Join us for our Dinner Program on March 18, 2026 at Zio Fraedos in Pleasant Hill! 

We're diving into "Investigating Water Damage Due to Failures in Fire Sprinkler Systems" presented by Glenn D. Peterson.
Fire sprinkler systems are designed to protect buildings — but when they fail, the resulting water damage can be catastrophic and costly.

Join us for an in-depth educational session exploring the common causes of sprinkler system failures and how to prevent them. From underground supply piping corrosion to aboveground joint failures, freezing, water hammer, and improper CPVC installation, this program will walk through real-world issues that lead to leaks, breaks, and unintended discharges.

*Early bird pricing ENDS March 11th - price goes up $20 after that! Get your ticket early to avoid the increase  

We’ll also examine:

• Why grooved piping joints fail
• The impact of seismic movement and improper bracing
• How freezing and pressure surges create system damage
• Corrosion from air pockets
• CPVC installation mistakes and chemical incompatibility risks
• Mechanical impacts and improper sprinkler temperature ratings
• Preventative measures aligned with NFPA standards

Whether you are a construction consultant, contractor, engineer, property manager, or industry professional, this session will provide practical insights into diagnosing failures, mitigating risk, and reducing liability exposure when water damage occurs.
Protecting buildings means understanding how systems fail — and how to stop problems before they start.

A NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION OF CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS

Westcon is a diverse community of professionals dedicated to the delivery of construction expertise and knowledge.

Westcon promotes high standards of professionalism, protects the general welfare of the construction industry, improves the practice of the professional construction consultant, and offers construction expertise and knowledge.
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We meet regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area to promote learning and exchange knowledge.

What is a "Construction Consultant"?

Construction Consultants are licensed, registered or certified professionals with special expertise, skill or experience who advise a building project team on specific aspects of the project in design, construction, investigation or repair. Depending on the scope of the project the construction consultant may take the lead project team responsibility for planning and implementation of a particular project.

Categories of Construction Consultants & WESTCON

A building, structure or infrastructure project depends on a wide range of separate special areas of responsibility. These responsibilities are organized into the planning, designing, contracting, constructing, inspecting, repairing, and maintaining the building project. Besides the design professionals e.g. architects and engineers, there are systems engineers, general contractors, specialty contractors, material suppliers, inspectors, attorneys and many others.

What is special about WESTCON?

WESTCON is a non-profit association of construction consultants representing a broad and in-depth range of expertise. Members of WESTCON include design professionals, such as architects, structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, civil engineers and mechanical engineers. WESTCON members include general contractors and specialty contractors for acoustics, concrete, electrical, plumbing, fenestration, waterproofing, roofing, flooring, foundations, drainage, painting and wall claddings among more. Support services are also representative in WESTCON with expertise for accounting, HOA and community management, inspection, building code specialists, construction management, owner representatives, cost estimating and material testing. 
WESTCON is also unique with decades of collective member knowledge with litigation support and expert witness experience for forensic investigating, reporting, testifying, repairing and preventing construction defects in California.

What is a "Construction Defect"?

A Construction Defect, as defined by California Jury Instructions: "Failure of the building or any building component to be erected in a reasonably workmanlike manner or to perform in the manner intended by the manufacturer or reasonably expected by the buyer, which proximately causes damage to the structure."
 
Construction defects are commonly thought of as the result of poor workmanship. But, construction defects can also broadly include design defects in the preparation of construction documents - plans and specifications, as well as including manufacturing, material, product or assembly defects built into a project.
 
Identifying and correcting construction defects often results in some form of dispute that may get resolved only through litigation. Construction consultants offer litigation support services in such construction disputes. WESTCON members are uniquely qualified in bringing their expertise for the prevention of construction defects when they are timely involved in design and construction projects.
 
 Many WESTCON members are active in design profession and construction industry organizations contributing their knowledge in the form of new standards, codes and best practices.