CAFAA 2022 Recap

52nd Annual California Automatic Fire Alarm Association (CAFAA)Annual Conference (since 1970)

We just returned from the California Automatic Fire Alarm Association Show in beautiful Palm Springs, CA.

It was a very fantastic show to attend. Our Sales Manager, Jeff Pirro, staffed our booth and enjoyed meeting members of the California Automatic Fire Sprinkler community. Jeff was excited to meet one of our customers in person, Steve Schwartz of Consolidated Fire.

The hot topic on everyone’s mind was remote inspections. Remote inspections were initially necessary during the beginning of COVID as The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires officials to ensure that fire protection and life systems be maintained in all commercial and multi-occupancy residential buildings at all times regardless of occupancy status. Remote video inspection or RVI solutions represent an effective alternative to an in-person or on-site inspection, enabling two or more users to perform an inspection of the subject matter without any physical contact.

Just like with all traditional inspections, a building fire safety RVI is associated with a jurisdiction’s permitting process and needs to be approved by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). With social distancing requirements in place, NFPA is paving the way for remote visual inspection by releasing RVI guidelines. Most fire protection systems’ maintenance and installations must comply with codes and standards set by the NFPA. To ensure these standards are met, inspection testing and maintenance (ITM) activities are required. These tasks usually include visual data collection, management, and reporting for sprinkler systems, fire pumps, smoke alarms, valves, water storage tanks, among many others.

People at the show wondered what the forthcoming NFPA guidance will be — mainly around who has liability should something get missed or go wrong.

Another significant issue is affecting the entire fire protection and life safety business as a whole. Our industry is aging and not replacing retiring technicians with new ones. As a concerned community, we need to find ways to promote ourselves as a vital and vibrant community with great opportunities for young people looking for lifelong careers. They contribute to the safety of people and property and are well-paid without saddling themselves with crippling debt.

This show was a great way to kick off our year of shows.
Coming up, we will be exhibiting at these shows, and we hope to see you there.

Fire Suppression Systems Association’s (FSSA) 40th Anniversary Annual Forum – February 17th – 21st, 2022 – Bonita Springs, FL.

NAFED Conference & Expo – March 10th – 11th, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV.

Sacramento Valley Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association (ASFA) – March 10th, 2022 – Lincoln, CA.