Comittee will report on recent committee activities.
The opening session’s Keynote Presentation will be by Geno Church, Chief Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer of Brains on Fire. His presentation, THE PASSION CONVERSATION, changes one’s perspective on marketing by explaining the three motivations for why people talk about businesses and causes.
Other topics of interest to be presented will include updates on NICET, challenges in data center fire protection, exposure limits of HF in museum and archive applications as well as innovations in industrial explosion protection.
As always, several networking events are planned throught the course of the event.
For more information about FSSA and its annual meeting, visit www.fssa.net.
The meeting runs through Tuesday, February 24th.
DSM Business Record Highlights NOVEC 1230 January 24, 2015
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, Good Stuff to Share, Iowa Alarm Association, NICET, Uncategorized.add a comment
Shawn Mullen, SET, President and Chief Energy Officer of Protex Central, Inc., was recently highlighted in a column by David Elbert of the Des Moines Business Record.
The focus of the article was the “magic” of 3M’s Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid.
Contractors And Installers Have Role In “Rethinking” Fire Safety, Too. April 6, 2014
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, Iowa Alarm Association, NICET.2 comments
The following letter was submitted to the Des Moines Register in response to the April 6, 2014 article, Des Moines to “rethink” fire safety.
The April 6th Reader’s Watchdog article, Des Moines to ‘rethink’ fire safety, provided a timely revisiting of the importance of building and fire codes in the ashes of the former Younker’s fire.
March 28, 2014 fire destroys former Younker’s flagship store in downtown Des Moines.
Des Moines and its capable fire department are to be recognized in taking prudent action by adopting the International Fire Code and for employing two fire protection engineers. While these actions are commendable, they are not the only efforts that have been undertaken to protect the citizens of Des Moines and Iowa.
In 2004, the Legislature enacted licensing for fire protection systems contractors and installers (Chapter 100C).
Law requires contractors and their employees engaging in the layout, installation, service or testing of fire protection systems be licensed by the State Fire Marshal’s office. A contractor’s responsible managing employee must attain certification in fire protection from the National Institute for Certification of Engineering Technicians. Individual workers, too, must show certification for their respective disciplines.
Currently, over 110 contractors and 670 individual professionals are certified.
Left unregulated and ignored, fire is an equal opportunity disaster. With vigilant attention to codes and standards by authorities, owners, contractors and their employees, all Iowa residents benefit from continually rethinking fire safety.
Onward and Upward 