FCFP merges with Toronto counterpart

FCFP has announced it is merging with Classic Fire Protection and will operate under a new name, Classic Fire + Life Safety Inc.

LONDON-BASED FIRE PROTECTION company FCFP (formerly Forest City Fire Protection) is merging with Classic Fire Protection, a company based in Toronto, and will jointly operate under the new name Classic Fire + Life Safety, both companies announced Tuesday.

“We are both in that medium-sized fire protection contractor [category] in Ontario,” says Chris Reynolds, director of marketing on the FCFP side. “We wanted to help each other grow across Canada.”

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The conditions were right for that kind of merger. Both companies share a common ownership group in McCain Capital Partners, an investment wing of the McCain Foods empire. Plus, they are both looking to grow and expand, says Reynolds, and being a larger company with more clients tends to help attract field technicians in search of steady work.

Reynolds tells London Inc. that there are not expected to be many operational changes, and definitely no reduction in staffing. FCFP operates in London from 160 Adelaide Street South, plus additional branch offices in Southern Ontario. Two Classic Fire locations in the GTA will be merged into one office, but Reynolds says “all staff have been kept on,” and the business is looking to add additional employees.  

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“We need to be a very strong, established company so we can attract more field staff,” Reynolds says. “What we’re trying to accomplish is to be a financially secure, large company that still cares about people. We really want people to join our team.”

The merger was announced on Tuesday morning by the newly formed company, which also debuted a new logo and branding that is expected to roll-out over four to six weeks.

“Safety and people are the cornerstones of our company,” says Francois Godin, CEO of Classic Fire + Life Safety. “We’re excited about the future in part because of our strong past at FCFP and Classic but, most importantly, because of our team’s passion and strength today. The interplay between past and future seems to come through clearly in the new visual identity and signature.”

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The merger comes a year after McCain Capital Partners acquired Classic Fire Protection. In July of this year, McCain also invested in FCFP.

“MCP is the long-term, strategic partner I have been looking for,” Rick Berwick, founder and CEO of Classic, when McCain purchased the company last summer. “The commitment that MCP has made will enable continued investment in Classic’s people, products, and technology, and will further enhance our ability to deliver unparalleled solutions and service to our customers in Southern Ontario and across Canada.” Kieran Delamont