Villagers
I'm Wade Sutherland
Partner
Maltese Fire Inspections Ltd.
Swift Current, SK
What is your current job role and building code experience?
I am the co-founder and principal fire inspector for Maltese Fire Inspections Ltd established in 2013 and based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. We focus on providing fire and life safety inspections of existing buildings in small towns and for private and public entities.
Prior to this I was a career fire fighter for 28 years and retired in 2012 at the rank of captain. I received fire inspector training and certification through the fire department. Conducting fire and life safety inspections was a routine day shift task of the on-duty fire crews.
I deal mainly with the Fire Code. My primary experience with the Building Code is with Parts 3 and 9 where Division B of the Fire Code directs compliance of its acceptable solutions to be in conformance with the Building Code.
What are you passionate about outside of the office?
Over the years I’ve had various passions including fitness, motorcycles, and aviation. In recent years my wife and I have enjoyed hitching our jeep to our motorhome and hitting the road for some glamping and sightseeing.
What are the biggest challenges facing the building code industry today?
The biggest challenge from the fire code side is to actually see it applied to existing buildings in areas outside the cities. Small town citizens deserve to be just as safe and protected as their neighbors in more urban settings. Another huge challenge is shifting the long-standing apathy toward fire and life safety and the lack of budget priority for fire code compliance of existing buildings in smaller municipalities.
“Small town citizens deserve to be just as safe and protected as their neighbors in more urban settings.”
What impact do you hope to have at Kilo Lima?
Overall, to bring awareness to the dire need for fire code compliance to existing buildings in small town Saskatchewan. It has been my experience that, much too often, local authorities and buildings owners are unaware of, or turn a blind eye to, their mandated responsibilities in the Fire Safety Act. This needs to change. I am optimistic that Kilo Lima Code will be an excellent platform to mobilize that change.
