Webinar presentation will educate plumbing contractors on the rapidly changing residential fire sprinkler market and why they are in the best position to perform these services.

A new webinar has been prepared by Fire Smarts, LLC on behalf of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) to inform plumbing contractors across the nation about the emerging residential fire sprinkler market and why they should be paying attention. The webinar is part of the Online Business Management Training offered by the PHCC.

The “Grow Your Business With Residential Fire Sprinklers” webinar will be presented by fire protection industry expert, Russ Leavitt, SET, CFPS, on February 18, 2009 at 3:00pm EST. Mr. Leavitt will update participants on the most recent code changes affecting residential fire sprinklers and how this rapidly evolving market presents a compelling business case for plumbing contractors. Further, participants will be introduced to the “barriers of entry” that must be overcome to enter the residential fire sprinkler market and capture this opportunity.

“With the recent addition of residential fire sprinkler requirements into the International Residential Code, there is no question that these systems will become a standard component in new home construction across the country,” said Ryan J. Smith, President of Fire Smarts, LLC. “The labor demands are near overwhelming for the fire sprinkler industry, creating a need and an incredible opportunity for plumbing contractors to assist in providing these services.”

The “Residential Fire Sprinklers Market Growth and Labor Demand Analysis” published by Fire Smarts, LLC in September 2008, projects that over 7000 additional positions for sprinkler installation will be needed as residential fire sprinkler requirements are adopted and widely enforced across the country over the next decade. An adequate amount of skilled labor is essential to ensuring that residential sprinkler systems can be properly and cost-effectively installed. A growing number of industry experts agree that plumbing contractors play a critical role in the successful implementation of residential fire sprinkler code requirements.

“There is a lot of interest by PHCC members in this new market,” said Ike Casey, PHCC’s Executive Vice President. “We cannot afford to lose this market—especially in the current economy. I encourage all PHCC members and potential members to participate.”

Registration is open to all interested parties and PHCC members receive a discounted tuition rate for the course. For more information and to register for this webinar visit the PHCC Meeting Registration Website. This webinar is the first in a series of residential fire sprinkler educational and training opportunities that will be offered by the PHCC.

About PHCC: The PHCC – National Association is the oldest trade association in the construction industry and the premiere organization for the plumbing, heating and cooling professional. Since 1883, PHCC has been the leader in promotion, advancement, education and training. Today PHCC has more than 4100 contractor members from open and union shops, who work in the residential, commercial, new construction, industrial and service and repair industry segments.

About Fire Smarts, LLC: Fire Smarts, LLC is a leading provider of fire protection educational and training resources. The company operates the home fire protection resource website, Residential Fire Sprinklers .com , frequently publishes articles and reports on the latest industry developments and utilizes its team of Fire Smarts Faculty members to create custom training solutions for contractors, fire and building officials, and business organizations.