Committee
Conference Organizing Committee
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Mr. Cronk currently serves in the role of VP of Business Development at PLC Fire Safety Engineering. Mr. Cronk is an experienced Senior Fire Officer with an extensive background in industrial and municipal Fire Protection. He has held Chief Officer positions at multiple organizations and municipalities. Mr. Cronk is a member in good standing on the CSA N393 committee and is presently a member of the CNS council.
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Shahina has 19 years of experience in Nuclear Fire Protection Program and holds a Master’s Degree in Fire Protection Engineering from University of Maryland with GPA 4.0. She is currently employed at Bruce Power in Emergency & Protective Services as Fire Protection Program Manager. Previously Shahina was employed as Fire Protection Program Authority for AECL(now known as CNL), leading Fire Protection Engineers/Specialists and Fire Prevention sections, responsible fire risk mitigation, fire protection assessments (FSSA/FHA/CCR), Fire Protection Clauses of Operating License, And compliance to Codes & Standards (NBCC, NFCC, NFPAs & CSA N293/393) for AECL’s Canadian sites.
Shahina was a recipient of AECL’s Award of Excellence in 2014 for her leadership in developing and implementing a comprehensive Fire Protection program at AECL.
Shahina chairs CANDU Owners Group’s Fire Protection Semi-annual Workshops, Co-chairs WANO’s International Fire Protection Industry Working Group, holds the vice chair positions for CSA-N293 & N393 Technical Committees. and was a founding member of this conference: CNS FSEP in 2015.
sxk@epm-inc.com
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Mohit Gogna is an honours graduate from the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in the Project Management Program and has a BA from the University of Toronto. Currently, he is working as Marketing Manager for PLC Fire Safety Engineering.
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Cindy Leber is the Founder and President of Building Reports Canada (BRC). BRC provides tools for the tracking and documenting of fire and life safety inspections. BRC also provides compliance tracking to the Canadian market, including the nuclear industry. Cindy’s experience across the fire & life safety industry and design/ implementation of various workflow and management software projects, provides members with a unique perspective. Her skills as a registered Mediator and trained Negotiator contribute to her volunteer efforts, including memberships such as the ULC STP/TC: 500F1 committee (Installation, Inspection and Verification of Fire Alarm Systems) and NFPA 909/914 (Codes for the Protection of Cultural Resources and Historic Structures).
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Monica Hornof is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario, having earned her chemical engineering degree at the University of Ottawa. Monica has worked for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) since 2005. While her educational background is in chemical engineering, she has a keen interest in the legal aspects of nuclear regulation and an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the Canadian and international nuclear regulatory frameworks. In 2017, Monica earned a graduate diploma in international nuclear law from the Université de Montpellier, France.
Monica started her career in counterterrorism during which she co-authored the published paper Emergency Management Education in Canada (2004) and was the lead author on the published paper was Decontamination in the Event of a Chemical or Radiological Terrorist Attack (2006). Since January 2024, Monica has stepped into the role of Director of the Engineering Design Assessment Division. In this capacity, Monica leads a diverse group of civil, mechanical/materials and fire protection engineers to support CNSC regulatory programs related to nuclear power plants, other nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills. Previously, Monica has held various positions at the CNSC including those of Acting Regulatory Program Director leading a team of regulatory program officer and inspectors in the regulation of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (2022-23), and Lead Commission Technical Officer where she worked with the CNSC Registry and alongside independent Commission Members (2017-21).
As an advocate for gender equity in the nuclear sector, Monica was the co-founder and, until 2022, the co-chair of the CNSC’s Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Network. Monica continues to support the CNSC’s inclusion, equity and diversity initiatives through mentorship activities and by supporting activities that allow CNSC staff to come together, share experiences, and empower and learn from each other.
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Regan Geertsma is a seasoned professional in the field of Emergency Management, currently serving as a Section Manager at Bruce Power. With a robust background that spans two decades, Regan has garnered extensive experience in nuclear and emergency preparedness, having held positions at AECL, CNL, and Bruce Power. A testament to her commitment to the field, Regan is an active member of the CSA N1600 TC, which focuses on the General Requirements for Nuclear Emergency Management Programs. Further highlighting her dedication to professional development, Regan is a recent graduate of Bruce Power’s Enhanced Operational Training Program, an achievement that underscores her continuous pursuit of excellence in her domain.
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Over 34 years nuclear industry experience – with 31 years being Fire Protection Related. Currently Vice Chair of the WANO Fire Protection International Working Group. Past chairman of the INPO Fire Protection Advisory Committee (FPAC). Past Region 1 Fire protection Group Chairman and the Past Region 2 Fire Protection Group Chairman. Plant experiences include South Texas Project, Vermont Yankee, Susquehanna, and Southern Company. In addition, 5 years as the lead Fire Protection Evaluator for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). Len has been on industry assessments or INPO/WANO reviews for 48 US sites, 3 Canadian sites and one international site. 20 years of Industrial firefighting as well as residential firefighting.
