1. Ottawa
Fire Services - Wake up! get a working smoke alarm program – Signage Program
APPROVAL SERVICE DES INCENDIES D’OTTAWA – PROGRAMME
« RÉVEILLEZ-VOUS! PROCUREZ-VOUS UN DÉTECTEUR DE FUMÉE QUI FONCTIONNE - APPROBATION DU
PROGRAMME DES PANNEAUX» |
commITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve the Ottawa Fire Services sign program for the ‘Wake Up! to a Working Smoke Alarm Campaign’.
recommandation du COMITÉ
Que le Conseil approuve le programme
de signalisation du Service des incendies d’Ottawa pour la campagne «
Réveillez-vous! Procurez-vous un détecteur de fumée qui fonctionne ».
Documentation
1.
Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective
Services report dated
29 May 2006 (ACS2006-CPS-OFS-0003).
Report to/Rapport Au:
Transportation Committee
Comité des transports
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur
municipal adjoint,
Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de
protection
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Bruce Montone, Deputy Fire Chief
Ottawa Fire Services/Services des incendies
(613) 580-2424 x29420, Bruce.Montone@Ottawa.ca
That Transportation Committee recommend to Council the approval of Ottawa Fire Services sign program for the Wake Up! to a Working Smoke Alarm Campaign.
RECOMMANDATION DU
RAPPORT
Que le Comité des transports recommande au
Conseil d’approuver le programme de signalisation du Service des incendies
d’Ottawa pour la campagne « Réveillez-vous! Procurez-vous un détecteur de fumée
qui fonctionne ».
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Ottawa
has experienced a number of serious and several fatal fires in residential
units over the past few years. The most
tragic of these, was a Somerset Street residential fire in April of 2005, which
claimed the lives of five people.
The primary
objective of this new program is to take a proactive approach to educate and
reinforce to Ottawa residents the necessity of working smoke alarms, especially
in conjunction with a home fire escape plan and to ensure that residents have
the opportunity to wake up to a working smoke alarm.
The “Wake Up! Get a Working Smoke Alarm”
Program is well underway and 2005 successes to date include 12, 248 residential
units visited by firefighters (10,182 residences were in urban/suburban areas,
and 2,066 in rural areas). Of the homes
visited, a total of 8,019 residences (6,497 were in urban/suburban areas, and
1,522 in rural areas) were entered and a smoke alarm review conducted. A total of 2,153 residences received a new
smoke alarm and battery, and another 979 residences received a battery for
their smoke alarm.
The Traffic
and Parking Operations Branch, similar
to the City’s print shop, presently contracts out a portion of the sign production based on the specific requirements of a job request
including: numbers required, turnaround
time, and technical requirements of the signage (e.g., materials, number of
colours, size, accommodation of sponsor tabs, etc.). The City out sources those jobs that cannot be done in-house or
can be done more efficiently or cost effectively by an external service
provider. In the case of the Wake Up
signs, the signs would be outsourced on a quote basis. Installation will be completed by Traffic and Parking Operations Branch, who
will ensure that signs are placed so that they do not interfere with traffic
signage, traffic sightlines, underground utilities, pedestrian passage, and in compliance with municipal and
provincial regulations.
RÉSUMÉ
La Ville d’Ottawa a connu un certain nombre
d’incendies graves et plusieurs incendies mortels dans des logements au cours
des dernières années. Le plus tragique,
survenu dans une résidence de la rue Somerset au mois d’avril 2005, a coûté la
vie à cinq personnes.
Le principal objectif de ce nouveau programme est de
sensibiliser les résidents de la ville d’Ottawa à l’importance d’avoir des
détecteurs de fumée qui fonctionnent et un plan d’évacuation en cas d’incendie,
et de veiller à ce que tous les résidents de la ville puissent être réveillés
par un détecteur de fumée en cas
d’incendie.
Le
Programme « Réveillez-vous! Procurez-vous un détecteur de fumée qui fonctionne
» est bien engagé. En 2005, les pompiers ont réussi à visiter 12 248 foyers (10
182 dans les zones urbaines et suburbaines et 2 066 dans les zones rurales).
Ils ont pu entrer et examiner les détecteurs de fumée dans 8 019 domiciles en
tout (6 497 dans les zones urbaines et suburbaines et 1 522 dans les zones
rurales). Au total, 2 153 résidents se sont vu offrir un nouveau détecteur de
fumée et des piles et 979 autres ont reçu des piles pour leur détecteur de
fumée.
À l’instar des Services d’imprimerie, la Direction de
la circulation et du stationnement de la Ville confie une partie de la
production des enseignes à des sous-traitants en fonction des exigences propres
à la demande de travail, comme le nombre d’enseignes requis, les délais de
production et les exigences techniques (matériaux, nombre de couleurs, taille,
présence d’onglets « commanditaires », etc.). La Ville confie en
sous-traitance les travaux qui ne peuvent être exécutés à l’interne ou qu’un
fournisseur externe peut exécuter d’une manière plus efficace et rentable. Dans
le cas du programme « Réveillez-vous! », la production des enseignes
serait confiée en sous-traitance en fonction des prix soumis. La Direction de la
circulation et du stationnement se chargera de l’installation des enseignes, en
veillant à ce qu’elles ne constituent pas une entrave par rapport à la
signalisation routière, ne bloquent pas la vue des automobilistes et ne gênent
pas non plus les canalisations souterraines et les passages piétonniers. La
Direction veillera aussi à ce que les enseignes soient conformes aux règlements
municipaux et provinciaux.
