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The Burn
The Burn episodes
- John Mackey - The Mackey Group
Today’s guest is an innovative, collaborative, and forward-thinking industry leader with extensive experience building vision and driving financial results for growth-oriented organizations in Fire Protection & Life Safety, John Mackey.
Key Takeaways
- John ’s Background
- Navy Veteran, served in the Gulf War
- Grandfathers were WWII vets, one a Navy Pilot
- Served in Reserves for 5 years after active duty
- Used the GI Bill to attend College
- Worked at a local lumber yard after school
- Transitioned into HR
- Found his way to Tyco, where passion for Fire Protection & Life Safety grew
- From Manufacturing to Users
- Got into the field, traveled with sales team and met his customers
- Left Tyco and went to work for his largest customer, Hiller
- Technology was growing, used Tech to support growth
- Started a Consulting Company
- Recognized that there are companies who don’t understand dynamics of acquiring businesses and what the customer expects
- Wanted to educate on how the market is structured
- Helped with the integration process
- Create an environment where they aren’t skipping a beat with the customer
- The Mackey Group
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Helping clients understand Market Dynamics
- Keeps pulse on what’s going on in all aspects of Fire Protection
- Build strategies for clients success
- Helping clients understand emerging technologies
- NAFED
- Attended Executive Retreat for NAFED
- Focused on company owners and leaders
- Preparing for Transition in the Fire and Life Safety Business
- Wrote blog about how to get better in this business.
- First focus is on Fire
About John
I am an innovative, collaborative, and forward-thinking industry leader with extensive experience building vision and driving financial results for growth-oriented organizations in Fire Protection & Life Safety. I have robust strategic, operational, and relationship building acumen that facilitates competitive advantages and new partnerships. I’m known for strong integrity, influence, credibility, and a proactive communication style that cultivates consensus within diverse groups. Additionally, I’m a valued coach and mentor who effectively prepares next-generation leaders to capitalize on emerging opportunities and to leverage an entrepreneurial mindset.
During my career, I have:
• Served as a member of multiple industry Boards and Councils.
• Established policy-based governance systems for major players in the Fire Protection industry.
• Partnered with numerous CEOs and Boards to provide mission-based and executive-level strategic leadership.
• Been a trusted advisor to PE, Investment and Research firms.
My colleagues commend my business knowledge, customer-focus, leadership skills, and ability to work through challenges to achieve goals. I’m best known for spotting key opportunities, partnering with stakeholders to generate optimal results and acting as a positive ambassador for the organization.
John on LinkedIn
About The Mackey Group
As the founder of this consultancy company, I have established and adapted company vision, direction, growth planning, and service offerings to ensure an optimal experience for my clients. I cultivate strong industry relationships and represent The Mackey Group to both stakeholders and clients. I serve as a Trusted Advisor to Private Equity, Investment, and Research firms ranging from $1MM to $250MM in annual revenue. I also partner with clients to develop sustainable M&A strategies and integration practices, to explore and evaluate technology options, and to guide business owners through valuation, benchmarking, and transition activities.
Most notably, I have:
• Aided a multi-entity company to achieve aggressive growth goals through acquisitions. I’ve engaged with CEOs, senior executives, and boards to build relationships, garner trust, and discuss M&A opportunities. Additionally, I’ve developed and executed influential, differentiated outreach campaigns that have secured multiple acquisition targets.
https://mackeygroupllc.com
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
29 min - Joshua Brackett - Banner Health
The Burn: Beyond Firestop
Hosted by John Zalepka
Intro
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
Today’s guest is Josh Brackett, a self proclaimed “Fire Geek”, Josh is a licensed Fire Protection Engineer (PE) Senior Status as ASHE (SASHE) and Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) with specialized expertise in life safety compliance and energy management.
Key Takeaways
- Josh’s Background
- Majored in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology at Oklahoma State University
- Member of the Fire Protection Society
- Wanted to be a Firefighter his whole life, grow into Fire Marshall or Chief role.
