Fire Life Safety Demo: Safety and Recertification
The Fire Life Safety demonstration on April 13 at the Local 104 Main Office in Livermore was well attended. More than 40 participants, including contractors, Local 104 TAB employees and other industry representatives enjoyed the presentation followed by a BBQ lunch hosted by Bay Area SMACNA. Industry leaders Chris Ruch of NEMI, Duane Davies of National Air Balance, Pat Pico from the Apprenticeship Program, Chris Walker of CAL SMACNA and Dion Abril of Western States Council shared stories, statistics and regulations on the importance of effective regulation of Fire Life Smoke Systems.
Participants learned more about how they can expand their business by advocating for Fire Life Safety (FLS) inspections, discussed the importance of compliance of building recertification and discovered more about the FLS training resources used at the Fairfield Training Facility.
After the presentation, attendees watched the FLS mobile training unit in action. Brian Lehmkuhl demonstrated several scenarios, simulating what can happen when dampers fail during a fire and smoke quickly enters a room or corridor. The illustration of how difficult it was to open a door to escape with airflow pressurization differentials made an impact on the audience. Other demonstrations using this mobile unit will be planned in the future to secure more opportunities for our contractors and Local 104 members — and even more importantly, to advocate for FLS recertification for the safety of our families and communities.