The
Road to SFPE Chapter Status
The Southern Ontario Chapter began as an
idea in the minds of several men involved in fire protection
engineering. On February 25, 1965, an application to the
national organization was made for chapter status. Before
chapter status could be granted, several problems faced the
fledging organization. Several of the promoters of the new
chapter were not members of the SFPE. Also, the chapter had
some interested potential members who were involved in fire
protection, but were not qualified to be members of the
SFPE. At this time, there was a requirement for NFPA
membership for all SFPE members. Another problem faced by
the chapter was recognition of the technical society by the
APEO.
It is worthwhile to note that chapter
members must be SFPE members. Those that did not qualify
for membership status at the birth of our chapter, went on
to form the Canadian Fire Safety Association (CFSA).
The Pro Tem Executive Committee for the
proposed Southern Ontario Chapter included Bob Beach, Bob
Allen, Leslie Estey, Gord Anderson, John Oldaker, F.
Gowland and Sam Majury. The Pro Tem team had a list of
sixteen proposed members. Correspondence went between the
proposed chapter and the nation organization for several
months. The national executive voted chapter status for the
Southern Ontario Chapter on November 14, 1965 .
On December 1st of the same year, an inaugural meeting of
the Southern Ontario Chapter was held.
The
Early Years (First 15 Years)
Since its birth, the chapter has promoted
the art and science of fire protection engineering through
seminars, meetings and other forms.
In its early years, the Southern Ontario
Chapter was a strong promoter of automatic sprinkler
protection in buildings, especially buildings with
nonambulatory residents.
The Chapter regularly hosted luncheon or
dinner meetings with guest speakers for its members. The
Chapter held and still does today, four to six of these
meetings a year. In 1974, the Constitution of the Chapter
was adopted by the members. The Constitution is the first
by-law of our Chapter.
In November of 1978, the Chapter had a
record setting attendance of eighty people at a lunch
meeting. The guest speaker discussed the Ford Parts Depot
fire in Munich, West Germany.
APEO
Grants Specialist Designation for Fire Protection Engineers
In 1974, the Chapter made application to the
APEO for a specialist designation for fire protection
engineers.
In May of 1981, the APEO adopted the
specialist designation of Fire Protection Engineer. It had
been seven years since the initial application had been
made.
The
Middle Years
Toronto hosted the November 1981 NFPA annual
meeting. The Southern Ontario Chapter organized a gala
dinner at the top of the CN Tower. The dinner was attended
by three hundred fifty conference delegates and guests. The
special protection measures in the CN Tower was the topic
of the after dinner speech.
The Southern Ontario Chapter was granted
standing to the Inquiry into Fire Safety in High-rise
Buildings. In 1982, the Chapter prepared a submission to
the inquiry and gave a verbal presentation to the
commission.
A new attendance record for lunch meetings
was set in 1983 when one hundred people attended the lunch
which featured guest speaker, Ken Moses from Protection
Mutual Insurance Company. Ken discussed the K-Mart fire
loss which had an estimated loss of 100 million dollars in
the 1982 fire.
In November 1983, the Southern Ontario
Chapter hosted a one-day seminar entitled, "Cost
Effective Fire Protection for the Architect and
Engineer". There were one hundred attendees at the
seminar. The guest speakers at the seminar decided to give
a thousand dollar contribution to the new burn centre at
Wellesley Hospital in lieu of an honorarium. The Chapter
hosted another seminar in February of 1986. This seminar
dealt with concepts and realities in the fire protection
field.
In May 1990, the Chapter revised and adopted
our Constitution By-law No. 1
The
Southern Ontario Chapter's 25th Anniversary
In November 1990, a special dinner was held
to celebrate the silver anniversary of our Chapter. The
evening program included a reception, a video entitled,
"Paradigms of Progress", speeches by past
presidents of the Chapter, plus a fabulous dinner.
The evening was well attended by many
members and their guests, including several past
presidents, and special guest Bernard A. Moyle, Ontario
Fire Marshal.
The video "Paradigms of Progress"
gave illustrations of how paradigms blocked people from
realizing the potentials of new ideas and inventions. The
video continued showing how we must recognize our own
paradigms and be prepared to change them in order to grow.
