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On the Jobsite with Sprinkler Fitters Local 483 PDF Print E-mail

Sprinkler fitters are among the few craftspeople who are happy never to see the fruits of their labor put to the real test. They are content if the miles of fire sprinkler pipe they install in modern skyscrapers appear merely ornamental. Occasionally they read a news story about a fire that was put out by a sprinkler system. Then they smile and take pride in knowing that, once again, their trade saved lives.

Sprinkler fitters’ work begins when construction begins and continues until the building is nearly completed. First, they run underground pipe to get the water from the street to the building. As the structure goes up, they insert and sleeve the floors before the concrete is poured.

After the concrete is poured, they come back to install the risers and hang the sprinkler system from the inserts, and then hydro-test the system with water. When the ceiling is in, they come back to cut the drops that hold the sprinkler heads. They return again to do the final installation of the sprinkler heads, and then for the final inspection by the building and fire departments. All this coming and going requires a high level of coordination with the other trades.

Organized Labor went on the job site to the Mission Bay project, run by Nibbi Brothers Construction, to interview members of Sprinkler Fitters Local 483. The local has approximately 1000 members representing all nine bay area counties.

 

 

Beau Brinkley

Journeyman Sprinkler Fitter, 10 years
We put in fire protection and save lives. When we hear about a fire that got put out by fire sprinklers, we feel great, knowing that our stuff works. I dig it.
The trade has changed a lot since I first got in. We’ve gone from corded tools to cordless, and the products are streamlined so they go in faster and faster. We do a lot of testing and try to use only the best parts. But sometimes some of the preassembled pipe leaks, and when it does, the factory will send people out to fix it.
One of my favorite jobs was at Genentech, the bioresearch facility in Vacaville. I got to see some pretty cool stuff. It was like being inside a spaceship with all this high tech equipment. We got to install special sprinkler heads, and when we were all done, the whole place and all the equipment was protected. It was pretty cool.

Charles Ordonez

   Journeyman Sprinkler Fitter, 28 years

The craft is a lot more technological than when I started. It’s no longer big open valves. We’ve got LEDs and a lot of high tech stuff.  Before it was all loose pipes; now we get assembled packages. Now it’s more mental than physical skills. I like working with my brain and my hands.
The best improvement has been in the lifts. Now we have scissors lifts with baskets. I’ve hung pipe 90 feet off the ground, and being in a secure lift made a big difference.
Before I was a sprinkler fitter I was a butcher. What’s the connection? There’s none. For an oddball like me, this is a great trade, and now I only got a-year-and-a-half left till retirement. It’s been great.

 

   

Christopher Dokey

Apprentice Sprinkler Fitter, 2 years

I have an uncle who’s been a sprinkler fitter for 30 years, and he turned me on to it. I didn’t know anything about it before. It’s a great craft; you get a real mental and physical workout.
Our apprentice program is one of the best around. It gives you the training that you don’t receive on the job. In class you get the opportunity one-on-one with an instructor to break it down and think about how to apply it on the job. It’s been real beneficial to me. You make mistakes all the time, but going to school builds confidence, and the more confident you are, the better your work will be.  The union opened the door for me.

 

Joe Yearick

    Apprentice Sprinkler Fitter, 2 years

It’s been great for my family and for me. I like learning a new trade and all the good stuff that comes with it. I got a couple buddies that are in the trade and they got me going. I did windows before, installing double-pane residential windows. I never got to do commercial, like I’m doing now. I like doing the big stuff. No more little stuff for me. Right now we’re just doing the hanging. I want to learn about the water pumps that pump up the risers and all the technical stuff involved. Eventually I would like to get my own service truck and become a foreman running work

 

 

Bryan Crossley

    Apprentice Sprinkler Fitter, 5 years

Before joining the union, I worked in the trade for two and a half years in non-union jobs. Union versus non-union is like night and day: the people, the training, the safe working conditions, and the professionalism. On the non-union jobs, you feel like the people are just filling space, putting in hours to get a paycheck. On the union jobs, you are working with professionals who care about the trade and the quality of what they are doing. It was worth it to start all over at the bottom and learn how to do it right. We get to work with upper-level guys in the trade and they share their experience, so we can really grow. I’m proud to be a union sprinkler fitter.       

 

Mike Whipple

   Journeyman Sprinkler Fitter, 7 years

It’s great to be making money. I used to work at a pizza place. Then I found out a friend of my father’s owned a sprinkler company, so I went through the apprenticeship. I like to build things with my hands. It’s fun, the sense of accomplishment. We work with metal and plastic pipe. I like the challenge of metal. If you make an error with plastic you can cut it out. With steel you have to be real exact. You have to get it right the first time. I like being exact and making my stuff look right. Learning pumps is my favorite thing right now. I just got to put one in. Figuring out the technical side of it can be pretty hairy and the parts can be real heavy.  The foreman had to walk me through it. It was a real learning experience. I loved it.

 

Oscar Lara

   Journeyman Sprinkler Fitter and Foreman, 11 Years

Being a foreman, you learn a lot on every job. The hard part is keeping an eye on everything and looking ahead. You have to make sure you have everything you need. You have to make sure the plans are right, the people are on time, and all the materials are there. You have to get along with all the guys and make sure the contractors are happy, too. Occasionally something might not be right and you end up thinking about it when you’re at home watching TV and hoping everything will go well the next day.
I teach a class once a week in the apprenticeship program. We teach the guys the different tricks of the trade, how to install the different sprinkler systems, and what’s important. We teach them about the different codes, about the wet systems, the dry systems, about the fire pumps, and reaction systems. It makes me happy when I see them working on the job site and they know what they are doing.

 
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