On a Hot Streak
United Fire Protection credits longevity to its commitment to safety, satisfaction
When Louis Chierchia’s oldest brother, Jerry, arrived in the United States and began his career as a plumber, there’s no way he could have known the legacy he was creating. After recognizing the earnings potential of this career path, five additional brothers followed in his footsteps, becoming pipefitters and steamfitters. Cousins, too, studied the trade and worked in the industry. Today, the next generation is continuing the pipefitting tradition.
For Louis, the youngest of seven brothers and the only one born in the U.S., being introduced to pipefitting by his brother set him on a professional course that culminated with the founding of his own business, United Fire Protection, Inc.
Decades of Service
The Maspeth, New York, company designs, furnishes and installs fire sprinkler and fire standpipe systems in businesses and homes throughout New York City’s five boroughs. United Fire Protection provides services for new construction as well as makes alterations to existing systems.
Starting United Fire Protection in 1987 was a natural progression for Louis, who had been working in the industry since he was a teenager. When he was 17, he began as an installer after one of his brothers helped him land the job. He rose through the ranks until he felt ready to launch his company.
Today, his firm has 16 employees, including engineers, installers, drivers and administrators. That team includes some who have been with United Fire Protection for more than 20 years.
During the past 31 years, United Fire Protection has completed more than 3,000 jobs, averaging 100 a year. The majority has been for commercial clients. Louis estimates that the breakdown is about 80 percent commercial and 20 percent residential.
“We’ve done pretty much every type of project,” Louis says. “We’ve been here so long and have had our nose in everything.” As the firm’s President, he can proudly rattle off a sampling of United Fire Protection’s work: the College of Staten Island, Rockefeller Center, Staten Island bus terminals, the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, the American Museum of Natural History and several veterans’ hospitals, including one in the Bronx.
United Fire Protection has made a name for itself in the New York area, and that has helped the company stay busy.
“Most of our business is by word-of-mouth,” Louis says. “I’ve been in this industry so long, and people know me and know that we do quality work. We don’t ever leave anyone hanging.”
Regulation Changes
As New York City prepares to roll out new fire safety regulations, United Fire Protection is prepared for an influx of new work. By July 1, 2019, all buildings that are classified as business occupancies and at least 100 feet tall must be equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system. That ordinance was signed into law, as Local Law 26, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2004 as a response to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. It’s designed to keep buildings and the people in them safer.
As the deadline approaches for implementation of Local Law 26, businesses that had been grandfathered into previous codes are working to secure new systems.
Louis and his crews are at the ready. “The work is already lining up,” he says. “Our industry is going to flourish.”
A Booming Industry
Overall, North America’s fire protection systems market is on an upward trend, according to experts at Credence Research. A 2018 report from the group expects the industry’s commercial sector to reach $9.34 billion by 2025, based on a compounded annual growth rate of 10.8 percent. In 2017, the commercial market was $4.15 billion.
Commercial construction, including a boost in shopping malls, multiplexes, supermarkets, hypermarkets, office buildings and more, is driving this growth.
Changes Through the Years
Louis has noticed the spike. It’s the variety of the growth and changes in the industry that keep things interesting, he says.
When he started as a teen, nobody could have imagined relying on computers to create drawings and plans for a fire protection system. Now, it’s the industry standard. “We’ve gone from hand drawing to being able to utilize a very efficient computer system to do it,” Louis says of the CAD software his team uses.
He’s certain that the changes won’t end there.
Louis believes that before long, laws and regulations will change to require fire protection systems in all new construction, no matter the size. “It will just be the standard,” he says.
The Next Chapter
The brother who introduced Louis to fire protection recently concluded his career in the industry. After decades, he retired this year from a Virginia firm. And once again, Louis is ready to follow his older brother’s example.
He’s planning his own retirement—dreaming of trips and long days lounging on the beach. The 63-year-old has been grooming his youngest son, Gregory, to take over at the helm of United Fire Protection.
For the last seven years, Gregory has been learning the ropes as an installer. But his father has been making sure he’s learned more than just the technical aspects of the job. He’s been readying his son to take over the business that he built his name and reputation on.
Though Louis can’t pinpoint a date when the handover will happen, he expects it to be soon. He’s eager to see his son build upon the family legacy that started all those years ago.