He has a strong background in firefighting, fire barriers and penetrations seals, gaseous suppression, detection and all types of water based systems except water mist.
He specialize in program management and administration recovering poor performing plants and bringing programs up to excellence standards with a focus on Ownership, Relationships, Advocacy and Communication.
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Ann is a seasoned Emergency Management Officer with over a decade of experience. She currently leads the HIRA project at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. Ann also serves as an adjunct instructor for Emergency Management Ontario.
Her career highlights include coordinating municipal emergency response plans, developing SAT-based training programs, operating an event planning business, and co-chairing industry meetings. She is an active supporter of the Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness (FSEP) conference for the nuclear industry, over the years participating as a delegate, Co-Chair, and presenter.
Ann holds professional certification in Emergency Management and Business Continuity. She is known for her expertise in risk assessment, training, and coffee consumption.”
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Amer Al Merabi, Nuclear Market Leader for Canada at Jensen Hughes, is a licensed fire protection engineer in Ontario with eight years of experience in Canada. Amer has had the privilege of working for the Canadian regulator (CNSC), private consulting firms, and as well a Canadian nuclear utility (OPG). Amer holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in fire safety from Carleton University. His involvement in the industry also includes participation in several fire protection technical committees such as CSA (for N293 & N393), SFPE Performance Based Design Standard, and multiple ULC committees as well. In addition, Amer has been an instructor at Carleton University since 2019 teaching fire protection courses at the graduate level.
Amer has also been involved in many projects over the years including working on Fire Hazard Assessments, Fire Safe Shutdown Analyses, Performance-Based Designs, Fire Modeling, Audits, and Training at the majority of the Canadian Nuclear sites.
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Katie has 18 years of experience in the nuclear industry, with a diverse career that spans several areas, including Human Resources, Training, Radiation Protection, and Emergency Preparedness. Much of her career has been centred around Emergency Preparedness at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (PLNGS).
Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Brunswick and a Bachelor of Technology with a major in Emergency Management from the University of Cape Breton.
Currently, Katie serves as the Supervisor of Emergency Preparedness at PLNGS, where she plays a key role in ensuring the station’s readiness for any potential contingencies. In addition to her supervisory responsibilities, Katie is an active member of the PLNGS Joint Health and Safety Committee, NB Power Total Health Advisory Committee, NB Power Peer Support Network and Women in Nuclear (WiN) New Brunswick chapter.
Katie’s commitment to safety, her expertise in emergency management, and her broad experience across multiple facets of nuclear operations make her a valued leader and professional in the industry.
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Scott Worden has been in the fire service industry for over 26 years including his role in the Emergency Response Team at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (PLNGS). Scott held numerous positions at PLNGS including the role of Lieutenant, Captain, Platoon Chief (Response Team leader), Drill Director, Equipment Officer, Deputy Chief and to current position of Fire Chief. Scott is President of the New Brunswick Industrial Fire Chief’s Association.
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Lindsay Ranger has been in the nuclear industry for over 3 years and in fire protection for over 15. She holds the position of Fire Protection Engineer at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. She has a master’s degree in fire safety engineering from Carleton University and is currently working on finishing her PhD. She has participated on various Canadian Codes and Standards committees and has been involved with the development of several national and international fire safety design guides.
She has been the President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers National Capital Region Chapter since 2021.
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Walter has been working in the nuclear industry for 17+ years and has been working with Nuclear fire for 13+ years. During his time at OPG he has lead several fire protection projects and supported development and maintenance of the OPG Fire protection Program. Through these experiences coupled with many fire specific courses, programs, workshops and seminars he has attained a great deal of knowledge and experience.
Walter is a CSA N293 team contributor, COG fire group OPG committee member and is experienced with Codes and Standards (e.g. NBCC, NFCC, CSA N293 and various NFPAs), Fire safe shutdown assessments, fire hazard assessments, fire safety plans, code compliance reviews, alternate compliances, etc.
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Sam Zareian is a technical lead at PLC Fire Safety Engineering, bringing expertise in fire protection and code consulting, backed by a research-focused Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
With over 5 years of experience, Sam has worked on a range of projects, from small developments to large-scale multi-stakeholder initiatives across diverse sectors throughout Canada. She is highly skilled in conducting comprehensive reviews of building codes, fire codes, and accessibility standards.
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Jason Rowland has over 20 years of experience in the fire protection industry. He has a Fire Protection Technology diploma from Seneca College and a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University. Jason currently works for Troy Life & Fire Safety Ltd. as the Ontario Regional Manager.
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