Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association Presents
NFPA 101A - Guide to Alternative Approaches to Life Safety - 3 hrs.
Instructor: Steve Kowkabany - Vertex
3 Contact hours approved for Fire Code Administrator,
Fire Safety Inspector, and Fire Instructor
Recent legislation has introduced NFPA 101A as an alternative approach to life safety compliance. The Florida Legislature recently passed, and the Governor signed Senate Bill 182 for Education. Inside this bill is information concerning micro schools and fire protection requirements for the occupancy. This course will discuss the intent of Florida Laws that push for alternative solutions for fire safety. Discussion on the provisions of the NFPA 101A Fire Safety Evaluation System will be in detail to ensure best practices in fire official management of the process. Examples of previous 101A evaluations will be discussed and the practical application for its use.
This class will:
- Increase the awareness of AHJ to the fire and building codes and Florida Laws as they relate to SB182 and Micro schools and alternative means of compliance.
- Provide knowledge to the students on the NFPA 101A Fire Safety Evaluation System
- Give the student practice in utilizing the NFPA 101A Fire Safety Evaluation System
Three contact hours approved for Fire and Life Safety Educator, Fire Code Administrator, Fire Investigator I and II, Fire Safety Inspector I and II, and Instructor I, II, III with these courses.
Instructor:
Steve Kowkabany
Steve Kowkabany is the founder and president of Neptune Fire Protection Engineering in Atlantic Beach, Florida, which he founded in June of 2005. Mr. Kowkabany has been a practicing engineer for over 20 years. Mr. Kowkabany began his career as a project engineer and process system designer in the pulp & paper, power generation, and photographic film manufacturing sectors. He transitioned into the field of fire protection after working closely with a variety of industrial fire protection systems in a manufacturing environment. In addition to his extensive experience in heavy industrial and petrochemical fire protection, Mr. Kowkabany has extensive experience in the arenas of residential and commercial fire protection and has designed fire protection systems for over 500 facilities and has provided expert witness and third-party review services for a wide variety of projects. Mr. Kowkabany is a licensed fire protection engineer in the states of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Outside of his corporate efforts, Mr. Kowkabany is passionate about advancing the field of fire protection and civic involvement. He serves as the vice-chairman of the board of the Florida Engineering Management Corporation and was recently appointed to the Florida Fire Code Advisory Council. He also currently serves as the founder and president of the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, as well as serving on the board of directors of the National Fire Sprinkler Association Florida Region
Date: September 15th, 2026, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location:
Marion County Growth Services
2710 E Silver Springs, Blvd.
Ocala, FL 34471
Cost: Free for members of the FFMIA
Not an FFMIA member? Complete the New Member application and pay the membership fee of $95.00 to be able to use the member rate.
Point of Contact:
Ken McCann, Fire Marshal Marion County Fire Rescue, 1 st Vice President FFMIA 352-291-8066 or ken.mccann@marionfl.org
or
Philip Oakes, Training Coordinator, phil@oakes.pro, or 307-631-0016
RN: 21636
Class: 321003