Jack Medovich, P.E., will receive the American Fire Sprinkler Association’s (AFSA) 2026 Henry S. Parmelee Award, the association’s highest honor. For more than four decades, Medovich has dedicated his career to protecting lives, advancing the sprinkler industry, and serving the people within it. The presentation will be on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, during the General Session at AFSA45: Convention, Exhibition & Apprentice Competition, to be held at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

From his early days as a volunteer firefighter and fire protection engineer to building a successful sprinkler company, shaping codes and standards, leading AFSA, and advocating for burn survivors, Medovich has approached each chapter of his career with the same philosophy: serve others and leave the industry better than he found it.

Medovich’s first job after college was as a plans examiner in the Fairfax County, Virginia, Fire Marshal’s Office. He then entered the sprinkler industry. In 1997, Medovich and his partners started East Coast Fire Protection (ECFP). After acquiring a company in Texas, ECFP was renamed Fire & Life Safety America. Over the next few years, they continued to grow and eventually sold to Summit Fire & Security in November 2021. Medovich retired in September of last year.

Medovich has served on numerous NFPA code-writing committees for more than four decades, including NFPA 13, NFPA 20, NFPA 25, and other major fire and life safety standards. He received an NFPA lifetime membership certificate in 2025. Medovich sits on the board for Common Voices, a coalition dedicated to creating a fire-safe America. He also supports the next generation of fire protection engineers through the Medovich Endowed Scholarship in fire protection engineering at his alma mater, the University of Maryland.

Medovich’s involvement with AFSA began with the Chesapeake Bay Chapter in the late 1980s. He also became active in the Virginia Chapter and its Burn Survivors Foundation (BSF), an organization specializing in the treatment and care of burn survivors. Medovich was the founding chairman of the BSF Board of Directors until his retirement in 2023. He was elected to the AFSA national board of directors in 2008 and served as chair of the board from 2021 to 2023. He retired from the board last year.

“It has been my good fortune to serve with Jack on the AFSA Board of Directors for many years,” said Paul DeLorie, AFSA chair of the board and senior vice president, Hampshire Fire Protection Inc., Londonderry, New Hampshire. “He is thoughtful, confident, and deliberate. His leadership has been transformational for our association, and he is most deserving of the Parmelee Award.”

“I could not imagine a more worthy recipient of our industry’s highest recognition,” said AFSA President Bob Caputo, CFPS. “Jack’s many years of selfless dedication make him deserve this honor, but behind the scenes, Jack has encouraged, promoted, and supported dozens of younger and up-and-coming fire and life safety professionals. He is a man of character and absolute integrity, always doing what is right, regardless of the cost and no matter who is watching.”

“What I love most about this industry is that we save lives,” Medovich said. “Why our systems aren’t in every single structure boggles my mind.”

AFSA’s official publication, Sprinkler Age, will feature Medovich in its September/October 2026 issue. For more information about AFSA45 and to register, visit firesprinkler.org/afsa45.