The instructional staff at the Livermore Training Facility welcomed battalion chiefs, captains and firefighters from the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department for a demonstration event on Monday, Sept. 11. NEMI Director of Education Chris Ruch was on hand to help lead a discussion about the current fire code and enforcement requirements with Duane Davies, from the California chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (Cal-SMACNA).

SMART Local 104 training coordinators Nate Vennarucci and Pat Pico then performed a demonstration of fire and smoke damper (FSD) installation and testing that stressed the importance of each task. Pico and Dion Abril, executive administrator of the SMART Western States Council, went over the significance of proper balancing, commissioning of controls systems and periodic testing as required by code.

Pico said the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Information clicked with the participants, many of whom had never witnessed a damper failure or experienced how various air pressure differentials felt — they had only read about certain failures.

“There aren’t a lot of simulators out there, and in the module, we can simulate these different forces,” Pico said. “They’re used to what normal is in the correct building, but when things go wrong, they don’t have that experience of how failures change things. We were able to show them different types of failures for FSD components, failures we see out in the field, and components that are not regularly tested.”

This continuing education class also updated members of the fire department on codes in their jurisdiction as well as how and when systems should be tested. After the class, Local 104 members training and certified in fire and smoke damper installation, repair and assessments can keep them updated, furthering the collaborative effort.

“We recognize how pressed they are for time,” Pico said. “If we work together, all they have to do is ask for the report of a certified inspection.”