Linthicum Heights, MD, May 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 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.
