Paul DeLorie
Chair
Region 10: Regional Director
Hampshire Fire Protection Co., Inc.
Paul DeLorie, Chair of the board and Chair of the Board, serves as Senior Vice President of Hampshire Fire Protection Co. in Londonderry, New Hampshire. One of New England’s largest merit shop fire sprinkler contractors, Hampshire Fire Protection has built a strong reputation for excellence in the industry. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, DeLorie brings more than 39 years of experience spanning sprinkler design, estimating, sales, project management, and senior leadership.
Jay Strickland
First Vice Chair
Region 6: Regional Director
Strickland Fire Protection
Jay Strickland serves as the First Vice Chair and Region 6 Director. He is the president of Strickland Fire Protection. After 39 years, he partnered with Pye Barker and Rapid-Fire Group in 2021. Strickland Fire Protection is in Forestville, Maryland, and was established in 1983. Strickland has been involved in the fire protection industry for over 40 years. He is NICET Level II, Fire Protection, Water-Based System Layout. He is a past chair of the AFSA Chesapeake Bay Chapter. He also serves on the Board of Anne Arundel Community College Foundation, a 501(c) 3 corporation. The organization’s mission is to secure and steward private funds to enhance the educational endeavors of the college. This includes creating a new pathway to earn a college degree that many skilled craftsmen and women may have never considered as an option. A new Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program at AACC will enable students who have completed apprenticeship programs to earn credits for their hard work. This will include pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. The degree will be part of the school programming to ensure that students have the resources they need to pursue lifelong careers and that local businesses have a pipeline of employees ready for roles from entry level through upper management.First
Chris Johnson
Second Vice Chair
Region 7: Regional Director
Piper Fire Protection
Second Vice Chair, Chris Johnson, is president and co-founder of Piper Fire Protection, a Fortis Brand in Clearwater, Florida. He has led Piper since 2002. Johnson is a NICET-certified fire protection Engineering Technician, holding a level III certification in fire sprinkler design. He has served AFSA’s Florida Chapter since 2011 as Education and Legislative Committee chair, vice chair, and immediate past chair of the chapter. Johnson has served on the board of ABC for the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter since 2015, is the chair of that chapter for 2023, and has also served on the ABC Florida State board and the ABC National board. Johnson was elected and sworn into office as Largo City Commissioner in November of 2022. His mission is to utilize his time, treasure, and talents to advocate for the fire sprinkler industry throughout Florida. He holds a Florida Fire Protection Contractor I License and Fire Equipment Dealers’ Licenses Class A and D.
Jeff Phifer
Secretary
Region 8: Regional Director
Crawford Sprinkler Company of South Carolina
Region 8 Director and Secretary Jeff Phifer is president and CEO of Crawford Sprinkler Co. of South Carolina, based in Lugoff, South Carolina, one of the oldest family-owned and continuously operated fire sprinkler contractors in the nation. Phifer has been working at Crawford for 40-plus years, working as a fitter, service technician, and in administration. In 1999, he became the third generation to be president and chairman of the board at Crawford. Phifer is the chair of the Public Education and Awareness Committee.
Tommy Clements
Treasurer
Region: 9 Regional Director
VSC Fire & Security, Inc.
Tommy Clements is the president and CEO of VSC Fire & Security based in Richmond, Va. He joined the company in 2017 following VSC’s acquisition of Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers/United Fire Suppression, where he had served as the CEO since leading a sponsor-backed acquisition in 2009. Following Markel’s acquisition of VSC, Clements relocated to Richmond to assume the role of COO and was promoted to president in 2022. He took on the additional role of CEO in 2023. Clements is a former Nuclear Submarine Officer for the US Navy, having served onboard the USS Alabama ballistic missile submarine and in Navy Recruiting as head of enlisted recruiting in the Southeast United States. After his military service, Clements worked as a program manager on satellite defense and space shuttle programs before entering the construction industry as a development consultant to owners of casinos, resort hotels, and residential properties. Clements has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University and an MBA from the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University.
Linda M. Biernacki
Immediate Past Chair
Region 5: Regional Director
Fire Tech Systems, Inc.
Serving as Chair of the Board and Region 5 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.
Brooks Bayne
Region 1: Regional Director
AFP Systems, Inc.
Since 1997, AFSA Region 1 Director Brooks Bayne has brought his family’s values of integrity, community, caring, and doing what’s right to AFP Systems, Inc. and the fire protection industry. He started working for his uncle and AFP Systems founder Jim Bayne in the fabrication shop after graduating from McQueen High School. After earning his journeyman license through the AFSA apprenticeship program, Bayne worked as a foreman before becoming superintendent in 2007.
