Seven competitors competed for top honors at the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA) 21st Annual National Apprentice Competition held October 1 in Orlando (FL). Over 1,100 attendees witnessed the excitement as the apprentices constructed and pressure-tested a mini fire sprinkler system at AFSA’s 33rd Annual Convention & Exhibition.
Jordan Bretey with Rapid Fire Protection, Inc., Rapid City, S.D., won first place; Connor J. Rieve with Firestop, Inc., Bethel, Conn., won second place; and Eric Dunn with Reliable Fire Protection, Little Rock, Ark., took third place.
Honorable mentions were awarded to Ryan Doll with Rapid Fire Protection, Inc., Denver, Colo.; Casey R. Lewis with Fire & Life Safety America, Richmond, Va.; Peter G. Rose with Red Hawk Fire & Security, LLC, Westfield, Mass.; and Faron Steele with Midwestern Mechanical, Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D.
The 2014 competition began June 14 with written examinations proctored at libraries throughout the United States. The top seven apprentices won expense-paid trips to compete in the national competition, held during AFSA’s Annual Convention & Exhibition. During the competition, participants took another, more thorough written examination and also installed a steel and CPVC sprinkler system with pendent and sidewall heads. The systems are pressure-tested and participants were graded on accuracy, craftsmanship and safety.
Competition winners receive a commemorative plaque, cash prizes and tools. This year’s first place winner received $5,000 and the opportunity to represent AFSA in the 2015 Associated Builders and Contractor’s (ABC) Craft Championship to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The second place winner received $3,000, the third place winner received $2,000, and those receiving honorable mentions were awarded $1,000.
Tools, materials and support were provided by 900 Industries; AGF Manufacturing, Inc.; Alwest Fire Protection; Anchor Fire Protection; ARGCO; Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers; AutoSPRINK (Div. of M.E.P.CAD); Bamford Fire Sprinkler Co.; Brendle Sprinkler Company, Inc.; Cen-Cal Fire Systems, Inc.; Century Fire Protection; Clarke Fire Protection Products; Crawford Sprinkler Company; Diamond Automatic Sprinklers, Inc.; Dynamic Fire Protection; Fire Protection Products, Inc. (FPPI); Flexhead Industries, Inc.; Foothill Fire Protection; Foster Engineering; General Air Products; GF Harvel; Globe Safety Products; Hampshire Fire Protection, LLC; Hydratec, Inc.; Impact Fire Services; Jimco Fire Protection, Inc.; Metraflex Company; Milwaukee Valve Company; Mountain States Fire Protection; Noble Company; Pace Machinery Group; Pace Supply Corporation; Pentair Flow Technologies; Permabond Engineering Adhesives; Quality Fabrication & Supply; Rapid Fire Protection; Reed Manufacturing; Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Corporation; RelMark Group; RIDGID; SOLBERG, Co.; Southeast Fire Protection, L.P.; Sunland Fire Protection, Inc.; Sure Fire Protection; Telgian Corporation; TOLCO; Total Fire Systems; TradeMaster; Umpire Technologies Group; United Brass Works, Inc.; Viking Group, Inc.; Viking Group, Inc.; Ward Manufacturing Company; Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc.; Western Fire Protection, Inc.; and Wheeler-Rex.
Started in 1994 by the late Robert L. (Bob) McCullough, then chairman of the Education & Apprenticeship Committee, AFSA’s Annual National Apprentice Competition was created to promote apprentice training and give recognition to the apprentices who are actively enrolled in the AFSA Apprenticeship Correspondence Course Program. Twenty years later, the competition continues to bring fire sprinkler apprentices from AFSA local chapter and member training programs from all corners of United States together in the association’s foremost showcase of excellence in training among future industry leaders.
Entry forms for next year’s competition at AFSA’s 34th Annual Convention and Exhibition in Phoenix October 10-14 will be made available spring of 2015 at firesprinkler.org.
