The United Association's International Apprentice Competition was recently held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where seven of the industry's top apprentices put their skills to the test with Fike solutions as part of the challenge.
Kyle Yoakum, Global Project Manager for the Fike Solutions Group, was invited to serve as a judge during the competition, evaluating participants as they worked with Fike MicroMist equipment. But Fike's involvement in Ann Arbor extended well beyond the competition itself.
The event also brought together trainers and skilled trades professionals from across the United States, Canada and Australia for education on emerging technologies and different types of fire protection systems. Fike team members participated in several of those training efforts, helping attendees better understand water mist, clean agent suppression, air sampling and other technologies they may encounter in the field.
For Fike, the goal was simple: help expand awareness of newer fire protection technologies among the people who may eventually install and work with them.
A Different Kind of Pipefitting Challenge
The UA apprentice competition is designed to test trade-specific skills while also challenging competitors with systems or techniques they may not work with every day. That made MicroMist a natural fit. Traditional sprinkler fitters are highly experienced at cutting, fitting and installing piping, but many may have limited exposure to water mist systems. During the competition, each of the seven participants was given a Fike MicroMist kit and a drawing package outlining the installation.
Their task was to read the drawings and details, determine how to approach the project and then cut, thread and fit the piping efficiently and accurately. "The idea was to see how attentive they were to the drawing package and how they applied their trade-specific skills," Kyle said.
Kyle spent hours walking among the competitors, watching how they approached each step of the installation. One detail quickly stood out.
The competitors knew how to cut and thread pipe, but the MicroMist installation included requirements they were less accustomed to seeing. For example, piping needed to be properly cleaned after cutting and threading to avoid leaving residual oil behind.
It was a small detail, but exactly the type of detail the competition was designed to uncover. "They know how to cut pipe. They know how to thread pipe," Kyle said. "But then there are details specific to the system that they have to pay attention to."
The competitors did not flow the MicroMist systems during the competition. The exercise focused on the mechanical installation, allowing them to physically fit the piping into seven actual MicroMist kits rather than completing an exercise around a theoretical system. That hands-on element mattered.
Kyle said UA representatives specifically appreciated having the Fike equipment onsite because competitors were able to install piping into an actual system rather than simply building pipe to a drawing.
Education Beyond the Competition
The competition was only one part of Fike's involvement with the UA. Fike has worked with the organization to provide training and increase awareness of fire protection technologies that sprinkler fitters may not encounter as frequently as traditional sprinkler systems. That includes water mist.
For many of the attendees, the training was not intended to make them certified MicroMist installers. Instead, it provided a high-level understanding of what water mist is, how it works, where it may be used and how installation requirements can differ from traditional sprinkler systems.
That familiarity can become increasingly valuable when those professionals encounter the technology in the field.
Fike has also helped equip a mobile UA training unit with Fike fire protection technology, giving trainers another way to provide hands-on education. The unit allows participants to see and interact with functioning equipment rather than learning solely through drawings or presentations.
In Ann Arbor, Fike team members supported that education from several angles, including water mist and MicroMist, clean agent suppression and air sampling technologies. "It really is about exposure to our products and further helping train sprinkler contractors on what water mist is, how it's utilized and how it works," Kyle said.
An Honor to Judge
For Kyle, being selected as a judge also became more meaningful once he saw who else had been invited to participate. "It was neat," Kyle said. "If I were to take a step back and think about what it would mean to be part of this organization, this is a high mark."
Several of the other judges had spent decades in the trade and previously held senior positions within the UA. Even after retirement, Kyle said, many continued to invest their time in training and developing the next generation.
"I looked up some of the other judges who were there, and they held some pretty high-level positions," Kyle said. "They might be retired, but they're still invested in the training program and where the UA is going."
The seven apprentices had also earned their place at the competition through earlier levels of competition, making it an accomplishment simply to reach Ann Arbor.
Over three days, Kyle watched them work through long hours, changing conditions and unfamiliar challenges. "You could tell how organized they were, how efficient they were and how they approached the work," he said. "These were some of the best."
For Fike, the experience was another opportunity to support the people behind fire protection systems, not just the products themselves.
By providing equipment, technical knowledge, training and judging support, the Fike team helped give the next generation of skilled trades professionals greater exposure to the technologies they may be called on to install throughout their careers.