The House That Grinnell Built with Manny R Silva Jr. from JCI

Step inside fire protection history as I’m joined by Johnson Controls Senior Engineering Director Manny Silva for a walkthrough of the Frederick Grinnell Museum in Cranston, Rhode Island. We dive into how Frederick Grinnell improved upon Henry S. Parmalee’s original practical sprinkler design—ultimately creating the more sensitive, fully automatic sprinkler in 1881. Manny traces the evolution of sprinkler technology and Johnson Controls’ R&D contributions from the late 1800s to today—plus, you’ll learn how none other than Thomas Edison has an unexpected connection to Frederick Grinnell.