Minutes of the Meetings
June 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 -June 19, 2007, South Carolina Fire Academy, Columbia, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the May meeting were approved.
President’s Report The SC Department of Education has put out a memorandum on sprinklers for K-
12 schools. In that memo they say that all non-combustible concealed areas not
used for storage must be sprinkled if they contain heat producing devices. It is
our understanding the NFPA does not require sprinklers in these areas. We will
ask NFPA for a formal interpretation on this issue.
New Business A brief discussion took place on how to verify that another contractor has
properly flushed the underground piping. Some said that they tried to have
someone there to witness the process and others said that the only way to insure
that it is done correctly is to do it yourself.
Legislative: Jamie Patterson - Jack reported that H.3481 that allows state owned
colleges to do their own repair and inspections was vetoed by the
Governor.
Program/
Education: Bob Summers - Seminars are going well and there is good attendance.
Bob is looking for input on what subjects should be included in next years
seminars. We need to have this information by October to allow North
Carolina to obtain approval.
Essay Contest: David Ray - No Report.
Ethics: Bob Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris Sharp - Jack reported that the convention was the best ever and that
we have the same hotel booked for the next three years. Due to a
scheduling problem next years convention will be in May. We will have a
larger room block in the future so that more attendees will be able to stay
at the hotel.
Public Relations: Jeff Phifer - No Report.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for
Humanity: (Mark LeGrand) - No Report.
Web Site: Paul Helsley - No Report.
Burn/Demo Trailer Paul Helsley - The burn/demo trailer has been ordered. It is being custom
built and should be ready by the end of the year.
Golf Tournament Roger Brown - Roger reported the registrations are going well and that the
early bird registration has been extended to June 26th due to the fact that
the registration forms went out late. This is a great opportunity to play a
unique course and the proceeds go the Shriners Burn Hospital.
We will have a joint meeting of the South Carolina and North Carolina
Association at 10:00 am the day of the tournament. Shotgun start at 1:00
pm
State Fire Marshall David Ray - No Report
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
May 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 -May 15, 2007, Captain Tom’s Seafood, Columbia, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the April meeting were approved.
President’s Report The State Engineers standing order that requires fire sprinkler systems to be
constructed in excess of the appropriate NFPA codes has been rescinded. All
systems to be installed in state owned buildings should be designed and installed
to meet the appropriate NFPA standard unless the agency owner specifies
otherwise.
The Convention at Myrtle Beach was a great success. We has approximately 160
people registered and over 100 attended the seminars. We have reserved the same
hotel for the next three years and will have a larger room block that we hope will
accommodate all of those attending. The key to getting a room is to register
early.
New Business Paul Hensley said the AFSA is looking for instructors for its courses. They are
taught in various locations across the country and if you are interested please
contact Paul
A discussion was held about the need for a lobbyist to assist the association in
dealing with legislation at he statehouse. A motion was made, seconded and
passed to have Jamie Patterson form a committee to look into the matter and come
up with a list of potential lobbyists.
Steve Van Hoy led a discussion concerning the need to work with our high
schools and tech schools in training labor to install sprinkler systems. Qualified
workers are getting hard to find and this is an area the is vital to the long term
growth of the industry.
Legislative: Jamie Patterson - Scotty Mill - We are hoping to stop the bill allowing
state owned institutions of higher education to do their own repair,
inspections, etc. If the system fails after the owner has completed work,
the sprinkler contractor will be the one blamed, not the owner.
Program/
Education: Bob Summers - Seminars on June 18-22 at the Fire Academy. We will be
using the auditorium so that we may accommodate more people. We will
have ten (10) seats set aside for the Fire Marshal’s staff and other plan
reviewers. There was also a motion to look into presenting a plan review
seminar at the State Fire Marshals Convention.
Essay Contest: David Ray - No Report.
Ethics: Bob Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris Sharp - No Report
Public Relations: Jeff Phifer - No Report.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for
Humanity: (Mark LeGrand) - No Report.
Web Site: Paul Helsley - No Report.
Burn/Demo Trailer Paul Helsley - The burn/demo trailer has been ordered. It is being custom
built and should be ready by the end of the year.
Golf Tournament (Roger Brown) - Invitations are going out soon. It will be limited to 120
golfers, so you need to register early. We are also looking for sponsors:
Corporate Sponsor $5,000
Associate Sponsor $500
Tee Sponsor $150
Green Sponsor $150
We will have a joint meeting of the South Carolina and North Carolina
Association at 10:00 am the day of the tournament. Shotgun start at 1:00
pm
State Fire Marshall David Ray - No Report
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
April 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 - Joint Meeting S.C. and N.C.: South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc.April 19, 2007, Marriott Grand Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the March meeting were approved.
