By Jason Knott 

April 13, 2012 

UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has closed on the sale of its fire and security branch operations in the U.S. to Comvest Investment Partners, a private equity fund of the Comvest Group.

Terms of the deal are not being disclosed, according to a press release.

The UTC Climate, Controls & Security division includes brands such as Carrier, Interlogix, Lenel, Edwards and others. It is a provider of integrated building solutions, including heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation and fire and security systems. The commercial installation business that was sold to Comvest, with approximately $250 million in sales, 1,350 employees and 40 locations, was formed as a result of a roll-up of Red Hawk and a dozen other small U.S.-based businesses over the last several years.

2012 NAFED New Orleans

2012 NAFED Atlantic City

 Wesco was please to attend both the Atlantic City and New Orleans 2012 NAFED Conferences. Check out our exclusive photos from both conferences here.

Clayton Norred and Ken May

NAFED Elects New Officers and Directors

NAFED had a great annual meeting in New Orleans this year. Outgoing president, Clayton Norred of Norred Fire Systems, was honored with a plaque as the new president, Ken May of Silco Fire Protection, was welcomed in. Four other new board members were also welcomed in: region one director Michael Kint of Kint Fire Protection, region five director Christopher Jones of Automatic Protection Systems, region seven director James Bedal of Taylor Brothers, and director-at-large Tim Krulan of New Jersey Fire Equipment.

This was the last of NAFED's three conferences this year, and NAFED was happy to have Wesco as a sponsor at all three. 2013 will mark NAFED's 50th anniversary so stay tuned for information on all the planned festivities.  

Wesco News 

CALSAFE Opposes "Sprinkler Fitter Bill" SB886

The latest "Sprinkler Fitter Bill," SB886, was introduced on February 18th. Its language is almost identical to the wording of the last revision of AB660. It still includes ALL Fire Suppression systems, not only wet sprinkler systems but also water spray, foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemical, wet chemical (HOOD SYSTEMS), halogenated and any other chemical system used for fire protection. After all of the CLAIMS, all of the HYPERBOLE and FOUR plus years of attempting to get the bill passed, the proponents have yet to provide data that supports the need, NOT one verifiable case that would support the need for this COSTLY program. REMEMBER that the wording would require a "sprinkler fitter" certificate for performing all types of work on these systems to include:  onsite layout and fabrication, testing, inspection, alteration or extension of the system and SERVICING, TESTING OR MAINTENANCE of the systems according to 13195. In other words, if you install or perform service on any wet sprinkler, clean agent, kitchen, paint booth or similar system, your SERVICE and install workers will have to obtain a State Fire Marshal Certificate that requires them to complete an 8,000 hour sprinkler fitter apprenticeship program. While there is current language to petition the State Fire Marshal for a certificate for an existing employee based on 8,000 hours of verifiable experience, it will create a void of workers who service and install today that won't qualify until they enroll and complete 8,000 hours in an approved sprinkler fitters apprenticeship program. There will be escalated employee raiding, along with the effects of supply and demand on salaries. In other words, expect to have to pay more for the work with fewer "qualified" workers available and good luck holding on to your own. History with the Electricians Certification Program has shown this to be true. This bill will also have a major impact on the State Fire Marshal's office, who can't tell at this stage how this will affect the Fire Extinguisher Program, but it will affect it! Watch for articles in the CALSAFE newsletter and CALSAFE Alerts to follow CALSAFE's assessment of the impact this bill can have if passed. Also follow our opposition to it.

FSSA Adds Opposition to SB886

Crista LeGrand, Executive Director of the FSSA, wrote a letter to Senator Curren D. Price, Jr. and Senator Bill Emmerson that starts like this:  

Dear Senators Price and Emmerson:

I am writing on behalf of the Fire Suppression Systems Association ("FSSA") a membership organization whose members include the manufacturers and designer-installers of special hazard fire suppression systems using non-water extinguishing agents. "Special Hazard Fire Suppression Systems" include engineered and pre-engineered fixed fire suppression systems which use non-water extinguishing agents, such as dry chemical, wet chemical, carbon dioxide, foam, halogenated agents and other inert gas and halocarbon clean agent extinguishing systems. FSSA's membership scope does not include water fire sprinkler systems. For more information on FSSA please visit www.fssa.net.

June 1st Event Filled with Training, Exhibits and Networking

• Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) in Fire Sprinkler Systems
• Selling Strategies for the Non-Selling Professional
• Additional IFC Requirements for Extinguishers
• Dry Chemical Systems in Industrial Applications
• Tips On Handling a Loss Incident Involving Fire Equipment
• Alarm Devices and Interfaces for use with Fire Sprinkler Systems

Each seminar session will provide a Certificate of Attendance which may be used to renew the attendees NAFED or NICET certifications.

The event begins with a continental breakfast held in the vendor exhibit area. Mid morning and mid afternoon breaks, and a buffet luncheon also offer opportunities to interact with the exhibitors, The day's events conclude with a networking reception from 5:00pm to 7:00pm allowing attendees and exhibitors to discuss what they learned from the many seminar sessions and networking opportunities.

The business of the association includes reports from the NJAFED President and Treasurer, along with the annual election of officers and a review of the proposed updated bylaws.

Individuals interested in Exhibiting / Sponsoring the Summer Meeting should click EXHIBITOR / SPONSOR FORM to download it from the NJAFED website.

Individuals interested in Attending the Summer Meeting should click ATTENDEE FORM to download it from the NJAFED website.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Both forms include a complete schedule of events with the downloaded form

Questions on either may be directed to the NJAFED office at (888)542-0544 in NJ or (814)836-2864 outside NJ. 

Florida Fire Equipment Dealers Association is holding their 50th Anniversary meeting

The 2012 FFEDA Annual Conference and Trade Show will take place June 8-9, 2012 in Miami, FL.

You can view the brochure for this conference here. 

April 2012 

In the racing world, the drive toward greater sustainability is being addressed in countless ways. Roush Fenway Racing, operator of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, has fully embraced the NASCAR® initiative to reduce waste, carbon emissions and power consumption. But there is one area in particular that offers no compromises in performance - and that is driver safety.

For years, NASCAR racers have employed various types of chemical "clean agents" for fire suppression in their cars. Traditional halon and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) clean agents have high global warming potentials and pose significant long-term sustainability issues. So when 3M introduced a next-generation halon replacement with excellent safety, performance and sustainability characteristics, Roush Fenway Racing expressed keen interest.

This material, 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid, is based on a proprietary 3M chemistry that addresses many of the shortcomings of conventional clean agents. It has become widely used around the world to protect critical assets where water or dry chemical agents could damage sensitive equipment. Novec 1230 fluid is not only a highly effective fire extinguishant, but also has a very short (5-day) atmospheric lifetime and a global warming potential of 1 - about the same as naturally-occurring carbon dioxide. Moreover, it offers the widest margin of human safety of any chemical clean agent, CO2 or inert gas mixture.

To read the whole article, click here.

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