HomeYour Executive Committee

Southern Ontario Chapter

The Southern Ontario Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers is chartered by The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).

Contact Us

General inquiries to info@sfpesoc.com.
Membership, Program ideas, money questions, membership inquiries, can be directed to the Executive members listed below.

Meet Our 2025/2026 Executive Committee

President

Responsible for leading the Executive Committee in achieving our Chapter goals for the season

Matthew McDonald, Chapter President

president@sfpesoc.com

Matt specializes in the area of fire and life safety consulting. His educational credentials include a Fire Protection Engineering Technologist Diploma from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology. He has been employed by ARENCON Inc., a specialty consulting group assisting clients in the area of Codes, fire safety and design, since February 2018.

Matt is a member of OACETT and is working towards certification with OACETT to become a Certified Engineering Technologist.

Matt’s project experience as a fire protection consultant includes Code compliance assessments and fire safety and evacuation planning.

Prior to employment with ARENCON Inc., Matt was enrolled in the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program at Seneca College where he received training in Building and Fire Codes, various NFPA standards, fire dynamics, sprinkler, fire pumps, fire alarm and chemical extinguishing system design.

Matt received the 2016 and 2017 Society of Fire Protection Engineers Southern Ontario Chapter (SFPESOC) Thomas Chiang Award, the 2017 Fire Suppression Systems Association (FSSA) Scholarship, and the 2017 Legacy Fire Award recognizing both educational and community involvement as well as maintaining high levels of success in his studies.

While attending Seneca Polytechnic, Matt was the Treasurer and Vice President of the Fire Protection Student Association (FPSA) and was an active volunteer where he assisted in organizing events.

Matt had the opportunity to work at Homestead Land Holdings Limited during his co-op work term where he performed monthly inspections for their high-rise apartment buildings.

Vice President (Program)

Responsible for leading the development of our Chapter's Program of events for the season

Vice President (Membership)

Responsible for assisting with Membership enrolment, renewal, and other similar inquiries

Bishoy N. Awad, First Vice President & Program Chair

program@sfpesoc.com

Dr. Bishoy N. Awad is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer at Fire & Risk Alliance, LLC. Holding a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from McMaster University, his academic focus centred on fluid modelling and the development of numerical models for enhanced computational efficiency. Complementing his doctorate, Dr. Awad also holds a master's and bachelor's degree in civil engineering, specializing in water engineering and computational fluid dynamics.

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the Fire Protection domain across North America and the Middle East, Dr. Awad has emerged as a key player in designing, managing, and testing diverse fire protection systems for various structures. His specialized knowledge extends to the design of fire pumps and the creation of alternative solutions tailored to meet the unique requirements of each building. His expertise further encompasses building and fire code consultation, involving the assessment of existing building conditions and the provision of innovative solutions for storage protection in warehouses.

Dr. Awad currently focuses on computer modelling and risk assessment for Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), conducting CFD simulations of fire scenarios to develop hazard mitigation analyses and community risk assessments.

An active contributor to professional organizations, Dr. Awad is an SFPE Professional Member and serves on the SFPE RTM committee, specifically the Existing Building Task Group, contributing to the development of the Existing Building Guide. Additionally, he serves as a ULC-S1001 Integrated Testing Coordinator (ITC).

Cathy Shen, Second Vice President & Membership Chair

membership@sfpesoc.com

Cathy Shen has served on SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter's Executive Committee since 2019.

Cathy has over 20 years of experience in the fire protection industry and is currently a Senior Associate and Project Manager at LRI Engineering Inc. Cathy is a Certified CFAA Technician with experience in audit, design, construction site management and commissioning of the fire alarm and fire protection system retrofits and new constructions, building's life safety and smoke management system assessment, building and fire code consulting.

Ms. Shen works as a project manager on a variety of projects involving fire alarm system and fire suppression system design, tender, construction site management and commissioning tests. Cathy is also a ULC Certified ULC-S1001 Integrated Systems Testing Coordinator for fire protection and life safety systems.

Ms. Shen is a graduate of Fire Alarm Technician program and Fire Sprinkler System Design program at Seneca Polytechnic. Prior to these studies, Cathy also completed Computer Programming Diploma at Seneca Polytechnic and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree from East China University in Shanghai, China. Ms. Shen was a certified Professional Engineer in Beijing, China, specializing in industrial clean room HVAC systems design.

Treasurer

Responsible for monetary transactions and providing updates on the Chapter's financial status

Secretary

Responsible for keeping meeting minutes for Executive meetings and organizing documentation for the Chapter

Immediate Past President

Held the SFPE SOC President position immediately prior to our current President

Frank Cina, Treasurer

treasurer@sfpesoc.com

Frank is a graduate of the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic and is also a graduate from the University of Cincinnati where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology. He also holds a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation, Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation and is a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS).

Frank began his career in fire protection at Statewide Fire Protection in Las Vegas, NV performing fire sprinkler design and project management for a variety of commercial buildings.

Frank then moved back to Canada and started his insurance and risk management career with Economical Insurance where he was a risk services consultant for 11 years looking at a large variety of commercial risks.

Mr. Cina then made the move to Northbridge Insurance in 2018 taking a role as senior risk services consultant and is currently the Manager of the Ontario & Atlantic Property and Casualty Risk Services team at Northbridge, a position he has held since 2019.

