A MESSAGE FROM ALBERTA S CHAPTER PRESIDENT: Daryll de Waal

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1 CANADIAN FIRE ALARM ASSOCIATION (ALBERTA) Mar 2013 Volum e 4 Mission: Maximize the Effectiveness and use of fire alarms in the protection of life and property throughout Canada Daryll de Waal Alberta Chapter President alberta@cfaa.ca A MESSAGE FROM ALBERTA S CHAPTER PRESIDENT: Daryll de Waal Greetings! As you will see from reading this newsletter, there are plenty of activities we are keeping busy with. I want to express my sincere thanks to all who have been participating; it is not always easy volunteering with so much going on between work and family. The contributions certainly do serve a good cause and promote our mission, which is to maximize the effectiveness and use of fire alarms in the protection of life and property throughout Canada. The association, which was established in 1973, continues to strive to support various aspects of the industry, seeking to enhance, promote and support education & training, but also working with ULC and other associations. In Alberta we have been increasingly active with Alberta Municipal Affairs, municipalities and educational institutions. There is always more to do, especially when people change positions, which Alberta has a lot of that, keeping the ball rolling, will always be a challenge. On that note, the CFAA will be hiring in April, it s first ever Executive Director, a full time National position! Many people do not realize that, apart from a couple of National administration staff and a few part time consultants, the organization is supported by volunteers. We are starting the planning stage for our Annual Technical Seminar. Although not yet confirmed, it will most likely be, once again, taking place in October. As we have been rotating between Calgary and Edmonton, this year it will be in Calgary. Visit our website and see the latest news including our CFAA quarterly journal. Please join our LinkedIn group for the CFAA Alberta Chapter, check out the link below: We have discussions and updates that we want you to be a part of. Regards, Daryll de Waal 1 P a g e

2 CFAA Lunch & Learn The CFAA hosted a lunch & learn session on March 7 th at the Danish Canadian Club in Calgary entitled, All you need to know about Fire Alarm Permits in Calgary. The guest speaker was Ryan Morhart, Safety Officer with the City of Calgary. The session sought to answer questions such as when a permit is required (maintenance, repair and new systems); what information is required on a permit application; and what information is required to close a permit. It focused on the City s interpretation of the Alberta Building Code (particularly section ; the Alberta Fire Code 2006 Standata FCI Existing Fire Alarm Systems; and the Alberta Building Code 2006 Standata 06BCI-001-RI Fire Alarm and Suppression Systems Verification and Testing Certificate. There were approximately 120 people in attendance from all facets of the industry, including fire alarm service providers, engineers and electrical contractors, plus members of the City of Calgary Fire Department and the City of Calgary Fire Alarm Permit Section. Ryan provided an overview of the pertinent code sections and answered several questions about specific examples such as would a permit be required if? There was some hopeful news that the City is moving to provide a more streamlined alternative where permits could be applied for and received online, although it looks as though that may still be at least a year away. Overall, it was an informative session and a great networking opportunity to get together with many of the various stakeholders within the industry in Calgary. We hope to host at least two or three of these sessions each year. There were approximately 120 people in attendance at this informative lunch & learn. 2 P a g e

3 Upcoming Events CFAA will be hosting a booth at the Alberta Electrical League Learning Expo in Lethbridge at the Lethbridge Lodge on Thursday, March 21st. The focus of this expo is for companies to showcase new products in the electrical industry and to give presentations and demonstrations to the audience. The audience will consist of electrical contractors, consulting engineers, architects, electrical inspectors, distributors and many other industry professionals. Tom Vankosh will be providing a presentation on behalf of the CFAA on the upcoming Code changes for Fire Alarm Installations. The address of the Lodge is 320 Scenic Drive and the show will run from 9am until 5 pm. Please feel free to make the short 2 hour drive down to Lethbridge to participate. Later this Spring, on Wednesday, April 24 th the Calgary Chapter of the CFAA will also be participating in the Construction Career Expo at the BMO Centre. Hall B at Stampede Park from 10 am 3pm. This is a great opportuinty to attract new, young talent to the Fire Alarm Industry in Calgary. I am pretty sure that you have all experienced difficulty in finding good technicians. The CFAA participation in this show will serve to enhance the professionalism of our industry and open the eyes of some to the career opportunities that exist within the industry.. Members are being asked to participate by volunteering to man the booth for a period of time during the Expo as well as by providing job profiles for any open positions that they are trying to fill. Letters to the Editor Here are some excerpts from the CFAA Alberta Linked-In site and some selected and/or paraphrased responses: Q: What is the most important change that would benefit the Fire Alarm Industry? A: National standards and educational programs that would produce properly trained and certified technicians, perhaps through the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologies (CCTT). In addition, there needs to be a specific fire protection program for engineers. Q: Does the CAN/ULC S536 require 2 technicians to complete a fire alarm inspection? A: Although opinions were very much in favor of two-person inspections, when the ULC Standard was reviewed there was nothing that indicated that 2 people were required to participate in an inspection. General consensus however, was that this is really more of a question for the AHJ (Alberta Municipal Affairs) and that it was good practice to have 2 technicians to conduct all but the smallest of inspections. 3 P a g e

4 Education Fire Alarm Training Programs available for Albertans SAIT CNTR-221 Fire Detection and Alarm Systems - ECAA This course is designed for those wanting to be certified to perform maintenance on fire alarm systems. Topics include; operation and "hands-on" experience of single stage systems, two stage systems, and multiplexed systems. You review the design and regulations for systems through pertinent codes and regulations such as The Alberta Building Code, Canadian Electrical Code, Underwriters Laboratories of Canada, and Alberta Fire Code. This course is delivered in a combination of home study, computer managed learning and hands-on lab. Fee includes course manual. Special Notes: Fire Detection & Alarm Systems - ECAA is the ECAA approved course. Please visit for more information and how to apply for your PIN NAIT ELE81 - Fire Detection & Alarm Systems ELE 81 The first half of the course (approximately 15 hours) will focus on key regulations pertaining to fire alarm systems, including the Alberta Building Code, Canadian Electrical Code, Alberta Fire Code and various ULC standards. In the practical, hands-on portion, students will learn to wire a range of systems, from basic systems to addressable multiplex systems. Prerequisite: You must be a Journeyman Electrician, or an Electrical Technician. Hours: By Tom VanKosh C.E.T. CFAA Alberta Secretary and Education Committee Chair 4 P a g e

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