On April 16 and 17, NFSA staff members attended a 2-day conference of the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division and the Fire Marshal Association of Minnesota. The annual conference draws over 200 local Fire Marshals and fire officials. NFPA President, Jim Pauley, delivered this year’s keynote address, and delegates had the opportunity to attend a dozen different training presentations and a Fire Inspector II preparation course and certification exam.

NFSA Field Operations personnel Tom Brace, Joel Hewitt, and Tim Butler staffed an information booth on the first day of the conference and prepared for a side-by-side burn demonstration on day two. Although “booth traffic” was light, the conversations were plentiful, warm, and personable, given the close affinity between NFSA staff and the conference delegates. We had the chance to connect with a number of NFSA members among the delegates, including a wonderful contact with Scott Hansen, the Technical Service Manager for the Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company.

A side-by-side live-fire sprinkler demonstration was planned for the second day of the conference. Unfortunately, a major storm system moved through the area on the morning of the scheduled demonstration, and by “show time,” nearby lightning strikes and heavy rain forced a cancellation of what would have been the initial burn of the season for the Minnesota NFSA Chapter’s demonstration trailer.