In Steve Leyton’s recent rebuttal to my response to his misinformed article, he states, "they (in reference to the words of my letter ) were quoted word for word". His quote was “SPRINKLER FITTERS UNION TO OPPOSE FIRE SPRINKLERS”. Word for word, my words did not state, "sprinkler fitters union to oppose fire sprinklers". As a former California fire official, my words have often been misquoted or twisted by people like Mr. Leyton with obvious motives, so I am not surprised.

Both the USA Sprinkler Fitters Association and the Sprinkler Fitters Association of California strongly support fire sprinklers, regardless of Mr. Leyton’s play on words. It would be ridiculous to think otherwise considering that fire sprinklers are the livelihood for sprinkler fitters.

Furthermore, Mr. Leyton challenges the sprinkler fitters union to demonstrate its commitment to supporting fire sprinklers, by stating it "clearly, unequivocally and UNCONDITIONALLY support fire sprinkler requirements ". Do you think the fire service would accept any and all proposed fire sprinkler requirements unconditionally , regardless of the particular proposal? There could be many instances where proposed language as written is inadequate, making the proposal unacceptable to many fire-related organizations, including ours.

No one should ever question the commitment of the USA Sprinkler Fitters Association, or the local sprinkler fitter unions regarding fire sprinklers. You will see the commitment they have to fire sprinklers firsthand at www.usasprinklerfitters.org, as well as to other important fire safety causes. And, as I stated in my previous article, we strongly support the Federal Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act and actively participate with lobbying efforts in its regard.

We know that some of those who oppose required minimum training standards will do what they can to discredit the sprinkler fitter unions. They will fight hard against any proposition that will require them to hire trained and qualified fire sprinkler installers. If they really believed in training, then why do they have such a problem with required training?

California’s AB 2288 includes as qualifying training, not only the union’s sprinkler fitter apprenticeship program, but also California’s state-approved American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) sprinkler fitter apprenticeship program. In fact, AB 2288 accepts any state or federally approved sprinkler fitter apprenticeship program as qualifying training for certification. It even provides language to permit the State Fire Marshal to recognize other qualifying training as it is developed in the future. In light of the numerous and diverse qualifying training options available with AB 2288, why oppose a minimum statewide training standard for sprinkler installers?

Furthermore, some of our opponents have misrepresented the contents of California’s AB 2288, the organizations of which they claim to represent, and the positions taken by other fire service groups and organizations in regards to AB 2288. Even when corrected, they continue to disseminate knowingly false information, an indication that they have become quite desperate in their attempt to kill our bill.

We have many supporters of AB 2288, which include fire service organizations, fire departments, fire marshals and fire chiefs. They have joined the Sprinkler Fitters Association of California in supporting the concept of a minimum training standard for those who install fire suppression systems, and they support AB 2288. These are people, organizations, first-responders, and government entities of California that do see the need for a minimum training standard for those who install fire suppression systems.

Thus, we will continue to strive for requirements that will better serve the reputation of fire sprinklers while better serving the life safety of our public and first-responders. We believe that trained and qualified sprinkler installers are an important and necessary factor for achieving this goal.

The original article written by Steve Leyton on this topic is Sprinkler Fitters Union To Oppose Fire Sprinklers

Randy D. Roxson has also written a formal response to Steve Leyton’s original article on this topic. Sprinkler Fitter Unions Across Nation Support Fire Sprinklers