Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
February 2024 kicked off the new year with my first AFSA Board & Committee meetings as chair. The meetings were very productive and eventful; each committee set clear goals to better serve, you, our members.
Convention Committee Chair, Don Kaufman, along with committee members and AFSA staff, are in full planning mode for our upcoming AFSA43 convention at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, Colo. They are all busy setting up the seminars, choosing exciting venues, and ensuring this will be one of the best apprenticeship competitions and exhibit halls. Start planning your trip to the Mile High City now! Golfers, did you know that in Denver golf balls travel 10 percent farther because the air is less dense, and exerts less drag force on the ball? I would like to welcome Jessica Thomason, Meetings & Events manager, to the AFSA team. Everyone at the Quarter 1 meetings had the opportunity to meet her.
Our technical services and engineering department, led by John Denhardt, P.E., FSFPE, and his team, has broken all records with over 700 technical reviews in 2023. The TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) has been resurrected with Parks Moore, P.E., as chair in an effort to be active on more NFPA committees. Recently, John was re-appointed to sit on the University of Maryland Board of Visitors, and Josh McDonald, MSET, CFPS, CWBSP, WBITM, AFSA’s manager of Technical Services, is working on achieving his P.E.
We have the best-of-class technical team, hands down! Thank you, John, for your leadership, energy, and passion for what you do to make our association the premier place to go to for any code-related issues.
Apprenticeship & Education Committee Chair, Paul DeLorie, reported the AFSA staff delivered 39,000 hours of training to our membership in 2023. The hands-on lab at our headquarters in Richardson, Texas, is 90 percent complete and will increase this number exponentially once completed. The rollout of the VIP hands-on portion of the fitter training in the very near future is very exciting.
With Phil Schechinger serving as chair, the Manufacturers & Suppliers (M/S) Council met and developed a mission statement in support of AFSA and is looking to support the joint mission of our association. We are very appreciative of the support and collaboration we receive from the M/S Council throughout the year.
Our Membership & Chapter Development Chair, Jay Strickland, reported that we have over 1,000 AHJ members. This is due to our president, Bob Caputo’s, emphasis on building stronger partnerships with our AHJs, along with providing needed training in our industry. The committee is also working on updating the AFSA website with support from the AFSA staff. If you have any constructive feedback, please share it with Meda Merritt (mmerritt@firesprinkler.org). Beginning March 1, there will be two regional managers: April Jones will cover the Eastern U.S., and Christina Sales will oversee the Western U.S., focusing on ensuring that chapters have the added support from AFSA.
The Site Selection Committee Chair, Jack Viola, P.E., announced the 2027 convention location will be in San Diego at the Hilton Bay Front. Great job and great location!
Our Legislative Committee Chair, Chris Johnson, and his committee are requesting nominees for the Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year Award. Visit www.firesprinkler.org/awards to nominate someone for this award. The committee is working on many issues around the country. Review Meda’s Q1 Board Committee Highlights email for a full review.
The Public Education & Awareness Chair, Brooks Bayne, reported their committee is working with AFSA contractors, headed up by Paulene Norwood, to install fire sprinkler systems in four Veterans’ homes with Homes For Our Troops. Thank you to our member companies and our manufacturers and suppliers for bringing this to fruition.
I mentioned earlier in my message it’s been a busy February with work and with celebrations. Congratulations to Mrs. Katie Meehan Woffard, who married Si on Feb. 3, 2024, in Richmond, Va., where we danced the night away. The next day she hopped on a plane and made it to the Board/Committee meetings in Ft. Lauderdale to chair the NextGen Committee. WOW! That is dedication to our industry and our membership. The committee requested and the Board approved to provide convention scholarships to encourage our next generation of leaders to participate at convention. The committee also voted and the Board approved to dedicate the Young Person of the Year Award to the committee’s founder and past chair, Joe Heinrich, renaming it to The Joe Heinrich Young Professional of the Year Award, a well-deserved honor.
Congratulations to our San Diego Executive Director, Rhonda Gudger! She wrote and published her first book “The Sprinkler Squad: The Adventures of the Fire Sprinkler Pals.” Please order your copy and support Rhonda for her part to educate our youth on how fire sprinklers save lives.
Now, as a mom, congratulations to my daughter, Emily. She got married on Feb. 24, 2024, to Johnny Wrenn in Dallas. It was an amazing weekend filled with love, laughter, and your daddy’s charm saying, “He would be here today if heaven wasn’t so far away.”
2024 is going to be a great year. Busy, but great!
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.
