Popular Installers’ Townhall & Other Activities at 36th FSSA Meeting February 20, 2018
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, Good Stuff to Share, NICET.Tags: alarm, clean agent, clean agents, Data Centers, fire, fire alarm, fire protection, fire suppression systems, Fire Suppression Systems Association, Fire Systems, FSSA, hybrid systems, NFPA, Protex Central, water mist systems
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The popular installers’ townhall meeting was held on the last day of the the 36th annual meeting of the Fire Suppression Systems Association at the Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage, California.
Over 100 installer member companies attended the morning meeting. A wide range of topics were covered including how to attract labor, best practices with design and estimating software, ideas on how to minimize employees use of smartphones while driving, and R&D tax credits available for contractors.
SFPE’s Victoria Valentine discusses fire system inspection, testing and maintenance awareness.
Participants offered examples and real-life experiences on several of the topics. Many attendees learned of new ways of looking at old problems. The 90 minute session went quickly as members exchanged views, ideas and opinions.
Prior to the close of the conference, FSSA members also attended sessions with topics ranging from turning system deficiencies into a profitable revenue stream; best practices for creating awareness of need for inspection, testing and maintenance as well as several supplier/vendor presentations from companies participating in the first ever Supplier Expo.
The 32nd annual meeting concludes today, February 20th.
36th Annual FSSA Meeting Highlights Industry’s Best February 18, 2018
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, Good Stuff to Share, NFPA 770, NICET, Uncategorized.Tags: alarm, clean agent, clean agents, data center, Data Centers, fire, fire alarm, fire alarm systems, fire protection, fire suppression, fire suppression systems, Fire Suppression Systems Association, Fire Systems, FSSA, hot aisle cold aisle, hybrid systems, International Fire Code, NFPA, Protex Central, water mist systems
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Members gather for start of 36th Annual FSSA Meeting
The start of the Fire Suppression Systems Association’s 36th Annual meeting featured presentations by many of the industry’s best practitioners. Opening keynote speaker, Jim Smith, Jr gave an inspirational presentation on the value of not just going “to” the next level, but “beyond”. His message infused personal stories of triumph and failure as well as video selections and quotable quotes from a variety of sources on breaking down barriers to achieving one’s best. He further challenged the attendees by asking them to pair-up and share their greatest accomplishments, goals, barriers, and action plans with each other.
A new feature of this year’s Annual Meeting was the presentation of unique application solutions by four selected member installers. ASSI presented their solution and approach to protecting gloveboxes with high-air flows; BFPE showcased how they installed air-sampling detection throughout a famous alabaster-colored house in Washington, D.C.; Orr Protection highlighted the challenges of installing watermist in an unusual location under movable auditorium seats and Protectowire presented the application of their new fiber-optic based linear heat detector in a large aircraft service hanger.
The day’s presentations also included technical and NFPA updates from Technical Chair, Dan Hubert and Technical Director, Tom Wysocki.
The final presentation by BFPE highlighted their approach to acquiring and retaining the best help in a competitive employment market.
The FSSA’s Annual Meeting continues through Tuesday, February 20th.
Data Center Fire Protection Challenges Highlighted at FSSA February 23, 2015
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Protection, Fire Systems, FSSA, NICET, Uncategorized.Tags: clean agent, clean agents, data center, Data Centers, fire, fire alarm, fire protection, fire suppression, fire suppression systems, Fire Suppression Systems Association, Fire Systems, FM Global, hot aisle cold aisle, insurance underwriters, life safety, NFPA, Protex Central, water mist systems
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FM Global, a recognized leader in loss prevention services worldwide, presented Challenges of Data Center Fire Protection to the delegates attending the Fire Suppression Systems Association’s 33rd Annual Meeting in Clearwater, Florida.
Robert Kasiski, a senior engineering specialist with FM Global, provided an engaging presentation of data center market statistics including total estimated worldwide data center floor space of over 286,000 square feet across over 509,000 centers. Additionally he noted that new technology and best-practices are increasing the need to be vigilant in providing proper fire protection coverage.
Kasiski noted that lithium ion batteries are becoming more prevalent in UPS rooms that support data centers. These alone present issues to assuring adequate protection from fire. Another emerging challenge deals with the myriad cables throughout a center that present one of the signle largest combustible loads. He noted that the practice of “retire-in-place” for legacy cables only compounds issues.
Noting that new server imersion technologies are being explored in data centers to mitigate cooling issues, Kasiski indiated this is an area of increasing research interest for his firm.
Several video clips of FM Global fire tests were shown involving cables, cable trays and other combustibles. The results of these tests were of great interest to the delegates.
The presentation concluded with Kasiski listing key issues going forward to be addressed not only by FM Global but the data center and fire protection communities including: understanding the consistency of change within a data center; identifying unrecognized hazards and accepting that current fire protection schemes may not meet the everchanging needs.
The Annual Meeting continues through Tuesday, February 24th.
Onward and Upward 