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Career Path Stories - Ryan Sundine
Q&A with Ryan Sundine, Level 3 Fire Alarm Inspection Technician
At Performance Systems Integration (PSI), every team member has taken a different path that has led them to the fire and life safety industry. Career Path Stories features PSI team members sharing their professional journeys and how they arrived at their chosen career.
Ryan Sundine is a Level 3 Fire Alarm Inspection Technician at Performance Systems Integration in Portland, Oregon. Initially, with limited experience in the fire and life industry, Ryan gained skills quickly and was able to obtain his NICET II in testing and inspection directly after his 2-year anniversary with PSI.
Ryan’s timeline with PSI:
- June 2022: Hire date as a summer temp
- December 2022: Converted to official Trainee
- March 2023: Passed the AFAA Alarm I&T program
- March 2023: Passed NICET I Certification (issued August 2023)
- June 2023: Graduated Dev Tech list
- December 2023: Passed T&I NICET II (issued June 2024)
What led you to the fire and life safety industry?
I had a similar experience as a lot of my other team members—we were doing something completely different before starting fire and life safety. I came from car sales. I had gained some mechanical knowledge and found that I really liked to work with my hands.
Once I started learning about fire alarms working as a summer temp with PSI, I found I really liked it. I was able to quickly develop my skills and work on things I really cared about.
I love the challenges, and I’ve learned so much doing the job. I also enjoy working with technology, so inspecting and testing modern fire alarm panels is very satisfying.
I love that the fire and life safety industry has so many opportunities for every type of person to succeed quickly and find the right career fit for them.
What training and certifications have marked your development?
Getting my NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) certification is what really helped my career take off. I took the test as soon as I felt ready and was able. Then completing the NICET II just nine months later was a huge stepping stone and freed me to be able to work in Washington and other states as well. That opens a lot of opportunities for growth and career advancement.
How were you able to get your NICET II certification so quickly?
I must give credit to my teammates and manager at PSI for that. My manager was really pushing me to get my NICETs. His encouragement, along with a lot of my colleagues working toward their NICETs, was what I needed to see it through.
Some technicians may think the NICET certifications aren’t necessary, but as far as actually understanding code and what my job entails, having those NICETs have really taught me a lot.
How have mentors contributed to your growth?
Having a good mentor and supportive teammates at PSI has been amazing. Several senior people have made themselves available to me to ask questions and provide guidance. This is especially helpful and important in this industry because you can feel confident in your skills, but then you find yourself in front of an older fire alarm panel that's not part of your knowledge base. So having that support and access to knowledgeable people is fantastic.
What skills have you developed working in your position?
I have developed both my customer service skills and mechanical skills. In the technician role, you are the frontline for the business need to communicate effectively with customers. And you also need mechanical knowledge. Those two requirements don’t usually go hand in hand in a lot of roles. That’s another reason I thought I'd be good in this industry—I have developed both of those skills together.
Are there any aspects of the company culture that have been pivotal for your growth?
I’m a big fan of the overall stress-free, supportive, and respectful environment at PSI. We are allowed to be our own managers for the most part. As long as we’re performing as expected, we’re given the freedom, trust, and respect to do what we need to do. That company culture is key, and it will keep at PSI for a very long time.
How have you taken advantage of the development opportunities offered by the company?
Getting support for my NICET certifications and then the bonuses once the certificates were issued was fantastic. The $2000 bonus offered by PSI for the NICET certifications is a great incentive for growth.
What are your next career goals? How do you plan to achieve them within the company?
My original goal was to get into inspections and see how I felt with possibly looking into an apprenticeship to master service and installation. But because I enjoy the inspection side so much, I haven’t moved toward an apprenticeship.
I feel like I'm a good fit for inspections, so I want to explore what more I can do on the inspection side. I intend to branch out a bit to another department with DAS (Distributed Antennae System) testing. I’ve been working with the manager of that department to begin the training. I am also interested in increasing my fire sprinkler knowledge and would eventually like to assist with sprinkler inspections.
Want to learn more about the opportunities at PSI?
Contact careers@PSIntegrated.com if you have any questions or comments regarding career opportunities.
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