Jesse Tracey, Secretary

secretary@sfpesoc.com

Jesse Tracey is an Assistant Project Manager at Matteo Gilfillan and Associates Inc. (MGA). He joined MGA in November 2021, with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University).

In his role at MGA, he provides managerial support to clients and staff, ensuring professional and quality consulting on various projects which include building design and analysis, Ontario Building Code report preparation, alternative solution proposals, and building and Fire Code inspections / audits.

Jesse is also a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (EIT), and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Southern Ontario Chapter.

Christopher Mastro, Immediate Past President

pastpresident@sfpesoc.com

Chris has served on the SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter’s Executive Committee since 2017.

Chris began his insurance and risk management career in 2008 with Northbridge Insurance as a risk consultant conducting risk assessments and developing risk mitigation solutions. He is currently the Risk Services Director at Northbridge for Property and Casualty.

Chris is a graduate of the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati. He also holds his Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) and his Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designations.

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Derek Gruchy, Member-at-Large

Derek has served on the SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter’s Executive Committee since 2016. He has been an active SFPE member, since 2002, participating in this Chapter, as well as the National Capital Region Chapter. He has served as Treasurer, Membership Chair, Program Chair, President, and now is a Past President of our Chapter.

Derek has been involved in the fire industry since 2002, and is currently the Program Coordinator for the School of Fire Protection Engineering Technology at Seneca Polytechnic. Derek is a Certified Engineering Technologist with experience in human behaviour during fire emergencies, life safety analysis, exposure risk determination, building and fire code interpretation, and suppression system designs.

Mr. Gruchy specializes in the areas of Human Behaviour During Fire Emergencies, Fire Dynamics and Explosions and also teaches Water Supplies, Fire Pumps, Fire Modelling, Combustion Chemistry, Fire Code and Fire Protection Fundamentals. He has experience in life safety systems commissioning, suppression system designs, performing building inspections and the application of provincial and national fire and building codes, occupant load, and exit capacity calculations.

Mr. Gruchy was the first graduate of Carleton University’s Fire Safety Engineering program, obtaining his Master’s. Derek’s thesis was on “Occupant Behaviour During Fire Emergencies”. His findings were used in the CUrisk model as well as marineEXODUS to better predict and model occupant behaviour. Previous to these studies, Derek also completed a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree (specializing in Computer Integrated Manufacturing) from Carleton University.

Derek also has research experience determining the impact of smoke levels on occupant evacuation capability (performed as part of his thesis, using volunteers from the general public). He has also done research regarding combustion properties for various materials (performed using Seneca Polytechnic's cone calorimeter).

As part of the hands-on experience at Seneca Polytechnic, Derek also leads the live fire demonstrations for students in various courses so that graduates have a true understanding of where Code and standard regulations are derived from.

He has been recognized by SFPE International with the Spotlight Award, as well as OACETT with a Fellow recognition and Outstanding Educator Award.

Mario Cannataro, Member-at-Large

Mario is currently a Senior Risk Engineering Consultant with Sovereign General Insurance Company and has worked for various insurance carriers for the last 15 years.

He graduated from the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic in 2008 and prior to that, worked in the trades for 6 years as a licensed gas and sprinkler fitter. This trade experience has allowed him to specialize and excel in the contracting and construction sectors while strengthening his skills in the commercial and industrial sectors.

Mike Clouthier

With over 30 years of experience in Fire Protection, Mike Clouthier is a seasoned professional in sales and operations, specializing in fire alarm, sprinkler, and special hazards for both Fortune 500 manufacturers and service companies. Demonstrating a strong commitment to the field, Mike actively engages with the Canadian Fire Alarm Association and sits on the Industry Affairs Committee.

Mike sits on the Board of Directors for both the Canadian Fire Safety Association (CFSA), the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) and is an active member on the UL technical committee 1642 on lithium-ion battery safety.

Joining Honeywell in 2019, Mike currently serves as their Canadian Business Development Manager (Demand Generation) and is the Lead of Industry Affairs in Canada.

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Member-at-Large

Non-officer role within Executive Committee, supporting Sub-committees and Chapter Initiatives

Stanis Yu, Member-at-Large

Stanis has served on SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter's Executive Committee since 2006 and is a 2022 recipient of SFPE International's Hats Off Award (now the Spotlight Award) for his exemplary service to the Society. During his tenure, he has held several Chapter leadership positions including Treasurer, Membership Chair, Program Chair, President, and Past President. He is currently serving as a Member-at-Large.

Stanis is a Senior Project Handler at UL Solutions in the Built Environment Division. He has been evaluating building materials and systems for their reaction to fire and fire resistive properties since 2002. Stanis also represents UL Solutions on technical committees of ULC standards.

Stanis is a graduate of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry.

Paul Johnston

Paul has served on SFPE Southern Ontario Chapter's Executive Committee since 2008. He is a graduate of the Fire Protection Engineering Technology program at Seneca Polytechnic and has over 35 years of experience regarding insurance risk engineering. He is currently the Manager in the Risk Management / Loss Control Department for Wawanesa Insurance, and was formerly the Manager in the GTA at Aviva Canada.

Paul is a Certified Engineering Technologist, and has also attained his CRM (Canadian Risk Management) and CIP (Chartered Insurance Professional) designations.

Aside from various management duties, Paul also works on a variety of risks involving building surveys with the application of various Standards, and Provincial and National fire and building codes.

TBD, Member-at-Large