The 2024 ASSE International Mid-Year Meeting was held April 2-3 at The Tributary Hub in Madison, Wisconsin. The Tributary Hub is a multi-use complex housing Plumbers Local 75 Training Center, and other non-profit organizations supporting the trades in South-Central Wisconsin. Members of ASSE International and its various committees met to discuss, influence, and guide the important business of ASSE International, including standards, certifications, membership, and code development.
For those who couldn’t attend, below are brief recaps of each meeting and event, along with some photos. To see even more photos, visit our 2024 ASSE International Mid-Year Meeting Flickr album at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBoDnc.
Each day of the 2024 ASSE International Mid-Year Meeting included a networking/hospitality area for coffee, snacks, and lounging between meetings and during breaks. Thank you to Holby Valve Inc, So Cal Pipe Trades District Council 16, Sprinkler Fitters Local 483, Sprinkler Fitters Local 692, and UA Local 46 Training Department for sponsoring the networking/hospitality area!
MONDAY, MARCH 18
Seal Control Board (meeting held online prior to the in-person Mid-Year Meeting)
The Seal Control Board Meeting (SCB) was called to order by Brianne Hall, Seal Control Board (SCB) Chair, at 3:03pm. SCB Membership was discussed — three SCB members left and one new member joined in 2024. ASSE is currently accepting applications for two SCB vacancies. ASSE Product Standards and Product Listing Program updates were presented by Terry Burger and Chris White, respectively. The listing program activities have significantly increased since the 2022 — 2023 was the busiest year on record for the product certification program, surpassing pre-Covid levels by 50 percent. The first joint ASSE/IAPMO ANAB audit was completed in January 2024. Similarly, the upcoming SCC audit will also be held jointly with IAPMO for the first time. The meeting also included a training session, “Understanding Isolation and Containment Cross Connection Protection,” presented by Sean Cleary, Vice President of Operations for the IAPMO Backflow Prevention Institute.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2
First Timers Breakfast
The 2024 ASSE Mid-Year Meeting kicked off with the first-ever ASSE First Timers Breakfast. At this breakfast, first-time ASSE International Mid-Year Meeting attendees were welcomed by President Dan Rademacher and provided an overview of the meetings and events to come. This breakfast also offered a chance for new attendees to meet the ASSE Board of Directors and ASSE staff.
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee met to receive updates on ongoing projects and participate in an open discussion around the topic of curating benefits for students, instructors, and manufacturers. An update was given on the Membership Manager site — the expected launch date for Member Manager and the Member Portal is mid-May. Through the Member Portal, members will be able to access their member card, pay their invoices, edit their delivery methods, and more! An update was then given on the status of ASSE membership engagement and subject matter videos. The membership engagement video will soon be available in small clips that can be viewed on YouTube and social media. Subject matter videos were filmed at the Mid-Year Meeting and should be ready to be shared in a couple of months. The committee opened the floor for members to give their feedback on how ASSE can bring in and retain different types of members, such as students, instructors, and manufacturers. Many insightful comments were made concerning education, committee participation, outreach, and member benefits.
Fire Protection (15000/27000) Technical Committee
Statistics for the ASSE 15010 and 27000 Fire Protection certifications were provided to the committee. An update was provided on the progress of the exam review committee. The committee took part in a beta exam, which produced some discrepancies that will be addressed by staff. The committee will reconvene to do a review of the committee’s comments as well as move forward with work on one additional item bank related to California. The committee also requested that staff develop a template letter tailored for specific states relating to recognition of the 15010 Fire Protection certification. The committee was reminded that ASSE will be attending the 2024 NFPA meeting in Orlando, Florida in June 2024.
Professional Qualifications Standards Committee
The Professional Qualifications Standards Committee (PQSC) reviewed all current and draft PQ standards. There are currently three standards in revision and two new standards in development. In revision are ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 6000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Medical Gas Systems Personnel; ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 12000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Water Management and Infection Control Risk Assessment for Building Systems; and ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI 15000, Professional Qualifications Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. The new standards are ASSE/IAPMO 22000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Water Treatment Equipment Personnel, and ASSE/IAPMO 28000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Inspectors of CIPP (Cured-in-Place-Pipe) Rehabilitation of Building Sewer and Drain, Waste and Vent Piping Systems.
The PQSC voted to open three standards for revision: ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 7000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Residential Potable Water Fire Sprinkler System Installers and Inspectors for One- and Two-Family Dwellings; ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 10000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Green Plumbing Systems Installers; and ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 19000, Hydronic Systems Professional Qualifications Standard. The committee also voted to reaffirm ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 8000, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Replenishment Systems Professional Qualifications Standard.
Cross-Connection Control (5000) Technical Committee
The Cross-Connection Control Technical Committee (CCCTC) reviewed statistics on schools, proctors, instructors, classes held, exams taken, and pass/fail rates. It was reported that there are approximately 21,078 current ASSE Backflow Certified professionals. A motion was made to accept the Illinois Test Procedures as an ASSE Recognized test procedure used during an ASSE practical exam.
The committee was advised of the adoption of an updated cross-connection control handbook for the state of California. Additional states for expansion opportunities include Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York.