- Was told he was over-qualified to be a firefighter. Took a job with an engineering firm. Worked in healthcare engineering. Working with fire protection for hospitals.
- Applying skills to the healthcare industry
- Took over for electrical engineers and handled automatic sprinkler side and fire alarm side.
- Led to building a business plan that got him the role as National Director of Business Development
- Baptist Health contacted him to be their head of Life Safety
- System Regulatory Director at Banner Health
- Provides direction for codes and compliance program
- Networking plays a big role. Open communication leads to bringing everyone to the table for change.
- Legacy FM
- Founded on premise of Legacy Project (how do you leave behind your legacy, how are we transferring knowledge to replace the technicians leaving the business)
- Training and education company. From onboarding to continuing education
- Developing Code-Compliant Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety Inspection, Testing and Maintenance Programs
- 100 percent of the prophets go to ASHE
- Got group together, wonderful authors and experts in the industry, to write book over 2 years.
- Teaching at ASHE
- CHFM, CHC, Energy to care program, Working in healthcare, etc.
- Fire in a healthcare facility
- Have not had a major incident in a hospital in a long time.
- Codes and procedures written because patients are unable defend themselves.
- Data and scientific evidence available now drives changes in codes
About Josh
I have been very blessed over my career to be surrounded by leaders in the healthcare industry. Each of which took me under their wings and mentored me.
I began my career at a national healthcare engineering firm as a fire sprinkler designer and quickly added on fire alarm and other low voltage work. A few years one of the executives saw something in me and gave me an opportunity to lead business development for the company.
While in business development I learned how to work with clients to figure out what their needs and how to stay on top of hot topics in the industry and work with our team to formulate solutions.
I left the company and joined a regional fire alarm/sprinkler/security contracting company. I was hired on to lead business development, marketing, and sales. The most important lesson I learned was that there were large gaps between design to construction to operations to maintenance.
I was then very blessed to be brought into Baptist Health. I oversee Joint Commission compliance, energy management, construction policies and procedures, and several other areas as needed. I love the diversity the job brings and the opportunity to soak up knowledge from our team.
In addition to my current job at Baptist, Lindsey and I co-founded Legacy FM, LLC. Legacy FM was founded on the concept of The Legacy Project. The project, a long-term work in progress, aims to close the technical gap between those exiting the industry and those just entering into it.
I am a licensed Fire Protection Engineer (PE) Senior Status as ASHE (SASHE) and Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) with specialized expertise in life safety compliance and energy management.
I can find a bright-side to any scenario and believe that a genuine smile is the most simple form of kindness you can show others. Do everything to the best of your ability, promote others above yourself and simply show others you care and the world will just be a little better.
Josh on LinkedIn
About Banner Health
Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.
http://www.bannerhealth.com
About Legacy FM
As Co-Founder of Legacy FM, LLC, I constantly find myself tapping into my network to establish and nurture strong relationships with facilities management professionals and key stakeholders within industry organizations. As a code and data junkie (and Facilities Engineer), I research best practices and innovative concepts in engineering, facilities management, and construction so I can effectively govern all technical aspects of training content, especially those related to engineering, codes, and life safety. I also create and deliver customized education and training content to satisfy individual and team professional development plans. Finally, I occasionally side hustle as the Chief Operating Officer for Legacy FM.
Legacy FM was founded on the concept of The Legacy Project. The project, a long-term work in progress, aims to close the technical gap between those exiting the industry and those just entering into it. Very few training avenues exist that support young professionals interested in facilities management, and our dream is to breathe new life into this profession and equip novice facility managers with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful in their careers.
