Which college course counts as which CFAA course

CFAA recognises courses at sixteen education partners as equivalent to its own five technician courses, and publishes the exact course code for each. Eleven partners cover all five courses; BCIT, SAIT, Lambton, St. Clair and Sheridan cover only some, leaving gaps you buy directly from CFAA. Twelve of the sixteen are in Ontario, with BCIT in British Columbia, SAIT in Alberta and the CEGEP network in Quebec, and no approved partner at all in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Atlantic Canada or the territories.

Last updated September 2026 11 min read

Compiled from CFAA's own Approved Education Partners listing, read on 19 September 2026, and reorganised for comparison. CFAA warns that partner offerings vary, so confirm the current course code with the college before you enrol. This page is not affiliated with CFAA.

Quick answer


Partners CFAA lists	16, including its own online delivery through Orderline
Cover all five courses	11 of them
Cover only some	BCIT, SAIT, Lambton, St. Clair, Sheridan
Provinces represented	Ontario (12), British Columbia (1), Alberta (1), Quebec (1)
Provinces with no partner at all	Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and all three territories
Courses never taught by a generic college course	Courses 1 and 5, the two fire alarm specific ones

Why anyone needs this

If you are partway through a college programme, or already hold a transcript, the question that decides your whole budget is which of your existing courses CFAA will count. Get it right and you skip a $431.25 course. Get it wrong and you pay the $75 exemption review fee for an answer of no.

CFAA publishes the mapping. It is a single long page of course codes, it is not indexed by search engines, and as far as we can find nobody else has laid it out for comparison. So here it is, reorganised so you can read down a column instead of hunting through sixteen blocks.

The map, college by college

CFAA's five courses are:

Course 1, Fire Alarm System Overview
Course 2, Verbal and Written Communications
Course 3, Basic Electricity for the Fire Alarm Technician
Course 4, Life Safety Systems Electronics
Course 5, Fire Alarm System Application

Provider	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4	Course 5
CFAA Online (via Orderline)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Algonquin College, Ottawa ON	ELE8946, or ELE8727 & ELE8728	ENL1813T and ENL2019T	ELE8909 and ELE8922A	ELE8930, or ELE8935 & ELE8936	ELE8729, or ELE8727 & ELE8728
BCIT, Burnaby BC	FIRE 2081	N/A	FIRE 1051	FIRE 1053	FIRE 2083
CEGEP network, Montreal QC	CC1 (French)	CC2 (French)	CC3 (French)	CC4 (French)	CC5 (French)
Centennial College, Scarborough ON	PTFA-101	COMM-170 / 171	EET-117 and EET-116	EET-129 and EET-123	PTFA-105
CTS Canadian Career College, Barrie, North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie ON	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Durham College, Oshawa ON	SAFE 1202	COMM 1100	ELEC 1115 (covers 3 and 4)	ELEC 1115	DESG 2110
Fanshawe College, London ON	SYST-1024	SYST-COMM-1121	SYST-1138	ELNC-1111 and ELNC-3038	SYST-1027
George Brown College, Toronto ON	ELCL 9027	COMM 1017	ELCL 9068	ELNC 9115 plus exam LSSE9003 EX	ELCL 9037
Health and Safety Management College, Markham ON	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
La Cite, Ontario (French only)	029978 URG	025623 FRA	027602 TEC	027600 TEC	029979 URG
Lambton College, Sarnia ON	N/A	ENG 312-3	ELE 106-5	N/A	N/A
St. Clair College, Chatham ON	GNR 1623N	ONT 163, or COM 103	N/A	N/A	GNR 1622N
Seneca Polytechnic, Toronto ON	ALS190	PRC625	ELF190	ETR290	ALS390
Sheridan College, Brampton ON	N/A	COMM12423, or COMM70003 (distance)	ENG 12578, ENG 128359	N/A	N/A
SAIT, Calgary AB	CNTR 002	N/A	ELEC 004	ELTR 101	CNTR 003

(CFAA, Approved Education Partners, read 19 September 2026)

"N/A" does not mean you are stuck. It means that partner does not offer an equivalent, so you buy that course from CFAA directly through its storefront at $431.25 and take it online alongside your college courses. A partial partner is a discount, not a dead end.

