Most Arkansans will never see a sprinkler head open or a kitchen hood system discharge. That's the point. Most Arkansas businesses have fire protection equipment that sits quietly for years, and they trust it to work--until it doesn't.

That trust should rest on more than an assumption that equipment was installed correctly and is working as it should. It's the difference between lives and livelihoods--should a fire break out.

As October marks Fire Prevention Month, every business owner, property manager, school leader, pastor and restaurant owner should ensure fire protection systems are properly installed, inspected and maintained by a reputable, licensed team.

While many business owners may think of fire prevention as a secondary necessity, I grew up living and breathing it. Three decades ago, my father started A&A Fire and Safety Company on his days off from firefighting, after seeing businesses that needed help protecting their livelihoods.

Now, as a second-generation owner of A&A, I also serve as chairman of the Arkansas Fire Protection Licensing Board, an 11-member, governor-appointed board that licenses the companies and individuals who install, inspect and service fire sprinklers, fire extinguishers and fixed suppression systems such as those........

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