The National Fire Sprinkler Association's Class of 2024: Honoring Fire Sprinkler Industry Greats
May 03 2024 - 6:54PM
The National Fire Sprinkler Association’s (NFSA) 2024 award
recipients and Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized and
honored at an awards banquet that will take place on May 10th,
2024, during the Association’s Annual Seminar and Business and
Leadership Conference in Wailea, Hawaii.
The Golden Sprinkler Award is NFSA’s highest honor and is
presented each year to an individual who has dedicated their career
to promoting the fire sprinkler concept and advancing the fire
sprinkler industry. This year’s recipient is Steve Ulmer, of APi
Group.
Steve started in the family business started by his grandfather,
Davis Ulmer, in 1972 at 16 years old, learning all job positions
and took the helm in 1988. In 2005, Davis Ulmer was sold to APi.
Steve is now part of the APi merger and acquisition team and Senior
Vice President of safety services.
Steve serves on the NFSA Board and has held positions on NFSA’s
Executive and Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Labor Relations
Advisory Committee (LRAC) and the Contractors Council. He is proud
to be a long-standing and senior member of the Contractor 669
Negotiating Committee and advisor to many other partnerships and
agreements.
Steve is a board member of Common Voices, an advocates coalition
dedicated to a fire-safe America. He is a 48-year member of the
Ellicott Creek Volunteer Fire Company, and National Board member
for Ace Mentor, an organization formed to assist students towards a
career in construction. He initiated a partnership with APi and
The Stephen Siller foundation to donate fire sprinkler systems to
new homes for severely disabled soldiers.
The Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award is the highest
technical award, and will be presented to Mark Fessenden, President
of Firefighter Air Coalition and Managing Director of the
International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA), an organization
dedicated to the global promotion of the use of effective
water-based fire protection systems. Mark is a globally recognized
expert in active fire protection systems, including water-based
systems, in which he holds several patents, and special hazard
systems. Mark currently serves as the Vice Chair of NFSA's
Engineering and Standards Committee and has been past chair of
NFSA's Manufacturers Council. He has served several years on the
NFSA Board of Directors as well as the Executive and Finance
Committee.
The Leadership in Public Safety Award is the NFSA’s highest
award to a fire official or advocate and will be presented to Todd
Short, retiring Fire Marshal in Redmond, WA. Chief Short has
dedicated his career to the citizens and fire service of Washington
and around the country. He has exemplified service to the citizens,
firefighters, and fire sprinkler industry.
In 2006, Chief Short was asked to be the point person on a
city-wide residential fire sprinkler initiative. It took more than
a year to pass the ordinance, with many stakeholders involved in
the effort. On April 13, 2007, the Redmond fire sprinkler ordinance
was passed, making Redmond the first city in Washington to pass
such a requirement. Chief Short continues to stay in front of
Redmond’s City Council, providing updates on recent fires that
regularly contrast the cost of NOT installing fire
sprinklers.
NFSA’s 2024 Hall of Fame inductees have contributed nearly all
their working lives and beyond to improving the fire sprinkler
industry.
2024 Inductees include:
Buck Buchanan, Victaulic
Gregg Huennekens, United States Alliance Fire
Protection
Jay Livingston, Livingston Fire Protection
These inductees have given all of their professional lives to
the fire sprinkler industry and they have all supported NFSA beyond
description. Please see their information on NFSA's website for the
Hall of Fame and the program for the Business and Leadership
Conference.
“It is an honor to recognize those who have given so much to
improve their profession and fulfill the mission of NFSA,”
explained Shane Ray, NFSA President. “We are blessed to have so
many dedicated individuals devoted to life safety. We are proud of
them all.”
NFSA wants to create a more fire-safe world and works to
heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems
from homes to high-rises and all occupancies in between. The
Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and
committed members of a progressive lifesaving industry. This
industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects, and
services the world’s most effective system in saving lives and
property from uncontrolled structural fires.
About the National Fire Sprinkler Association: NFSA was founded
in 1905 and wants to create a more fire safe world and works to
heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems
from homes to high-rise and all occupancies in between. The
Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and
committed members of a progressive life-saving industry. This
industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects, and
services the world’s most effective system in saving lives and
property from uncontrolled structural fires.
For more information about fire sprinklers, how they work and
access to additional resources and information, visit www.nfsa.org
for the latest material, statistics, and a dedicated team of fire
safety advocates ready to serve all stakeholders to fulfill the
vision of a safer world.
Vickie Pritchett
National Fire Sprinkler Association
615-533-0305
pritchett@nfsa.org