All of the past presidents in attendance at
the dinner took the podium to say a few words. In general,
the comments related to their respective years as president
and the friendships that they had developed through the Chapter.
Many old jokes and laughs were retold to the audience.
Leber/Rubes Inc. was presented with a plaque
for their involvement in the SFPE's "Corporate
100" program.
The final event of the evening was the
re-chartering of the Chapter. Walter Miller, President,
Society of Fire Protection Engineers, officially
re-chartered the Southern Ontario Chapter.
The Chapter was grateful for the support of
the following companies in helping to make the evening a
success.
- Cerberus Pyrotronics
- Leber/Rubes Inc.
- Professional Loss Control Ltd.
- Scor Reinsurance Company of Canada
- Viking Fire Protection Ltd.
On May 1991, the Southern Ontario Chapter
published a 44 page commemorative booklet of the
significant events and achievements of the past 25 years. The
booklet included many congratulatory letters, a listing of
the Board of Directors during the 25th Anniversary, a
listing of past presidents, the Southern Ontario Chapter
history, details of the25th Anniversary dinner, the 1990/91
Membership, the Constitution, and allotted space for
supporters and advertisers.
The
Last 10 Years
The 1992-1993 program saw a diversity of
topics and locations for our functions, which included
tours of the new Sick Children's Hospital and Darlington
Nuclear Generating Station with ORIMS.
The 1993/1994 program year featured a
particularly ambitious agenda of topics and speakers for
our luncheon meetings. Two speakers were imported from the
United States: one from the NFPA Research Foundation to
talk about fire test results involving flammable and
combustible liquids and the second from NFPA Fire
Investigations to give us the inside story on the World
Trade Center bombing in New York City. Three other luncheon
meetings that year featured two speakers as well. Also, in
October 1993, Tom Klem, NFPA Director of Fire
Investigations discussed the lessons learned from the World
Trade Centre Bombing.
The chapter has consistently provided
monthly luncheon meetings with technical subjects and
speakers throughout the 1990s. The program year typically
ran from September to May with meetings scheduled for the
second or third Tuesday of each month. The May luncheon
meeting also doubled as the Annual Business Meeting, as
required by our chapter constitution.
The NFPA Fall Conference was held in Toronto
in November 1994. The Southern Ontario Chapter hosted a
reception at Ontario Place for local chapter members and
visiting SFPE and NFPA members from across North America.
About 200 members and guests attended the cocktail
reception, followed by a showing of the IMAX film Fires of
Kuwait at the Cinesphere. The chapter, SFPE and ASHRAE
offered the Design and Smoke Management Systems course in
Toronto prior to the NFPA fall session.
In the fall of 1995, the Major Industrial
Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC) presented a major
three-day conference in Toronto on industrial accidents in
cooperation with eleven other organizations, one of them
being the Southern Ontario Chapter of the SFPE. It was
called PPR 95: Prevention, Preparedness & Response to
Major Industrial Accidents Involving Hazardous Substances.
The chapter and the Canadian Fire Safety Association (CFSA)
joined forces to provide relevant topics and speakers for
one entire day of technical sessions. Eight technical
sessions were arranged and presented, ranging from BLEVEs
to the environmental impact of fire fighting. Over 200
people attended this event.
On the international front, Peter Lund, SFPE
International's Executive Director, retired on February 26,
1997 after 25 years as the only executive director ever of
SFPE. The chapter joined the many other chapters of SFPE in
wishing Peter a happy retirement and also welcomed Kathleen
Almand as our new executive director of SFPE in May 1997.
The
Newsletter
The first edition of the Chapter newsletter
was released in September, 1983. The newsletter is sent to
all Chapter members to keep them informed on Chapter events
and current technical issues. Members are invited to submit
technical papers to the newsletter.
In September 1993, the dormant chapter
newsletter was reinvented by Don Keefe with the first
edition of The Ignition Source. This one-page, two-sided
newsletter went on to be published by Don for six years,
averaging three or four issues per year. It provided
chapter members with brief summaries of recent luncheon
meetings, chapter news and upcoming events. His last
edition of The Ignition Source was in April 1999. The
chapter newsletter continues to be published under the same
banner as a collective effort by the current executive
committee.