President’s Report
President Jack Knight reviewed the status of the legislation that would allow institutions of higher learning that are state owned to perform inspections, repair work and alterations on their sprinkler systems. We were able to amend the language that adds a requirement to have a NICET II certified employee to supervise the work.
Golf Tournament Update
Roger Brown reported that the preparations for the golf tournament to be held on August 20, 2007, are going well. There is a lot of work to be done but it looks like this will be a very successful event. It will be held at the Cliffs at Glassy Mountain. This is a spectacular golf course and this is an opportunity to play a course that is not normally available to non-members. Roger has pictures of the course that were breathtaking. We will have a short joint meeting prior to tee-off. There will be a shotgun start at 1:00pm. You do not want to miss this event!
MAY MEETING Meeting Date: May 15, 2007
Meeting Time: 5:30 pm
Location: Captain Tom's Seafood
1904 Broad River Road
Columbia, SC
Captain Tom's is across the Broad River Road from McDonald's and Dutch Square Mall. From I-26 take I-20 towards Florence and get off on Broad River Road. Turn right towards Columbia. Captain Tom's will be on your left about a half mile from the exit.
Program:
Programs and Education Committee update on seminars Due to a computer disaster that I experienced (Hard Drive Crash) , some of the update information from the renewal forms was lost. Changes to names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. that were noted on the renewal forms needs to be sent to me to make sure that I have the correct information on your company. If you are not getting this information via email now it is because I do not have your current email address, please send it to me. Please email me your current company information if you made any changes on your renewal form. Your assistance is appreciated. Dwight.
Send emails to SCFSA@att.net
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
March 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 -March 20, 2007, Fire Mountain Steakhouse, Columbia, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the February meeting were approved.
Executive Director’s Report Renewals are going well, only a few members have not renewed. Will mail second
notice statements.
some previous members.
Legislative: (Jamie Patterson) - No Report
Program/
Education: Bob Summers - Seminars in June at the Fire Academy. Flyers will go out
soon.
Essay Contest: David Ray - No Report.
Ethics: Bob Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris Sharp - Gave a report on convention registrations so far.
Participation is excellent. Last committee meeting on Thursday.
Public Relations: Jeff Phifer - No Report.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for
Humanity: (Mark LeGrand) - Mark is involved in doing a house on Hilton Head.
Web Site: Paul Helsley - No Report.
Burn/Demo Trailer Paul Helsley - Found a manufacturer that builds custom burn trailers. Will
look at getting a grant from AFSA. Will be getting more information.
Golf Tournament (Roger Brown) - Had a meeting at the Cliffs, tournament is coming
together nicely. The Cliffs is a very nice place.
State Fire Marshall David Ray - The committee met with the staff of the Fire Marshal’s office
for a couple of hours to discuss issues. If you have comments or concerns
that need to be addressed, let the committee know. You need to be very
specific about the facts of a situation so that they may be properly
addressed.
If you are resubmitting plans with corrections, you need to highlight the
corrections to make them easy to find. This will speed up the review
process.
Always list the General Contractor and the underground contractor on
your submissions and include contact information, contact name and
phone numbers. This will allow staff to contact them directly rather than
going through you for needed information.
Also provide contact information for people within your company that can
provide the staff with information and answer questions about your
submission. Again, this will speed up the review process.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
February 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 -February 20, 2007, Arizona Steakhouse, Simpsonville, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the January meeting were approved.
President’s Report Jack Knight - We may need someone to assist the Association with legislation at the
Statehouse. A motion was made, second and passed on a voice vote to ask Ron Galloway if he
would be interested in working for the association in this capacity.
Executive Director’s Report Renewals have been mailed out to all members. Please give the form to your accounting
section or bookkeeper for processing as soon as possible. As soon as renewals are complete a
membership directory will be sent out to the members.
do their own repair, modifications and inspections.
Georgia
Legislative: (Jamie Patterson) - Doug Greer gave an overview of the pending
legislation and its potential impact. The bill number is H3481 and it
seems to be on a fast tract in the House of Representatives.
Program/
Education: Bob Summers - We are working on setting up the seminars for June at the
Fire Academy.
Essay Contest: David Ray - No Report.
Ethics: Bob Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris Sharp - Our block of rooms has sold out. We are looking at a
nearby hotel for the overflow. We have 98 people registered so far.
Turnout is looking very good at this point.
