Fire sprinkler conferences and exhibitions conducted in Mexico and Brazil in October of 2018, along with a conference in Colombia two months earlier, were evidence of a major milestone for IFSA efforts in Latin America. All three of these conferences were conducted by national associations affiliated with the IFSA, and helped fulfill one of IFSA’s major goals since its founding in 1999:
Development of National and Regional Organizations – To foster the development of national and regional organizations whose activities would increase the use of competently installed automatic water-based fire suppression systems for the purpose of saving lives and protecting property.
During its early efforts in Latin America, the IFSA sponsored its own “Fire Sprinkler Americas” conferences, held in Panama in 2014 and Colombia in 2016. The purpose of these conferences was to grow interest in the fire sprinkler concept while stressing the importance of product and installation quality. But the mantle has been passed to the three organizations that, with IFSA assistance, have now stepped to the forefront:
– On 21-23 August in Bogota, ANRACI-Colombia sponsored its first-ever international conference, including the first side-by-side fire sprinkler burn demonstration conducted in that country.
– On 9-10 October, AMRACI held its 3rd Fire Protection International Forum in Mexico City in conjunction with the National Council for Fire Protection (CONAPCI) and a theme of “Integral Protection for Modern Infrastructure.”
– On 23-26 October the CBSpk III conference was held in Atibaia, SP, Brazil, and featured a discussion of the September 2018 fire that destroyed Brazil’s 200-year old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro.
IFSA was represented on the program at all three events, and was able to premier Spanish and Portuguese versions of its video in support of product certification.
