For those of you who know me, regardless of the emotions that sometimes seem to get in the way when controversial issues in the fire service arise, I’ve have always made it a point to see both sides of an argument and respect the concerns and opinions of others, even if I didn’t agree. Keeping this in mind, my hope is that those who are so opposed to AB 2288 can set their emotions aside, just for a moment, read it through to the end and genuinely consider my opinions.

I will begin my article with the question “What is so terribly wrong with AB 2288, a bill that will tighten training standards for the installation of fire protection systems in the State of California?” As a retired fire official I have personally experienced both the good and bad “hands” of the fire sprinkler industry, and for those who of you who are still out there inspecting fire sprinkler systems, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

After meticulously filtering through AB 2288, I truly cannot understand why it is being portrayed as such a bad bill, especially for the fire service. There is not one component of AB 2288, in my opinion, that negatively affects the fire service and the duties of an inspector, especially as it relates to enforcement. In fact when implemented, AB 2288 will provide the fire inspector with the ability to immediately identify the level of training a sprinkler fitter has based on the presentation of his or her “License” and have the ability to issue a stop work order if he or she does not have one in their possession or on file. How much easier does it get?

Another argument I have heard in opposition to AB 2288 is “Why does a sprinkler fitter need to be licensed when the “Company” he or she works for is already licensed by the Contractor State License Board?” The answer appears to be very clear in that the licensed “Company” cannot ensure the proper installation of the system because the “company” is not always at the job site supervising their installers to make sure they are “doing it right”. In addition to not having the installing “Company” available on site there is no guarantee that the “Company” will always have skilled sprinkler fitters available on the job site.

According to the Contractors State Licensing Board, a company license is essentially a business license that gives a company the right to conduct its business in a specific geographical area and is merely a program to permit the company to be held accountable should a problem arise and to have insurance and or be subjected to laws that are required of all business in the State.

During my tenure as a public fire official, I’ve witnessed both excellent and/or extremely poor residential and commercial fire sprinkler installations which have required either significant changes to the system or in some instances a complete removal of the system as it was not properly installed. I cannot recall a single time in my career where I was unable to enforce codes and standards relating to the proper installation of a fire sprinkler system.
An example you may ask? Just before retiring last year, I conducted an inspection of a residential fire sprinkler system in a newly remodeled home. During my inspection I noted several inconsistencies between the plans and the actual installation which raised suspicion as to the experience level of the installer. I did not sign off on the rough and handed him a list of corrections. That same afternoon, I was approached by the building department who stated that there were also inconsistencies with the permit application and the applicant’s identification.

According to the building department, the fitter was using his previous employer’s name and company information with a forged letter authorizing him to pull permits under his former employer’s company name. Of course I checked with the Contractors State Licensing Board and the company owner only to discover that he was in fact fraudulently using his former employers name to pull permits, submit sprinkler plans and install fire sprinkler systems.

By working closely with our Police Department’s Fraud Division, the Contractors State Licensing Board, the City Prosecutor and the Los Angeles County DA criminal charges were filed against the installer who pleads no contest to his actions and was convicted of fraud.

My point to this story is that AB 2288 is very enforceable and may even help reduce the chance of fraud in the fire sprinkler industry. How you may ask? When AB 2288 goes into effect, a fire official, regardless of his or her experience in the profession, will have the ability to walk on to a job site, request that the sprinkler fitter presents his or her “License”. If he or she cannot produce it, the job is shut down. It’s that simple. Not having the required “License” indicates that they have not met the minimum requirements set forth in AB2288 that they should not be installing fire sprinkler systems in your city.

Article continues at Raising the Bar with AB 2288 – Part 2