REGIONAL REPORT January 2015

REGIONAL REPORT
January 2015
Southwest Edition
Bruce Lecair
Regional Manager
25417 Hyacinth Street
Temescal Valley, CA 92883
California, Hawaii,
Arizona, Nevada, New
Mexico
Phone: (951) 277-3517
Fax: (951) 277-3199
Cell: (951) 805-8992
Email: [email protected]
NFSA 2015 Top Tech Competition-More Excitement than
Ever Before!
NFSA is looking for the best Fire Sprinkler Design Technicians in the land! If you know NFPA 13
inside and out, are able to figure out optimal spacing for rooms of unusual dimensions in your head or
have memorized what size suction pipe needs to be used with each size of fire pump...then you might
have the right stuff for the Top Tech Competition! Beat the competition for the title of 2015 Top Tech
of the Land and receive a $2000 cash prize!
The online exam will be available from Monday, January 5, 2015 at noon to Monday, January
12, 2015 at noon EST. Register NOW to avoid any technical problems. You can register at
http://www.nfsa.tv/cgi-bin/ttregister.cgi?step=1. There you will find the official rules and more about
our new game show format. In order to register, participants need a member number. If you do not
know yours, contact your employer or NFSA Membership Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EST. Once you register, you will receive an email with a link to instructions and the test login.
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Fire Sprinkler System Nearly Puts Out Fire!
In an article posted on December 18, 2014 by James Gilbert of the Yuma Sun, a sprinkler system
had extinguished most of a fire in a commercial building in Yuma by the time firefighters arrived on
scene.
Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert said that shortly after 10 p.m., a water flow alarm was
received, indicating a fire sprinkler system had activated in a commercial building located at 475 W.
32nd St. Erfert said arriving firefighters gained access to the building and found that a fire had been
contained and mostly extinguished by an activated fire sprinkler head. Firefighters immediately began
extinguishing hot spots and ensured the fire was completely out. A small display case and some
wooden dividers sustained damage. The building is being remodeled to open as a retail store. Lacquer
finishing had been applied to wood panels during the work day. Oily rags not disposed of properly are
suspected of causing the fire.
New Seminar Planned in Woodland, California!
We closed out the year strong in Tucson with a very good two day seminar and now it’s on to 2015
with a new 3-day seminar in Woodland, California at the Woodland Fire Department Fire Training
Center located at 1556 Springlake Court on April 21 through 23. The classes will feature the 2-day
plan review on April 21 – 22 and the Understanding, Applying and Enforcing NFPA 25
Understanding, Applying and Enforcing NFPA 25 (new California edition)
To sign up go to our website at: www.nfsa.org.
April 21- 22 - Two day Fire Sprinkler System Plan Review
This two-day seminar provides attendees with vital information on how to conduct the plan review
process for water-based fire protection systems. Utilizing the requirements of NFPA 13 the participant
will be guided through an actual review of sprinkler system plans and calculations. They will discuss
the importance of employing a systematic review process and identify the documents required for a
complete plan review. Finally they will review a submittal of hydraulic calculation presented with the
plans and discuss the process of hydraulic calculations and identify the key pieces of information
presented and the common errors that are made.
April 23, 2015 - Understanding, Applying and Enforcing NFPA 25 (new California
edition)
Seminar Description: This highly interactive full day seminar describes the requirements for properly
maintaining a water based fire protection system in accordance with NFPA 25. The seminar clearly
describes the responsibilities for compliance & record keeping. It describes the specific scope of the
standard, and identifies the various ways in which information related to changes in the system are
handled. It describes the various Tables used in the standard, their specific purposes, and when to use
which Tables. It involves the attendees in a significant number of exercises to describe various
problems encountered, identify the proper section(s) of the standard that deals with it, and discuss how
to deal with issues not covered by the standard that may still be encountered.
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ON-LINE LIVE NFSA TRAINING SEMINAR SCHEDULE

To register: Click Here 
January 20, 2015: Cloud Ceilings – The Latest Research: Roland Asp, CET
Sprinkler protection of cloud ceilings is a very active topic in the fire sprinkler industry today and
much work has been accomplished to assist in providing guidance for sprinkler spacing under these
challenging ceiling configurations. A cloud ceiling is, in essence, panel(s) suspended below the
structural ceiling and separated by gaps of varying dimensions. Until now the only solution has been
to install sprinklers both above and below these ceiling clouds.
This seminar will discuss the results of research conducted by the Fire Protection Research
Foundation. The focus will be, when dealing with cloud ceilings, under what circumstances will
sprinklers installed under the clouds only, provide an acceptable level of fire protection. The program
will discuss all these variables and provide insight into the latest research and revisions for the 2016
edition of NFPA 13 for these challenging ceiling configurations.
February 17, 2015: Ceiling Elevation Changes in Storage Occupancies: Victoria B. Valentine, P.E.
