Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
AFSA Board of Directors Set New Mission statement
and New Member Categories
In celebration of its 40th anniversary in 2021, the American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) has embraced an updated mission and vision for the association and set some new membership categories. The AFSA Membership and Long-Range Planning committee members have dedicated their time and expertise to describe AFSA’s reason for being, seting a vision for the future, and developing ways to grow AFSA’s membership in 2021 and beyond.
Mission and Vision Statements
The AFSA Board of Directors thought the eve of AFSA’s 40th anniversary was a perfect opportunity to revisit its mission and create a vision for the association’s future.
“AFSA needs both mission and vision statements,” says Rod DiBona, AFSA Region 3 Director and Chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee. “A mission statement tells what we do daily and should be memorable. A vision statement is inspirational and shows what the world looks like if we are successful in our mission. I think we achieved that.”
Committee members met virtually several times throughout the year to craft the new mission and vision statements and are pleased to unveil both. AFSA’s updated mission statement is, “AFSA is the voice of the merit shop fire sprinkler contractor. We educate and train the industry while promoting fire protection systems to save lives and property.” The new vision statement is, “To be a relentless force for a world free from the devastation caused by fires in commercial and residential structures.”
“Each statement is distinctly different and reminds us of our reason for being,” says Liz Messner, CAE, IOM, AFSA’s vice president of membership & communications and staff liaison for the Long-Range Planning Committee, “The committee worked hard to represent what AFSA is today—strong and relentless in our efforts to train and educate our entire industry to make the world a safer place. We are grateful for the committee members’ time and diligence on this important piece of AFSA’s story.”
In addition to DiBona, committee members for the 2020 Long-Range Planning Committee are AFSA Board members Linda Biernacki, Lyle Hall, Jack Medovich, and Michael Meehan.
New Membership Categories
Two new membership levels are debuting, one for students and one for retirees. Student members are full-time students enrolled in an accredited or approved fire protection or related program who do not meet requirements for full AFSA membership in any other category. Dues are $25/annually.
Retired members are at least 65 years old and must no longer receive financial benefit from any occupation related to fire sprinklers. Dues are $100/annually. To qualify for retired member status, individuals must call AFSA to join to verify specific information.
“I am extremely excited for AFSA to now offer a student and retired membership,” comments Biernacki. “A student membership will assist with NextGen and build on young, fresh, curious-minded students in our industry. When it comes to knowledge, there is no greater resource than AFSA’s retiree-level membership. We would encourage our retirees to mentor those student members in an effort to start growing the NextGeners for our industry.”
For more information about AFSA and its programs and services, and membership, visit firesprinkler.org or call (214) 349-5965.