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The American Fire Sprinkler Association, (AFSA)
is a non-profit, international association representing
open shop fire sprinkler contractors, dedicated to the educational
advancement of its members and promotion of the use of automatic
fire sprinkler systems. AFSA was organized in 1981 to provide
the open shop fire sprinkler contractor with training, consulting,
communication, representation and many more services, all
of which have expanded over its existence.Membership is
open to contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, designers
and Authorities Having Jurisdiction. Currently, AFSA represents
approximately 750 companies and individuals in the United
States and throughout the world.AFSA believes that the installation
of fire sprinklers could save thousands of lives and billions
of dollars lost to fire each year. Increasingly, public
officials are realizing this.
AFSA acts as a liaison
with other national associations involved in fire safety.
Working together with government agencies, such as the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Fire
Protection Association, the Residential Fire Safety
Institute, and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, AFSA
helps to create an awareness on the dangers of fire.
Convention and Exhibition
AFSA holds the largest fire sprinkler industry convention and exhibition in the
world. Besides presenting the latest in products and technology, the convention
includes a variety of industry-related seminars.
Publications
AFSA publishes Sprinkler Age, the most widely read and respected
monthly magazine covering the fire sprinkler industry. The
SprinklerNEWS weekly email newsletters covers current news
about fire sprinklers around the country. ContractorNetwork,
an email newsletter for contractors, brings labor and legislative
news to your inbox each quarter.
Technical Services
AFSA provides technical services to members,
including representation on all applicable codes and standards
committees, informal interpretations of codes and standards,
and TechTalk/SprinklerNOTES fax and email newsletters covering
technical issues.
Training
To assist fire sprinkler contractors in maintaining a quality
workforce, AFSA offers several training programs for the installation,
design layout, and inspection and maintenance of fire sprinkler
systems. AFSA has been accredited as an Authorized Provider
by the International Association for Continuing Education and
Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Rd., Ste. 500, McLean, VA
22101. NICET-required Continuing Professional Development
points are also available for many AFSA training programs.
One
of our more popular training courses is the Contren® Learning Series,
a correspondence course designed specifically for training
apprentices in the fire sprinkler trade. In addition, AFSA
offers the following specialized schools: a two-week Beginning
Fire Sprinkler System Planning School offering a comprehensive
practical approach to preparing fire sprinkler system drawings
with heavy emphasis on NFPA 13; and the System Layout School
for Residential One- and Two-Family Dwellings covering
layout & calculation of stand alone, multipurpose,
and flow-through system types of residential fire sprinkler
systems.
The Hydraulic Calculation series found
online at Sprinkler
eCampus.com takes students step-by-step
through the calculation process, evaluating water supply
needs, selecting design areas, learning basic formulas,
and more. More training is available in many formats (online,
live, DVD, correspondence) for just about everyone in your
company.
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