The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in collaboration with Thom Tryon, director of construction at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast (NAVFAC SE), recently conducted a regional training seminar on various fire suppression and notification systems for NAVFAC SE employees located throughout the southeast region.
More than 40 NAVFAC SE employees, representing 17 field offices, attended the week-long course. Attendee specialty fields ranged from construction engineering technicians and construction managers / engineers, to performance assessment representatives.
“This course provided valuable training and insight on navigating the NFPA 13 (Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems) and NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling) coding books,” said Justin Yeager, a construction engineering technician at NAVFAC SE. “It also demonstrated verification of code compliance and systems compatibility and NFPA standards.”
NFPA instructors along with NAVFAC SE fire protection engineers, with decades of experience, provided seminar presentations and training on automatic sprinkler systems and fire alarm and signaling, placing emphasis on quality assurance roles. Training also focused on identifying and correcting common discrepancies found during routine inspections throughout the southeast region. These measures ensure a safer work posture and environment for employees throughout NAVFAC SE’s area of responsibility.
“These courses did help with learning how the system is intended to work through a design aspect, as well as knowing some key elements to look for during installation,” said Stephen Grayson, electrician at Public Works Department Meridian. “I realize all the designing is done in the planning phase but this training will help us make better field decisions and also be able to catch things that do not appear correct.”
NAVFAC Southeast currently employs 1,849 civilians, 106 military and 68 contractors in twelve states. Its Jacksonville office manages operations on Navy installations from Charleston, South Carolina to Corpus Christi, Texas and south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. NAVFAC professionals also acquire and dispose of real estate, manage and maintain the facilities on all Navy bases in the Southeast (SE) region, and oversees public-private venture (PPV) housing for military families.