COVID 19 On-Campus Requirements

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status and provide proof that they were fully vaccinated or had an approved accommodation to engage in in-person University activities. These requirements were suspended effective May 1, 2022, but the University may reinstate them at any point.

About Queen's University

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We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

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Job Summary

a) Conducts monthly, and annual inspection and certification of the fire systems on campus as required by the Ontario Fire Code and applicable CSA Standards. This includes:
 Identification of deficiencies that require maintenance and reporting them to Facilities for follow up and repair.
 Completion of the inspection reports and documentation required by the Ontario Fire Code and applicable CSA Standards in an accurate and timely manner.
 Contacting and communicating with building occupants and users prior to testing to ensure no events or activities are disrupted by the testing. This may involve working the occupant or user to reschedule the testing to a more appropriate time.

b) Coordinate with an external fire alarm monitoring agency to facilitate their required inspections and maintenance.

c) Coordinate with external contractor and Residences Facilities for the semi-annual inspection of commercial kitchen fixed fire suppression systems

d) Conduct the annual inspection and, if applicable, maintenance on the fire extinguishers on campus. This includes:
 Assisting the Fire Safety Coordinator in maintaining an inventory of fire extinguishers on campus.
 Coordinating with external contractor for extinguisher recharging and hydrostatic testing.

e) Occasional decommissioning of equipment and materials that have been identified by departments as being surplus. When necessary, this will require consultations with the Biosafety Officer, Radiation & Laser Safety Officer and/or the Safety Technician (Hazardous Materials & Hygiene) when a more complex situation involving hazardous materials are involved in the decommissioning process.

f) Serve as a member of the University’s HAZMAT Team

g) Assist other departmental staff as required.

h) Undertake other duties as delegated in support of the unit or department.

Job Description

To fulfil your duties what knowledge, skills and specialized techniques are required? How would each be normally acquired? How long would it take to become proficient in each of the areas of your work?

-Certified Fire Alarm Technician registered in good standing with the Canadian Fire alarm Association.
-A two-year college diploma or equivalent in fire and life safety systems, electronics or instrumentation is required.
-A minimum 3 years’ experience performing fire alarm inspections, certification, and related work.
-Good working knowledge of computers for word processing, e-mail, and database management.
-Well-developed oral and written communication skills.
-The incumbent must complete appropriate WHMIS, First Aid/CPR and Transportation of Dangerous Goods training.
-A valid driver’s license is required, and the incumbent must be insurable under the University Insurance Policy by demonstrating a clean driving record.
-The incumbent must be physically capable of performing the job duties.

Is it necessary in this position to oversee the work or to instruct other staff? If so, what does this involve?

-The incumbent occasionally oversees the work of summer students, or casual staff.

What other people must you deal with in this job and why? (i.e. is there direct contact with students, teaching staff, other departments, people outside the university community)

-Direct contact with administrative staff, researchers, technicians and graduate students in every building and department at least once each year.
-Maintenance staff in Facilities will need to be contacted frequently (2-3 times weekly) to arrange for access, shut down of building utilities, etc. as required for system testing and repairs.
-There are fire alarm systems in every major building at Queen's, which translates into 99 system that require testing and inspection. Approximately 95 percent of Queen's staff and students work in these buildings.

How is your work assigned to you and how closely is your work checked by someone else?

-The fire system testing schedule is standardized in terms of when buildings are tested during the year. The schedule can then be adjusted as required by the technician in consultation with the departments and Queen’s Facilities. The technician does all work in the context of the Ontario Fire Code, CSA standards and departmental policies and procedures. The work is not checked unless the technician requests assistance or there is a query from the Fire Safety Coordinator, Facilities staff or a building user.

Are the sorts of problems encountered in this job usually covered by established procedures or do you frequently have to develop or invent solutions to problems yourself`?

-Most problems have procedures and policies established by Codes and Regulations. About 10 percent of problems require modification or development of new procedures and these will be worked out in consultation with the Fire Safety Coordinator and/or the Director because it is necessary to interpret the meaning of the Code or Regulation.

Are you involved in establishing standard procedures? (Give Examples)

-The incumbent is required to set up procedures with external contractors to ensure that extinguishers are serviced and refilled as required.
-From time to time the incumbent is required to draft decommissioning procedures which receive wide distribution. These procedures, once drafted, are reviewed and approved the Director.

What is the size of your department (i.e. # of classes for which you are involved with labs, # of students, # of staff you might come in contact with, # of technicians in department)?

Number of Clerical Staff: 0
Number of Administrative Staff: 2
Number of Technical Staff: 6
Number of Non-Technical Staff: 3

What kind of equipment or material are you responsible for? Are you solely responsible for it and what is its approximate value?

-Small tools and test equipment have a value of about $1,500.
-Shares responsibility for a half ton pickup truck up to a maximum value of $ 55,000 replacement cost.
-The Safety Technician (Fire Systems) shares the responsibility, along with all other technical staff in the department, for the maintenance and proper use of all of the equipment.

Give details of any unusual factors affecting this job? i.e. hazards, unusual working conditions, requirements for a high degree of manual dexterity etc.

-Regular testing and certification of the components of Fire Alarm systems are a requirement of the Ontario Fire Code and its associated regulations. This service is provided by the Department of Environmental Health and Safety which is separately administered from the department responsible for the regular maintenance and repair of these systems. This separation is required to minimize the effect of human error in causing these systems to malfunction.
-The job is quite strenuous and requires much climbing on ladders and into service spaces in ceilings, ventilation shafts, HVAC duct work, etc. Reasonable mechanical skills are needed to replace components, secure test equipment, etc.

Do you have any general comments about this position which may not be covered by the preceding question?

The Safety Technician (Fire Systems) must be a mature person and be able to work carefully and with great consistency. Since the life safety of the building occupants is at stake it is essential that high quality work be done at all times. The technician must be able to communicate effectively with researchers and graduate students and must have sufficient self-confidence to accept questioning and criticism from these clients.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant's accessibility needs. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at hradmin@queensu.ca.