Fire Watch - Sprinkler Company Covers State with Fire Prevention Systems

October is fire prevention month - a designated time when we are encouraged to think about fire safety. Employees for American Fire Sprinkler Corp. think about fire safety constantly. It's what they do and it's all they do for their company that specializes in designing, installing and servicing fire-protection systems in Kansas and two other states.

On the Map - Tape strips mark a Kansas map of jobs American Fire Sprinkler has ongoing. There are nearly two dozen jobs on the company's map, but there are another dozen in the pipeline. Business has been booming for the sprinkler company that is one of only a few serving central and western Kansas.

When viewing a map of Kansas in the offices of Great Bend's branch of American Fire Sprinkler Corp., 4901 8th, a red-and-yellow, color-coded system indicates the jobs in progress and pending jobs in the near future. To take it all in, the map reader has to scan virtually the entire state to see approximately two dozen jobs on the company's current jobs and pending lists.

It is an almost 40-year-old, family-owned company that has had a Great Bend location for more than a dozen years. In 1968, Jim and Cliftene Lewis started the business in Kansas City, eventually branching into Great Bend. Last spring, the company moved its Great Bend branch into its new facility at 8th Street location, south of the former Food 4 Less building, after being located on North Highway 281 for many years.

The red-and-yellow map highlights illustrate that American Fire Sprinkler accommodates a wide variety of businesses and non-profit agencies throughout Kansas.

"As you can see, our sales territory is all of the state, except the corridor between Topeka and Kansas City, said branch manager Gary Simmons.

"Our Kansas City office takes care of that area. We also do some work in Oklahoma and Colorado."

212 Degrees - Shown is a 212-degree upright sprinkler head. Heat activates each sprinkler head separately, controlling the areas where water is dispersed.

Fire-sprinkler systems are often mandated because of changes in building codes, which vary from municipality to municipality. The state of Kansas also has become more educated over the years about the value of sprinkler systems.

Not only do they offer fire protection, "sprinklers can provide a cost savings because of some building trade-offs that can be made," Simmons said. "For example, on new construction, a sprinkler system might represent 2 percent of the overall cost.

"But the builder may save from 2 to 5 percent in construction costs," Simmons continued. "This is because there could be less sheetrock involved and fewer smoke dampers in the duct work."

In addition, Simmons pointed out that the building would have a more favorable fire safety rating, which means lower insurance rates.

Wet and Dry - Pipes are stacked in the American Fire Sprinkler shop ready to be installed in sprinkler systems. Left are galvanized pipes, used for installing dry sprinkler systems. Those systems are used in areas where water may freeze in the pipe of a wet system in 40-degrees Fahrenheit or lower. The Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride pipe on the right is for wet systems and is orange to distinguish it from other plastic pipe as being part of the sprinkler system.    Wet systems are fully charged at the heads. Dry systems are charged at the service connection and the pipes are filled with air pressure, so the pipes stay dry in cold spaces, eliminating chances for freezing pipes.

American Fire Sprinkler often installs one of two different kinds of systems - wet pipe and dry pipe. Wet pipe is the one most commonly associated with a fire- protection system. The water is in overhead pipes and if that area reaches 40 Fahrenheit and there is not enough insulation, the water freezes. Simmons noted that 32 is not the freezing point in this case because the water is stationary; it is not flowing.

The dry pipe system may be used in a warehouse or some other type of facility that is not heated. A valve holds the water down low, and compressed air is situated above that valve. If the temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit at the ceiling, the sprinkler head will burst. This releases the compressed air and the water follows.

Corrosion Proof - A board showing corroded sprinkler heads on the left and an internal obstruction investigation depicted in the other three panels. The obstruction investigation photos are examples of corroded pipes that American Fire Sprinkler Corp has found in the field over the last five years. When that happens, fitters either flush the pipe mechanically or hydraulically, or they must take the sprinkler system pipe apart and replace it with new pipe.

In addition to designing, installing and servicing, American Fire Sprinkler also conducts inspections on fire-protection systems. Some are annual, some semi-annual and some quarterly - depending on the circumstances. For example, a healthcare facility likely will be inspected quarterly.

The Great Bend American Fire Sprinkler office employs 19 people in the field and six in the office. Its 6,500-square-foot facility also is home to a large parts inventory, which allows the company to respond quickly to customers' needs.

Final Draft - A blue print for a pending sprinkler job is being prepared. American Fire and Sprinkler plots its diagrams for every sprinkler job it has before the job ever begins. The state must approve the drawing on nursing, hospital as well as any state facilities. All plans must be reviewed by the local authority having jurisdiction. Local authority can require more regulations, but can't have fewer regulations than required by law.

"We are always looking for help," Simmons said. "We look for experience in the construction trades. And since we are a union contractor, we have good salaries and good benefits."

Simmons had one of his first tastes of the construction business in high school drafting class. He now has 25 years experience after starting out as a designer.

The company's current and upcoming projects include: the new fieldhouse at Great Bend High School, a Manhattan shopping center, the Legg Co. at Halstead, a school in St. George, shopping center in Fort Riley, child development centers in Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, the gymnasium at Kansas Wesleyan at Salina, middle school at Haysville, Kansas Army National Guard facility at Pittsburg State University and Comfort Inn at Wichita.

Multiple Heads - A collection of sprinkler heads is displayed. The heads pictured are only a small sample of what's available for install. There are thousands of heads available for every type of sprinkler application.

The local company also has a long list of hospitals, nursing homes and other types of care centers. These include facilities in Lyons, Plainville, Neodesha, Council Grove, Johnson, Dodge City, Kiowa, Caldwell, Fort Dodge, Jetmore and Ulysses.