Originally Posted by
Scott Patterson
Jim, it all depends on your area and what or who has the largest presence. You need to look at the local chapters and what they do or don't do. Go to a chapter meeting or two before you decide. The chapters are the backbone of any HI orginization.
If you want to see some of what ASHI does go to the ASHI Reporters website and look at the back issues,
August 2007 | ASHI Reporter
A ton of information can be found as well as an inside view into ASHI.
Russell:
Scott is right at least to a very large degree. The local groups make all the difference. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area the pickings are slim indeed. The local ASHI group consists of a small rag-tag dictatorship led by a well-meaning but clueless oldtimer (hi, Jim). There is no NAHI group of which I am aware. The NACHI group appears, from their emails to me, to be large and active. I've never attended so I'm only guessing. A bit of the lone wolf's blood in me, you know.
However, though I belong to all three of these national organizations, I have never to my knowledge received an inspection lead from the NACHI website. Plenty from ASHI and NAHI, but none from InterNewbie.
As for CREIA and FREA, unless you're in California or longing to buy insurance, I'd take a pass. There are a plethora of others out there. Some who dance with agents and some who won't. Some have gotta' be engineers and some don't.
Therein lies the rub. Too many cooks in this kitchen have spoiled the soup.
If I were just starting out and could only afford to belong to one group, I do believe I would join InterNewbie (NACHI).
Aaron