Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
As summer has hit, it just seems to be busy everywhere I look. I have to give credit to our AFSA staff in Dallas as it has been a very busy last couple of months. Two noteworthy events happened in May and June: AFSA held our annual Mid-Year Chapter Leadership Conference, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) hosted its annual Convention & Expo in San Antonio, Texas.
The AFSA Chapter Leadership Conference, which was held in Dallas May 21-22 was a huge success as it continues to grow in attendance every year. We had 39 attendees representing 26 chapters. It is a great opportunity for chapter leaders to share ideas and learn what other chapters are doing successfully. As AFSA continues to grow, this conference is also an excellent opportunity for AFSA staff and chapter leaders to share ideas. It is very important for all of us to know what we can do better, and how we can better serve our membership. It is also great to see the friendships that continue to grow out of this particular event. These chapter leaders are passionate about our industry and are truly the backbone of our Association.
The NFPA Convention & Expo was held in San Antonio, June 17-20. NFPA is always a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders. AFSA was well represented, led by Senior Vice President of Engineering & Technical Services Roland Huggins, PE and his Technical Services team. Director of Communications & Social Media Nicole Duvall was also present and manned the AFSA booth sharing membership information.
I would like to congratulate both Roland Huggins and AFSA Board of Directors member Jack Medovich, PE for special recognition during the NFPA Convention & Expo. Roland received the NFPA Committee Service Award for his contributions to the development of NFPA standards. In the last 25 years, Roland has sat on multiple NFPA committees and has been the voice of AFSA as it relates to standards development (see related story on page 62 of this issue). Jack Medovich received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Maryland for his contributions to the fire protection industry and the university. Both men have given back countless hours to the improvement of our industry and to this Association. These awards are well deserved, and again, I congratulate both of them.
Excitement is starting to build, and planning is well underway for the upcoming ASFA38: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition which will be held October 1-4 in San Diego. Registration has begun, and even though we are a couple of months out, we are very excited where the registration numbers sit. The location is ideal, the weather is always great in San Diego, and the convention will be very much worth attending. Hope to see you all there!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wayne Weisz is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Fire Sprinkler Association.
