Construction Executive checked in with two experienced fire protection contractors to gauge what’s new in their area of business.
Chris Johnson is president and CEO of Piper Fire Protection, which has been serving the West Coast of Florida for more than 31 years with offices in Clearwater and Sarasota. It employs about 180 people and has more than 100 service vehicles on the road.
Dan Mathias, a licensed fire protection engineer, started Absolute Fire Protection in 1989 with his best friend Larry Cate. The company designs, installs and maintains fire sprinkler systems across Maryland, Northern Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Mathias and Cate employ about 70 people total in their fire protection and separate electrical engineering businesses.
Both Piper Fire Protection and Absolute Fire Protection are seeing a strong backlog of work right now in the residential, institutional and office markets, including retrofits and renovations.
What do you wish project team members knew about your work that would help the whole job go more smoothly?
Johnson: I think that we initially struggle on jobs because the contractor is worried we don’t have enough manpower to keep up with the schedule. After a few weeks, they start to understand that we don’t have a problem keeping up, and they start to see that we have a narrow installation window. We are very dependent on the framers and sometimes the mechanical contractors to get in ahead of us. After the job proceeds for a few weeks, they start to see that we can keep up without a problem.
Mathias: The biggest difference between fire sprinklers and other trades is that fire sprinklers are a design-build trade. We need lead time to do our design and get our permit. This process can take months, but we can often save time in this process by our technical competence and rapport with the jurisdictions in which we work.
How can fire sprinkler contractors assist in the early stages of project planning?
Johnson: I think that a company with a good design team is worth their weight in gold. Good participation from subcontractors is critical, and minimizing conflicts on the original design speeds up coordination a ton. Too many times the fire sprinkler subcontractor will delay getting its first draft into the mechanical subcontractors for coordination during early stages of construction. We have made that mistake in the past, but have learned that the earlier we are done with our first draft of the design, the better for all involved. I would also say that getting us involved early provides opportunities for value engineering before the design is too far along. CPVC piping and extended coverage fire sprinklers can help save money on projects if incorporated intelligently in the engineered drawings.
Mathias: We understand and embrace the definition of value engineering. We can often save the owner money by getting involved early in a project. We are always willing to work with architects, owners and contractors to address potential problems we may see with the building design, water pressure requirements, underground sizing, etc. For example, we might be able to eliminate a dry pipe sprinkler system by suggesting a slightly different approach at insulating a proposed building. This new approach may save heating costs, reduce the cost of the fire sprinkler system, reduce the underground main size into the building, and reduce the long-term maintenance cost to the building user.
How does the trend toward prefabrication of major building systems impact your work?
Johnson: We like to work on projects that go up quickly. The fire sprinkler trade frequently is waiting on walls and ceilings as well as mechanical rough-in. Our scope is typically shorter in duration, but frequently subject to other trades completing on time to keep us on schedule.
Mathias: Prefabrication makes our work more efficient. Sprinkler contractors were the first trade in the construction industry to prefabricate systems. One impact of prefabrication of other trades is the growing expectation of BIM in the design process. So far, our experience is that BIM adds a lot of time to our design costs and adds to the final cost the owner pays, while at the same time there does not appear to be a return on that investment. BIM modeling for other trades is probably a great idea, but it certainly doesn’t lower our price on bid day.
What technology do you rely on most right now to stay competitive and productive?
Mathias: We have embraced the modern technology of CRM to communicate not just with our customers, but also with our team members. We use specialized sprinkler design software to assist in the design process and also to provide the fabrication list to our prefabricator. Through our entire company, we use technology to collaborate and share resources in order to perform more efficiently. We have had a great experience moving to the cloud.
How is the construction workforce shortage impacting your business?
Johnson: We have been blessed to have good retainage amongst our field forces. Piper has 27 sprinkler fitters currently in the apprenticeship program at Associated Builders and Contractors’ Gulf Coast Chapter. We work hard to attract and retain new faces into our industry and provide opportunities for advanced-level training and career advancement.
Mathias: Hiring good workers is always one of our top challenges. We are incentivizing all of our workers to be productive at their jobs, and we take pride in sharing in the success of our firm. By treating each employee very well, other workers in our industry will be naturally attracted to our company and our culture. We have made a commitment to train for a number of reasons, including increasing employee retention, making employment with Absolute Fire Protection a career opportunity rather than simply a job, supporting safer employees and safer jobsites, and building a better end product for customers. ABC has been an invaluable resource during that process.
Are there any interesting advancements in fire-related systems on the horizon that the industry should know about?
Johnson: The alarm and controls part of our business is changing daily. There are a lot of newer products that integrate security, fire, cameras and access control. This type of emergency management technology is highly sought after. In the past, there was a short list of building automation/situational awareness products, but now there are a myriad of non-proprietary options for customers of all sizes and budgets. We are extremely excited about this segment of our business.
