4. OTTAWA FIRE SERVICE- 2008 ANNUAL REPORT

RAPPORT ANNUEL DE 2008 - SERVICE DES INCENDIES D'OTTAWA

Committee Recommendation

That Council receive this report for information.

Recommandation DU Comité

Que le Conseil reçoive ce rapport aux fins d’information.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager's report, City Operations dated 17 August 2009 (ACS2009-COS-EPS-0048).

Report to/Rapport au :

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services communautaires et de protection

and Council / et au Conseil

17 August 2009 / le 17 août 2009

Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/

Directeur municipal adjoint,

City Operations/Opérations municipales 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Susan Jones, General Manager,

Emergency and Protective Services

(613) 580-2424 x25536, susan.jones@ottawa.ca

Ref N°: ACS2009-COS-EPS-0048

SUBJECT:	OTTAWA FIRE SERVICE- 2008 ANNUAL REPORT
OBJET :	Rapport annuel de 2008 - Service des incendies d'Ottawa

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That Community and Protective Services Committee and Council receive this report for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que les Services communautaires et de protection ainsi que le Conseil reçoivent ce rapport aux fins d’information.

BACKGROUND

City Council approved Recommendation 4 of the 2006 Audit of the Ottawa Fire Services Branch on May 23, 2007 as follows: “That the Ottawa Fire Services develop an annual reporting mechanism to provide Council with regular information on overall Branch performance against objectives and performance measures, including the results of all major fire events.” This report represents the first Ottawa Fire Services Annual Report to Committee and Council in order to fulfill the requirements of that recommendation.

This report is also related to ACS2009-COS-EPS-0049, which recommends the enactment of a Fire Services establishing by-law. That by-law requires an annual report to be prepared which will document Fire Services’; organizational structure, approved goals and objectives, a list of functions and services provided, and the level of service. This report represents the first annual report of the Ottawa Fire Service and will become increasingly robust and comprehensive in future iterations, as part of the Emergency and Protective Services departmental annual reporting cycle.

Deployment Model and Organizational Chart

Currently, Ottawa Fire Services is comprised of 932 Firefighting personnel, which includes 838 career firefighters, 35 in Communications Division, 36 in Fire Prevention, 10 in Training, 13 in Planning & Safety and 425 Volunteer Firefighters. The service is also supported by 38 Administrative Staff, including the Fire Chief, 3 Deputy Fire Chiefs and the Chief of Special Operations. The following organization chart details the structure of the branch:

OTTAWA FIRE SERVICES

Assets are deployed out of forty-three (43) Fire Stations strategically placed within the City of Ottawa with career firefighters staffing twenty-seven (27) stations and volunteer firefighters servicing sixteen (16) stations. Collectively, they provide service to approximately 900,000 residents across 2,796 square kilometres.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of the Ottawa Fire Services as approved by City Council on May 27, 2002 (ACS2002-EPS-FIR-0004) is to reduce or eliminate loss of life and property.

Ottawa Fire Services strives to achieve this goal by:

· Encouraging a culture of promoting public fire safety to significantly empower members of the Ottawa community to find local solutions to these challenges;

· Enhancing emergency response through use of a best-station response model; and,

· Stabilizing risk to life and property in large-scale community disasters.

In order to achieve the goal of the fire services, the following objectives have been established:

· Identify and review the fire risks of the municipality and ensure programs are in place to minimize identified risks.

· Provide an administrative process consistent with the needs of the fire services.

· To conduct fire prevention inspections upon request or complaint

· To distribute public fire safety education materials to the community including home escape planning information and encourage the use of Smoke Alarms

· Ensure that fire fighting equipment and operating personnel are available within the municipality to provide adequate response to a citizen's call within a reasonable length of time.

· Provide fire services training to an accepted standard which will ensure the continuous up‑grading of all personnel in the latest techniques of fire prevention, fire fighting and control of emergency situations and to co‑operate with other municipal fire services with respect to management training and other programs.

· Provide a maintenance program to ensure all fire protection apparatus, including allied equipment, is ready to respond to emergency calls.

· Ensure, through plan examination and inspection, that required fire protective equipment is installed and maintained within buildings,

· Ensure compliance with applicable municipal, provincial and federal fire prevention legislation, statutes, codes and regulations in respect to fire safety.

· Develop and maintain an effective public information system and educational program, with particular emphasis on school fire safety programs; and commercial, industrial and institutional staff training.

· Ensure in the event of a major catastrophe in the municipality, assistance to cope with the situation is available from outside fire services and other agencies.

· Develop and maintain a good working relationship with all federal, provincial and municipal fire services, utilities and agencies, related to the protection of life and property.

· Interact with other municipal fire services respecting the aspects of fire protection on any given program.