Our mission is simple: to empower the men and women that keep our buildings running. We accomplish this mission by harnessing the knowledge and expertise of seasoned facilities management professionals, then creating meaningful content with this information, and finally sharing this content with those up and coming in the facilities management field
Legacy FM offers professional development training in all aspects of facilities management including relevant codes and standards, life safety, design and construction, best maintenance practices, sustainability, finance, budgeting, strategic planning, and more. We strive to resonate value from the boiler room to the board room and everything in between, but our focus never waivers from facilities management because that’s our true passion
http://legacy-fm.com
Developing Code-Compliant Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety Inspection, Testing and Maintenance Programs
https://www.ashe.org/fire-itm
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
33 min - Mark St. Onge - UL
The Burn: Beyond Firestop
Hosted by John Zalepka
Intro
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
My guest today is Mark St. Onge, Fire Protection Specialist and Field Engineer at UL (Underwriters Laboratories), where much of the industry’s fire testing is done.
Key Takeaways
- Mark’s Background
- Air Force Veteran, served 15 years.
- Worked in volunteer fire department, and as an EMT
- Got into 3rd party inspections
- Special Inspections
- Has seen a lot in the field, loves the opportunity to help others from past experiences
- Brought into UL with an opportunity to grow a new program
- Pre Construction meetings of the utmost importance.
- Time at UL
- Reports to Program Manager for Fire Protection and Fire Barrier Management Program and Lightning Protection System Program
- Acts as a 3rd party special inspector
- Outreach. Speaks at events. ICC, SCIA, etc.
- Helps Qualified Contractor Program
- Fire door inspections
- Master audit certificate of compliance
- Interact with engineering staff and regulatory staff
- 3rd Party Testing
- A lot of training and experience goes into qualification for a 3rd party inspector
- Once you are qualified, you are out on your own, you hope you have others that you can reach out to for questions. That’s the bonus of having people at UL that are experienced.
- What’s new at UL?
- UL’s Firestop numbering system
About Mark
Fire Protection Specialist at UL
Mark on LinkedIn
About Underwriters Laboratories
As the global safety science leader, we provide the expertise, insights and services necessary to achieve core business objectives. Our testing, inspection and certification, advisory and risk management services, decision-making tools, training and business intelligence offerings help our customers, based in more than 100 countries, solve their critical business challenges and prepare for future opportunities.
https://www.ul.com
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
26 min - Bill Koffel - Koffel Associates
The Burn: Beyond Firestop
Hosted by John Zalepka
Intro
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
My guest today is Bill Koffel, President of Koffel Associates. Bill established a fire protection engineering firm and is recognized as an expert in fire protection codes and standards.
Key Takeaways
- Bill’s Background
- Father was volunteer firefighter
- Became a volunteer firefighter when he was of age
- Fire Chief introduced him to program at University of Maryland
- Turned hobby into a profession
- NFPA 101
- Life Safety code differs from Building code or Fire Code
- Fire code is generic
- Building code addresses new construction
- Life Safety Code addresses new and existing construction and goes into greater detail
- Life Safety Code is occupancy specific
- 1991 Edition of the Life Safety Code
- Prior to that, the code gave options of building with or without sprinkler protection.
- Bill worked with American Hospital Association and worked to change the code to require sprinklers in all new healthcare occupancies
- Chapter 43
- Added in 2006, deals with rehabilitation of existing buildings.
- Changes old requirements
- Bring old buildings as close to new building requirements as possible.
- International Existing Building Code Essentials
- Authored book along with Clay Aler
- Serves as a handbook of why codes do the things they do.
- History of how codes are developed and why.
- Koffel Associates
- General Practice Fire Protection Engineering Firm
- Design fire protection systems.
- Work with architects for new building design from a fire safety standpoint.
- Rehab of existing buildings.
- Survey work
- Work in Healthcare Community
- Changed the survey process for the healthcare community.
- Have facilities self identify problems
- Set up management and maintenance programs to help facilities.
- Covid Affects
- Pushed remote inspections to the forefront
- Emergency plans were not set up
- Barrier management programs were set up
About Bill
William "Bill" Koffel is President and founder of Koffel Associates, Inc. He is recognized as an expert in the fire protection and life safety aspects of codes and standards.
