Access, recognition and evolution

Several pathways today.A profession-specific training pathway tomorrow.

Fire safety currently brings together people from technical, vocational and university education, specialized trades, and pathways based on learning and experience.

The possible creation of OPSI should not erase this reality. In an initial phase, the admission system should recognize the main education and qualifications already present in the field, as well as the experience of current practitioners.

Over the longer term, the preparatory organizations want a training program specifically designed for the profession to be developed and to become the normal pathway to a permit.

The goal is not to ask current professionals to start their education over. The goal is to progressively build a common professional pathway for future generations.

At implementation

Five main pathways.
Independent from one another.

The proposal recognizes that several credible entry pathways to the targeted activities already exist. Holding multiple diplomas or qualifications would not be required where a single recognized pathway is sufficient.

01 · COLLEGE

Fire prevention and safety

DEC 311.A0AEC JCC.07

Relevant college diplomas in fire prevention and safety would constitute a recognized pathway toward admission. Earlier versions of these programs and education officially considered equivalent could also be recognized.

Principle: a recognized diploma in fire prevention or safety provides direct access to the pathway leading to a permit.

02 · VOCATIONAL

Fire protection mechanics

DEP 5312900 h currently

DVS 5312 — Fire Protection Mechanics — would constitute a full admission pathway even if the person did not continue to a journeyperson competency certificate.

The DVS and the CCQ qualification are two separate foundations for admission.

03 · TRADE

Trade 416 qualification

Trade 416Fire-protection mechanic

A recognized complete professional qualification for trade 416 would also constitute an admission pathway, even where the person never obtained DVS 5312.

An apprentice certificate on its own would instead be considered education and experience in progress.

04 · FIRE ALARM

Fire-alarm technician

Cégep du Vieux MontréalCFAA · Courses 1 to 5

The fire-alarm course pathway currently offered by Cégep du Vieux Montréal and accredited by the Canadian Fire Alarm Association would constitute a recognized admission pathway, subject to the other professional requirements of the OPSI pathway.

This pathway could coexist with professional pathways already recognized in the sector.

View the current training

05 · ELECTRICITY

Electricians and security systems

DVS 5295 · ElectricityDVS 5296 · Security systemsOR CCQ competency certificate

DVS 5295 — Electricity —, DVS 5296 — Installation and Maintenance of Security Systems — or a valid competency certificate issued by the CCQ in the electrician trade or a relevant security-systems specialty would constitute recognized foundations for the admission pathway.

DVS 5296 notably covers installation, commissioning, maintenance and inspection of fire-alarm systems. In all cases, actual experience, autonomy and competencies acquired would remain subject to assessment before a permit is issued.

DVS 5296 — Security systems CCQ — Security systems

Disposition législative transitoire — six administrateurs fondateurs. L’article 56 de la loi proposée réserverait aux six administrateurs initiaux issus de l’organisme promoteur, justifiant chacun d’au moins 24 mois d’expérience professionnelle pertinente et 1 800 heures d’exercice effectif dans des fonctions directement liées aux activités visées, le permis unique de plein droit, sans examen, stage ni reconnaissance supplémentaire des acquis. L’expérience peut provenir d’un emploi salarié, du travail autonome ou d’un organisme public ou privé; elle est vérifiée sur pièces par l’Office. La nomination seule ne suffit pas; les administrateurs de l’Office, les remplaçants et les successeurs sont exclus. Les conditions légales impératives et les obligations professionnelles demeurent applicables. Loi, art. 56.

Transitional statutory provision — six founding directors. Section 56 of the proposed Act would grant the single permit by operation of law, without examinations, internships or additional prior-learning recognition, to the six initially designated directors from the promoting non-profit who each have at least 24 months of relevant professional experience and 1,800 hours of actual practice in duties directly related to the governed activities. The experience may be acquired as an employee, a self-employed worker or within a public or private organization, supported by documents verified by the Office. Appointment alone is insufficient; Office-appointed directors, replacements and successors are excluded. Mandatory statutory registration requirements and professional obligations remain in force. Act, s. 56.

Recognized DEC/AEC OU DEP 5312 OU recognized trade 416 qualification OU recognized fire-alarm pathway OU DVS 5295 or 5296 / relevant CCQ competency certificate OU other recognized education or experience.