· Ensure these objectives are not in conflict with any other municipal services.

Service Areas & Divisional Functions

Key services as approved by City Council on May 27, 2002 (ACS2002-EPS-FIR-0004) provided are:

• Public fire safety education;
• Application of fire safety standards and enforcement, including thorough fire cause, origin and circumstance evaluations, Fire Code compliance, investigations, fire inspections and risk assessments; and,

· Effective emergency response, including fire emergency calls, fire suppression and rescue operations (e.g. water rescue and automobile extrication) and special operations, such as responding to hazardous materials’ calls and Urban Search and Rescue.

These services are provided through the following divisional functions:

• Administration & Business Services
• Communications
• Urban Fire Operations
• Rural Fire Operations
• Fire Prevention
• Training
• Planning, Safety, Maintenance & Equipment
• Special Operations

Standard of Response/Service Level

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Guidelines PFSG 04-08-12, in urban and suburban areas of a City advise that Fire Services should provide 10 fire fighters in 10 minutes 90% of the time to single family dwelling fires. This standard is intended to ensure sufficient resources are in attendance to provide fire suppression and rescue efforts as required. However, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office recognized during the development of this standard that 10 firefighters in 10 minutes, 90% of the time, may be unachievable in some rural and/or remote areas of a municipalities. Nevertheless, a municipality can still achieve the spirit and intent of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA) by compensating for its staffing limitations through enhanced public education and fire prevention activities and programs. Consequently, Ottawa Fire Services has implemented a more stringent and appropriate fire prevention program in the rural areas. It is important to note that this Public Fire Safety Guideline is based on response requirements to single-family dwellings only.

In 2008 Ottawa Fire Service carried out a review of all Level 1 Fire calls as part of the Station Location Study. Results indicated that stations in the “downtown core” area received a first vehicle response time of 5 minutes at the 90^th percentile, which generally aligned with high-risk areas. Areas of the city, which were classified as suburban and had predominantly medium risk received an initial response time of 7 minutes in the 90^th percentile and areas of the city commonly know as Rural with low risk received an initial response time of 14 minutes at the 90^th percentile. In the absence of legislated initial response time standards for Fire Services, the Ottawa Fire Services staff proposed that these historical standards of initial response be an appropriate standard to be maintained in the future.

This initial response standard (5, 7 & 14 minutes) in conjunction with the Fire Marshal’s 10 firefighters in 10 minutes 90% of the time to a single family dwelling standard was proposed as the combined “Standard of Response” in the future for the City of Ottawa.

This standard has been endorsed by the Ontario Fire Marshal and approved by City of Ottawa Council in October 2 2008 in report Ref N°: ACS2008-CPS-OFS-0001.

Performance Management Framework

Ottawa Fire Services uses statistical analysis to provide the most efficient deployment of resources. The data below provides a sample of some of the performance measures the branch tracks and reports on. Ottawa Fire Services also provides reports on performance through participation in the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative, and the Quarterly Performance Report to Council.

A series of future development triggers are utilized to continuously monitor changes or growth in all areas of the city to ensure the appropriate resources are deployed to meet the Council approved level of service as identified above. These triggers include:

· Growth: When new growth and /or development causes a response time to exceed the current standard response time.

· Construction Triggers: When completed construction in a proposed future growth area meets or exceeds 50 percent of its forecasted development and/or when the occupancy density is equivalent to or exceeds 50% of the value forecasted in an area of development zoned area for residential occupancy.

· Response Level: When response performance falls below or is forecasted to fall below the acceptable standard level, as approved by Council, of response over 15 % of the time due to call volume.

· Risk: When the risk value of future development identifies a change in service level.

· Land Use: When an significant area of the City of Ottawa experiences a major permanent change to land use that results in significant change to the risk level.

Incident Response

Ottawa Fire Services managed over 25,000 incidents of various types in 2008. Further, over 14,000 incidents required a multi-station response due to the complexity and seriousness of the fire event. The charts below outline the trends in incident response since 2003. There was a 4.27% increase in total number of incidents between 2007 and 2008.

YEAR	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
TOTAL # OF INCIDENTS	27,613	24,221	25,193	24,437	24,730	25,785
CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR		-12.28%	4.01%	-3.00%	1.20%	4.27%

YEAR	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
TOTAL # OF VEHICLE MOVEMENTS	56,954	64,237	64,891	62,247	65,955	65,674
CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR		12.79%	1.02%	-4.07%	5.96%	-0.43%

Incident Response by Type

Ottawa Fire Services tracks the incident response by type to ensure that resources are being allocated appropriately from the best location. The chart below highlights some of the more common types of response that Ottawa Fire Services attends annually.