Mr. Koffel graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland; earned his Professional Engineering license in the specialty of fire protection engineering in 1983; and worked in private industry as well as in the Maryland State Fire Marshall’s office. Totally committed to the fire protection and life safety industry with its governing codes, standards and design guidelines, he is Past President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, serves on numerous National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committees, past member of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee on Structural Safety Issues, and is one of a handful of approved NFPA instructors teaching various code-related seminars, nationally and internationally. He has co-authored manuals, including the “Fire Warning and Safety Systems” American Hospital Association manual which is the industry’s guide to selecting, testing, and maintaining fire suppression, fire alarm, and smoke control systems; and has contributed to, or currently serves on, various panels and committees including those for Underwriters Laboratory and the International Code Council (ICC).
In 1986, he founded Koffel Associates and has presided over its national and international growth to its current staff of 40 people with offices in Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
Bill on LinkedIn
About Koffel Associates
We are recognized experts in fire protection codes and standards.
While meeting your needs with focus and innovation, we also meet the challenge of advancing the fire protection industry through our extensive, hands-on involvement in codes and standards development and training. We employ and are led by some of the industry’s best, including registered engineers, authorized trainers for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and International Code Council (ICC), and two worldwide instructors in Life Safety Code® for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
http://www.koffel.com
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
33 min - Mike Kerrison - Unifrax
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
My guest today is Mike Kerrison, the Global Fire Protection Application Engineering Manager at Unifrax. Unifrax is global specialty fibers company focused solutions that make the world – and your business – a greener, cleaner, safer place.
Key Takeaways
- Mike’s Background
- Grew up in the Niagara - Buffalo area. Attended SUNY Buffalo.
- Always had an interest in Math. Took a liking to Physics and Mechanics while at Junior College. Went into Engineering at Buffalo.
- Interned for a year at Unifrax before being hired in the Industrial Products Group.
- About Unifrax
- Unifrax manufactures products for automotive, (catalytic converters). They serve industrial markets such as steel mills.
- High temperature products.
- Specialty Fibers Division, filtration etc.
- Mike’s work at Unifrax
- Started in the Industrial group.
- Went from application engineering, to out in the field, back to product management and now an engineering management role.
- Involved in technical support, fire testing, certification management.
- Grease and Air Duct Wrap Products
- Two main categories in the commercial space. Grease (commercial kitchens) and All Other Duct Types (life safety ducts, stairwell pressurization, etc.)
- Testing and Codes
- Testing goes beyond just what happens when a duct goes through a wall or a floor.
- Protecting the entire duct system.
- Different standards for the duct systems.
- Work with the IFC
- Duct Committee Chair.
- Helps creation of standards for air ducts.
- Cleaning up mis-information.
- Webinars
- Unifrax is publishing a series of webinars for the built environment. The series was kicked off with passive fire protection.
- Additional webinars coming on air ducts co compliance and dryer protection systems.
About Mike
Global Fire Protection Application Engineering Manager at Unifrax I LLC
Mike on LinkedIn
About Unifrax
Unifrax is a global leader in high-performance specialty fibers and inorganic materials used in high-temperature industrial, automotive, and fire protection applications. Our purpose, mission and values are based on our commitment to produce high-quality products that help our customers save energy, reduce pollution, and improve fire safety.
https://www.unifrax.com
International Fire Stop Council
www.firestop.org
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
18 min - Patrick Tesché - Global Fire Protection Group
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
Our guest today is extremely familiar with such topics. Pat Tesche is the president of Global Fire Protection Group, which provides fire and life safety, engineering, consulting, and design services to customers throughout the world.
Pat is highly respected in the industry with over 30 years of experience in passive fire protection, and is well-recognized in the codes and standards world, you can often find him doing third-party inspection system audits or giving Fire stop training somewhere in the world.
Key Takeaways
- Volunteer Work
- Passion comes from his father, who volunteered with children during Pat’s childhood
- Currently Pat is on the board of Bert Bell Football Organization in the Philadelphia area
- Volunteered to give IFC inspector training for the NYC Transit Authority
- Passion for Fire Stop
- Went from being on the contractor side to going into inspection and consulting.