What the map tells you that CFAA does not spell out

Courses 1 and 5 are the only fire alarm courses

Read down the columns. Course 2 is satisfied by technical writing and business communications courses: ENL1813T, COMM 1017, PRC625, ENG 312-3, COMM12423. Courses 3 and 4 are satisfied by general electrical and electronics courses: EET-117, ELEC 1115, ELF190 and ETR290, ELEC 004 and ELTR 101.

Courses 1 and 5 are different. Every single mapping for them is a fire alarm course: PTFA-101 and PTFA-105, SAFE 1202 and DESG 2110, FIRE 2081 and FIRE 2083, ALS190 and ALS390, CNTR 002 and CNTR 003. No college substitutes a generic course for either one.

That single observation explains the whole exemption policy. A licensed Canadian electrician can be exempted from Courses 2, 3 and 4 and never from 1 and 5, and now you can see why: 2, 3 and 4 are communications and electrical fundamentals that an electrician has already done, and 1 and 5 are the fire alarm content that nobody has done anywhere else.

Two colleges charge for a separate exam

George Brown appears twice in a way the others do not. Its Course 4 mapping is ELNC 9115 plus a separate exam, LSSE9003 EX, and its Course 5 course, ELCL 9037, is paired with a separate proctored "Fire Alarm Systems Exam" that George Brown sells at $100 for two hours. Its stated purpose:

This proctored exam paired with our ELCL 9037 Fire Alarm Systems course is equivalent to the Fire Alarm System Application course (Course 5) offered by the CFAA.

(George Brown, Fire Alarm Systems Exam)

Two attempts, then you repeat the course. Budget for the exam as well as the course, and do not mistake it for the CFAA registration theory exam or the practical exam. They are three different assessments.

One course code can cover two CFAA courses

Durham maps a single course, ELEC 1115 Electricity and Electronics for Fire Detection, to CFAA Courses 3 and 4 together. That is the best value mapping on the whole list if you are near Oshawa: one enrolment, two CFAA courses cleared.

The geography is lopsided

Twelve of the sixteen partners are in Ontario. BCIT covers British Columbia, SAIT covers Alberta, the CEGEP network covers Quebec in French, and La Cite covers French-language study in Ontario. Between Alberta and Quebec there is nothing: no approved partner in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or anywhere in Atlantic Canada or the territories.

If you live in one of those places, the practical route is CFAA's own online delivery through Orderline for all five courses, and then a live virtual practical exam, which CFAA offers specifically for trainees in remote areas.

Two partners bundle more than courses

CTS Canadian Career College lists not only all five courses but a Practical Skills Lab, the Registration Theory Exam and Program Placement, with CFAA noting that its programme "includes placement as fire alarm technician upon graduation." BCIT pairs its courses with hands-on training in its Electrical Training Centre labs and hosts the practical test at its Burnaby campus.

If you have no field experience and no employer, those two are worth a closer look than a bare course list suggests, because experience is the part of this credential you cannot buy.

Before you rely on any of this

CFAA puts its own warning at the top of the page, and it is a fair one:

Please ensure to review the partner website content carefully as program offerings vary from time to time. This variability may include dates, availability, as well as delivery methods.

Course codes get retired. Colleges restructure programmes. A code that CFAA listed as equivalent last year may not be running this term, and one college on this list had a course marked "not offered this term" when we checked its calendar.

Three things to do before paying anyone:

Confirm the course code is running this term, on the college's own calendar
Confirm with CFAA that the code is still accepted, in writing
If you are claiming an exemption rather than taking the course, check the exemption rules first: college, university or trade school level, minimum 36 hours, minimum 60 percent, and the $75 review fee is payable whether or not you are granted anything

Fire Alarm Academy provides educational content only. It does not confer any certification, licence or credential, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Canadian Fire Alarm Association, the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario, ULC Standards, UL Standards and Engagement, CSA Group, the Electrical Safety Authority, any authority having jurisdiction, or any manufacturer. Always work from the edition of any standard adopted by your authority having jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

Which colleges are approved to teach CFAA courses?

CFAA lists sixteen partners: its own online delivery through Orderline, Algonquin, BCIT, the CEGEP network in Montreal, Centennial, CTS Canadian Career College, Durham, Fanshawe, George Brown, Health and Safety Management College, La Cite, Lambton, St. Clair, Seneca and SAIT. Eleven cover all five courses; BCIT, SAIT, Lambton, St. Clair and Sheridan cover only some.

Which Seneca course counts as CFAA Course 1?

