ILLINOIS FIRE INSPECTORS
ASSOCIATION

Thank you to our Gold Level sponsors!

1-800-BoardUp
Camp I Am Me
FireSafety CADS

Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board​​​

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Thank you to our New Silver Level sponsors!

Valley Fire Protection Systems

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Fire and Life Safety conference is behind us. We had approximately 140 attendees and 24 exhibitors. All of the topics presented were great, and we believe that this year’s conference ranked in the top of our conferences.

 

In speaking to several of our speakers, who travel the country making presentations at conferences, they indicated that they will make a point of telling people that they should attend our future conferences – a great testament to the work done to present a good conference.

 

Now we have to meet or exceed that in the future. Several speakers indicated that they would like to return with a different topic, and could supply names of possible speakers. If anyone has a topic worth considering, or knows of a good speaker, contact a Board member or our office. We will begin the big work of planning for 2026 in early July, following the NFPA conference.

 

It is our hope that a transcript of the classes you attended will be sent within a couple of weeks, following our compiling all of the data.

 

Several awards were given out at the conference Wednesday morning. Cindy Wilson, from Minooka, was presented the Lonnie Jackson award for her years of work in fire and life safety education. Lonnie was the IFIA’s first Executive Director. The Lonnie Jackson award is for someone who “…unselfishly contributed to the greater good of fire and life safety education in the fire service…”.

 

Art Peters, from Pleasantview, was presented the Dick Arthur award for his many, many years of service. Dick was the IFIA’s first President. The Dick Arthur award is “…for the Fire Prevention Professional who dedicates his career to the cause of Fire Prevention, Life Safety, and Education…”.

 

The last award was a “new” one. The Board decided to rename the Dick Arthur Award. The inaugural award was given to Robert Morris, the current Executive Director. Morris has been the Executive Director for 13 years, and has served on the Board in various capacities for close to 40 years. The new award is named the Arthur-Morris Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Summer is around the corner, and that means the Fourth of July. The OSFM has in person Fireworks training opportunities available. If you go to the OSFM website, https://sfm.illinois.gov/iam/business/fireworks.html, and scroll to Upcoming Pyrotechnic Training & Meetings, there will be classes and detailed information on how to register.

 

Additionally, there will be multiple public school inspection classes around the state, The locations and registration information can be found at Upcoming Public School Inspection Classes.

 

The OSFM is also offering several Aboveground Storage Tank classes. Details on those classes can be found on the attachments.

 

On April 17, there will be a free all-day class on Understanding, Applying, and Enforcing NFPA 25. This will be held at Medinah Banquets in Addison. The instructor will be Ron Ritchey from the NFSA. The course describes the responsibilities for compliance and record keeping; the specific scope of the standard and identifies the various ways in which information related to changes in the system are handled; and many other topics. For more details and how to register, see https://member.nfsa.org/events/nfsa-event-calendar?meetingid=456014a0-79d8-4486-8de3-868c49013795.

 

Upcoming IFIA mini seminars in the near future include:

 

Atrium Design & Wide Span Opening Protectives  April 25th

Palatine Village Hall, 200 E Wood St, Palatine  meeting room B

This class will discuss the fundamental principles that govern the provisions of the International Building Code and NFPA regarding atriums, vertical spaces and openings through floor assemblies.

 

Navigating the Fire Alarm Plan Review and Documentation Process  May 23rd

Palatine Village Hall, 200 E Wood St, Palatine  meeting room B

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Some of the items that will be covered will be: What documents are required by NFPA 72; how those documents are applied to the review process; what calculations are required and why they are required; how to best show the appliances/devices on the drawings; and a review of common mistakes that are found during the plan review process.

 

The IFIA will be offering a Fire and Life Safety Educator classes in Romeoville in July. This class will be Monday through Friday. If that schedule works for you, sign up now on our website.

 

If you need a scholarship to cover the registration fees for our certification class, that application is available on our website.

 

On the IFIA website, on the right side of the training tab, is a PDF for 2024 CEUs. It shows what we have a record of for people attending our seminar/classes last year. We have done our best on its accuracy, but the ultimate record is the certificate(s) you would have received. To make a copy of your hours, just scroll to your name and print a screen capture of your record. We will be posting 2025 CEUs there as well.

 

Make plans to attend the IFIA day at the State Fair. The date is August 17th. Tent hours are from 10 – 4, but if you are able to just part of that, it makes a big difference. Bring the family, and spend the remaining time visiting the Fair with them. The IFIA is able to provide gate and parking passes for those who participate.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Upcoming events:

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• April 17 – All Day – Understanding, Applying, and Enforcing NFPA 25  Addison

• April 25 – Atrium Design and Wide Span Opening Protectives  Palatine

• May 23 – Navigating the Fire Alarm Plan Review and Documentation Process  Palatine

• Jul 28 – Aug 1 – FLSE  Romeoville

• Aug 17 – IFIA State Fair day

• Sept 4, 11, 18, 25, Oct 2 – Inspector 2  Romeoville

• September 26 – OSFM Regulations Related to Aboveground Storage Tanks

• Nov 10 – 12, 17 & 18 – FLSE Countryside

• November 21 – VRTUAL Did You Know?

• December 4 – Holiday Party

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To see the latest in the State for CRR, visit their website at www.illinoiscrr.com.