Donations
The chapter executive was always on the
lookout to support organizations that promoted the pursuit
and dissemination of knowledge in the field of fire
protection engineering.
In fall of 1993, the chapter donated $250 to
the Seneca College fire protection program and $500 to the
University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and
Engineering.
In 1995, the chapter donated $1,000 to ULC
to help sponsor their review of existing test data to
validate their Standard on Design of Structures for Fire
Resistance. Another big donation was made in May 1996 when
the chapter donated $3,500 towards the alarms laboratory
for the School of Fire Protection Technology at Seneca
College in Toronto.
In 1996, the chapter also contributed $500 towards
the SFPE's Educational and Scientific Foundation In March
1997, the chapter began a new phase in its philanthropic
tradition by establishing an annual, self-perpetuating
bursary of $300 for a student in Seneca College's fire
protection technology program. Taking advantage of a
provincial government program for matching private sector
donations, the chapter donated $1000 in 1997 followed by
another $1,000 in 1998 and 1999 to establish the necessary
trust fund to generate the bursary. This bursary commitment
was increased by $500 for each of 2000 and 2001.
The second new development in 1998 was the
first annual Southern Ontario Chapter Golf Day held in
September 1998 at Glen Eagle Golf Club in Bolton. A charity
event, the chapter managed to raise $2,500 that was donated
to the Burn Unit at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
The golfing bug seems to have taken hold as the second
annual Charity Golf Day was held in August 1999 at Cardinal
Golf Club in Newmarket. Another $2,000 was raised and
donated to the Burn Unit. By 2005, the Chapter had already
held seven (7) Charity Golf Tournaments and had raised over
$ 15,000 for the Toronto Sick Children's Burn Unit and
Children's Wish Foundation. The Chapter is currently
planning it's eighth Annual Charity Golf Tournament.
The Chapter has also assisted the Seneca
College Fire Protection Engineering Program financially
through a time of significant government
cost-cutting. The Chapter is currently partnering
with Seneca College in a fundraising event to
purchase equipment for some of the Fire Protection
Laboratories.
Participation
in Public and SFPE Policy
Ontario
Fire Code
The chapter returned to participating in
public policy in 1995 when it campaigned to be included on the
task group that developed draft regulations to incorporate
Part 4 on Flammable and Combustible Liquids into the
Ontario Fire Code. The Southern Ontario Chapter was
represented on the committee over the course of 1995-1996
by chapter Past President George Fawcett, the man
responsible for getting the chapter included in the first
place. To top it all off, George did a presentation to
chapter members on the draft regulations at the April 1996
luncheon meeting.
In 1997, the chapter was then invited by the
Fire Marshal's Office to participate on a similar task
group on the planned revisions of Part 3 on Indoor and
Outdoor Storage and Part 5 on Hazardous Processes and
Operations of the Ontario Fire Code. This task group was
formed as a result of one of 12 recommendations in a report
submitted by the Fire Marshal to the Solicitor General of
Ontario in the wake of the Plastimet fire in Hamilton in
July 1997. The chapter was represented on this committee
over the course of 1997-1998 by Don Keefe, then chapter Past
President.
ULC
Standards
In 1995, George Fawcett began representing
the SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter on UL Canada's Fire Alarm
System standards. He participates on the main S500
Committee and it's 5 Subcommittees, which include the
Installation, Verification, and Testing and Inspection
Standards for Fire Alarm Systems.
SFPE
International
The year 1998 saw two new developments in
our chapter. The first was the participation on a SFPE
International committee by a chapter member when Chapter
President Anthony Van Odyk was asked to participate on the
SFPE Membership Committee. This invitation stemmed from
Anthony attending and participating in the SFPE Annual
Meeting in 1998 on behalf of the chapter. Anthony continues
to participate on the membership committee to the present
day.
The
Web
The Southern Ontario Chapter paved its way
onto the information superhighway in 1999 by creating our
own Internet web site. The chapter web page is hosted on
the Seneca College server and can be found at http://www.senecac.on.ca/fire/sfpe.
