As the Florida Gators hoist their national championship trophy, General Air Products crowns its own Sprinkler Madness champion. On March 20th General Air hosted its annual Sprinkler Madness training event, bringing together fire protection professionals from across the industry for two days of expert training and college basketball.
On day one President Ray Fremont Jr. kicked off the event with a presentation on simplifying corrosion prevention in dry and pre-action sprinkler systems. He introduced the patented Vapor Pipe Shield, a fully mechanical, UL Listed vapor phase corrosion inhibitor delivery system that streamlines installation and maintenance while reducing costs.
Darren Palmieri, Viking’s general manager for residential sprinklers, provided a deep dive into the world of residential sprinklers. He discussed the key differences between residential and commercial systems, and explored the latest trends and standards driving the design and application of these life-saving devices.
Lainey Liotta, senior fire protection segment manager for Lubrizol spoke on some common misconceptions about CPVC fire sprinkler systems and brought clarity on listings, compatibility, and design parameters.
Jim McHugh, President of AGF, followed with an in-depth look at system resilience. His session emphasized NFPA 13 compliance and strategies to mitigate corrosion and prevent freezing, two major threats to fire protection systems.
Brandon Telford from Reliable, spoke on special hazard sprinkler systems—highlighting the unique needs of facilities like chemical storage sites, data centers, and industrial environments.
The day wrapped up with informative presentations from David Steel from Vernon Bitzer Associates on backflow preventers, and Johnathan Carl from Victualic on the inspection, testing, and maintenance of pre-action and deluge systems, including tips for integrating fire alarm testing and performing full functional system checks.
Scott Monroe from Zurn opened the second day with a session on pressure regulation devices and their role in sprinkler systems, including important distinctions between pilot-operated and direct-acting mechanisms, along with NFPA compliance insights.
Steve Tajer highlighted ASC Engineered Solutions’ extensive product portfolio, including Gruvlok, Flexhead, Anvil, Smith Cooper, SPF, FPPI, and NAP. Then Cole Rigney from Tornatech provided an overview of fire pump control panels, focusing on starting methods, installation best practices, and HMI operations.
Chris Dilday from SPP Pumps closed the presentation series with his “Show Me Your Pump Room” course, offering practical insights on pump room layouts, installation do’s and don’ts, and NFPA/NEC electrical requirements.Our second day closed with a night of great food and basketball.
Thank you to all our attendees who made this year’s Sprinkler Madness the best yet and we hope to see all of you next year. If you were not able to attend this year don’t worry, visit training.generalairproducts.com to attend our next training seminar or schedule your own.