At our recent Annual General Meeting, I had the honor of being officially elected for my second term as President of the Canadian Fire Alarm Association. The past year has often been busy, sometimes challenging, but has always been very rewarding.

Over the last year I’ve had the privilege of attending CFAA events in several areas of the country. From our AGM in Jordan, Ontario, to the Canadian Fire Engineering Summit in Vaughan last fall, the Annual Technical Seminars in Manitoba, Alberta, and the first Atlantic Canada Technical Seminar in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, it was an eventful year.

Each one of these events had its own unique purpose and atmosphere, and they were all fantastic. Aside from our AGM, these events had a focus on learning. Learning will always be important in our industry. Codes and Standards, products and technology are always changing. These meetings or seminars are a great opportunity to learn what’s new or coming in our industry. The fire alarm industry is very much guided by Codes and Standards. Staying informed and educated is incredibly important to be able to do our jobs correctly. Sometimes though, the things you learn aren’t what you appreciate the most from attending a seminar.

One of the things I enjoy the most about these events is the people. In our day jobs, a lot of us are surrounded by fire alarm industry people. After all, that’s the business we’re in. Attending these seminars gives us the chance to meet people outside of our day-to-day environment. The term “networking” is maybe over-used at times, but these events are a great atmosphere to make connections with people in our industry. No matter what your role is and how you’re connected to the fire alarm industry, I guarantee you can meet somebody you could learn from. From a professional standpoint, it’s valuable to make connections with people to share knowledge with or call on somewhere down the road. From a personal perspective, its good to be able to socialize with people who share a common passion for the fire alarm industry. These conversations and connections can be invaluable. As much as we’ve become accustomed to meeting virtually, there is value in meeting somebody face to face that two monitors can’t replicate. Aside from that, it’s great to witness firsthand, people coming away with knowledge and connections they’ve made with other people. I can’t explain how rewarding it was to help bring an ATS to Atlantic Canada and meet new people who are experiencing that atmosphere for the first time.

I’ll admit that I’m very fortunate to be in the role I’m in and to have these experiences. The reason I wanted to share this message is to encourage people to experience this if you have the chance. We hold Annual Technical Seminars across the country annually. You can check out the schedule on the CFAA website. Aside from our seminars or other industry events, there are other ways to get involved. The CFAA has Provincial chapters in most areas of the country. These chapters typically meet monthly either in person or virtually to discuss local issues and to help work towards the CFAA’s common goals. The chapters welcome new participants to get involved.

The CFAA also has several standing committees that can always use people who want to participate and contribute. These committees meet virtually, usually monthly. Committees include Codes and Standards, Education, Governance, Industry Affairs, Revitalization and Membership, Marketing, and the Technician’s Committee. These committees or chapters are a great way to introduce yourself to the CFAA and can be an avenue to become a national board member.

There are a lot of ways that you can get involved and be a part of the CFAA community. I admit to being biased, but I would encourage anybody to do so. My first experience was a chapter meeting almost 20 years ago. I couldn’t help but want to be involved and to contribute. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of great people along the way who share a common goal to make this industry and the country we live in a better, safer place. I’d like to think I’ve helped to make a difference. I believe if this message speaks to you, that you can too. If you want to get involved in a committee or chapter, get in touch with us through the “contact us” section on our website. If I’m lucky enough, maybe I’ll get to meet you someday.