Inspect Point expert in fire protection and life safety, cofounder, and VP of Business Development, Drew Slocum, will be the FSSA Mentor to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Division of Fire Science and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Drew has spent his career in the fire and life safety industry and is one of the co-founders of Inspect Point. He is also the creator and host of the first of its kind, Fire Protection Podcast. Drew also helps run the NY Fire Sprinkler Contractors’ Association as Executive Director, getting involved with contractors, the FDNY and other local jurisdictions.
The mentors are a group of people from various areas within fire protection. Drew is one of 15 mentors of the FSSA Student Membership Subcommittee. The subcommittee is tasked with creating ways of encouraging college students to pursue careers in the area of fire and life safety. To that end, they volunteer to present and meet with students regarding FSSA Student Memberships and encourage them to move ahead with careers in the field.
The Future of Fire Protection
The membership and fire safety and protection industry itself is extremely forward thinking and very focused on the future of the industry. Much as the crisis in creating the next generation of manufacturing workers, the crisis in creating the next generation of workers in fire and life safety protection is just as serious.
“Fire protection and the life safety industry is a niche industry but very stable with code and standards always moving forward. There are a variety of opportunities in the space from community officials, to engineers, to technicians performing the work,” Drew stated in reference to his becoming a mentor. “When I graduated from RPI back in 2003 with an industrial engineering degree, I thought I’d be working in manufacturing forever. Fire protection has given me a lot over the years and I’d love to give back”
