We at FCIA hope your summer has been productive both professionally and personally. Although summer can be a busy time in our construction industry, it's also the time families can get together for quality time on vacation, and we can all recharge for a busy fall. Below are a few of the highlights of happenings at FCIA. Call, fax, or email us news so we can share it with the rest of the group!
FCIA Program Committee (Bob LeClair, A.F. Underhill, Scott Rankin, Pyro-Stop, LLC chairs) has been busy since the Denver "FCIA Education and Committee Action Meeting", planning the upcoming "FCIA Firestop Industry Conference". The conference is November 6-8, at Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. Themed "FCIA Leadership through Standards" the program will feature industry leading speakers, seminars, a golf tournament, industry dinner and the opportunity to take the "FM 4991 Approved Firestop Contractor" - Designated Responsible Individual, (DRI) Test. Check the website, www.fcia.org for more details. Print and send the Faxback response form to secure your reservation.
Congratulations to Ray Usher & Tom Thoresen, (SUPERL, Inc., Fridley, MN), recipients of the "First Check received for the Firestop Industry Conference" award! Plan now for the April 30 - May 2, 2003, "FCIA Education and Committee Action Meeting", Las Vegas, NV. See www.fcia.org for more info.
FCIA Members Russell Budd and Rachelle Dover, (Wall Systems of Southwest Florida, Naples, FL) orchestrated a very successful Lee and Collier County Fire Marshal's Association firestop inspection education session. They recruited both IFC and FCIA to present programs about "How to inspect Firestopping", by IFC.... and FCIA's program on "Why use an FM 4991 Approved Firestop Contractor, and the ASTM E 2174 Inspection Standard". They organized tabletop display booths for the manufacturers, while attendees inspected "mock ups" made by Wall Systems of Southwest Florida. With almost 200 people in attendance, the two - half day sessions were a roaring success.
FCIA Elections - 2003 Directors - Are you interested in making a difference in the Firestopping Industry? To get real involved, become an FCIA Board Member. Any voting (contractor) member can be nominated for the position. You can even nominate yourself! Visit www.fcia.org , Board info, to read the description and responsibilities of Board of Directors. The commitment includes two extra meetings per year (Board meetings), teleconferences, being responsive to emails, and spending quality time and travel, donated to our industry. For your investment in time and money, you will be involved in the personally rewarding experience of Board Membership.
FCIA Committee News - FCIA Committees are alive and well!
FCIA Accreditation Committee - Continues to work on the "Inspector Firm Standard", a program much like FM 4991 Contractor Approval, to verify the quality process of a firestop inspection firm that might inspect FCIA Member projects.
FCIA Codes Committee - Bill Koffel, FCIA Code Consultant represented FCIA at the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Conference, and at NFPA Meetings in addition to International Building Code meetings. His credibility nationwide is excellent for FCIA and life safety through Firestopping.
FCIA Marketing Committee - FCIA's Logo was prominently displayed to the 10,000 attendees in the Construction Specifications Institute's CSI Show Program Guide and at the Opening Keynote Speaker Session on the "Powerpoint screens". FCIA sponsored a portion of the Student Program at "The CSI Show" and received much publicity. Kathy Taraba, 1 Source Firestop, Inc., Renee Woodruff, F Rodgers Insulation Interiors Inc. and Bill McHugh, FCIA Executive Director, all attended the CSI Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. And, Bill McHugh presented FCIA, FM 4991 and ASTM E 2174 to the "Specification Consultants in Independent Practice" annual meeting session during the program.
Don Murphy, (PPMI Firestop, Inc., Indianapolis, IN) and Bill Hoos have been working on new Brochure Layouts for FCIA. Look for results of their efforts at the Firestop Industry Conference this fall.
FCIA Technical Committee - Mike Dominguez, (Firestop Specialties, Miami, FL, Chair) and the Technical Committee are reviewing how CSI's Masterformat will be changing. Firestopping may move from the current Division 7 to a new "Life Safety" Division. Additionally, there could be 40+ divisions in the new CSI Masterformat Concept Document. The CSI Masterformat Task Team is researching the need for more divisions in Masterformat. If you want to view the draft, visit their website.
FCIA Education Committee - Bob Patton, (FireSafe Systems, Inc., Meriden, CT, Chiar) sent a message to the industry looking for pictures, etc., for the FCIA Education Program. If you have any of these pieces, please forward them to the FCIA Office for use by the committee.
FCIA In the News - FCIA has been featured in an article from the Daily Commercial News, (CMD Canada's Publication). The article focuses on the need for educated contractors (FCIA Members and/or FM 4991 Approved Firestop Contractors) for Firestop Systems contracts. Visit the FCIA website, www.fcia.org to read the articles.
FCIA "E-Survey" Questions - From time to time, we'll use this space for general market research. Your information will remain confidential, unless you direct us to associate it with you or your firm. A summary will appear on the FCIA Website, and the next E-Newsletter. What is the size of the Firestopping Market in North America? Ductwrap Size? What is the percentage of contracts awarded to "Specialty Firestop Contractors" in your area?
Best wishes for the remaining summer days!
Bill McHugh, FCIA Executive Director
1257 Golf Circle ~ Wheaton, IL 60187
630.690.0682 office ~ 630.690.2871 fax
FCIA E-Newsletter is a publicatoin of the Firestop Contractors International Association. Permission is hereby granted to forward, print, circulate, quote, with credit to FCIA, portions or this entire FCIA E-Newsletter. Copyright, August 27, 2002 - FCIA.