The event was full of great people, wonderful food and lots of holiday cheer.  Once again Year End Awards, ten year jackets, and twenty year rings were presented to WAFS team members.  To close out the evening the WAFS team held a side by side burn demonstrating the importance of automatic fire sprinklers.  Thanks to the Lake County Fire & Rescue for helping to put out the fire in the non-sprinklered unit. A fire-safe 2012 is wished for all WAFS team members and their families.

Team members with their awards Team Members of the Year Fort Myers Jimmy Barreiro Bridget Privette Jacksonville Oscar “Mac” Bell North Carolina Mike Conover Frank Martinez Ocoee Alarm Department Dylan Fields Ocoee Contracts (Commercial/Residential) Dept. Jamie Zielinski Ocoee Service Department Gilles Gagne Ocoee Inspection Department Jason Hudson Ocoee Design Department Steve Elliott Ocoee Underground/Site Departments Harvey Richards Ocoee Purchasing/Shop Depts Marilynn Meyer .Ocoee Sales Department Chris Moss Ocoee G & A Kendo Cashwell Southeast Doris Lane Barry Cheetham Tampa Matt Taylor Kristen Sewell

WAFS Spirit Award Honorary Team Member of the Year Becky Romea Ocoee Service Department Justin Gey, Becky Romea, Valerie Gey President’s Award John Bowman Ocoee Alarms/Service Department Clark Gey, John Bowman 10-Year Jackets Chris Clifford Jacksonville Scott Ridley Jacksonville Kim Dennis North Carolina Ruth McCulloch Ocoee Design Department Ryan Noll Ocoee Purchasing Department Dave Osterhoudt Ocoee Service Department Derek Gokey Ocoee Inspections Department Rick Bringle Ocoee Underground Department Sarah Kelly Ocoee Sales/Executive Departments Rewarding 10 years at WAFS 20-Year Rings Chris Williams North Carolina Don Godzinski Ocoee Contracts Department Weaver Raulerson Ocoee Operations/Executive Department Clark Gey, Don Godzinski, Weaver Raulerson

James “JR” Weber, Ocoee Service Foreman, died from injuries suffered in an accident October 30, 2011.  JR exemplified what we all strive to represent at WAFS—

hard work, honesty, attention to detail, and a never-ending drive to succeed. He will truly be missed by Wayne Automatic, his family, friends, and his fellow WAFS team members. JR’s family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers.  He will always be remembered.

“Sometimes people just need to see it to believe it,” says Sarah Kelly of WAFS. Many of our own team members had never seen the demonstration.  That’s why the WAFS together with the Ocoee Fire Department intentionally ingnited two fires in front ofa live audience on October 25 in Ocoee, Florida.  “There’s nothing like the heat and smoke of a real fire to help adults and children understand just how fast a home fire is,” says Wayne Gey, CEO of WAFS. “With our side-by-side comparison, we demonstrated both the danger of fire and the value of having a fire sprinkler system installed.”  This dramatic, yet safe, form of education has become increasingly popular with fire departments across the country.  Our team witnessed firsthand why a typical home fire becomes deadly in three minutes or less.

Room Protected

Room Unprotected

We built two structures to simulate the room and contents of a typical home. Each room contained common furnishings, window treatments and a working smoke alarm.  Only one of the rooms contains a fire sprinkler.

“By providing this unique live fire comparison, people not only gain an appreciation for fire power; they also realize what an incredible advantage it is to have a fire sprinkler system installed if fire breaks out,” said Wayne Gey

Many people already understand how vital it is to have working smoke alarms to warn us of a fire. But home fire sprinklers are not as well known or understood. That’s one reason why the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) secured a federal Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to develop a free kit to help fire departments build and present side-by-side fire and sprinkler burn demonstrations in their communities.

Following an emergency call, it takes 9-12 minutes, on average, for a fire department to arrive on the fire scene. By that time, a fire in an unsprinklered home will have spread, causing smoke and heat damage and threatening the lives of the residents. Local and national fire safety experts say widespread use of home fire sprinkler systems could save thousands of lives per year In a sprinklered home, the fire gets under control right away, limiting damage and protecting residents and first responders. Here are some other facts about home fire sprinkler systems:
• Fire sprinklers are supplied by household water – usually off the water main. Just like ordinary plumbing, sprinkler system piping is hidden behind walls and ceilings.
• The sprinklers are positioned along the piping and can be seen in ceilings or up high along certain walls.
• Sprinklers are activated only by the high temperature of a fire – typically between 135°-165°F.
• Burned toast or other smoke cannot set off a sprinkler; neither can a smoke alarm that activates.
• Sprinklers are designed to flow between 10-25 gallons of water per minute. That’s about 10-15 times less water flow than fire department hoses, and under far less pressure.
• By operating while a fire is still small, a sprinkler controls or extinguishes a fire, slowing the spread of poisonous smoke and deadly heat.
• That fast and effective action gives family members more time to get out safely, saving lives.
• And, the sprinkler confines the fire damage so that surrounding rooms are protected, saving valuables.

Visit HomeFireSprinkler.org to learn more about this life-saving technology and to see video clips and animations that answer common questions. You can even read about real-life fires where sprinklers saved lives.  If you’re building a new home, renovating or thinking of buying, take a few minutes to learn how you can add this life-saving fire safety option.

The Executive Board of the Florida Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association awarded Pete Schwab of Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers the 2011 Fire Sprinkler Advocate of the Year award!

Pete is a strong supporter of sprinklers as he continues to sit on such NFPA committees as NFPA 13. He continues to support the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association in their education programs of the AHJ’’s.

Damen Reid with his WAFS support team!

The 2011 Backflow Blitz competition measures an individual’s skill at dismantling a backflow and putting back together, properly in the shortest time, without using a channel lock! WAFS was the only fire sprinkler company in the competition here in Central Florida! Other companies were plumbers and backflow providers.

Damen Reid places third in Backflow assembly competition

Damen was supported by WAFS team members to cheer him on and his time was awesome, 10:41. Way to go Damen you make us proud.

Wayne Automatic installed the fire sprinklers in this beautiful home for the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida. Check it out here on Youtube.

We have the best of the best working at Wayne Automatic. Congratulations to the 2010 winners!

This past August, Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Concord, NC, installed a multipurpose fire sprinkler system in the Ideal Dream House at the Charlotte, NC Southern Ideal Home Show. Their effort helped reached thousands of people with the message that fire sprinklers save lives and property. Approximately 35,000 people attended the show.

John Leonard, deputy fire marshal for the Charlotte, NC Fire Department said, “We were able to use this show home as an educational event…Our staff manned a booth next to the home and we talked about fire safety and residential fire sprinkler systems. We also had a fire sprinkler demonstration trailer on hand to show how sprinklers activate…I wish we could reach this many people every week with the fire sprinkler message.”

-from Sprinkler Age Magazine
October, 2010