As the son of a firefighter, Craig Sider has always been interested in fire protection. But while he admired his dad’s role first as a volunteer and then as a career firefighter in southern Ontario, Craig knew that the emergency medical services (EMS) element of the job wasn’t for him. So when the time came to pick a major and plan a career path, he decided to attend Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, which is known for its fire protection engineering technology program.
After graduating in 2013, Craig moved to New Hampshire and began working as a sprinkler designer. In January he joined the team at Harrington Group as a fire protection consultant, and while he has always enjoyed the problem-solving components of sprinkler design, Craig said he’s looking forward to branching out into fire alarm, smoke control and performance-based design.
“I like that each job is different. Even if two buildings are similar from the outside, they’ll always have different inside features and needs, so there’s endless variety in what you do,” he said. “It’s really rewarding when you get onto the path of solving the complex problems, and things start clicking into place and coming together.”
Craig is currently enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University’s fire prevention and safety technology program, and he plans to sit for the PE in a few years. He works from home in Nashua, and when he isn’t on the job or studying he spends as much time outdoors as possible, whether it’s playing rugby, skiing, running or mountain biking.