Why I Started a Fire Protection Company | Proactive Fire Protection Inc.

Business Summary

John Truong founded Proactive Fire Protection Inc. in 2006, initially operating the company largely by himself. The business grew out of his experience in fire prevention and fire protection, including work with several municipal fire departments and in the nuclear industry, where code requirements are especially stringent.

Proactive serves building owners, property managers, and other clients with fire-protection and compliance needs. Its services include sprinkler design, fire-engineering reports, code-compliance reviews, alternative solutions, and coordination with building and fire authorities.

The company positions itself as a one-stop fire-protection service, drawing on expertise across different systems and compliance requirements rather than focusing on a single specialty.

Business Practices and Playbooks

• Weekly planning with daily reprioritization: The team plans jobs and tasks weekly, then adjusts as emergencies, client calls, or last-minute requests arise.
• End-to-end project follow-through: After on-site work, the company prepares reports and paperwork, follows up with authorities having jurisdiction and other project professionals, and updates clients on status, outstanding items, and next steps.
• One-stop service model: Proactive draws on experience with sprinklers, fire codes, compliance, and engineering to help clients identify solutions and coordinate with regulators.
• Client education and transparency: For clients facing complex requirements, the company explains steps, costs, and timelines, then handles correspondence and documentation through to submission.
• Family-business expertise: Truong describes the company as family-run. His father is a licensed sprinkler fitter with 40 years of experience, and his brother has more than 20 years of experience as a sprinkler fitter and specializes in sprinklers. The company also has an in-house fire-protection mechanical engineer—identified as Truong’s brother—licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario.
• Continuous learning: Truong advises prospective trade-business owners to keep learning, be humble about what they do not know, and tell clients when they need to research an unfamiliar issue before following up.

Differentiation and Customer Value

Proactive emphasizes understanding the overall requirements of fire and building departments, then finding an effective solution—including, where possible, a less costly one. The company also highlights its ability to develop alternative solutions and discuss code discrepancies with authorities.

One example is helping homeowners legalize basement apartments. Truong says these clients can feel overwhelmed by the requirements and may be committing their savings to the project. Proactive walks them through the process, clarifies costs and timelines, and manages paperwork and submissions. The stated value is reducing uncertainty while helping clients achieve compliance.

Operational and Safety Recommendations

• Treat staff training as essential. Building owners and property managers should ensure staff understand the fire-safety plan, current contact information, emergency notification, evacuation decisions, and how to interact with arriving firefighters.
• Train staff on alarms and building systems. Truong warns against improperly silencing an alarm system. Staff should understand alarm procedures, public-address announcements, and elevator fire-service recall procedures where relevant.
• Train staff to use extinguishers. Extinguishers are intended for an initial response, but staff need to know which extinguisher to use and how to use it. Otherwise, a small fire may grow.
• View fire protection as risk prevention, not just an expense. Truong argues that the cost of upgrades should be weighed against potential property damage, loss of life, and liability.

Growth Plans and Timelines

• One-year plan: Continue growing the client base and provide the services clients need.
• Three-year plan: Expand service capacity and take on larger-scale projects, including more work in larger commercial and industrial buildings.
• Five-year plan: Become a well-known fire-protection company and a first-choice provider for clients seeking fire-protection services.

No revenue, margin, customer-acquisition, or other numerical growth targets are stated.

Presenter and Source

John Truong, principal and fire-protection specialist at Proactive Fire Protection Inc., is the interviewee and source of the business and operational claims.