The CCCTC has continued to update program guidelines — the following guidelines were approved by the committee:
- The option to convert an existing backflow certification to ASSE by taking a recertification class and exam will be removed.
- An ASSE Approved School requesting offsite training will need to be a school for a minimum of three years and hold 12 classes within that time.
- The minimum requirement for equipment in wet labs was reviewed by legal, and due to trade and anti-competitiveness, a minimum cannot be made.
ANSI Accreditation for ASSE International’s professional certification program was discussed and the committee was advised that the process is well underway. The committee will reconvene as a whole at the 2024 ASSE Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine.
Service Plumber (13000) Technical Committee
Statistics for the schools, proctors, instructors, classes held, exams taken, and pass/fail rates were provided to the committee. The committee discussed promotion of the program directed toward contractors and end-users. Staff will work on a one-page promotional piece for the program. There was a motion to form a sub-committee to review test questions and practical exams for the ASSE 13030 hybrid program. The sub-committee includes Scott Hamilton, Robert Abruscati, Tim Hammack, Joe Fernandez, Justin Walters, Vince Kacaba, and Jerry Trevino. The committee will reconvene as a whole at the 2024 ASSE Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine.
Product Standards Committee
The Product Standards Committee (PSC) discussed the status of several standards that are currently in development — seven are in working groups and one is in public review. There are seven standards that are in queue, for which working group applications are being accepted (see below). The PSC was updated on the status of the ASSE International Product Listing Program. The PSC was also tasked with reviewing standards that are approaching five years since last publication and provide feedback for any changes requiring standard revision.
Working groups are forming to develop/revise the following product standards:
- ASSE 1064, Backflow Prevention Assembly Field Test Kits
- ASSE 1072, Barrier Type Floor Drain Trap Seal Protection Devices
- ASSE 1086, Reverse Osmosis Water Efficiency – Drinking Water
- ASSE 1087, Commercial and Food Service Water Treatment Equipment Utilizing Drinking Water
- ASSE 1115, Automatic Hot Water Balancing Valve
- ASSE 1376, Ultra and Nano Drinking Water Treatment Systems
- ASSE 1378, Point of Entry Anion Exchange –Nitrate Reduction
Completed applications should be sent to Terry Burger at terry.burger@asse-plumbing.org.
Social Event: “Game Night”
“Game Night” featured a “Name That Tune” style trivia game covering music, movies, and TV. Our host played short music clips from well-known songs and participants had to guess the music artist or TV/movie the song belonged to. Answers were multiple-choice, and the players/teams who answered the most questions correctly (and the quickest) won the round. In between each “Name That Tune” round, participants competed in simple games against the clock using common household items. Food and beverages were provided and lots of laughs were shared. A big thank you to Pipefitters Local 597, Precision Plumbing Products, UA Local 46 Training Department, UA Local 400, and Woodford / Watco Mfg for sponsoring this event!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
12000 Technical Committee
Statistics for the ICRA (ASSE 12010 and 12020), Water Quality (ASSE 12060-12063), and Legionella (ASSE 12080) programs were provided to the committee. The committee discussed the need to continue promotion of the program to appropriate audiences. The committee also chose chairs for each of the specialty areas within the ASSE Series 12000 standard. The new chairs are as follows: Chris Cheek, ICRA; Kurt Steenhoek, Water Quality; and Brian Anderson, Legionella. These subcommittees will convene meetings to discuss their particular programs and report back to the committee as a whole during the 2024 ASSE Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine.
22000 Technical Committee
The committee was advised that the technical committee subgroup has been meeting to write test questions for the ASSE 22010’s inaugural exam taking place in April 2024. The committee discussed the need to market the program to gain momentum, as well as the need for a school, instructor, and proctor application to be developed.
Professional Qualifications Technical Committee
The Professional Qualifications (PQ) Technical Committee is composed of the chairpersons of each professional qualifications technical committee, the chairperson of the PQ Standards Committee, and the ASSE International President. The committee discussed ASSE’s various certification programs, shared ideas for improving programs, and discussed program guidelines.
ASSE History Presentation: “A Grateful Tribute to Our Past”
“A Grateful Tribute to Our Past” provided tribute to ASSE mentors of the past by briefly delineating the unprecedented accomplishments as recorded in the “Proceedings/Conventions” from 1906 to 1938. A refined focus was on the 1928 discovery by Dr. Arnold Kegel and Joel Connolly concerning hospital sterilizers regarding potential contamination (1928 “Proceedings”); the major work of ASSE’s participation in the “Hoover Code” (1921-1938 “Proceedings”); the “debacle” which was 1933, familiar to most (1934-1938 “Proceedings); and the background story to “The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation” (Charles Nash, 1935 “Proceedings). The presenter, Pat Casey, is a plumber and one of a team of plumbing instructors at Plumbers Local 75 in Milwaukee, WI. After his presentation, he was given a Certificate of Appreciation by President Dan Rademacher and Vice President Vince Gallo on behalf of ASSE International.
Thank You to Our Mid-Year Meeting Sponsors!