Incident Response by Type

Ottawa Fire Services tracks the incident response by type to ensure that resources are being allocated appropriately from the best location. The chart below highlights the types of response that Ottawa Fire Services attends annually.

Response Type	2007	2008
Fire/Explosions	1,193	1,083
Overpressure Rupture /Explosion (no fire)	16	21
Pre Fire Conditions (no fire)	1,178	1,097
Unauthorized Controlled Burn	593	539
Authorized Controlled Burn Complaint	119	137
False Alarm / Alarm Equipment	4,227	4,381
False Alarms / Human	3,455	3,640
Other False Fire Calls	375	352
Hazmat Calls	538	576
Public Hazard	1,194	1,432
Vehicle Rescues	3,602	3,793
Technical Rescue	280	357
Water/Ice Rescues	75	71
Other Rescues	69	73
Respiratory, Convulsions, Seizure, Shock	1,734	1,889
Medical - Heart Attack, CPR, Stroke	545	554
Drug or Alcohol related	872	999
Cuts, Fractures, Burns, Fainted	1,050	1,135
DOA or Medical Aid not Required	771	811
Other Medical/Resuscitator Calls	1,085	1,107
Other Responses	1,816	1,745
Total Incidents	24,787	25,792
Total Vehicle Movements	64,048	65,868
Total Dollar Loss	$37,641,497	44,208,394

Staffing Levels Relative to Population Growth

Despite a 24 per cent increase in population since 1992, Ottawa Fire Services’ suppression staffing levels has remained virtually unchanged. Through the efficient reallocation of resources between stations and the proactive nature of the fire prevention program, Ottawa Fire Service has continued to provide effective services to the City while avoiding costs where possible.

Fire Fatalities

There has been a continued reduction in fire deaths in the City of Ottawa in 2008. This can be attributed to the efforts of all staff in promoting the “Wake-up, Get a Working Smoke Alarm” campaign. In addition, the Fire Suppression unit has been going door-to-door since September 2005 providing fire safety information to the public, which has been translated into 6 different languages besides English and French. Also, in May of 2007, Ottawa Fire Services, Prevention Unit partnered with Ottawa Community Housing to reduce fires in their properties by educating staff and building occupants.

Results of Major Fire Events

In 2008 Ottawa Fire Services responded to several large loss fires both commercial and residential. More detailed information on these incidents can be found at, Schedule A- 2008 Large Loss Fires, of this document.

Incident Address	Dollar Loss
1132 OLD INNES RD	$7,000,000.00
275 BANK ST	$2,000,000.00
1732 WOODWARD DR	$1,500,000.00
21 MADDEN CRT	$1,100,000.00
3191 ALBION RD S	$1,000,000.00
6 MIDLAND CRES	$1,000,000.00
3611 PADEN RD	$ 980,000.00
659 BRONSON AVE	$ 900,000.00
1500 ST LAURENT BLVD	$ 900,000.00
6125 MALAKOFF RD	$ 800,000.00
2365 GEORGINA DR	$ 750,000.00
1187 ST JEROME CRES	$ 585,000.00
617 ARC EN CIEL ST	$ 555,000.00

Future Initiatives

New Stations

At its meeting of October 22, 2008, Council approved the Fire Station Location – Phase 1 report, which outlined a methodology to assist in identifying the geographic and resource requirements of future fire stations. Kanata, Barrhaven and Orleans, were identified as the next priority areas for the growth of Ottawa Fire Services.

Ottawa Fire Services has begun building a station in Kanata in 2009 with an anticipated opening date in 2010. Land acquisition is underway for the new Barrhaven station, which is scheduled to be completed in 2011. The final growth area identified was Orleans bordered by Innes Road, Trim Road, Navan Road and Renaud Road. Ottawa Fire Services is in the initial planning stages for the new station, which has a proposed opening date of 2015.

Strategic Plan

Ottawa Fire Services has launched a strategic planning initiative. The primary objective is to develop a plan that outlines the branch’s vision, strategic direction and priorities, including the types of capabilities, training and skills that will be required to best ensure public safety in the future.

Efficiency through Technology

Ottawa Fire Services is undertaking, with its City of Ottawa partners, a pilot project to implement mobile office capability in its operations in an effort to reduce costs and improve staff efficiency. In addition Ottawa Fire Services is investigating the benefits of implementing technologies such as traffic pre-emption, in-vehicle mapping, GPS/AVL, and out-of-station vehicle dispatching to manage future growth and to improve response times throughout the City.

Conclusion

The City of Ottawa has a modern and dynamic composite fire service. Fire Services is committed to effectively managing personnel, assets, corporate standards and the emergency scene. This involves balancing competing priorities and facilitating the interaction between full-time and volunteer staff. Additional opportunities to rationalize stations, equipment and personnel and improve fire services are continually being investigated and implemented.

