Telgian Vice President Tom Parrish, SET, CFPS, PSP and Telgian Engineering & Consulting Chief Engineering Officer Tracey Bellamy, PE, CFPS, CWBSP are slated as guest speakers for the upcoming American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) AFSA40 Conference. The event, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the AFSA, will be held September 18-21, 2021, in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio and includes seminars, exhibits, and the Annual National Apprentice Competition (NAC). 

Tom Parrish, SET, CFPS, PSP

As a veteran instructor and speaker, Tom Parrish has more than 25 years of experience in fire protection and emergency response and is a Vice President of Telgian Fire Safety. He serves on several NFPA technical committees including NFPA 72 Signaling Systems for the Protection of Life and Property and Emergency Communications Systems.

Parrish is also the Vice President of the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA) and is a senior instructor for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). His professional credentials include Level IV NICET Certified Fire Alarm Technician, Level III NICET Inspections and Testing, Certified Fire Protection Specialist and Master Electrician.

His presentation, “HEAT & SMOKE DETECTORS FOR PREACTION/RELEASING SYSTEMS: SPACING & DETECTING TECHNOLOGY” will be conducted on Sunday, September 19 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. During the session, Parrish will review initiating device spacing when a fire alarm system is utilized on a releasing configuration.

Upon completion of this seminar, attendees will be able to define differences in spacing for devices used for agent release and general area coverage, as well as differentiate which NFPA documents influence detection system design in addition to NFPA 72. Attendees will also learn to identify which sections of NFPA 72 apply directly to the installation of alarm systems for releasing system service.

Tracey Bellamy, PE, CFPS, CWBSP

With more than 30 years of experience in the fire protection industry, Bellamy a Fire Protection Engineer, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist, and a Certified Water-Based System Professional. His background includes fire suppression system design, fire hazard analysis, and fire protection system inspection, as well as fire safety systems testing.  A respected industry leader, he serves on several NFPA technical and correlating committees including NFPA 1, 11, 13, 15, 25, 30, 30B, 101 and 5000 (building code).     

Bellamy’s first presentation, “UNDERSTANDING THE OBSTRUCTION RULES,” is scheduled for Sunday, September 19 from 8:00 am – 10:00 am. During this session, Bellamy will discuss in detail the obstruction rules in Chapters 9-15 with special attention on ambiguities. Upon completion of this seminar, attendees will be able to identify requirements that should be discussed with the AHJ and explain intent of the criteria, as well as understand the difference in criteria for different sprinkler types.

His second presentation will be held on Sunday, September 19 from 10:30 am – 12:00 noon and is entitled “NFPA 13, 2019 EDITION: REORGANIZATION EXPLAINED.” The session will be presented in conjunction with Cecil Bilbo of the Academy of Fire Sprinkler Technology. Because the 2019 Edition of NFPA 13 is a complete reformat of previous editions, this seminar will provide an important overview of the new format and how to use the reorganized document. It will also include a review of major technical revisions included in the new edition.

Finally, Bellamy will take part in “ASK THE EXPERTS!” Session No. 4 which is slated for Tuesday, September 21 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. With dozens of applicable standards on a constant three-year update cycle, it can be difficult for fire protection specialists to keep up to date. This panel discussion provides an opportunity to ask the industry’s top technical minds about any NFPA standard, from understanding the actual updates, to decoding intent, to historical framework of the standards. In addition to Bellamy, other industry experts on the Session No. 4 panel include Wes Baker, FM Global; Bob Caputo, CET, CFPS, AFSA; James Golinveaux, Viking Group; and Terry Victor, SET, Johnson Controls Fire Protection. 

For a complete schedule of AFSA40 events, please visit the American Fire Sprinkler Association.