Public Relations: Jeff Phifer - No Report.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for
Humanity: (Mark LeGrand) - Mark is involved in doing a house on Hilton Head.
Web Site: Paul Helsley - We will be sending info to webmaster to post on the web
site.
Burn/Demo Trailer Paul Helsley - Talking to a dealer in Charlotte about a trailer.
Golf Tournament (Roger Brown) - Jack informed the members that the committee will be
meeting at the Cliffs on March 7.
State Fire Marshall David Ray - The committee will be meeting next Monday. If you have
comments or concerns that need to be addressed, let the committee know.
You need to be very specific about the facts of a situation so that they may
be properly addressed.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
January 2007 Meeting Minutes
Feb 16/2008 - MEETING MINUTES Regular Meeting: South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc.January 16, 2007, Fire Mountain Steakhouse, Columbia, SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jack Knight.
The minutes of the November meeting were approved.
President’s Report Jack reported that a planning session was held in December to set the meeting schedule
for the new year.
Election of Directors The nominating committee decided to re-nominate the outgoing board members. (Paul
Hensley, Jeff Phifer and Chris Sharp) Jack called for nominations from the floor, none being
made, a motion was made to close the nominations and elect the candidates by acclimation.
Motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
contractor. We would like to have the complaint sent to the Executive Director for review and
he will send a generic version (so as to not identify the complaining party) to the contractor who
is the subject of the complaint for a response. If the response resolves the problem it will be
reported to the membership without identifying the parties. If it does not resolve the problem, a
complaint will be filed with the Contractors’ Licensing Board in the name of the association.
When you have a general contractor who will not pay, be sure to file your lien in time!
The Society of Fire Protection Engineers will meet in March in Duluth, Ga. If you are
interested in attending, contact Jack Knight for details.
Donald Brewer at Clemson wants to be able to do their own inspections. There may be
legislation very soon to allow government agencies to conduct inspections on their facilities
rather than having to hire a sprinkler contractor. The general feeling of the membership in
attendance is that they need to be licensed. Jack has invited Don to attend the meeting in
Simpsonville.
talked to a potential new member. Anthony Spencer is replacing Art
O’Neil
Legislative: Jamie Patterson - Nothing to report.
Program/
Education: Bob Summers - No Report
Essay Contest: David Ray - Working on a plan to do it online if possible.
Ethics: Bob Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris Sharp - Convention will be April 18-22 in Myrtle Beach and the
Grande Dunes Resort. Will have golf and other activities. Brochures will
go out soon. You need to make your reservations early. Mailing list has
been updated. Chris will have registration forms at the next meeting also.
Public Relations: Jeff Phifer - No Report.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for
Humanity: Mark LeGrand - No Report.
Web Site: Paul Helsley - No Report.
Burn/Demo Trailer: Paul Helsley - No Report
Golf Tournament: Roger Brown - Date of event is confirmed for August 20th at The Cliffs.
Now working on the details. We will need a lot of help to make this work.
There will be a joint meeting with the North Carolina Chapter prior to the
start of the golf. We may also have a meal prior to tee off.
State Fire Marshall: This is a new committee to act as a liaison between the association and the
State Fire Marshal’s office. Bob Summers, Warren Maddox, Mark Hipp
and David Ray are the committee members. If you have comments or
concerns that need to be addressed, let them know. You need to be very
specific about the facts of a situation so that they may be properly
addressed.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
January 2006 Meeting
Feb 16/2008 -South Carolina Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc.
January 17, 2006, Fire Mountain Steakhouse, Columbia,
SC
The meeting was called to order by President Jeff
Phifer.
The minutes of the November meeting were approved.
Executive Directors Report
Renewals are going out soon and we would ask all members to be sure that they pass the renewal form onto the person in
the office who pays the bills. We will be putting the remittence address in a conspicuous place on the form so some of them will not go to Joe Black this year.
President's Report
Jeff reported that we received a $500 check from AFSA for meeting the requirements of sending in meeting minutes and sign-in sheets for the year.
The demo trailer was set-up in Florence on November 30th and chicken bog was served to all those attending. The demo trailer was also used in Columbia, Camden, Myrtle Beach and Murels Inlet recently and was well received.
John Reich would like for the association to get involved in promoting residential sprinkler systems. We need to form a committee to take the lead in this project. Billy Morrill will take the lead in putting a committee together. John would like for us to install a sprinkler system in one of the homes that will be in the Parade of Homes. He would also like to see us do a booth at a builders show.
AFSA dues have increased this year but they are offering some new member incentives. If you are not a member of AFSA you should look at this program and join.
Carolinas Chapter seminars are being held the week of February 6-10, 2006.
