The National Fire Sprinkler Association is looking for the best Fire Sprinkler Design Technicians in the land! If you know NFPA 13 inside and out, can figure out optimal spacing for rooms of unusual dimensions in your head, or have memorized what size suction pipe needs to be used with each size of fire pump…then you might have the right stuff for the Top Tech competition!
The 2021 competition will take place during North American Fire Sprinkler Expo® (NAFSE) being held in Las Vegas, NV, October 5 – 7, 2021, at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Participants from around the country will square off against each other in a game show format. In order to qualify, each participant needs to take the online exam. The highest scoring individuals will be invited to partake in the competition being held in Las Vegas with a chance to win up to a $2,000.00 (USD) cash prize.
The 2021 competition has some great features:
- Three Step Contest: First, participants will begin with an online examination, which you access HERE. The highest scorers on the online exam will be invited to Vegas for the next level of competition. Participants will then be given a written test onsite in Vegas to determine the top 18 participants. The top 18 will move the final round which will be an elimination tournament in a game show format. The winner will be given the title of NFSA’s 2021 Top Tech and win the cash prize!
- Poker Run: Contestants who do not qualify for the competition during the NAFSE will have a chance to compete for additional prizes.
- Full registration for top participants and the opportunity to attend the NAFSE technical training and general sessions being taught by leaders in the fire sprinkler industry!
Register Here
NFSA Top Tech 2021 Contest Rules
- Only NFSA, CASA, and AMRACI members will be allowed to participate in the competition. Individuals interested in the competition need a unique username and password to log onto the NFSA website. Individuals will need to provide their name, their member company affiliation, and contact information upon taking the exam. The NFSA will hold this information in strict confidence. Winners’ names and company affiliations will be announced in NFSA publications and press releases.
- The exam will be an open-book test based on the 2019 editions of NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, and 2018 edition of NFPA 22. The participant will have 60 minutes to finish 25 multiple choice questions on lay out, detail and hydraulic calculation of fire sprinkler systems and pumps. It is expected that all hydraulics questions will be done by hand with a calculator, not with a computer program. The layout portion of the exam will need to be downloaded, completed, and scanned into a PDF file and uploaded to the NFSA server within 90 minutes. Any late transmission will not be accepted, regardless of how close to the time limit the response is received by the NFSA. Computer problems are not unusual, so the participant is encouraged to leave ample time for dealing with scanning and sending issues.
- The exam will only be available from noon on April 1, 2021 to May 28, 2021 at noon (all times Eastern Standard Time, EST). All responses must be received by noon on May 28, 2021 in order to be considered. This means that a person wanting to start the exam on May 28th must start by 9:00 a.m. (EST) in order to have the full time to take the exam.
- Each person is only allowed to take the exam one time and they must use their proper identification when they do take the exam. Each person is required to keep the exam questions to themselves and not to share the information about what was on the exam with anyone else. We count on people’s ethical behavior to make sure that the exam is not compromised, and any breach of this trust will result in automatic disqualification of all parties involved from this and potentially all future competitions.
- The only materials needed to take the online exam are a copy of the 2019 editions of NFPA 13, NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, NFPA 14, NFPA 20, and 2018 edition of NFPA 22 and a calculator with an yx (raise to a power) function.
- By July 1, 2021, up to 28 individuals scoring highest will be offered spots in the onsite testing round. In the event a successful contestant declines the position, the offer will be given to the next place finisher who is eligible.
- Participants will be given a free registration to the North American Fire Sprinkler Expo® (NAFSE) in Las Vegas to be held October 5 – 7, 2021. Everyone participating in the Las Vegas finals will also be given a travel and subsistence subsidy of $250.00 (USD) following participation. There is no requirement that the individuals stay at the seminar hotel.
- Prior to the opening of the NAFSE, participants will take part in an onsite examination to earn a slot in the live rounds during the NAFSE.
- At the NAFSE, the participants will compete in a game show format, similar to a television game show. The competitions will take place in the exhibition hall on Wednesday, October 6th and Thursday, October 7th.
- The Top Tech will receive a $2,000.00 (USD) cash prize. The runner-up will receive a $1,000.00 (USD) cash prize. The participants in the semi-final rounds will receive a $500.00 (USD) cash prize each. IRS rules require that we get a Social Security Number from the winning contestants to report the prize winnings.
- Decisions of the NFSA judges during all parts of the competition are final.
- If you have questions, please contact Roland Asp at the NFSA at asp@nfsa.org or (443) 844-3641.