- Noticed a lack of training when it came to third party inspections.
- Worked with the FCIA, the IFC and other organizations to get the training out there.
- IFC Inspector committees and groups
- A-1 committee chair.
- Developed by third party inspector experts in the manufacturing group.
- 8-hour hands on program followed by a test.
- Fire Stop inspection committee
- Putting together a wood-frame group.
- Bringing Awareness to the Construction Industry
- Explain code and jurisdiction. What to expect when being inspected.
- ASTM 2174
- Different Methodologies
- Witness Tests
- Destructive Tests, post installation, measuring.
- Work with ASTM
- Work with serviceability group
- Task Group Chair for E3038, assessing the qualifications for fire stop inspectors.
- Global Fire Protection Group
- Third Party Inspections make up 10-15 percent of work
- Full Service Fire Protection Engineering Firm
- Fire Alarm design, Sprinkler design, code reviews, field consulting, building audits, risk management, etc.
- Licensed in all of US and most of Canada, worked in 20 different countries the past few years.
- Services
- Sprinkler flow testing, recalculation, piping
- Passive Fire Protection, Engineering judgement reviews
- Engineering outside alternative means and methods when it falls outside passive fire protection.
- Pat’s Background
- A union carpenter
- Went to Drexel for construction management
About Pat
Patrick Tesché is a code and standards SME in the field of Passive Fire Protection as well as Lean Construction Methodology. Pat is a highly respected project manager, his responsable for leading a team of engineering, consulting, design professional as well as directing field personal conducting site surveys, QA/QC and other required inspections. Maintaining Owner/Architect /Contractor relationships and will keeping project on budget-on time.
One of he's goals are to bring awareness to the construction community/ building owners and AHJ's with regards to ASTM E2174/2393 Firestop Inspection Practices (IBC 2012 Code) and IFC 703.1 Maintenance of Fire Rated Construction, NFPA 101. Pat has conducted educational and informational seminars throughout North America and UAE. as a presenter for the International Fire Council: Presenter 2 & 4 hr Seminar, and a guest speaker on the ASTM E 2174/2393 Inspection Process, Design-Engineer and Compliance of Passive Fire Protection.
Pat on LinkedIn
International Fire Stop Council
www.firestop.org
Global Fire Protection Group
https://www.globalfpg.com
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
21 min - Bill McHugh - FCIA
The Burn: Beyond Firestop
Hosted by John Zalepka
Intro
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Fire Stop. Our show is dedicated to life safety and code compliance in the built environment, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses and organizations contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built. Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, Inc. Also known as STI Fire Stop. And since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
Our guest today is no stranger to these such topics. Bill McHugh has been involved in the construction industry for over 39 years, focusing on several industries, including roofing, waterproofing, fireproofing, and my favorite, firestopping. Over the past 33 years, Bill served in managerial roles at large and small corporations. He’s been in manufacturing, a contractor, distributor, and he’s presently an association management professional, which includes his work as executive director of the Firestop Contractors International Association, FCIA, and a few others that we’ll get into today.
Key Takeaways
Bill’s Background
Two-time NCAA Springboard Diving All American at North Central College
Degrees in Business & Speech Communication Theatre
Masters Degree from Western Illinois where he coached Diving
Fellow for Illinois Business Hall of Fame
Getting into construction
Randomly submitted resume and was hired at Grace Construction Products
Started in Roofing & Waterproofing
Introduced to Fire Resistance when he became District Manager
Real exposure to Firestop came when he worked for Polyguard Products.
Transitioned to distribution and eventually into contracting
Starting with FCIA
Became a student of the industry, business and started teaching as well
Teaching grew to regional presentations and eventually to presenting to national associations and writing articles/books.
Was asked to be a part of a new association in 1998.
Work within FCIA
Believed in the proper design installation inspection and maintaining protection.
Focus was always Firestop at FCIA
Worked with FCIA Committee to creat Firestop Manual of Practice.
Wanted programs to separate contractor and inspection organizations who don’t specialize in firestopping.
