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 Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Photos by Slobodan Dimitrov
Building Trades News recently visited Sprinkler Fitters 709 members working for Northstar Fire Protection at the construction project at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Northstar is fielding a crew of 11 sprinkler fitters—six journeymen and five apprentices—at this half-billion dollar construction project consisting of a new inpatient tower and parking structure.
The new 460,000 sq-ft facility will add an additional 317 hospital beds to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, one of the finest medical and surgical facilities for seriously ill and injured children in the United States.
"Working on this project is kind of special bonus," said Ben Corona, "We are installing systems that will protect the lives of these children. Knowing that makes you put extra pride into your work."
It's good to see new hospitals like this being built," said Northstar Foreman Tony Chavez. "A lot of the medical facilities in Southern California are outdated. The new facility will replace a 40-year old building and will be able to withstand and remain fully operational after a major earthquake, complying with and even surpassing the seismic requirements for hospitals in the state of California."
The sprinkler fitters will be installing a total of 5,177 sprinkler heads, three fire pumps—two vertical turbines and one horizontal split case—and three special systems—one AFFF (foam system) located at the helistop and two preaction fire sprinkler systems.
Work on the fire protection system is approximately 60 percent complete according to Mark Kiecker, Northstar Project Manager, and work on the site has gone very smoothly.
 "The crew has been great. I couldn't be happier with [the] job they've been doing. They come to work and they're happy to be here; they all work really well together," he said.
The fire protection system is using FlexHeads which mounts the sprinkler heads on a six-foot flexible stainless steel hose. This allows for quicker repositioning of the sprinkler heads and reduces cost and hassles due to last minute design changes said Ross Stern, Northstar Foreman. "In past jobs we've had last minute changes on the placement of the heads and we would have to go back in and tear the system apart and repipe it. The FlexHeads make it much easier and more efficient to relocate to the sprinkler heads. We can save a lot of time at the end and move on to the next job."
"It's not about staying on job, it's about getting the job done and moving on to the next project," added Kiecker. "We've got plenty of hours for these guys on other projects."
The general contractor on the project, Rudolf and Sletten is exceptionally stringent on safety, according to Chavez.
"They have a safety incentive program. They have $480,000 in prizes for safety awards," he said. "They raffle off a big screen TV each week as long as no one gets hurt. It really keeps the morale up for the guys around here."
The new facility is scheduled to open in 2010; construction is scheduled to be completed in December of 2009.
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Kai Petersen
9th Period Apprentice
I've worked for two companies--COSCO Fire Protection and Northstar. About a year and a half ago, Local 709 did their apprentice rotation. At first I was kind of bummed because you get comfortable with a company, but now I am glad we all rotate. By switching to a different company, you get to the opportunity to use different materials and different methods. Now I feel more that I am better-rounded in my craft, more knowledgeable and more prepared as a Sprinkler Fitter.
The apprenticeship school is fantastic. The instructors are really knowledgeable, but hands-on training is where you really learn the trade. You can read about this stuff in a book all day long, but you really need to get in there and start taking valves apart and putting things back together with an instructor there to guide you—that's the way you really learn.
We all should be grateful that we have a chance to work union. I see people who spend years in school then go to work at a non-union job where they have an employer who takes advantage of them. They put in all this time in school and have no voice in the workplace and very few options. They basically get taken advantage of. Because of my union training, I know that I will always have these skills, taught to me by professionals and I will always be able to take care of my family. I know we will have the best benefits possible.
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Ben Corona
15 Years - Foreman
I started from the ground up. I was a delivery driver at a pipe fabrication shop. Then I applied to and completed Local 709's five-year apprenticeship program. Our training facility in Whittier is one of the top-notch training facilities in the country. They teach you everything from special systems to extensive safety training.
Being a Local 709 Sprinkler Fitter has enabled me to earn a good living so I can provide for my family. As union Sprinkler Fitters, we have the training and skills that the non-union doesn't have. We are a brotherhood and we all look out for each other.
Local 709 have been really good to us. I really appreciate the work of our leadership and Business Representatives in keeping our union strong. We are one of the smallest locals, but we are strong and proud.
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Ross Stern
Foreman - 22 Years
The biggest challenges on jobsites today are keeping your reputation with other contractors. You are always running into each other out here, and the pipe is going to be in somebody's way. The challenge is to resolve the issue smoothly so we can all get the job done.
It's really important to not just treat the apprentices as a hand, but to teach them the trade because they are our future. I try and convey that to all of our journeymen; treat the apprentices with respect. They are the ones who are going to be taking care of you when you retire. All of our apprentices are really respectful and very eager to learn.
This trade has taken care of me, beyond what I ever dreamed. It got me my boat, my house, my motor home, my timeshare. I've been very blessed.
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Tony Chavez
20 Years - Foreman
Local 709 has one of the best training centers in the country. The training that our apprentices receive is incredible. We have CPR classes, OSHA 10, underground repair. We provide not only training for our apprentices, but also for our journeymen. We had a good training program before, but now it is even better. We've come a long way.
A lot of the apprentices for Local 709 are top-notch and many of them become foremen shortly after the turnout.
I love our industry. We save lives and property. Sprinkler Fitters have always been a specialized group. It's a brotherhood and that's what I like about it.
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Gabriel Marron
10th Period Apprentice
The apprenticeship program is really great. They teach you a lot in the program and really prepare you for the challenges you face in the field. The Sprinkler Fitters that come out of the union training program are much more knowledgeable than non-union workers. The union training program teaches you what you need to know period by period to prepare you for the field. Non-union workers are thrown out on the jobsite without preparation. |
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