The Board of Directors met prior to the regular and appointed Jeff Phifer to fill the vacancy on the Board of Directors.
There is a vacancy on the Legislative Committee with
resignation of Doug Greer. (Doug cannot be an officer, director or
hold any other position in the association since he is on the
Contractors' Licensing Board) Jamie Patterson agreed to chair that
committee.
OLD BUSINESS
Election of a President. The Nominating
Committee placed the name of Jack Knight into nomination.
Nominations were called for from the floor. None were received. It
was moved and seconded that the nominations be closed and Jack be
elected by acclamation. Motion passed, Jack Knight is out new
President.
NEW BUSINESS
Billy Morrill reported that the Alabama legislature has
appropriated funds for the establishment of a trade school for the
fire sprinkler trades. It was also reported that there was a fire at
an Atlanta Hotel with loss of
life. An article in the Atlanta Constitution quotes the
State Fire Marshall on the value of fire sprinklers.
A meeting was held with the State Fire Marshals office
concerning plan review. Most AHJs will not accept conditional
approval, Ralph will be working on this problem. Some transmittal
letters are not showing all of the required information. A sample
letter was passed out that is considered a very good one. You must
sign all sheets in the submission, a rubber stamp signature is fine.
Some engineers are working out of the scope of their expertise. If
you have this problem, let the association know and a complaint will
be filed with the engineering board. We need to contact the Building
Code Council to have a change made to the IBC to allow permitting
prior to the approval of drawings by Fire Marshal or AHJ. You can
omit the address of the local fire dept on the specification sheet.
Contact person is not being shown for the contractor who is doing the
underground work. You need to have a specific person that FM can
contact, not just the contractor's name. If there are changes in the
policies or rules, FM will notify the association.
Several members of the association met with Ron
Galloway of the Contractors' Licensing Board to get clarification on
several questions posed by members of the association. Mark Hipp
provided the questions and answers:
1) How does the law affect us working with alarm
contractors?
If the sprinkler portion of a contract is worth 50% or
more than the alarm portion you can sub to an alarm contractor.
2) Can you team up with them on inspections and
repairs?
If the sprinkler portion of a contract is worth 50% or
more than the alarm portion you can sub to an alarm contractor.
3) Do we subcontract them or can they subcontract a
fire sprinkler contractor?
Alarm contractor can not sub work to an Fire sprinkler
contractor
4) Does a special hazard contractor (hoods, FM200
systems, & etc.) have to be licensed?
They have to be licensed thru the State Fire Marshal's
Office
5) A person or a company that only does shop drawings -
do they have to be licensed in the state?
No, His opinion is that the person that is holding the
license is responsible for the drawings
6) Can a sprinkler contractor sub labor only to an
unlicensed contractor?
No
7) Can a sprinkler contractor sub installation of
underground piping to a one man operation not licensed as a sprinkler
contractor or utility contractor? See below-
The following is a response from Ron Galloway after our
meeting When Rick and I reviewed your questions, we only had a few
hours to get them together. After our meeting, I went back to make
sure what we talked about was correct. I found that question 7 was
wrong since you have to go to another statute to find the answer.
40-11-410(3)(c) states: when a water and sewer lines contractor
performs work on a water line that is dedicated to a fire sprinkler
system, the work must be performed by a license contractor holding a
group 3, 4, or 5 monetary limitation which means he must be licensed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership: Paul
Hensley - Renewals are going out this month.
Legislative: Jamie
Patterson - No Report.
Program/ Education: Bob
Summers - Seminars will be held the week of June 19-23, 2006, at the
Fire Academy. Carolinas Chapter is holding seminars the week of
February 6-10, 2006. Seminars will be held at the convention in
Myrtle Beach April 19 & 20, 2006. It was suggested that we do the
same seminars in June as are those in February. Jeff suggested that
we do a seminar fro the State Fire Marshal's Convention in June. We
should also take the demo trailer there.
Essay Contest: David Ray - Not
sure how we should handle it this year, will check with Dallas .
Ethics: Bob
Summers - No Report
Convention: Chris
Sharp - Post cards have been mailed. Registration forms will go out
very soon.
Seminars
on Wednesday and Thursday and Golf will be on Friday. Saturday on
your own.
Public Relations: Mark Hipp - No Repost.
AFSA Grant Fund: Paul Hensley - No Report.
Habitat for Humanity: Mark
LeGrand - No Report.
Web Site: Paul
Hensley - Contractor is in the process of building the site. It will
have information on our convention, the essay contest and seminars.
There being no further business, the meeting was
adjourned.