Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association

The following classes have been presented at previous TFSIA Educational Conferences:

2024  2023
 2022
 2021 Dec
2021 Feb
2019 2018 2017  2016 2015
2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

2024 - 

General Session:

NFPA & Emerging Issues - Robby Dawson & Jeremey Criner (NFPA)

Grand Division Breakout Discussions/Roundtable - Moderated by Division VPs 

Breakout Classes:

NFPA 80 & 105, Swinging Fire Doors & Hardware - Hal Kelton (NGP)

Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance of Fire Alarm Systems - Jody Dwyer (UL Solutions)

Career Survival with Upstream Leadership - Greg Rogers (NFPA)

Tall Mass Timber Buildings; Codes that Safeguard Construction - Ray O'Brocki (American Wood Council)

Batteries for the Code Official - Michael O'Brian (Brighton Area Fire Authority (MI)/IAFC FLSS)

Developing Yourself &Division: Certifications, Credentials, & Compliance - Geoff Woolard (UT-Knoxville)

General Session:

GIS for Risk Mitigation / TN SFMO Resources - Baylie Scott (ESRI) & Chuck Sutherland (TN SFMO)

2023 - 

General Session:

NFPA & Emerging Issues for Fire Safety Advocates - Kelly Ransdell (NFPA)

Breakout Classes:

Firestop 101 - Nicholas Rischer (Hilti)

International Fire Code, Scope & Administration - Dr. Angelo Lamar, PhD (Memphis Fire)

Inspection & Testing, Emergency Responder Communication Systems - Jody Dwyer (UL)

Haz-Mat for Code Officials - Peter Cutrer (7CS Consulting)

NFPA 241 Overview - Matt Branka (Jensen Hughes) & Bill Crowley (Space Age Electronics)

Navigating the Cannabis Industry as the AHJ - Stephen Otero (Franklin Fire Department)

General Session:

First Responder Stress and Trauma - Daniel Jones (Chattanooga Police Department)

2022 -

General Session:

NFPA & Emerging Issues for Fire Safety Advocates - Kelly Ransdell (NFPA)

Breakout Classes:

Fire Suppression Systems for Fire Inspectors - Greg Jakubowski (Buckeye Partners)

Overview of Plans Examiner for Fire and Emergency Services - Wayne Morris (TN SFMO)

Significant Fires  -Shane Ray ( NFSA)

Truman Fire Forum, Teaming to Build Quality Communities - Shane Ray, Vickie Pritchett, Brian Biggs

SmokeControlSystems101/Overview of NFPA 3 and NFPA 4 - Joe Castellano (Jensen & Hughes)

NFPA 72 Acceptance Testing - Jody Dwyer (UL)

General Session:

Understanding the Importance of Fire Inspections in Restaurants - Chuck Swann (TFACA)

2021 (December) -

General Session:

I-Joists & Fire Safety - Ray O'Brocki (American Wood Council)

Breakout  Classes:

Flammable Liquids: NFPA 30 & 11 - Greg Jakubowski (Buckeye Partners)

Legal Issues, Search Warrants, and Citations - Curtis Brinkley (LaVergne Fire Dept)

Commercial Kitchen Hood Systems/Fire Suppression Systems - Bill Almon (Franklin Fire Dept)

NFPA Updates, NFPA 855, NFPA 4 - Robby Dawson (NFPA)

How Do I Know When a Fireworks Display is Safe? - Dr. Angelo Lamar (Memphis Fire Dept)

Hazardous Materials Storage Challenges - Joe Castellano (Jensen Hughes)

General Session:

Clutter Suppression-Impacting the Complex Problem of Hoarding - Shanna Perino (The Home Keeping Project)

2020/2021 (Feb 2021) -

General Session:

TN SFMO Office Updates, Q&A - TN SFMO Staff

Breakout Classes:

School Inspection HazMat Concerns - Bob Fletcher (TDEC)

Framing Issues Related to Fire Inspections and Fire Fighting - Ron Corum

2018 Food Trucks and Mobile Cooking Units - Chuck Swann (TFACA)

NFPA 25 Fire Sprinkler Inspections - Ron Ritchey (NFSA)

Plans Review for Fire Sprinklers - Curt Edelmann (Franklin Fire Dept)

2018 IFC Significant Changes - Terrell Stripling

2019 -

General Session:

