We are proud to announce our entrance into Mississippi through the acquisition of American Fire & Safety!

American Fire & Safety, Inc was founded in 1994 by Ralph Kenney. Before becoming the owner of his own fire protection company, Ralph was a fireman. On his days off he worked as a fire service technician for a local business. Once he retired from the fire department, Ralph became a full time employee of the fire protection company and was promoted to branch manager.

When the company decided to leave the Laurel, MS area, they gave Ralph the opportunity to purchase the assets. He decided to go for it, and American Fire & Safety, Inc. was born. After managing the business on his own for nearly a decade, Ralph started to need help. He reached out to his son, Brian, who was working in the IT field at the time. Brian asked for a week off and went to help his father, thinking it was only a temporary visit.

But Brian never returned to his IT job. In 2003, he joined his father’s company and assumed management as company president in 2017. Since then Ralph has enjoyed his retirement and has always been available to answer Brian’s questions as his son continues to lead the business to success.

From four employees in 1994 to seventeen employees now, American Fire has grown to service all of Mississippi. The team has built strong customer relationships and offers a full suite of reliable fire safety services.

“We are looking forward to new opportunities with growth, and being part of the Pye-Barker team,” shared Brian Kenney.

Brian will be staying on as branch manager and will play an integral role in helping Pye-Barker succeed as we grow along the Gulf Shore and throughout Mississippi.

Pye-Barker is proud to carry on this family’s legacy as we enter a new market. American Fire team, Pye-Barker extends you a warm welcome!

Pye-Barker is a proud collection of family fire protection companies and has provided many owners with a satisfying exit strategy that provided peace of mind for themselves and their staff. If you would like to learn more about what a future with Pye-Barker would look like for your business, please visit www.pyebarkerfire.com/acquisitions to fill out a confidential form. You can also contact our VP of Business Development, Chuck Reimel, directly at 910-612-6252. We look forward to hearing from you!