Century Fire acquires A&A Fire Protection: price, structure and what it means for fire and life safety buyers

Century Fire Protection

acquires

A&A Fire Protection

Price

Not disclosed

Structure

Acquisition, seller keeps minority stake

Parent

FirstService (FSV)

Target founded

1977

Target HQ

Greenville, SC

Published 2 November 2026 · Deal announced 2026-10-19 21:00 UTC · Acquisitions.com Deal Reports

Part of the Fire & life safety guide: buying, selling, valuation and who is buying.

This report is for anyone who owns, buys or plans to buy a fire sprinkler or fire alarm company. When Century Fire acquires A&A Fire Protection, a public company's subsidiary is buying a local sprinkler firm. This report covers what Century Fire bought, what is known about the terms, and why the seller kept a stake. By the end you will know which parts of this deal you can use at your size.

What did Century Fire buy?

A&A Fire Protection is a fire sprinkler contractor. It designs, installs, inspects and repairs sprinkler systems. Its clients are commercial, across what the release calls a broad range of end markets.

The company is based in Greenville, South Carolina. It works across South Carolina, western North Carolina and north Georgia. It was founded in 1977, so it has been in business for close to fifty years.

The release does not give A&A's revenue, staff count or number of clients. We do not add any. If you see an estimate elsewhere, it did not come from the buyer or the seller.

The buyer is Century Fire Protection. Century is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a company listed in Toronto and on NASDAQ. FirstService made the announcement on 19 October 2026. In its report on the release, Investing.com says FirstService has more than $5.5 billion in annual revenue and about 30,000 employees across North America.

What did Century pay, and how is the deal built?

The price is not disclosed. The release says only that "terms of the transaction were not disclosed". We will not estimate it.

One part of the structure is public. Jake Gilstrap, President of A&A, keeps a minority equity interest in the business. He also keeps leading day-to-day operations. The release does not say how large his stake is, or whether there is an earn-out, a seller note or an employment contract.

Keeping a stake like this is often called rollover equity. The seller takes part of the value as shares in the business, not as cash at close. That keeps the seller tied to the result. It also gives the seller a second payday if the business is sold or bought out later. Each deal sets its own terms, and these terms are not public.

The wording "has recently acquired" tells us the deal is already closed. There is no shareholder vote or closing date to wait for.

Why does A&A fit Century's plan?

Century's CEO, Richard Deeb, gave the reason in plain words. He said the deal "furthers Century's strategy of enhancing its scale and broadening its client base in existing markets".

The key words are "existing markets". This is not a jump into a new region. The release says the deal broadens Century's existing footprint in the Carolina markets. So Century is adding density where it already works, not planting a flag somewhere new.

Deeb also said Century wants to deepen "our fire sprinkler and alarm capabilities in the growing Carolina markets". That points to a simple idea. A buyer that does both sprinklers and alarms can serve the same building for more of its needs.

In the language of roll-ups, this looks like an add-on: a smaller local company bought by a larger platform that already operates in the region. The release does not use that word. It is our reading of the facts given.

What does it mean for buyers and sellers of fire and life safety businesses?

You are not FirstService. But the reasons a large buyer wants a company like A&A carry down to deals in the $500K to $50M revenue range that most of our clients look at. Four of them stand out.

Inspection and repair work is what buyers pay for. A&A does design and installation, but also inspection and repair. Fire codes require building owners to have their systems inspected on a schedule. That turns a one-time install into years of repeat visits. If you are buying, ask how much revenue comes from inspection and service, and how much from new projects.

Age and local name count. A&A has served its market since 1977. Long-standing client relationships in one region are hard for a new competitor to win. Check how many of the top clients have stayed for five years or more.

The seller staying on is a feature. Gilstrap keeps running the business and keeps a stake. For a buyer, that lowers the risk that clients and technicians leave after the sale. For a seller, it is a way to get a second payday. Read our guide on deal terms that protect sellers after closing before you agree to a rollover.

Density beats spread. Century bought where it already works. Small buyers can do the same. A second company in the same metro shares dispatch, trucks, office staff and licences. Many buyers find that this kind of add-on is easier to run than a company three states away.

What you cannot copy is the balance sheet. A public parent can buy for cash from its own funds. A first-time buyer usually combines an SBA loan, a seller note and investor money. The logic is the same; the money is not. If you want to buy, start at /buy or read how to buy a fire and life safety business. If you own one, read how to sell a fire and life safety business or book a free call.

Who else is buying fire and life safety companies?

Century is one of several large buyers in this sector. Public companies and PE-backed platforms have all been active. We list them, with sources, in who is buying fire and life safety businesses. For a much larger deal in the same field, see our report on APi Group's purchase of Chubb.

For a small owner, more buyers usually means more choice. It does not promise a price. What a buyer pays still depends on your books, your service mix, your licences and how much the business needs you.

What should you watch next?

Watch whether Century buys more in the Carolinas or north Georgia. The CEO named the region as growing. More add-ons nearby would confirm that density is the plan.

Watch for detail in FirstService's later filings and results. Small deals are often not broken out, so the price may never be public. If it is, we will add it here with the source.

Watch how A&A's alarm work grows. The release talks about deepening both sprinkler and alarm capabilities. If a sprinkler shop adds alarm work under a bigger owner, that shows where the value sits for buyers.