In 2017, Bayne stepped into the roles of co-owner and vice president of operations after working 20 years alongside his uncle. AFP Systems, providing service throughout the Pacific Northwest for over 35 years, is a proud member of the ABC Pacific Northwest Chapter and Associated Builders & Contractors Inland Pacific Chapter, Inc.
Wayne Weisz
Region 2: Regional Director
Cen-Cal Fire Systems, Inc.
Region 2 Director Wayne Weisz started his career in the fire sprinkler industry in 1979. He started as an apprentice and quickly worked his way through the ranks as a foreman and then general superintendent with American Fire Systems in Lodi, California. In 1986, Weisz, along with his brother Byron, founded Cen-Cal Fire Systems, Inc., also in Lodi. In 1997, the brothers established D-M Fabrication, which ran as an independent pipe fabrication facility supplying fire sprinkler piping throughout the western United States. That facility was sold later to a national supplier. Cen-Cal Fire became a member of AFSA in 1987. Weisz became a member of the AFSA National Board of Directors in 2005. He is active in California apprenticeship issues and has sat on the State CAFSA board of directors for 20 years. He is also a founding member of and active in the AFSA Sacramento Valley Chapter. Weisz is a past Chair of the AFSA Board of Directors and currently sits on several national committees.
R. Donald Kaufman
Region 3: Regional Director
Kaufman Fire Protection
Region 3 Director Don Kaufman is the president of Kaufman Fire Protection, Albuquerque, New Mexico. With over 48 years in the sprinkler business, Kaufman was instrumental in starting AFSA’s New Mexico Chapter and is a past president of the chapter. On the national level, Kaufman served as the 2009-2011 Chair of the Board and has chaired several committees. He also served as chair of the New Mexico State Board for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, three terms as chair of the New Mexico State Apprentice Council, and served on the New Mexico Construction Industries Commission. He is an active member of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), past president of ABC’s New Mexico Chapter, member of the American Society of Professional Estimators, and past charter president of Albuquerque Rotary Del Sol.
Hunter Brendle
At-Large Director
Brendle Sprinkler Company, Inc.
Hunter Brendle is president of Brendle Sprinkler Company, Inc., based in Montgomery, Alabama. Brendle Sprinkler was founded in 1960 by Hunter’s grandfather and uncle and was then led for over 40 years by Hunter’s father F.C. (Kit) Brendle, Jr. Hunter began working in the shop as a teenager, to working in the field as a helper and apprentice, to later transitioning into the office. Hunter strives to protect Brendle’s legacy and reputation and is a proud third-generation in fire protection. Brendle is past president and current board member of the Alabama Fire Sprinkler Association, board member for the Tony Bice Memorial Golf Tournament, which has raised over a million dollars for Alabama burn care facilities and serves on AFSA’s National Convention, Membership, NextGen, and Public Education & Awareness committees. He holds a NICET Level III in Water-Based Systems Layout, Florida Fire Protection Contractor II, and is a graduate of AFSA’s Apprenticeship Training Series.
Mindy Buckley
At-Large Director
Allsouth Sprinkler Company
Mindy Buckley is the CFO and co-owner of Allsouth Sprinkler Company in Buford, Ga. Her passion for the fire sprinkler industry began at a very young age, inspired by the involvement and dedication of her father, uncle, and grandfather. With over 18 years of professional experience, Buckley has developed a comprehensive understanding of fire sprinkler systems and their importance. Buckley’s education is in business administration and accounting. She began interning at All South Sprinkler Company in 2005 and took on various roles over the years, gradually gaining more responsibilities and expertise until she became CFO and co-owner. Buckley has been active with the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association since 2016 and currently serves as treasurer on its board of directors. She is also a member of AFSA’s Next Generation workgroup, Public Education & Awareness Committee, and Membership & Chapter Development Committee. Buckley regularly participates in industry conferences and seminars. She also works closely with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire Public Education Department to educate children on fire prevention.
Michael F. Meehan
At-Large Director
VSC Fire & Security, Inc.
At-Large Director Michael F. Meehan is chairman of VSC Fire & Security, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. A 1981 graduate from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Meehan began his fire sprinkler career working summers as a pipefitter apprentice. He is a NICET Level IV Certified Engineering Technician in Water-Based Systems Layout and has over 44 years of experience in sprinkler design engineering, estimating, project management, and senior management. Meehan is a past AFSA Chair of the Board and represents installing contractors and AFSA on the NFPA 13 committee.