Both the Minnesota and Wisconsin Chapters of NFSA met in November; Minnesota on November 6 and Wisconsin on November 19. The members of both chapters are industry leaders in their respective state and are fully engaged in fostering the widespread acceptance of the fire sprinkler concept.

The Minnesota Chapter meetings typically enjoy a broad representation of the sprinkler industry in the Saint Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area. November’s meeting was no exception. Nearly 20 people attended, representing a number of NFSA contractor and SAM companies, the local JATC, Sprinkler Fitters Local 417, the State Fire Marshal Division, the Chapter’s contracted lobbyist, and Minnesota-based NFSA staff.

Minnesota’s agenda items included a legislative update, a report on NFSA staff activities and accomplishments in 2019, a discussion on third party inspections, a report on side by side sprinkler demonstrations made and supported in 2019, and the presentation of a report by the State Fire Marshal entitled, “Sprinkler Effectiveness, A Study of the Numbers Behind Sprinkler Saves.” The report looks at sprinkler activations and saves over the past 15 years in Minnesota. Click here for a link to that report:

Sprinkler_Effectiveness_2004-2018

The next meeting of the Minnesota Chapter of NFSA will be held on Wednesday, January 8. Find out more details by visiting the Minnesota Chapter link here: https://nfsa.org/chapters/minnesota/

The November 19 meeting of the Wisconsin Chapter was held in Brookfield, WI and attended by nearly two dozen members. The agenda included an update on the pending Attorney General’s decision involving sprinkler code enforcement on apartment buildings of 20 and fewer units, a report on industry promotions and media outreach, a recap of the previous day’s panel discussion on antifreeze solutions for cold weather installations, and a presentation by NFSA Vice President of Engineering, Mark Hopkins, on code development and committee involvement.

The results of the Chapter officer elections were also announced:

Steve Sferra (USA Fire Protection) was re-elected as Chair

Scott Berth (Design Build Fire Protection) was re-elected as Vice Chair

Matt Berth (J. F. Ahern) was re-elected as Treasurer

Hans Spielmann (Grunau Company) was elected as the Member at Large

An announcement was also made that the Chapter raised $110,000 at their annual charity golf tournament!

The date of the next meeting of the Wisconsin Chapter of NFSA has not yet been announced. Please visit the Chapter’s website for details when they become available: https://nfsa.org/chapters/wisconsin/