NFSA 2017 Award Recipients And Hall Of Fame Inductees Selected

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md., March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Fire Sprinkler Association selected its 2017 award recipients and Hall of Fame Inductees at their Board of Directors meeting last week. The Golden Sprinkler Award is NFSA's highest honor, and is presented each year to an individual who has dedicated his or her career to promoting the fire sprinkler concept and advancing the fire sprinkler industry. This year's recipient is Jack Thacker of Allan Automatic Sprinkler Corporation of SoCal.

Thacker has served this industry for over 50 years and proudly served on the NFSA Engineering & Standards (E&S) committee for over 30 of those years. He has been a passionate and unselfish leader in California as the Area Director. Jack has shared his knowledge and experience with his fellow contractors and fire authorities whenever or wherever asked. He currently serves on many NFPA committees, and it is worthy to note that he will become the first ever recipient of our Association's two highest honors, the Golden Sprinkler Award and the Technical Service Award, which is now known as the Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award.

The Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award is the highest technical award, and will be presented to Terry Victor of Simplex Grinnel. A member of our fire protection community for over 44 years on the technical side, Terry first attracted the notice of the NFSA in 1980 at a technical class at Oklahoma State University with the quality and detail of the questions he asked of the professors. A few years later, he became a member of the E&S Committee where he was known for coming early and staying late. This knowledge and dedication earned him the respect of his peers, who elected him chair where he served for over eight years.

The Leadership in Public Safety Award is the NFSA's highest award to a fire official or advocate and will be presented to Tonya Hoover, former California State Fire Marshal. Hoover has dedicated her career to the citizens and fire service of California and around the country. She led California to be the first state in the U.S. to adopt the International Residential Code with the inclusion of residential fire sprinklers. Chief Hoover also led through a second adoption process to maintain the requirements for improved fire and life safety. She is a great friend to our Association and has exemplified service to the citizens, firefighters and fire sprinkler industry. She currently lives in Maryland in a home with fire sprinklers.

Hall of Fame recipients were also selected. Hall of Fame inductees have contributed nearly all their working lives and beyond to improving the fire sprinkler industry.

2017 Inductees include:

Mike Carden, JM Carden
Gene B. Endthoff, NFSA (ret.)
Mel Farren, Benett and Wright
Michael J. Friedman, A.C. McDonald Inc.
Aus Marburger, Fire Protection Industries, Inc. (ret.)
Don Pamplin, Vancouver Fire and Rescue, CASA and NFSA (ret.)

All award recipients will be honored at the NFSA's Annual Seminar and North American Fire Sprinkler Expo™ banquet,  which will be held May 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Registration info for the event and the Awards Banquet can be found at www.nfsa.org.

NFSA's mission is "To protect lives and property from fire through the widespread acceptance of the fire sprinkler concept."

"It is an honor to recognize those who have given so much to improve their profession and fulfill the mission of NFSA," explained Shane Ray, NFSA President. "We are fortunate to have so many dedicated individuals devoted to life safety. We are proud of them all."

NFSA wants to create a more fire-safe world, and works to heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems from homes to high-rises and all occupancies in between. The Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and committed members of a progressive lifesaving industry. This industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects and services the world's most effective system in saving lives and property from uncontrolled structural fires.

For more information about the National Fire Sprinkler Association, visit www.nfsa.org, and follow us via our social media presences on Twitter® (@NFSAorg), LinkedIn® (National Fire Sprinkler Association) and Facebook® (Natfiresprinkler).

Contact:  Vickie Pritchett
615-533-0305

SOURCE National Fire Sprinkler Association

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http://www.nfsa.org