Everyone should come together on Code Development and Standards, and maintaining protection in existing buildings.
D I I M Philosophy
Design Installation Inspection and Maintenance
Certain jurisdictions do not adopt Chapter 17 of the International Building Code
FCIA developed the concept of independent inspections, the ASTM E2174, E2393 Standards, and with FCIA’s code consultant Bill Koffel, planted the standards in the 2012 International Building Code.
Need to have both inspection and a contractor understanding listings for firestopping safety.
Getting contractors involved in FCIA
Mission to involve people in the industry whether they are accredited or not.
Get people in, teach them the proper protocol, improve installed quality of firestopping.
Membership is expanding across the globe
The latest with the FCIA
Hybrid conferences and regular conferences.
Committees meet all year.
Accreditation committee
Standards committee
Code committee
Life Safety Digest committee
Education committee
The McHugh Company
An association management company
Chicago Roofing Contracting Association
National Fireproofing Contractors Association
Air Distribution Institute
About Bill:
Over the past 33 years, Bill McHugh has been a manager at very large and small corporations, a contractor, distributor, and presently an association management professional.
During his time with W.R. Grace, Construction Products Division, he worked in the Chicago Roofing and Waterproofing markets servicing contractors, specifiers and roof consultants. While at Grace, he earned the top honor, 'SalesMaster' Award in 1984. His role as a Branch and District Manager took him to Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Southern Region Birmingham AL District. A National Sales and Marketing Manager opportunity took him to the Dallas area where he covered the USA managing independent manufacturers reps and distributors while developing marketing and sales strategies for Polyguard Products.
In Firestopping, he lead development of the Chicago and Wisconsin firestop markets through speaking and writing locally and nationally to specifiers, building officials and fire marshals, fire inspectors, contractors and others. Bill helped found the Firestop Contractors International Association in 1998 with seven colleagues.
FCIA's founding in 1998 brought him into 'sole proprietorship' as an association management professional until The McHugh Company formed in 2004. From a home office, The McHugh Company has grown and continues to serve the almost 360 company members worldwide at FCIA, another 360 members at CRCA/CRC, 150 at the NFCA and 35 at ADI _ through continued program and membership development - with the talented employees at TMC in professional offices in Hillside, IL.
At FCIA, CRCA, CRC and NFCA, Bill has worked in accreditation, standards, code, magazine publications all managed with staff. TMC's work at CRCA's Annual Trade Show & Seminars for 2500 people, FCIA education symposiums, conferences, technical manual development, while managing the business of the associations - financial, operations, membership and marketing - keeps Bill and TMC in the lead.
Bill on LinkedIn
About the FCIA:
FCIA is worldwide Trade Association of Firestop Contractors, Inspection Agencies, Manufacturers, Distributors, and more dedicated to the creation, installation, inspection, and maintenance of life-safety firestop systems and effective compartmentation barriers.
FCIA Members are companies that provide services and products to the firestop, barrier management, and fire-resistance-rated and smoke-resistant assembly industries. Through active participation in FCIA and related forums, Members contribute to the advancement of the firestop and effective compartmentation industry and maintain exceptional knowledge of this specialized trade.
https://www.fcia.org
The McHugh Company:
The McHugh Company (TMC) is group of professional non-profit organization managers and staff that specializes in 'the business of trade association management and industry development’
https://mc-hugh.us
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
36 min - Firefighter Knowledge in Fire & Life Safety
The Burn: Beyond Firestop
Hosted by John Zalepka
Intro
Welcome back to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I'm your host. John's Zalepka. Our show, if you're not aware is focused on life safety, which puts me on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspective. Our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built.
Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, also known as STI Firestop. Since 1990 STI has been a leading global provider of innovative fire protective solutions that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases. Our guest today is very knowledgeable on such topics.
Sean DeCrane retired as a 25 plus year veteran of the Cleveland Fire Department. He also served in various roles such as Director of Training & Chief of Operations. He retired as Battalion Chief covering Cleveland's West side, and he's currently the manager of industry relations for Underwriters Laboratories, building life safety, security technologies division.
