Why is Education Important?

I’ve been in the fire alarm industry for over 25 years and for over 15 of those years I’ve been involved with the CFAA. I’ve seen a lot of changes along the way. One of the benefits of being involved with the CFAA is that I get to see a wider perspective of what’s going on in the fire alarm industry. I’ve met people involved in developing codes and standards, people who work in the development, manufacturing and marketing of fire alarm equipment, educators, executives, technicians, and almost any position in between. All of these people have their own role in the fire alarm industry and their own perspective. I appreciate that I’ve been able to learn from many of them and hear their point of view.

There aren’t many things in life, or in our industry that everyone agrees on. While all things related to fire alarm are generally less divisive than something like politics, I still see a wide range of opinions and different points of view.

One of the most divisive topics I hear about is education. I feel strongly that education is a vital part of what we do as an Association. I also feel that it’s important for the people who work in our industry to become educated in the codes and standards that govern our industry, and to learn how fire alarm systems work. Your role in the industry will shape what knowledge is most important to you, but I believe learning is important no matter what you do. I also know that not everybody feels that way. The one topic that brings this to light more than any other is continuing education.

Continuing education is a vital part of our CFAA technician registration program. Our technician registration program has been approved by AHJ’s and the inclusion of continuing education is a factor in gaining that approval. The fact that continuing education creates a burden on technicians with respect to time and costs is not lost on us. I was able to sit in on some recent presentations on our education program modernization plans. During these sessions, attendees, many of whom were technicians, were able to put questions forward in the meeting. Continuing Education was one of the most common themes. A portion of our technician base would prefer to never take any more courses. I get it, I am a registered technician myself, and am not by any means exempt from taking continuing education. However, as I mentioned, I’ve had the benefit of hearing the perspective of people from all parts of the industry. I hear about people who don’t understand products, codes and standards, documentation, you name it. I also see issues and concerns that have been brought directly to the CFAA. I hear from AHJ’s who see examples of work that is not done to the standard that we expect. I hear from building owners or managers who share the same kind of experiences. I hear horror stories from people in the industry that scare me. Anyone who has worked in the industry for very long has heard these kinds of stories. Sometimes it’s a matter of installations, testing or repairs not being done to the requirements of the standards. Sometimes it’s poor documentation, and sometimes it’s clear that the person in question just doesn’t really know what they’re doing.

How do you fix this problem? It’s not a simple answer by any means. In many cases the root cause is likely either a lack of knowledge, or a lack of ethics. I believe the best step in correcting this problem is education. Every registered technician must take the same required courses to start, but that’s really just the beginning. I ‘ve been a registered technician for a long time and was taught codes and standards that have been obsolete for a long time now. So much has changed in the time since. If I didn’t take the time to learn along the way I would be lost. To work in this industry you have to keep up with the current codes and standards. You have to keep up with the changes in technology. Much of our continuing education is geared towards this need.

Regardless, we hear from many who believe continuing education is unnecessary. In the feedback session I mentioned earlier, I saw a lot of comments against continuing education, but also comments supporting it. Those who support it see it as something that sets us apart from other occupations. The reality is that some will continue to learn because they want to. Some won’t unless they have to. When you’re dealing with life safety, I think you can make a case that being properly educated isn’t optional. Lives could depend on it.

I mentioned that the cause of something being done incorrectly could be a lack of education, or a lack of ethics. Whatever the case, education is important. Ethics can be described as doing what is right and honest, even when no one is watching. It stands to reason that in order to do what is right, you must know what the right thing is. I encourage us all to do what we can to stay educated so we can do the right things and keep people safe.