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Home My WebLink AboutESD-016-11 Clarftwfi REPORT EMERGENCY AND FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: October 31, 2011 Resolution#: ' // By-law#: Report#: ESD-016-11 File#: Subject: Progress Report— Operational Planning: An Official Guide to Matching Resource Deployment and Risk RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report ESD-016-11 be received for information; 2. THAT Council provide direction on the staffing of Pump 1 and Pump 4; 3. THAT Council provide direction on budgeting in 2012 for a full Fire Master Plan; and 4. THAT all interested parties listed in Report ESD-016-11 be advised of Council's decision. Submitted by: Reviewed by: Gord Weir Franklin Wu, Director of Emergency Chief Administrative Officer Services/Fire Chief M B/G W CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: ESD-016-11 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) developed an evaluation tool entitled, Operational Planning:An Official Guide to Matching Resource Deployment and Risk, to help fire departments gauge resource requirements for suppression for a range of risk types within their municipality. The Operational Planning tool is part of a package of risk management tools to assist in assessing and analyzing fire risk in their community, determining their current capabilities in terms of resources, finding gaps, working out options, and developing recommendations. Exercising the Operational Planning tool supports municipalities in meeting their obligations as set out in Section 2 of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA). It also provides the OFM with a transparent means of meeting its legislative responsibilities to monitor and review municipal fire protection services and to advise fire departments and municipal councils as needed. 1.2 Based on critical tasks from the incident management system, Operational Planning:An Official Guide to Matching Resource Deployment and Risk is a tool for municipal decision-makers to use to analyze their resource needs for the levels of fire risk in their communities. It is a five-step process that offers a systematic and logical process of assessment, planning and implementation, and provides forms to assist with collecting response data, reviewing incidents, identifying fire suppression gaps, and developing options and recommendations for Council consideration. 1.3 STEP 1: Assessing Fire Risks within the Community • Understand the OFM Fire Progression Curve to assess risk; • Complete a comprehensive risk assessment; and • Categorize community fire risks. 1.4 STEP 2: Collecting Call Data • Collect response data for all fire calls to identify current capabilities; and • Data collected includes responding apparatus, number of firefighters, time dispatched, response time, and accumulated number of firefighters on scene. 1.5 STEP 3: Identify Gaps in Fire Suppression Capabilities • Determine whether responses to actual fire calls correspond to the staffing ranges in the Critical Task Matrix for each risk level; • Identify potential gaps in the fire suppression capabilities of the fire department to respond to fires at low, moderate, high and extreme risk levels; and • Identify potential gaps (and the need to preplan for them) in the fire suppression capabilities of the fire department for all occupancies/locations. REPORT NO.: ESD-016-11 PAGE 3 1.6 STEP 4: Developing Options and Recommendations for Identified Gaps in Fire Suppression Capabilities • Summarize identified gaps in fire suppression capabilities; and • Develop options to close each gap, and select an option to recommend to Council. 1.7 STEP 5: Report to Council • Report to Council a summary of community risks, current capabilities and fire suppression gaps while providing options and recommendations for Council's consideration. 1.8 In 2004, Dillion Consultants prepared a study that reviewed the operations of Clarington's Emergency and Fire Services and set key objectives for the Department to develop and evolve. In 2008, Dillion Consultants prepared a Emergency and Fire Services Fire Master Plan Update that documented issues facing the Department as it looked ahead to the future. 2.0 COMMENTS 2.1 On March 31, 2011 Inspector Reid was seconded from regular duties to facilitate the Operational Planning tool exercise. To date Inspectors Reid's work has included: • Determining Clarington's building stock data; • Categorizing the building stock using the Ontario Building Code (OBC); • Categorize community fire risks; • Collecting response data for fire calls, dating back to 2008; • Determine whether responses to actual fire calls correspond to the staffing ranges in the Critical Task Matrix for each risk level. 2.2 Before reporting to Council on the Operational Planning tool exercise staff will: • Identify potential gaps in the fire suppression capabilities of the fire department to respond to fires at low, moderate, high and extreme risk levels; • Identify potential gaps (and the need to preplan for them) in the fire suppression capabilities of the fire department for all occupancies/locations. • Summarize identified gaps in fire suppression capabilities; and • Develop options to close each gap, and select an option to recommend to Council. 2.3 The Emergency and Fire Services governing by-law 07-134 states fire suppression services shall be delivered in both an offensive and defensive mode and shall include search and rescue operations, forcible entry, ventilation, protecting exposures, salvage and overhaul as appropriate. REPORT NO.: ESD-016-11 PAGE 4 2.4 Emergency and Fire Services compliment of fire suppression staff includes: • 25 volunteer firefighters at Station 1, Bowmanville • 25 volunteer firefighters at Station 2, Newcastle • 25 volunteer firefighters at Station 3, Orono • 25 volunteer firefighters at Station 4, Courtice • 25 volunteer firefighters at Station 5, Enniskillen • 48 full-time firefighters between Station 1, Bowmanville and Station 4, Courtice 24/7. The Department's 48 firefighters are spread over 4 platoons, 12 firefighters per platoon. To accommodate vacation, lieu days and education days 3 firefighters are permitted to schedule time off-duty. The minimum compliment of fulltime firefighters before overtime is called in is 6 per platoon. Each platoon has 1 dispatcher. 3.0 CONCURRENCE: Not Applicable 4.0 RECOMMENDATION 4.1 The Department when possible and staffing levels permit, will assign five firefighters to Pump 1 (Bowmanville) and 5 firefighters to Pump 4 (Courtice) in the following manner; the minimum staffing level will remain 6 firefighters and 1 dispatcher. On-Duty Off-Duty Firefighters Pump 1 Pump 4 SCAT Truck Firefighters (excluding Bowmanville Courtice Bowmanville dispatchers) 12 5 5 2 0 11 4 5 2 1 10 5 5 0 2 9 5 4 0 3 8 4 4 0 4 7 4 3 0 5 6 3 3 0 6 Less than 6 firefighters on-duty would require overtime staff Assigning 5 firefighters to Pump 1 and Pump 4 respectively provides for vacation, lieu days, education days and should allow each vehicle to respond with 4 firefighters inclusive of an officer. REPORT NO.: ESD-016-11 PAGE 5 4.2 The Department budget in 2012 for a full Fire Master Plan addressing service delivery, staffing, station locations, etc. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Staff will continue to work to provide a report to Council summarizing community risks, current fire suppression capabilities while providing options and recommendations for Council's consideration. CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the following priorities of the Strategic Plan: _ Promoting economic development X Maintaining financial stability Connecting Clarington Promoting green initiatives Investing in infrastructure _ Showcasing our community Not in conformity with Strategic Plan Staff Contact: Gord Weir, Director of Emergency Services/Fire Chief List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: Dan Worrall, President Clarington Professional Firefighters Association