Key Takeaways
- Sean’s Background
- Wanted to be a firefighter early on as Fire Service is in the Family.
- While playing Rugby, his team mates in the Cleveland FD got him involved
- Getting into Fire & Life Safety
- (5:35) Free Beer and a Dare
- Went to International Fire Stop Council meeting
- Went to code hearing in Ohio & a Code technology meeting in Chicago.
- Wrote letter to IFF on why fire fighters should be involved in Codes and regulations.
- UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute
- (11:43) Incident in Green Bay let to modify building codes to prevent collapse.
- Formulated Firefighter Safety Research Group. Still one of the advisory board members.
- Changes over the years
- Sometimes it takes disaster to lead to change.
- (15:37)Codes are living documents, constantly open for modifications.
- Working on 2024 changes to codes both residential and building & fire codes.
- UL
- Global independent safety science company.
- (18:00) Reached a point looking for a new challenge. Wanted to be involved on an international level.
- Create safer living and work environment.
- (19:58) US standards compared to around the world.
- Testing & Research
- (21:32) Researching emerging technologies.
- Working with various industries that don’t involve humans.
- (24:19) Upcoming projects and initiatives
- (26:52) Mass Timber Contruction
About Sean:
Sean DeCrane retired as a 25+ year veteran of the Cleveland Division of Fire. He served in various roles including the Director of Training and Chief of Operations. He retired as a Battalion Chief covering Cleveland’s Westside. Sean is currently the Manager of Industry Relations for the Underwriters Laboratories Building Life Safety, Security and Technologies Division.
Sean has been very involved in the research at Underwriters Laboratories and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He serves on the UL Fire Council and is a member of the UL Fire Fighter Safety Research Institute’s Advisory Board.
Chief DeCrane also represented the International Association of Fire Fighters in the International Code Council process and has served on the 2009, 2012, 2105 and 2018 Fire Code Developing Committee and as Chair for 2015 and 2018. Sean served on the NFPA 1 Technical Advisory Panel, NFPA Research Foundation on Tall Wood Buildings and is serving as the Chair of the Fire Test Work Group for the ICC Tall Wood Building Ad Hoc Committee.
Sean on LinkedIn
UL https://ulfirefightersafety.org
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
35 min - Lainey Liotta - Lubrizol
Welcome back to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I'm still your host John Zalepka. If you don't know, this show is dedicated to life safety. So I'm on a mission to find the most interesting people in the space to get their unique perspectives. Now you can usually find me training people so that they understand where firestop falls in the whole life safety end of things, but the subtitle of this show tells you that we want to get beyond that. So our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built.
Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, also known as STI Firestop. We are a global leader in the fire protective industry. We develop innovative fire protective systems that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
Our guest today is also knowledgeable on such things as she helps the fire protective industry, she's responsible for setting marketing, product, sales, and innovation strategy for Lubrizol Advanced Material's fire protection segment, which includes BlazeMaster(R) CPVC piping systems and freezemaster(TM) Antifreeze.
Key Takeaways
- Lainey’s background
- Started a business at age 8, selling signs. Ran it for 4 years.
- Double Major at Penn State, Marketing & Spanish
- Getting into Firestop
- Interned at Tyco
- Returned after graduation to become Associate Global Product Manager
- Mentorship
- Led a committee while working for Chemours to start a mentorship program.
- Career at Lubrizol
- Compatibility program called FBC System Compatible
- Lubrizol invented CPVC
- Multiple brands such as Corzan®, FlowGuard Gold®, BlazeMaster®, and freezemaster™
- Guidance on ingredients
- Not all CPVC are created equal
- Additional Work & Committees
- Part of 5 different committees for NFSA, National Fire Sprinkler Association
- Future Leadership
- ITM Inspection, Testing, Maintenance
- Quality Assurance
- Residential
- Supplier Manufacturers Council
About Lainey:
When I was in second grade, I started a business creating and selling signs out of my basement. Granted, the only customers of my cleverly named "Sign Store" were my parents, baby sitter, and neighbors, but it was pretty legitimate for a company run by an eight year old --- I had an office (empty storage closet), a cash register (thank you, Santa!), employee ID badges (complete with head shots from my iZone Polaroid), and even a monthly newsletter. I'm proud to say that I ran my little basement business until I got into the sixth grade.
