Technical Articles

New Technical Programs Specialist Enhances Engineering & Technical Services Department DALLAS – The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) is pleased to welcome Joshua McDonald, CFPS to its Department of Engineering & Technical Services as technical programs specialist. In this role, he will be responsible for developing, updating, and delivery of technical content. “Joshua brings …

Calling all Fitters! Each issue, AFSA’s Engineering & Technical Services Department presents one or multiple challenges for fitters. Besides challenging yourself and your co-workers, working these problems enforces lessons that should be learned through an apprenticeship program and explains how requirements from the standard are applied in the field. To …

The American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), a Dallas-based international trade association representing the fire sprinkler industry, empathizes with the people affected and the hardships presented by this unprecedented winter storm and freeze.The majority of fire sprinkler systems are installed with water-filled pipes, which must be protected from freezing and are …

As we start the New Year, my thoughts turn to addressing one of our membership’s largest needs: representation on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committees. Our average contractor member typically does not have the time or resources to participate in the NFPA process actively. I know this firsthand. Working …

It has been almost a year since I accepted a position with AFSA, and what a ride it has been! From the beginning, I could not have asked for better support from my bosses, the AFSA’s Board of Directors. This group of sprinkler contractors is diverse with lots of experience, …

Sometimes Evaluating Water Supply Takes on a Whole New Meaning In water-based fire protection systems, there’s one consistent factor… water. The sprinkler industry has long had a love/hate relationship with water. The whole concept around what we do is based on getting the right amount of water to the right …

Considerations of Mass Reopening As the country moves toward reopening businesses and ending lockdown periods undertaken to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, everyone is focused on safety from an exposure standpoint. However, it is important to ask what impact these efforts have on fire protection and life safety? As …

Members Save Time and Money with Informal Interpretations The informal interpretations featured in this issue of Sprinkler Age address inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) issues. Informal interpretations are prepared by the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA) Technical Services Department— John August Denhardt, PE, FSFPE, vice president of Engineering & Technical …

AFSA Member American Automatic Sprinkler’s Project Nears Completion Construction commenced at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas with a “Let the Dirt Fly” groundbreaking ceremony held on April 18, 2017, but for AFSA member American Automatic Sprinkler, Inc. (AAS) of Fort Worth, one of the largest merit-shop fire protection contractors …

What are Laterals? One of the aspects of NFPA 14, Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems, that has been regularly edited over the last several cycles of the standard is the protection of piping against fire damage. This article will look at these changes with a particular …