ALS190 Introduction To Fire Alarms. Seneca covers all five: ALS190 for Course 1, PRC625 for Course 2, ELF190 for Course 3, ETR290 for Course 4 and ALS390 for Course 5, per CFAA's approved partner listing read on 19 September 2026.

Does BCIT offer all five CFAA courses?

No. BCIT maps FIRE 2081 to Course 1, FIRE 1051 to Course 3, FIRE 1053 to Course 4 and FIRE 2083 to Course 5, and lists no equivalent for Course 2. You would take Course 2 online from CFAA directly. BCIT also hosts the CFAA practical test at its Burnaby campus.

Which Durham College course covers CFAA Courses 3 and 4?

ELEC 1115, Electricity and Electronics for Fire Detection, is mapped to both Course 3 and Course 4. Durham's other mappings are SAFE 1202 for Course 1, COMM 1100 for Course 2 and DESG 2110 for Course 5.

Are there CFAA approved colleges outside Ontario?

Three. BCIT in British Columbia, SAIT in Alberta, and the CEGEP network in Montreal for French-language study. There is no approved partner in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Atlantic Canada or the territories, so trainees there generally take all five courses online through CFAA and sit a live virtual practical exam.

Can I take CFAA courses in French?

Yes. The CEGEP network in Montreal offers CC1 to CC5 in French, and La Cite in Ontario offers all five in French only. CFAA also runs a Francophone Fire Alarm Technology Training Program.

Is a college course automatically accepted by CFAA?

Only if it is on CFAA's approved partner list under that exact course code, and CFAA warns that partner offerings vary over time. If your course is not listed, you apply for an exemption instead: college, university or trade school level, a minimum of 36 hours, a mark of 60 percent or better, and a $75 non-refundable review fee that is payable whether or not the exemption is granted.

Is Fire Alarm Academy one of these approved partners?

No, and it does not claim to be. Fire Alarm Academy is an independent educational course about how fire alarm systems work in Canada. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or accredited by CFAA, it confers no certification, and taking it does not count toward any CFAA course. This page was compiled because the mapping is genuinely useful and hard to find.

Sources

Related guides

CFAA Course Exemptions for Licensed Electricians: What You Can Skip and What It Saves

If you hold a valid Canadian electrician's licence, CFAA says you may be exempt from Courses 2, 3 and 4 of its Fire Alarm Technician Training program. Courses 1 and 5 are never exempt, for anyone. Claiming the exemption costs a one-time $75 processing fee and takes roughly $1,219 off the program, bringing a licensed electrician's total from about $3,048 to about $1,830 before tax.

What CFAA certification actually costs, itemised

Becoming a CFAA Registered Fire Alarm Technician costs roughly $2,773 before tax if you take all five courses and pay the published exam fees, or roughly $1,555 if you hold a Canadian electrician's licence and are granted exemptions from Courses 2, 3 and 4. Each course is $431.25, the proctored theory exam is $92.00, the course exemption review fee is $75.00 plus provincial tax, and the only publicly posted practical exam fee in Canada is $525.00 plus HST. CFAA does not publish its trainee registration fee or its annual renewal fee; both arrive as an invoice.

The CFAA Practical Exam: what actually happens on the day

The CFAA practical exam is a hands-on test in which you perform a complete verification inspection to CAN/ULC-S537 on a real fire alarm system and fill out the standardised verification report, one-on-one with an invigilator. CFAA describes it as a minimum two-hour test; test centres schedule two and a half to three hours. You must already hold trainee registration and have passed the theory exam at 80 percent. The only publicly posted fee in Canada is $525 plus HST, at Health and Safety Management College in Ontario. You book it by emailing practicalexams@cfaa.ca.

Fire Alarm Training in Canada: Every Option, Compared

There is no single Canadian fire alarm credential. What you need depends on which province you are working in and which task you are doing, and the credential does not travel automatically. Ontario requires "a program or course acceptable to the Fire Marshal" for annual inspections, interconnection testing and repair work, and the Ministry currently accepts two: CFAA and ECAO Certi-Fire. Alberta runs on the journeyperson electrician certificate first, with CFAA technician certification as an alternative for inspection and testing only. British Columbia names nobody province-wide, though the City of Vancouver by-law names ASTTBC. Quebec licenses contractors, not people. The routes below, association programs, college delivery of those programs, manufacturer product training, the electrician apprenticeship, and BC's assessment-based registration, are not interchangeable, and only some of them are named by any authority.