Clearly, with my Sign Store as evidence, I am one of those people who is fortunate to have known from a very young age exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. I have always had a passion for business, a desire to lead and encourage others, and a knack for solving problems. I am self-motivated, incredibly driven, and ever curious; I strive to constantly learn and challenge myself in whatever I do.
In a prior role as Global Product Manager, Residential Products and Programs for Tyco FPP (now a part of Johnson Controls,) I was able to do what I love while continuously developing my business acumen. On any given day you could find me out in the field gathering customer feedback, in the office driving new product development projects, in the lab leading innovation workshops, or on the phone with cross-functional teams working to optimize processes. In my Market Development role at Chemours, I was able to not only gain exposure to a new industry (HVAC) but also further hone my marketing and business development skills. I've since returned to the fire protection industry as the Fire Protection Segment Manager at Lubrizol where I am in charge of setting the business and marketing strategy for BlazeMaster(R) CPVC Piping Systems and freezemaster(TM) Antifreeze.
Specialties: Marketing, Product Management, Strategy, New Product Development (NPD), Leadership, Problem Solving, Public Speaking, Spanish language
Lainey on LinkedIn
Lubrizol
NFSA
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
32 min - Inspect Point
Welcome to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I'm your host, John Zalepka. Since this show is focused on life safety, I'm on a mission to find the most interesting people in this space to get their unique perspectives. As the training and development manager at STI, it's part of my job to help people understand how fire stop fits into life safety, but we want to get beyond that. So our hope is that our audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to life safety of whatever is being built.
Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, also known as STI Firestop. We are a global leader in the industry and developing innovative fire protective systems that help stop the spread of smoke, fire and hot gases.
Our guest today is very knowledgeable about such topics. He helps the fire protection industry progress forward through process improvements, recurring revenue and jurisdictional compliance. So it's my pleasure to welcome Drew Slocum
Key Takeaways
- Drew’s Credentials
- On the NFPA 915 committee for remote inspections
- Executive Director of the New York Fire Sprinkler Contractors Association
- Six Sigma Black Belt
- Scratch Golfer
- Worked at Viking Group & Tyco
- Drew’s Journey
- Industrial Engineer by trade
- Sales territory manager
- Business development sales
- Recent Projects
- Helped AFK Engineers come up with a sprinkler design for the tallest residential building in NYC
- Fire protection scheme for the new Moynihan Train Station (New Penn Station)
- Podcast Host
- Hosts The Fire Protection Podcast
- Discusses topics around the industry of Fire Alarm, Sprinkler Suppression & other Life Safety areas.
About Drew:
Drew is the Co Founder and VP of Business Development at Inspect Point, managing the sales / business development team at a fast growing fire protection inspection software company while actively pursuing development opportunities with fire protection professionals, contractors & manufacturersImproving the fire protection industry through a software platform that reports required data and assists companies in the inspection, testing, maintenance and service realm. He is the Executive Director for the NY Fire Sprinkler Contractor Association and manages a group of contractors, suppliers and fire authorities.
Drew on LinkedIn
Inspectpoint
Fire Protection Podcast
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…
https://www.stifirestop.com
32 min
About The Burn
From the publisher's feed
The Burn takes a dive into the life safety and code requirements for compliance in modern construction. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to design, build or erect a super tall, or how…
manufacturers test their products to meet codes and standards... then you’ve come to the right place. We are going to be sitting down and picking the brains of thought leaders and subject matter experts at third-party testing agencies, building product manufacturers, architects, contractors, and of course the best of the best in the fire protection industry.