Attendees:

Sam Pierre, Washington State Fire Marshal
Larry Glenn, Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office
Steve Muncy, AFSA
Roland Huggins, AFSA
Joe Faulkner, Sprinx
Chuck Paradis, Sprinx
Bill Cunningham, Plumbco
Randy Knighton, Knight Fire
Roger White, Knight Fire
Ashton Wolfe, Wolfe Heat & Fire
Jamie Vos, Bellingham Lock & Safe
Cevin Cullens, Fire Dynamics
Dixie Cullens, Fire Dynamics
Joe Stewart, Wolfe Heat & Fire
Mike Fitz, MDE Engineering
Bill McKay, Advanced Fire
Ron Greenman, Bates Technical College

Now that it’s almost Fall welcome to the Summer edition of the AFSA/PacNW Chapter newsletter. We met in early August and Steve Muncy, president of AFSA, was our guest. We were also honored by the greatest turnout of contractor members I’ve seen since I started coming to these meetings. The social half hour was such a big hit that it moved from the bar into the banquet room and it was about a half hour more before we got down top business.

Roland and Bill McKay addressed the growing trend within the U.S. to require a PE to seal all sprinkler plans. We all know that this will not necessarily make for better designs but definitely will cost the customer more. Imagine needing a PE to stamp a strip mall plan, or a house.

Bill noted that inspection fees were going up everywhere and that you guys need to be careful and not find your profits disappear in fees. Putting together a database that we could all contribute to and access (contractors) so that as a group we could keep each other up to date on changes within the various jurisdictions. We all agreed to keep visiting this issue until we formulate and execute a plan.

Here’s an interesting tidbit. A member reported that a California judge has stripped the Apprenticeship Council of its power and has ruled the State must follow federal guidelines.

Larry had a few comments. One was that the changes to WAC 212-80 have been finalized and are in the final stages prior to implementation. Contractors should by now have been notified that these changes may effect how you do business. If you aren’t aware of these changes I suggest you contact Larry Glenn or Humberto Rodriguez at the Washington State Fire Marshal’s office. It’s important. Larry also commented that the State was putting on a big push to educate owners about the Tyco Voluntary Recall Program. There may also be some recalls coming on one or two Reliable products made with O-rings but that is still only rumor.

Steve Muncy brought up the convention which has by now come and gone. Those of you who went were sure to have had a good time. He also talked about the Sprinkler Incentive Act. If you go to the AFSA webpage and look in the upper right corner you will find a link that will take you to a page that can help you contact your legislators and let them know you support the bill in both its House and Senate versions. For those of you employing the AFSA apprenticeship program you can now get supplemental training materials on DVD and CD. And finally as a contractor member you are entitled to free telephone legal advice relating to labor law from Joe Canterbury. Given the latest tactics being employed by the Union to wreck your company in court under the auspices of you employing unfair labor practices since you might rather not hire a Union officer that hasn’t touched a tool in twenty years. Go to the AFSA website for more details. You can reach the AFSA website, as well as read this newsletter by going to our website at http://www.afsanw.org. You’ll find a link there or you can go to http://www.sprinklernet.org and get to AFSA directly. Until next time….