We’re pleased to present the second part of our interview with Engineer Nigro.
We can assume that your goal is to bridge a gap. Would it be correct to say that you also expect a positive impact on Italy’s industrial and employment landscape?
The aim of the Association is to increase the use of automatic water-based fire protection systems in Italy, moving closer to what’s already happening in countries like France, Germany, and even Spain. We’re still far behind the figures we see in nations with a similar industrial profile.
It’s an objective with an added advantage shared by everyone in this line of work: doing something good. In the end, our goal is to extinguish fires, and that’s a positive action. It’s a twofold benefit, as it also helps grow the industry itself with more people involved in design, installation, sales, and maintenance.
Hopefully, it also means less damage. Fire-related damage tends to be overlooked, and if there are no casualties, then no one talks about it. It’s critical to ask whether a fire protection system was in place and whether it worked.
The Anglo-Saxon approach is a model for us. In fact, it doesn’t just look at the cause of the fire, but also at the reasons behind any malfunction.
The IFSN aims to “serve as a reference point for firefighters, insurers and legislators.” What immediate actions are you planning to ensure these groups fully recognize the effectiveness of sprinkler and water-mist systems?
The first conference, featuring the official presentation of the Association, was held on June 18, 2025, but we’ve already planned another event within the Expo set for September 17, in addition to a series of a series of informational initiatives, also published online, so we can reach as many people as possible.
This technology has been around for two centuries and hasn’t changed much, aside from some tweaks in size and color. What’s needed is communication that promotes education and awareness.
For example, sprinklers activate one at a time, not all at once. Many believe the opposite, which makes them hesitant to adopt this system out of fear of collateral water damage. That’s precisely why we named the first conference “Let’s Talk About Sprinklers Again,” because this technology is rarely featured in trade magazines and the industry culture around it remains limited.
Yet, it is the most widely used automatic fire suppression system in the world. These were the thoughts shared by me, Alan Brinson, and Gianluigi Mussinelli when we laid the foundation for IFSN.
The business plan also mentions the appointment of a dedicated coordinator, the formation of an initial Board of Directors, and a diverse membership base (installers, manufacturers, designers, insurers, etc.). How were you able to select these governance roles and ensure a balance of different interests among members?
We already have a model, the European EFSN, alongside ten or eleven national associations that have followed the same framework. There are currently five members on the Board of Directors and more than ten participants in the technical committee.
Admission and qualification criteria are currently being defined, and our aim is to welcome anyone with a genuine interest in the project. What matters most to us is being able to say that we are an association representing a group of highly qualified companies.