Direct pathway

Eligible for the pathway.
Not automatically a member.

Recognition of a diploma or qualification would not automatically make a person a member. It would give the person access as of right to the pathway leading to a permit.

Recognized education, qualification or experienceDEC/AEC, DVS 5312, trade 416, a recognized fire-alarm pathway, relevant university education or recognition of prior learning.

Common professional components, when requiredProfessional regime, ethics, independence, competence limits, registry, classification and follow-up of non-compliances, and authentication of professional acts.

Single OPSI permitThe permit identifies the profession, not a technical specialty. Actual competence remains personal and specific to each mandate.

The common core should remain reasonable: it is intended to cover shared professional obligations that existing technical programs do not necessarily teach uniformly, not to repeat years of technical education already acquired.

Who would be a member?

The act determines professional oversight.
Not the employer or the diploma.

As a general rule, a person performing an activity reserved by section 7 would need to be a member of the Order whether working for a private firm, a municipality, a fire safety service, a public body or as a self-employed practitioner. Rights expressly preserved or recognized by law would remain applicable, including the section 9 exception for engineers and other legally authorized persons.

Member

Reserved inspection and signed report

A person employed by a private firm who performs a periodic inspection contemplated by section 8 and signs the professional report would be subject to the OPSI permit, unless another legal authorization applies.

Member

Reserved act within a public body

Being employed by a municipality or fire service would not exempt a person from the Order when that person personally performs a professional act reserved under the proposal.

Not covered for that reason alone

Exercise of a public authority

A municipal inspector who applies a by-law, requires corrective action or exercises a statutory supervisory power does not become a member for that reason alone. Section 12(1) specifies that the proposal neither grants nor removes the powers of competent authorities.

Engineers and other already authorized persons. Section 9 preserves the rights of an engineer or another person legally authorized to perform the activity. Performing an act already authorized under another regime does not require that person to become an OPSI member.

Articles 7 à 12 Article 9 Article 12

Pathway to be structured

Portable fire extinguishers.
A standardized training pathway remains to be defined.

To date, OPSI has not identified in the Québec public program directories reviewed a DVS or ACS specifically devoted to inspection and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers comparable to the pathways already identified for other areas.

The Québec government nonetheless indicates that an extinguisher should be inspected annually by a qualified person. During the initial rollout, recognition of prior learning, experience, manufacturer training and relevant technical courses — including those related to NFPA 10 — should therefore help demonstrate competence until a more standardized pathway is developed or recognized.

Source — Government of Québec

Recognition of prior learning

Competence is not limited to a diploma.

Some people have performed relevant functions for years without holding exactly one of the diplomas currently offered. The initial system must allow their prior learning, experience, certifications, qualifications and actual practice to be assessed.

Recognition of prior learning would be neither an arbitrary privilege nor automatic grandfathering: it would provide another way to demonstrate equivalent competence.

Years and functions of practiceProfessional autonomyTechnical certificationsManufacturer trainingNFPA, ULC or other trainingReports and achievementsSystems masteredTrade qualificationsWorkplace learningSupervised practiceExaminations or assessments, when necessaryOther relevant evidence

Other education

Relevant university education
could also be recognized.

Engineering, building mechanics, fire protection, building technologies, fire safety or other education involving relevant competencies could be considered in the admission pathway.

Existing professional fields remain protected. Admission to OPSI would never confer the title of engineer or the right to perform an act reserved to engineers. A person with an engineering degree who is not a member of the OIQ would remain subject to the limits of the Engineers Act.

Long-term vision

Toward a common professional pathway.

A system based on several educational pathways would be necessary to establish the profession from the current reality of the field. It is not necessarily the model desired forever.

Over the longer term, OPSI project team want to work with education and professional-system authorities to develop a program specifically designed to train future fire safety professionals.

Working hypothesis: a professional program of approximately nine months or 900 hours, with the duration and form still to be determined from a competency framework.

Regulatory frameworkCodes and standardsAlarm and detectionWater-based suppressionFixed systemsPortable extinguishersEmergency lightingEvacuationPDSIInspections and testingInterpretation of resultsProfessional reportsNon-complianceEthicsRegistryLimits of competence

The objective would not be to produce an expert in every discipline in nine months, but to provide the future professional with a common foundation, after which expertise would develop through practice, specialization and continuing education.