Storage occupancies are handled separately within NFPA 13 for spacing, location, and calculation of
fire sprinklers. These buildings may not have a smooth flat horizontal ceiling, especially when an
existing building is being converted for use as a storage occupancy. A change in ceiling elevation
could occur with a stepped ceiling or a sloped ceiling. This program will discuss the rules and their
application for a storage area with a change in the elevation of the ceiling.
March 17, 2015: Alarms and Initiating Devices: Louis Guerrazzi
NFPA 13, NFPA 20, and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, all have requirements pertaining to monitoring
signals within an automatic sprinkler system. Along with these requirements, the IBC also has its own
set of requirements that may need to be addressed. When it comes to the specific purpose of a signal,
NFPA 72 defines 10 different types of signals that each warrant specific responses. This seminar will
give an overview of the requirements for monitoring along with the devices needed to achieve the
necessary alarms. Those alarms required for an automatic sprinkler system based on the standards and
code above will be discussed. The program will also distinguish which types of signals are
required for the alarms.
April 21, 2015: Installation of CPVC: Robert Upson
Listed CPVC pipe and fittings are allowed to be used under the regulations of NFPA 13, NFPA 13R,
and NFPA 13D. The CPVC installation requirements and limitations for these systems vary subtly
from standard to standard and are highly dependent the product listing along with the manufacturer's
installation instructions. This program will outline the basic installation requirements for utilizing
CPVC in all three standards.
May 19, 2015: Fire Sprinklers in the ICC: Jeffrey M. Hugo, CBO
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Nearly every jurisdiction in the U.S. has adopted ICC codes. The ICC publishes several wellrecognized codes, such as the International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC),
International Residential Code (IRC) and the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) that are
adopted locally. These codes do reference the latest NFPA fire protection standards, but they can have
specific fire sprinkler, fire pump and standpipe criteria that differ from the referenced NFPA standards.
This seminar will address the ICC codes in the perspective of how they affect the fire sprinkler
installation.
June 16, 2015: Planning the System for Its Lifespan: Jason Webb and Roland Asp, CET
A fire sprinkler system is installed for the life of the building. Inspection, testing and maintenance are
necessary in order to make sure the system operates as intended for as long as it is in place. NFPA 25
details the inspection, testing and maintenance needs for a fire sprinkler system. This program will
cover items and components that need to be considered during the layout and installation of a system
to facilitate the requirements for maintaining that system properly throughout its installation.
Seminars Qualify for NICET,. AIA/CES Approved. NICET CREDITS (per class)-0.1 CEU/1 CPD
SEMINARS BEGIN AT 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. $125 for Members/AHJs and $250 for NonMembers (per seminar)
REGISTER FOR ALL 6 AND SAVE 20% with PROMO CODE: SAVE20
REGISTER FOR ANY 5 AND SAVE 15% with PROMO CODE: SAVE15
So Cal FPO’s hold December Christmas Meeting
The Southern California Fire Prevention Officers met on December 10th at the Pasadena Rose Bowl for
a Past Presidents Annual Christmas Meeting. The meeting featured a great view of the Rose Bowl
football field, a great meal and all the past presidents in attendance!
The afternoon program will be a presentation by Matt Klaus, NFPA Senior Fire Protection Engineer
who discussed NFPA 13R inspection and plan review issues.
UPCOMING SOUTHWEST REGION MEETINGS
San Diego Fire Protection Association, Tuesday, January 13, 2015, La Mesa, California at Marie
Callendar’s 11:30 a.m. The featured guest speaker will be Matt Klaus; Principal Fire Protection
Engineer for NFPA who will be discussing NFPA 25.
So Cal Fire Prevention Officers Association This meeting will be held at the ICC Western Regional
Office located at 3060 Saturn Street, Suite 100 in Brea, California 92821 on Wednesday, January 14,
2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Arizona Fire Marshals Association Business Meeting will be held on January 21, 2015 from 9:00
am to noon at the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department, 1340 E University Drive, Tempe, Arizona.
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NorCal Fire Prevention Association, Friday, January 23, 2015 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm at the
Robert Livermore Community Center located at 4444 East Avenue in Livermore, CA 94550.
Phoenix Area NFSA Interest Meeting, This next Chapter meeting will be held on January 20, 2015
in Phoenix. Arizona. Meeting location and subject are pending confirmation.
NFSA SF Chapter Meeting, Thursday, January 22, 2015. Signatory Contractors from 4:00 to 5:30,
All members 5:30-7:00 p.m. The location is still pending. NFSA President Russell Fleming and Vice
President Shane Ray will be in attendance. This will be Shane Ray’s first visit to the San Francisco
Bay Area NFSA Chapter.
NFSA L.A. Chapter Meeting Thursday, February 19, 2015. This event will be held at the Rio
Hondo Golf and Event Center in Downey, California at 10627 Old River Road. Drinks and
conversation from 5-6 pm, meeting 6-8 p.m.
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