CONSULTATION

As this is an administrative report, no public consultation was required.

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:

There are no legal/risk management implications associated with this report.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 - Schedule A- 2008 Large Loss Fires

DISPOSITION

The Ottawa Fire Service will report back in 2010 with 2009 year-end results in accordance with the Ottawa Fire Service Establishing and Regulating By-Law.

Document 1

Schedule A- 2008 Large Loss Fires

1132 Old Innes Road 08-74036 Nov. 25/08 $7,000,000

Occupancy – Large 2 storey vehicle warehouse and maintenance shop w/ office space

Cause – Awaiting report from OFM

Effect on the Community – Temporary loss of jobs; loss of revenue; loss of revenue in surrounding businesses; fear within surrounding businesses (that fire could have spread to their homes and businesses).

275 Bank Street 08-55731 Sept. 15/08 $2,000,000

Occupancy – Mixed four storey commercial occupancy

Cause – Incendiary – awaiting report from OFM

Effect on the Community – Temporary loss of jobs; loss of revenue to businesses and surrounding businesses during fire supression; fear within community when rumour of ‘arson’ was released.

1732 Woodward Drive 08-75694 Dec. 1/08 $1,500,000

Occupancy – 10,000 sq. ft. commercial property containing a transmission company

Cause – Awaiting report from the OFM

Effect on the community – Temporary loss of jobs; revenue loss for company; revenue loss to surrounding businesses during suppression activities.

21 Madden Court 08-65285 Oct. 19/08 $1,100,000

Occupancy – 6 unit , 2 storey townhouse

Cause – Undetermined

Effect on the community – Large dollar loss to community housing; tenants of all 6 units had to be relocated / uprooted; large loss of personal items of tenants.

3191 Albion Rd. S. 08-28064 May 18/08 $1,000,000

Occupancy – 150’x60’ one storey recycling garage, plus administration building

Cause – Undetermined

Effect on the community – Slow down / delays within scrap yard; no exterior problems or effect on the community.

6 Midland Cres. 08-34490 June 13/08 $1,000,000

Occupancy – House under construction plus a fully constructed and occupied home

Cause – Undetermined

Effect on the community – Owners of home under construction (which was only 4 weeks from completion) suffered long delays and extended relocation; owners of fully constructed home had to relocate until major repairs were completed; Neighborhood fears of how fire started (arson) and were requesting more OPS presence.

3611 Paden Road 08-04475 Jan. 24/08 $980,000

Occupancy – Two storey single family home

Cause – Undetermined

Effect on the community – An all consuming fire left the occupants having to rebuild and relocate until the new home was completed; no othere community effects as the house was in a remote location.

659 Bronson Ave. 08-76692 Dec. 6/08 $900,000

Occupancy – Single storey convenience store attached to a two storey home

Cause – Awaiting report from the OFM

Effect on the community – Loss of revenue for business; loss of revenue for neighboring businesses; relocation of occupants within the two storey home; closure of one lane on Bronson Ave. for five days led to traffic jams, frustration of those living in the area and traffic confusion.

1500 St. Laurent Blvd. 08-52521 Aug. 31/08 $900,000

Occupancy – Articulated OC Transpo bus, located inside a maintenane garage

Cause – Accidental – failure of the charger module in the right rear engine compartment

Effect on the community – One bay within the maintenance garage was unusable for a short period of time, other than that no commuters were affected by the loss of the bus.

6125 Malakoff Road 08-20048 April 16/08 $800,000

Occupancy – Large barn containing machinery for a large farming operation

Cause – Accidental – spark from a grinding wheel ignited nearby combustible materials (straw)

Effect on the community – Large impact on the farming operation – revenue loss, property loss and loss of production during period without machinery; no community effect beyond the immediate farm operation.

2365 Georgina Drive 08-17850 April 5/08 $750,000

Occupancy – Single family home

Cause – Accidental – radiant heat from a 500 Watt halogen bulb igniting combustible material within the attic.

Effect on the community – Relocation of the occupants; fear within community regarding their homes and its construction.

1187 St. Jerome Cres. 08-44772 July 27/08 $585,000

Occupancy – Detached, two storey, single family home

Cause – Accidental – originated within the motor vehicle that was parked in the attached garage

Effect on the community – Public concern as house was located by a park and witnessed by many people; total rebuild for the owners; long relocation time for the occupants; major repairs required to neighbors on either side; fears within the neighborhood regarding their own cars within garages.

617 Arc en Ciel Street 08-31453 May 31/08 $555,000

Occupancy – Detached single family dwelling with an attached garage

Cause – Undetermined

Effect on the community – Relocation of occupants; large loss of belongings; fear within the community regarding their own homes.