BACKGROUND
In the 2006 Budget, Council approved an amount of $200,000 of one time Capital funding to Ottawa Fire Services to implement the Wake Up! Get a Working Smoke Alarm Program (5-year program).
At its meeting on Thursday, 12 January 2006, Emergency and Protective Services Committee (EPSC) received and endorsed Ottawa Fire Services report (ACS2006-CPS-OFS-001) on the Wake Up! Program goals and objectives, target audience, key messages, program partners, program implementation, and communications strategies. A motion to “request that the Transportation Committee consider directing ‘Traffic and Parking Operations’ to partner with the Ottawa Fire Service in the Wake Up! Campaign to install signage in local communities” was moved but tabled until a report on the internal and external costing (cost comparison) of Wake Up! public safety signs coming forward to EPSC.
An Information Report on the signage cost was received / carried by EPSC on April 13, 2006. The disposition was that the Wake Up Program item would be forwarded to the Transportation Committee for its consideration respecting a partnership between Ottawa Fire Services and Surface Operations to install signage in local communities.
The “Wake Up! Get a Working Fire Alarm” program is a 5 year proactive program targeted to residential properties in Ottawa (rental and privately-owned) involving door-to-door visits beginning with those residences that are at greatest risk of loss of life due to non-operating smoke alarms. The outreach goal is to reach 330,000 residential units over the 5 year period.
The primary objective of the program is to educate and to reinforce to Ottawa residents in multiple languages the necessity of having working smoke alarms, especially in conjunction with a home fire escape plan. A second key objective is to ensure that those residents most at risk have the opportunity to wake up to a working smoke alarm through proactive residential site visits each year and to provide a smoke alarm device and battery to those most vulnerable. A further objective, where warranted, is to prosecute those residential property owners responsible for not installing and/or maintaining working smoke alarms.
Target Audience
The target audience for the Wake Up! Program are all Ottawa residents and particularly those most at risk: the elderly, new Canadians, those living in poverty, and those who live in multi-residential units.
Communications materials have been designed in a way as to allow for the inclusion of information in many languages. Languages chosen for Year One of this Program are: Traditional Chinese; Vietnamese; Somali; and Arabic (based on the most recent census information pertaining to Ottawa demographics - languages spoken in the home).
One of the reasons for the choice of the “Wake Up!” tag line is that it has a double meaning in most of languages used in the delivery of the program. “Wake Up! Get a Working Smoke Alarm” says one needs to be aware of the safety risks of not having a functioning smoke alarm, and secondly, one can count on being woken up in the event of a fire in their residence.
DISCUSSION
Wake Up! Signs
Ottawa Fire Services ‘Wake Up!’ program signs are
important public safety messages targeting communities who are most at risk to
perish in preventable fatal fires in
Ottawa where smoke alarms are not present or are not operational. Additional criteria included:
·
parallel to the ‘Neighbourhood Watch Signs’;
·
to be placed strategically throughout the City;
·
available in the languages appropriate for that
community location;
·
in conformance
to Ottawa’s Signs By-laws;
·
a partnership
with Traffic and Parking Operations Branch on the production,
installation and maintenance of signs;
·
designed to minimize visual clutter and make use of
existing Traffic and Parking Operations Branch infrastructure; and
·
placed so that
they do not interfere with traffic signage, traffic sightlines,
underground utilities, pedestrian
passage, and in compliance with municipal and provincial regulations.
To cover the cost of the Wake-Up Program signs, Ottawa Fire Services did
some initial consultations to see if corporations would be interested in
sponsoring the program. Based on
feedback received, the entire cost of program signs can be funded through
sponsorships agreements. The proceeds
generated by the sponsorship agreements are anticipated to achieve complete
cost-recovery as well as generate substantial amounts (approximately twice the
cost of the signs). The difference will
cover the cost of providing working smoke alarms and batteries for Ottawa residents particularly those most at risk: the elderly, new Canadians, those living in
poverty, and those who live in multi-residential units. Currently agreements in principle for approximately $850,000 worth
of Wake Up! Program sponsorships of cash and in-kind services have been
finalized by Ottawa Fire Services.
Results of Signage Costing
Emergency and Protective Services Committee (EPSC) asked, prior to bringing the matter forward to Transportation Committee, that staff provide cost estimates as to how much Traffic and Parking Operations Branch would charge to do the work internally versus if it were done through a private business.
The Traffic
and Parking Operations Branch, similar
to the City’s print shop, presently contracts out a portion of the sign production based on the specific requirements of a job request
including: numbers required, turnaround
time, and technical requirements of the signage (for example, materials, number
of colours, size, accommodation of sponsor tabs, etc.). The City out sources those jobs that cannot
be done in-house or can be done more efficiently or cost effectively by an
external service provider. In the case
of the Wake Up signs, the signs would be outsourced on a quote basis. Installation will be completed by Traffic and Parking Operations Branch, who
will ensure that signs are placed so that they do not interfere with traffic
signage, traffic sightlines, underground utilities, pedestrian passage, and in compliance with municipal and
provincial regulations.
CONSULTATION
No public consultation was required. The Community and Protective Services Department (CPS) consulted with Corporate Services - Client Services & Public Info Branch (CSPI), By-law Services Branch (BLS), and the Traffic and Parking Operations Branch (TPO) in Public Works and Services Department (PWS).
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The cost of the production and installation of program signs will be
100% cost-recovered through program sponsorships revenue.
DISPOSITION
Subject to Council approval, Ottawa Fire Services in collaboration with the Traffic and Parking Operations Branch to implement the signs for the Wake Up! to a Working Smoke Alarm Program.