APPLETON, Wis. — For the past two decades David Shuey has worked with fire sprinkler systems at Fireline Sprinkler in Appleton.
He’s seen what the systems can do on the occasions they’ve been needed.
“One that kind of sticks in my head is an apartment building,” he said. “They had a fire in the first floor probably two months after it opened on a kitchen stove. They had one head go off and it put the fire out and saved the whole building. It was about 1 a.m., so it’s not a normal situation. It felt really good knowing that happened.”
Shuey worked his way through the company, from system installation to inspection and maintenance to his current role as a superintendent.
“Being a sprinkler fitter, there’s a lot of pride in what you do. Knowing that someday the system that you installed could possibly save the building, save lives,” he said. “You hope you don’t ever have it go off, but if you need it, it’s there for you.”
Fireline has three locations with offices in Appleton, Whitehall and Maple Grove, Minnesota. It has a sister company, Integrity Fire Protection, in Wausau.
Fireline’s president, Jason Nenonen, said the business is growing. That has it seeking additional people for careers with the company.
“The positions we’re really looking to hire for are shop positions which is welding and inventory,” he said. “Our field positions is another large area we need support in as we continue to grow, along with our office positions, specifically engineering.”
Field positions include careers as union installers. It is also seeking project managers, apprentices and journeymen.
Much of the company’s work is commercial, but it does include some large residential developments.
“We’re looking to continue to grow in the marketplace and always looking for good employees,” Nenonen said. “We’re looking forward to expanding within the construction market.”
While the work Shuey and others do may not be front and center, both he and the company’s customers know the sprinkler systems are there if needed.
“No news is good news, they say, but the system is there,” he said. “Customers, they give you a call very grateful and thankful when it does happen and your system actually saves a building and does what it’s intended to do.”