Linthicum Heighs, MD, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Fire Sprinkler Association’s (NFSA) 2026 award recipients and Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized and honored during the Association’s Annual Seminar and Business & Leadership Conference, April 29-May 1 at the Seattle Westin in Seattle, Washington.
The Golden Sprinkler Award is NFSA’s highest honor and is presented each year to an individual who has dedicated their career to promoting the fire sprinkler concept and advancing the fire sprinkler industry. This year’s recipient is Terry Victor.
Terry started his career in the fire sprinkler industry as a designer trainee with Automatic Sprinkler Corporation of America (ASCOA). He advanced through his 22 years with ASCOA to eventually become the District General Manager of the Washington, DC office. When Tyco acquired ASCOA in 1995, he became the Total Service Manager for Grinnell Fire Protection in Baltimore. Through that acquisition, the merger with Simplex to become SimplexGrinnell, and then the merger with Johnson Controls, his career continued to advance. Eventually, Terry became the Senior Manager of Industry Relations for JCI. In 2023, he left JCI to take the position of Director of Risk Control Services with Risk Suppression Partners.
Terry has served on the NFSA’s Board of Directors, the Contractors Council, and various other board committees. He has been a member of the NFSA Engineering and Standards Committee (E&S) since 1988 and chaired the committee for eight years. He received the Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award in 2017.
The Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award is the Association’s highest technical award and will be presented to Ken Isman. Ken worked for the National Fire Sprinkler Association for 28 years, beginning as the Manager of Codes and Education and rising to the position of Vice President of Engineering (for the last eight of those years). He also earned an M.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland during this time. In 2014, Ken left the NFSA to become a Clinical Professor at the University of Maryland, teaching classes in fire protection systems design, life safety and performance-based design.
The Leadership in Public Safety Award is the NFSA’s highest award to a fire official or advocate and will be presented to Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. Chief Lipski’s career has been a model of service to citizens, firefighters, and the fire sprinkler industry alike. NFSA’s 2026 Hall of Fame inductees have contributed nearly all their working lives and beyond to improving the fire sprinkler industry.
2026 Inductees include:
James Kuempel, Midwest Fire (Minnesota)
Bruce LaRue, Potter Electric
Rich Ray (posthumously) Cybor Fire Protection (Chicago)
“It is an honor to recognize those who have given so much to improve their profession and fulfill the mission of NFSA,” stated Shane Ray, NFSA President. “We are blessed to have so many dedicated individuals devoted to life safety. We are proud of them all.”
About the National Fire Sprinkler Association: NFSA was founded in 1905 and endeavors to create a more fire safe world and works to heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems from homes to high-rise and all occupancies in between. The Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and committed members of a progressive life-saving industry. This industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects, and services the world’s most effective system in saving lives and property from uncontrolled structural fires.
For more information about fire sprinklers, how they work and to access additional resources and information, visit www.nfsa.org for the latest material, statistics, and a dedicated team of fire safety advocates ready to serve all stakeholders to fulfill the vision of a safer world.
Vickie Pritchett National Fire Sprinkler Association 615-533-0305 pritchett@nfsa.org
Media gallery
