It was back to bootcamp this week at the General Air Products Training Facility in Exton. The NICET Certified Send Us Your Greenhorns event was designed for veterans of the fire protection industry and new members learning the ropes alike. We were happy to host a mix of designers, fitters, project managers, and maintenance teams from 5 states across the Mid-Atlantic region. The group represented a wide mix of industry leaders such as Keystone Fire Safety, Arora Engineers and BFPE International.
The first presentation was General Air Products’ own Kyle Curran who discussed how fire protection air compressors fit into the 101s of dry system maintenance and design. He also went over the basics of dry system corrosion and how different system filling methods can affect it. Including the ways that Vapor Pipe Shield technology can protect systems from corrosion.
Next was AGF manufacturing’s Jim McHugh who discussed the latest NFPA code changes and updates for air vents and other protection and maintenance installations. He also outlined how AGF’s products like CORRinSITE can make inspections and maintenance easier. Zurn’s Scott Monroe hosted backflow 101, discussing the causes for backflow in water based fire prevention systems and the use cases and installation of backflow prevention units.
After lunch students got the rare opportunity to see fire prevention systems in action without the risk from a fire. Made possible thanks to a demonstration from the NFSA’s sprinkler burn trailer.
Next Bryan Berkley from Viking gave a presentation on the differences between an external reset dry valve and a traditional valve. Participants got hands-on advice and demonstrations in troubleshooting and maintenance methods with the Viking valves installed inside of our training facilities.
We wrapped up the day with Carl Ray from BlazeMaster who talked about the installation, application, and maintenance of CPVC fire sprinkler systems as well as chemical compatibility best practices. All attendees earned a Blazemaster Installation training card and certificate in addition to their NICET credits.
If you are interested in hosting or attending a training at General Air’s facility find more information on upcoming events and availabilities here