Discover Schon Johnston's 20-year journey at Viking

Reading time : 5 min

October 6, 2026

For more than 20 years, Schon Johnston has built his career in the fire alarm industry, starting as a part-time warehouse and technical assistant and eventually becoming Fire Alarm Business Process Manager at Viking Fire Protection.

His career reflects more than professional growth. It is a story about teamwork, adaptability, technical expertise, and the importance of building a workplace where people can succeed together.

From the Field to Fire Alarm Leadership

Schon’s career in fire protection began shortly after high school. While initially considering a career in accounting, his experience working as a warehouse and technical assistant quickly changed his direction.

After seeing the work involved in fire alarm systems firsthand, he decided to pursue a career as a technician.

Within a few years, Schon progressed from technician to inspector, then to programming and verification. After eight years with his first company, he joined a smaller fire alarm company owned by a friend, eventually becoming a regional manager after the company was acquired.

That experience helped Schon understand what he wanted from his next professional chapter: a company whose approach to customers and employees aligned with his own values.

Joining Viking Fire Protection

In 2006, Viking Vancouver recruited Schon to join its newly established fire alarm team.

He started as a technician before moving into the office as a service manager. Over the years, he took on a variety of responsibilities and eventually became Fire Alarm Operations Manager.

In October 2025, Schon began his current role as Fire Alarm Business Process Manager, expanding his focus from a regional operation to supporting fire alarm installation across Viking’s offices throughout Canada.

Supporting Teams and Partners Across Canada

Today, Schon works with teams across the country to help strengthen and grow Viking’s fire alarm installation business.

His responsibilities include improving processes, creating greater consistency between offices, and helping teams work together more effectively with electricians, contractors, and other project partners.

At the same time, he recognizes that every region has its own challenges.

“We’re trying to streamline processes and standardize across the company as much as possible, while at the same time respecting each region’s unique challenges and ways of doing things.”

This balance is an important part of Schon’s role. Standardization can create efficiencies, but successful fire alarm projects also require teams to understand local conditions, project requirements, electrical work, codes, authorities having jurisdiction, and customer expectations.

notifier inspire series

Schon also works closely with Notifier, Viking’s manufacturing partner, helping teams navigate technical and operational challenges related to fire alarm systems.

Building a National Fire Alarm Team

One of Schon’s priorities is creating a stronger national team culture.

Rather than having individual offices face challenges on their own, he wants teams across Viking to share knowledge, experience, and solutions.

That approach reflects a simple principle that has shaped his career: “Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.”

For Schon, collaboration is not simply a workplace value. It is a practical way to solve problems in an industry where projects can involve electricians, technicians, contractors, consultants, manufacturers, customers, and authorities having jurisdiction.

Schon Johnston with members of the Viking fire alarm team (BC)

Navigating the Challenges of Today’s Fire Alarm Industry

The fire alarm industry continues to evolve, bringing new challenges for contractors and technicians.

Schon points to several areas that require ongoing attention, including supply issues, workforce availability, training, changing codes and electrical requirements, project scheduling, and increasingly complex expectations.

Roles and responsibilities can also become unclear between electricians, contractors, consultants, and fire alarm technicians. Another challenge is timing.

Fire alarm teams may be asked to provide information or complete inspections before a project is ready, creating additional pressure when critical project information or site conditions are not yet available.

The Importance of Proactive Planning

Not every challenge can be eliminated, but Schon believes teams can control how they prepare and respond.

His approach is straightforward:

Plan proactively
Set expectations early
Document communication
Prepare for changing project conditions
Focus on what the team can control

“In the end, we can’t control what others do outside of our team, but we can control how we deal with it.”

This mindset helps fire alarm teams and their project partners, including electricians and contractors, stay focused, even when project conditions change unexpectedly.

What Schon Values Most About Viking

Ask Schon what he enjoys most about his work, and the answer is immediate: the culture and the people.

Working through challenges together is rewarding, but celebrating successes together is equally important.

For Schon, this culture is also one of the biggest reasons he has stayed with Viking for two decades.

“We may have an employee number, but we’re not just a number.”

He believes employees should be able to raise concerns, share ideas, and feel that their voices are heard.

A Culture Built Around People

Schon describes his philosophy as “work to live, not live to work.”

Work is an important part of life, but it should not come at the expense of family, personal interests, and other priorities.

Over his 20 years with Viking, he has seen a consistent effort to support employees and create an environment where people can contribute to something bigger than themselves.

For him, that is what makes Viking different.

Schon Johnston with Ontario Fire Alarm Team

A night out with Schon Johnston during a visit with the Viking Ontario Fire Alarm Team.

Looking Back With Pride

When Schon reflects on his career, one of his proudest achievements is not a particular project or title.

It is seeing how the fire alarm team has grown.

The challenges faced in the early years helped shape a stronger team, and that growth has happened without losing the culture that makes the workplace enjoyable.

“The team has proven that we can enjoy success without losing our ‘soul’.”

That philosophy continues to influence how Schon approaches his role today.

Looking Ahead

With more than two decades in the fire alarm industry, Schon Johnston brings field experience, operational knowledge, and a strong commitment to teamwork to his role as Fire Alarm Business Process Manager.

His focus is not simply on improving processes. It is on helping Viking Fire Protection’s fire alarm teams across Canada work effectively with electricians and other project partners, adapt to industry changes, and deliver strong support to customers.

As fire alarm systems, codes, technologies, and project expectations continue to evolve, one thing remains constant for Schon:

The strongest teams face challenges together.