Recently, the Executive Committee made the decision to
undertake a major upgrade to the Web Site. Our new Web Site
can be found at http://www.sfpesoc.com.
The
Southern Ontario Chapter's 35th Anniversary
In November 2000, a special dinner was held
at the Boulevard Club to celebrate the 35 th anniversary of
our Chapter. The evening program included a reception, plus
a fabulous dinner.
The evening was well attended by many
members and their guests, including several past presidents,
however our special guest and keynote speaker, Jack
Woycheese, President of SFPE International, stranded in
Chicago due to the weather.
All of the past presidents in attendance
(10) at the dinner took the podium to say a few words. In
general, the comments related to their respective years as
president and the friendships that they had developed
through the Chapter.
Leber/Rubes Inc. and Underwriter's
Laboratories of Canada were presented with a plaque for
their tremendous support in the Chapter.
The Magic Minstrel entertained the
participants into the wee hours of the morning. The Chapter
was grateful for the support of the following companies in
helping to make the evening a success.
- ARENCON
- Baxter Consulting Limited
- Canadian Automatic Sprinkler
Association
- C.H.C. & Associates
- Harding Fire Protection Systems
Company Limited
- Leber/Rubes Inc.
- Marsh Canada Limited
- Munich Reinsurance Group
- R.J. Shirer & Associates Inc.
- Seneca College of Applied Arts
& Technology
- Siemens - Cerberus Division
- SimplexGrinnell
- Starr Technical Risk
- System Sensor
- Tyco Thermal Controls - Pyrotenax
- Vipond Inc.
The 35 th anniversary celebration would not
have been such as success without the hard work and
dedication of the Executive Committee, especially Anthony
Van Odyk, who spent enormous time in organizing this event.
In 2001, the Southern Ontario Chapter
published a 44 page commemorative booklet of the
significant events and achievements of the past 35 years.
The booklet included many congratulatory letters, a listing
of the Board of Directors during the 25th Anniversary, a
listing of past presidents, the Southern Ontario Chapter
history, details of the 35th Anniversary dinner, the
2000/2001 Membership, the Constitution, and allotted space
for supporters and advertisers.
Concluding
Summary
After almost 40 years, the Southern Ontario
Chapter is alive and well. We have a well-established
tradition of technical development through our luncheon
meetings, participating in public policy, supporting
education in the field of fire protection engineering, and
donations to worthy causes and organizations related to our
field. In this new millennium, we stand poised to proceed
confidently into the 21st century, continuing to promote
the art and science of fire protection engineering.
A special thanks to all the men and women,
who have participated on the executive committee of the
Southern Ontario Chapter in the last 40 years and in
particular to their substantial contribution to the success
of the Southern Ontario Chapter.
Past
Presidents
Tenure
|
Name
|
|
1965-1967
|
Robert Beach
|
|
1967-1968
|
C.R.E. (Bob) Allen
|
|
1968-1970
|
Leslie J. Estey
|
|
1970-1972
|
John J. Oldaker
|
|
1972-1973
|
Denny H. Featherstonhaugh
|
|
1973-1976
|
A.Q. (Van) Vanderploeg
|
|
1976-1978
|
William S. Clark
|
|
1978-1980
|
Donald J. Boehmer
|
|
1980-1982
|
Allan J. Hill
|
|
1982-1984
|
Paul H. Kevill
|
|
1984-1986
|
Scott G. Aitchison
|
|
1986-1988
|
Randal Brown
|
|
1988-1990
|
Krystyna Paterson
|
|
1990-1992
|
Peter H. Rizacos
|
|
1992-1993
|
Eric Esselink
|
|
1993-1995
|
George Fawcett
|
|
1995-1997
|
Don Keefe
|
|
1997-1999
|
Anthony H.G. Van Odyk
|
|
1999-2001
|
Tom Chiang
|
|
2001-2003
|
Monwah Casey Loo
|
|
2003-2004
|
Steve Ridyard
|
|
2004-2006
|
Steve Baxter
|
|
2006-2008
|
Brian Bishop
|
|
2008-Present
|
Paul Adams
|
|
