Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
I hope everyone had a safe, healthy, and fun-filled Christmas and New Year! Sadly, I start off remembering Joe Heinrich, who passed away in November 2023. Joe was Chair of the AFSA Board of Directors from 2013-2015 and was instrumental in developing the NextGen committee. He had a keen understanding of the future success of our industry in developing and mentoring the younger future generation, and he showed that through great leadership. Joe will be remembered for his big, friendly smile, always finding solutions to problems, his integrity in all he did, and, last but not least, his love of family and having a big, tall cold brew with his friends. He will be greatly missed! Our Board is committed to continuing Joe’s legacy and expanding our reach into high schools and technical schools.
After hearing about the success of the AFSA Virginia Chapter, which developed a hands-on approach by introducing students to career opportunities in our industry with the Henrico County Public Schools, ASFA has introduced a pilot program using the Apprenticeship Training Book 1 with Gilbreath Reed Technical Center in Garland, Texas, under Kurt Ortley, architect and instructor for the program. AFSA will provide Book 1 free of charge to all schools that implement this program.
Last year, our president, Bob Caputo, initiated, with the approval of the Membership Committee and the Board of Directors, a new membership category for facility managers. In March, AFSA will attend the National Facility Management & Technology (NFMT) Conference and the ABC convention. Our goal is to introduce our association to its members and encourage them to join our association for the many training programs we offer. We feel this is a great opportunity to reach out to industry organizations and collaborate on life safety issues.
The Building Owners and Management Association (BOMA) is another association in which I am involved. This is a group that provides us the opportunity to provide fire protection solutions and assist in managing their facilities. This collaboration is a win for both associations and their members.
This is an exciting time for our members. Your association is strong and committed to providing the best-of-class training to fitters, apprentices, designers, and superintendents. We are investing more in our new headquarters with state-of-the-art training facilities, our chapters, and our next generation, as well as building stronger alliances with manufacturers and suppliers.
I have made several trips to our Richardson, Texas, headquarters, and each time, I am amazed to see the progress, from the collaboration with one of our local Contractor members, Firetrol, for installing the valves and to our manufacturers and suppliers for donating the materials. Thank you for your continued support of the AFSA mission. We are extremely excited to start hands-on training with our Apprenticeship Training curriculum, hopefully in March.
I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to Marlene Garrett, vice president of meetings & education services, for her dedication to the AFSA over the past 26 years. Region 2 Director Don Kaufman and I, representing the AFSA Board of Directors, presented her with a plaque showing our appreciation for her professionalism, calm disposition during difficult situations, and loyal friendship. Marlene, you will be missed by many, and we wish you the best in your next chapter.
Our future looks bright as we continue to build on the success of the merit shop fire sprinkler contractor!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Serving as Chair of the Board and Region 4 Director, Linda M. Biernacki is the founder/president of Fire Tech Systems, Inc., Shreveport, Louisiana. Fire Tech Systems is an AFSA Quality Contractor, ISNetworld Certified, licensed in six states (Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas). With over 33 years of experience, Biernacki provides industry experience, knowledge, and background. She is past chair of the NICET board of governors (June 2022-June 2023), past board member and current member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) board of directors, past president and current board member of the Louisiana Fire Sprinkler Association (LFSA), represents AFSA on the NFPA 232 Committee for Protection of Records and is past AFSA40 Convention Committee and Membership & Chapter Development Chair. Biernacki is certified in NICET Level III Fire Protection Engineering Technology Water-Based Systems Layout and is certified by the Women’s Business Council Gulf Coast.