Smart Buildings are Safe Buildings, Emergency Responder Radio Coverage Systems - Max McLeod (Siemens)

Breakout Classes:

Special Hazards Fire Protection Systems – Lee Kaiser (Orr Protection)

Wood Connections for 2-Hour Firewalls, Firewall Hangars Installation and Inspection – Storme Muse Patterson (MiTek)

2015 IBC Assembly Means of Egress – Bill Hudson (ICC)

Authority & Reponsibilities and Understanding Chapter 4 of the IFC – Dr. Angelo Lamar (Memphis Fire Prevention Bureau)

Fire Alarm Systems, Forgotten Fundamentals – Tom Presnak (UL)

Seismic Bracing and Hangers – Alex Schickling (DeWALT)

General Session:

Influence-Developing Your Inner Leader – Trent Clagg (UT Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership)

2018 -

General Session:

NFPA 3000/Food Trucks: Recipe for Success - Steven Sawyer (NFPA

Breakout Classes:

School Flashfire Incident: What Went Wrong - Paul Varble (Hendersonville FD)

Using/Evaluating Equivalencies & Performance-Based Designs as Alternatives to Prescriptive Code Requirements - Scott Frazer (ARM)

Close Proximity Pyrotechnics - Lansden Hill (Pyro Shows)

Installation and Inspection of Commercial Kitchen Hood Systems - Robin Jones (State Systems)

Fundamentals of Inspection - Brian Nicholson (TN Commission on Firefighting)

Overview of 2016 NFPA 72 - Maria Marks (Siemens)

General Session:

You Have to See It to Believe It - John Corso (NFSA)

2017 -

A Reflection on 50 Years of TFSIA - Past, Present, Future - Shane Ray (National Fire Sprinkler Association)

TN Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners – John Cothron (TN Board of A & E)
NFPA 241: Standard for Safeguarding Construction, alteration, and Demolition Operations – Allan Fraser  (NFPA)
NFPA 33: Inspecting Spray Booths – Brian Nicholson (Shelbyville Fire (Ret.))
Special Events/Code Enforcement- TN State Fire Marshal Office, Nashville Fire, Knoxville Fire, Chattanooga Fire
ICC Requirements for Carbon Monoxide System Installations – John Swanson (MN State Fire Marshal Division)

Automist Fire Protection Systems/Plumis Systems – Dr. Jim Munger (QDOT Engineering)
UL Resources for  Code Officials – Jon Roberts (UL)

Fire Sprinkler Systems and Water Purveyors – Kevin Kelly, P.E. (Victaulic)

2016 -

General Session:

Nine Years After the Sofa Super Store Fire: Leading in Challening Times-The Charleston Experience - Deputy Chief John B Tippett, Jr & Chief Fire Marshal Michael Julazadeh (Charleston SC Fire Department)

Breakout Classes:

Flexible Sprinkler Heads 101 – Eric McWhirter (Victaulic)
Why Codes Matter / ICC cdpAccess – Robert Neale (ICC)
NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors – Kristin Bigda, P.E. (NFPA)
2012 ICC Commercial Kitchen Hoods – Terrell Stripling (ICC)
Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Fire Sprinkler Systems – Jason Webb (NFSA)
ISO for Inspectors – David Miller (ISO)

General Session:

Turning Tragedy into Advocacy

2015 –

General Session:

Vision 20/20 - Jim Crawford (Vision 20/20)

Breakout Classes:

Evaluating Performance-Based Design – David Kerr (Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal, Plano TX), presented by Knox Company
Firestopping: Ensuring Life Safety Through Knowledgeable Plan Review and Field Inspection – John Valiulis (Hilti)
NFPA 1123: Code for Fireworks Display – Lansden Hill, Jr. (Pyro Shows)
Mass Notification, Clean Agents, Fire Alarm Communications – Max McLeod (Siemens Industry)
Leading Company-Based Fire Prevention & Inspection Activity – Michael Evans (Deputy Chief, Brighton Area Fire Authority, MI)
NFPA 1126: Pyrotechnics Before a Proximate Audience – Michael Walden (Pyro Shows)

General Session:

Observations from 30,000 Feet - Tim Sendelback (Firehouse Magazine)

2014 –

General Session:

Robert Freeny, Station Nightclub Survivor

Breakout Classes:

Inspector Right of Entry – Robert Davidson (Fire Marshal, South Brunswick NJ, Ret.)
The IFC & Healthcare Occupancies – Jonathan Flannery (American Society for Healthcare Engineering)
Fire Alarms: NFPA 72 (2010), Fire Detection Innovations, and Fire Alarm Intelligibility – Maria Marks (Siemens)
Enhancing Public Safety with Customer Service – Bruce Johnson (International Code Council)
Daycares and NFPA – Joe Versteeg (Versteeg Associates, CT)
Fire Codes and Ammonia Refrigeration – Jeff Shapiro (International Code Consultants)

General Session:

Leadership 365 - Bob Norton (Tenzinga)

2013 –

General Session:

Changing the Culture of Fire Prevention - Ray Reynolds (IA SFMO) & Tammy Peavy (MS SFMO)

Breakout Classes:

Fire Prevention Customer Service and a Fire Marshal’s Role in Reducing Fire – Michael O’Brian (Fire Chief, Brighton Area Fire Auhority, MI)

NFPA 3 & 4 – Warren Olsen (FSCI) & Dan Finnegan (Siemens)

Challenges of Wireless Fire Alarm Systems – Art Black (Carmel Fire Protection Associates, CA)

Leading a Fire Prevention Division; Cooperation between Building Officials & Fire Marshals – Tony Apfelback (Fire Marshal/Building Official, Altamonte Springs, FL)

Changes to the 2012 IFC – Terrell Stripling (International Code Council)

Fighting Fires in Sprinklered Buildings – Robert Fisher (FM Global)

General Session:

Sovereign Citizens - Brice Allen (TN Fusion Center)

2012 –

General Session:

Ethics 101: What Every Person Needs to Do - Kevin Hammonds

Breakout Classes:

2006 IBC Solving Means of Egress in Commercial Buildings – Terrell Stripling (International Code Council)
Life Safety Code for Healthcare Occupancies – Chip Carson (Carson Associates, Inc., VA)
It’s More Than Codes & Standards: Reducing Fires Through Leadership – Michael O’Brian (Fire Chief, Brighton Area Fire Authority, MI)
NFPA 72: Changes from 2007 to 2010 Editions – Richard Roux (NFPA)
Practical Fire Sprinkler Inspections – Michael O’Brian (Fire Chief, Brighton Area Fire Authority, MI)
Codes and Firefighter Safety – Sean DeCrane (Cleveland Division of Fire, OH)

General Session:

Tale of Two Helmets: The National Football League & the Fire Service - Erron Kinney (Fire Chief and former NFL Tennessee Titan)

2011 –

General Session:

Ron Farr (Michigan State Fire Marshal)

Breakout Classes:

Commissioning & Acceptance Testing of Sprinkler Systems – John Corso (National Fire Sprinkler Association)
NFPA 72, Fire Alarm Systems – Warren Olsen (Fire Safety Consultants, Inc., IL)
Dust Explosions – Patrick Thornton & Tom Christman (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN)
Fire Pump Basics – Mark Blackwelder (D&F Distributors)
NFPA 101, Life Safety Code (2006 ed.) – Jim Dolan (NFPA)
Managing Prevention & Investigation Bureaus – Brett Lacey (Colorado Springs Fire Department, CO)
CPVC Piping Installation Requirements & Procedures – John Corso (National Fire Sprinkler Association)

2010 –

General Session:

Wayne Powell (Marriott International)

Breakout Classes:

Prevention: The Key to Firefighter & Economic Survival – Mike Chiaramonte (Lynbrook NY Fire, Ret.)
Above Ground Storage Tanks, Flammable & Combustible Liquids – Scott Stookey (International Code Council)
Fire Main Installation and Standard of Care – Randall Barnes, PE
Ethics for Inspectors & Legal Department Assistance – Shauna Billingsley & Kristen Corn (Attorneys, City of Franklin, TN)
Computer Modeling for Code Officials – Dr. Jim Munger (James G Munger & Associates, AL/PA) & Rick Merck (Montgomery Co. MD)
Industrial Fire Hazards & Specialized Extinguishing Systems – Greg Jakubowski
The Importance of Progress Inspections on Large Projects: A Hospital Case Study – Keith Frangiamore (Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. IL)
Fire Service Elevator Controls and High Rise Requirements – Mel Cosgrove (International Code Council)


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