According to my research on quotations, the phrase “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step” was first uttered by the Chinese philosopher Laozi some 500 years before the beginning of the common era. We are still taking long journeys and continuing to take steps. That has been …
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Dates for 2016 Beginning Fire Sprinkler System Planning School Announced The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) has released the 2016 dates for its Beginning Fire Sprinkler System Planning School. Next year, schools will be held January 11-22, February 8-19, April 4-15, May 16-27, July 18-29, and October 3-14. New for 2016, …
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How Being a Problem Solver Transformed Me from Receptionist to Director of Operations in Three Years In June 2012 I found myself staring longingly at a lakeside cabin for rent hoping to convince my dad to help me make this desire a reality. I was a jobless art school graduate with …
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Additional Rigid Braces are Required Using 2013 NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, as a reference, I will discuss this common tension-only sway brace misapplication. Many manufacturers of tension-only brace product incorrectly specify the installation of a rod hanger with a rod stiffener to resist upward vertical …
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On Tuesday, September 22, Congressmen Tom Reed (NY-23) and James “Jim” Langevin (RI-2), AFSA’s 2007 Advocate of the Year, introduced the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (H.R. 3591). Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Thomas Carper (DE) introduced identical legislation, S. 2068, in the Senate on the same day. As introduced, the …
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Significant Changes Coming in 2016 NFPA 13 If you’ve ever installed or designed a system with a fire pump or a header then you’ve probably used pipe stands in some form or fashion. But how did you know how to design the pipe stands? Sure, there have been several manufactured pipe …
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“Rode hard and put away wet.” That was a cliché that I have heard many times when witnessing something that had undergone a severe test and was just about ready to fall apart. The cliché started out describing horses that were put away without proper grooming, but the imagery matches …
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Electronic Review Considerations If you are an employee or supervisor of a reviewing agency and are thinking about going to electronic review (and you should be), there are some things that need to be taken into account. Following are things I have experienced that will help you avoid potential problems. …
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Part 1: Advantages I was asked in an interview one time whether a plan reviewer is a consultant or an enforcement agent. I would say both or perhaps neither. Plan review is actually supposed to be a quality control process that the government provides to protect the public from improper …
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The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) held its annual Manufacturers/Suppliers (M/S) Council election on August 21. Chuck Kitts of System Sensor in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, was re-elected to a three-year term. Derek Allen of HD Supply Fire Protection in Hayward, California, was newly elected for a three-year term. New members of the AFSA …
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Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association