Proposed evolution

A transition.
Not a break.

Creating a common pathway for the future does not mean rejecting the pathways that built the profession.

Creation of the Order

Recognition of existing pathways.

relevant college diplomas;
DEP 5312;
trade 416 qualification;
relevant university education;
prior learning, experience and equivalencies.

Creation of the OPSI professional program

A profession-specific program becomes available. Other pathways can continue to result in recognition, equivalencies, exemptions or complementary requirements.

Mature system

The program specifically designed for the profession becomes the normal admission pathway for new candidates. Members already admitted retain their permits.

Creating a common pathway for the future does not mean rejecting the paths that built the profession.

1
PERMIS

Why a single permit?

The specialties overlap too much to become a list of sub-permits.

Multiplying permits by specialty would create a false impression of clean boundaries. In practice, competencies overlap and the combinations quickly become too numerous to describe properly through a series of regulatory categories.

A professional may, for example, specialize in preaction systems, which may require extensive knowledge of water-based suppression systems and the detection, releasing and alarm functions that control them, without necessarily having the expertise required to accept a mandate involving fire-water basins, tanks or fire pumps.

Conversely, a specialist in smoke and other combustion-product detectors may have extensive expertise in detection without knowing all the auxiliary functions triggered by the system or the equipment those functions control.

wet pipedry pipepreaction systemsdelugepumpsbasins / tanksstandpipesdetectionalarmauxiliary functionssmoke controlspecial systemsintegrated testingPDSI

Creating a separate permit for each area — and every possible combination — would produce a cumbersome classification that would soon become outdated as technology evolves. OPSI therefore favours a common professional permit combined with a personal duty of competence, following a principle similar to engineering: the permit recognizes membership in the profession; it does not certify mastery of every specialty.

This comparison concerns only the logic of the permit and limits of competence. It neither changes nor transfers acts legally reserved to engineers or other professions.

The permit is common. Competence remains individual and mandate-specific.

Continuing education

A profession that
keeps learning.

The continuing education regulation requires at least ten hours of eligible training each year for practising members, subject to the prescribed exemptions.

A common component

ethics;
legislative changes;
registry;
professional obligations;
new regulatory requirements.

A practice-related component

NFPA 25;
CAN/ULC-S536;
special systems;
evacuation and fire safety plans;
suppression and alarms;
other subjects relevant to the activities actually performed.

A separate regulation governs continuing education, with a minimum of ten hours per year. Eligible activities, reporting and exemptions are specified in that regulation.

Current proposal

The proposed Act is already
compatible with this model.

Section 6 of the proposal already provides for a single permit, the member’s personal responsibility for competence, and the ability to regulate programs, training, internships, examinations, competencies, equivalencies and recognition of prior learning.

Program names are not written into the constituting Act. DVS 5312, trade 416, DEC 311.A0 and AEC JCC.07 are specified in the proposed admission regulation, which can evolve more easily with education programs.

In summary

The profession does not start from zero.
Its training can evolve.

When the Order is created, it would be essential to recognize the people and pathways that have already built the field: prevention, vocational education, specialized trades, university studies and practical experience.

Over the longer term, the objective is more ambitious: to develop a training pathway specific to fire safety professionals, based on a common competency framework and recognized as the normal pathway to a permit.

Historical pathways would thus form the foundations of the profession; the new program would progressively ensure its future.

View the admission regulation

Statuts et formation proposés — v141. La formation éthique initiale serait obligatoire pour chaque nouvelle admission; les PSI en exercice suivraient au moins dix heures de formation continue par année. Le membre retraité (« PSI ret. ») ne pourrait exercer ni consulter librement le registre; son retour serait une réactivation sous conditions objectives de compétence, de cotisation et d’assurance, sans nouvelle admission initiale.

Proposed categories and training — v141. Initial ethics education would be mandatory for all new admissions; practising PSIs would complete at least ten hours of continuing education each year. A retired member (“PSI ret.”) could neither practise nor freely search the registry; returning to work would be reactivation subject to objective competency, dues and insurance requirements, without new initial admission.