Frequency of Inspections
Properties which have been identified
through needs analysis to be of particular concern may warrant
periodic inspections. Frequency of inspection is an important
issue for periodic inspections and can affect the level of safety
of inspected properties. Routine inspections, when conducted,
should be conducted at a frequency that will adequately re-enforce
to the owners of properties their responsibility for ensuring
that their properties are constructed and maintained in a safe
condition.
The purpose of inspections is to determine
if owners are fulfilling their responsibilities. An inspection
by the fire department does not alleviate the owner of their responsibility
to maintain a fire safe property. The occupants should not have
to rely on an inspection by the fire department in order for their
property to be fire safe!
A frequency should be established as
a target when planning an Inspection Program. This should be evaluated
during the Program implementation and adjusted accordingly. Property
owners who demonstrate that they maintain their properties may
be inspected less frequently, or perhaps be started on a self-inspection
program.
Frequency may be adjusted for specific
properties, inspecting some every year and others every two years,
for example, depending upon the relative risk and any other pertinent
factors.
Establishing a frequency for inspection
is not relevant for many types of inspections, such as complaints
or new construction.
2.3.2. Development and Implementation
A fire department has to take the appropriate
steps to create an effective response to fire safety issues confronting
the community. In this section, guidance is provided to assist
fire departments to develop and implement selected inspection
programs. It is during this phase that all of the supports, operational
procedures and other related material necessary to conduct the
selected programs, should be developed.
It is important that all selected programs
are fully developed prior to implementation. This will ensure
that every issue has been addressed adequately to make the program
as effective as possible.
For more specific information regarding
the conduct of code enforcement inspections, refer to the Fire
Safety Inspection And Enforcement Guide which is available
from the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Issues of authority and responsibility
should be made clear to all fire department personnel involved
in an inspection program. Responsibility for complying with fire
safety legislation rests with the owner of the property. The law
requires owners to make their premises fire safe and to maintain
them accordingly. The purpose of an inspection is to determine
if a property is fire safe, and to take appropriate action if
it is not. It is an offence when an owner does not comply with
provincial legislation. A fire department may choose not
to prosecute an owner for a noted violation if it is more appropriate
to allow the owner time to correct the situation. Due to the nature
of these issues, it is important to establish a policy on how
to address noted violations.
It is necessary to plan an inspection
program carefully so that it is effective. Prior to implementing
any inspection program, the following should be taken into consideration
and the appropriate policies and operating guidelines created.
There must be sufficient number of adequately trained staff available to carry out the duties required. These duties include field activities associated with the selected programs, as well as supervisory (directing, monitoring, and evaluating), clerical and support functions.
More staff may be needed to deliver
a program or additional training required. If a program's objectives
cannot be met with the available resources, it may be appropriate
to modify the program (e.g. change the frequency or method of
inspection) or enhance the resources available through training
or assigning additional staff. Alternatively, a different program,
such as a Public Safety Education Program, may be needed to achieve
the desired objectives.
Remember to keep thorough records.
2.4 PUBLIC SAFETY EDUCATION
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2.4.1. Selection
Description
Public safety education is a vital component
of any effective fire prevention strategy. Public safety education
involves raising the public's awareness and knowledge to improve
the level of fire safety in the community. Education has the potential
to increase the knowledge of occupants to lead to prompt and appropriate
reactions in a fire situation.
Achieving this level of knowledge may:
Public safety education can still achieve
positive results with limited resources provided staff are committed
and implement programs effectively.
Selection
After conducting a needs analysis of
the community's fire risk, several issues still need to be addressed
when selecting a public safety education program, including the:
a) goals and objectives;
b) target audience;
c) message and how it will be delivered;
d) available resources;
e) delivery of the program;
f) duration or frequency of the message
and program.
"To achieve an acceptable level
of fire safety for the community and to ensure the safety of its
residents in the event of fire by providing the information necessary
to reduce the occurrence, spread, and impact of fire."
An effective public safety education program also needs objectives that are realistic and measurable. These will help to monitor the delivery of the program and in evaluating its results. (See Section III for further details of measurable objectives.)
Determine The Available Resources
Create an inventory of the communication
resources that are available to the fire department, including
those available from the business sector, media, and community.
Using all the resources available within
the community can greatly increase the efficiency of fire safety
education efforts. Local newspapers and special interest publications,
as well as radio and television stations can be a tremendous asset.
Community groups can also be very useful in reaching certain target
audiences, for example using Meals-on-Wheels or visiting nurses
to help reach the disabled or elderly. Individual volunteers may
also be willing to assist.
Method Of Delivery
Determine the most appropriate or available
medium to deliver the safety message (e.g. television, radio,
newspaper, magazine, newsletter, billboard, inserts/flyers, hand-outs,
video, audio, presentation, seminar, displays).
A number of factors will affect the
format chosen to deliver the information:
Combining several types of activity to reach one or more target groups can be particularly effective. Successful programs such as Learn Not to Burn, Alarmed for Life and the more recent Older and Wiser and Risk Watch use a combination of activities to achieve the maximum educational benefits.
Programs such as TAPP-C (The Arson Prevention Program for Children) are effective because they combine elements of fire safety education (educating the juvenile fire-setter and caregiver) with inspections (of the juvenile fire-setter's home).
Results:
Improves fire safety awareness and knowledge among school children
with a resultant improvement in fire safety behaviour. It also
helps to improve the awareness and knowledge of children's parents.
Considerations:
Requires the co-operation and support of the school board and
teaching staff.
Displays
Description:
Setting up a display and posting fire safety information in a
public location such as a mall. The display may be attended by
fire department staff to provide information to passersby.
Results:
Increases the profile of the fire department and provides some
improvement in fire safety awareness and knowledge of passersby.
Considerations:
Contact with individuals is typically very brief which restricts
the amount of information that can be provided.
Public Service Announcements
Description:
The use of various media such as radio, television and newspapers
to widely distribute a fire safety message.
Results:
Improves fire safety awareness and knowledge.
Considerations:
Some media may not be appropriate for specific problems (i.e.
radio is limited as it does not have a visual component).
Presentations
Description:
Presentation of fire safety information to a group of people in
a lecture format. Groups may include interested parties such as
community service groups and apartment occupants, or they may
be "captive" audiences at a community function such
as a bingo or ratepayers meeting. A presentation may involve the
use of training aids (e.g. slides or videos).
Results:
Improves the fire safety awareness and knowledge of the targeted
group.
Considerations:
A considerable amount of information can be delivered to a large
group at a low cost.
Training Sessions
Description:
Fire safety training for property owners, managers, supervisors,
maintenance persons, and other appropriate personnel to ensure
that they are aware of their responsibilities. (An example is
the High Rise Superintendents Course).
Results:
Improves the ability of these persons to maintain their properties
in a fire safe condition.
Considerations:
Usually limited in the number of persons that can be reached.
Station Visits
Description:
Conducting tours or open-houses at fire stations to interested
community groups such as school children or Scouts/Guides. Includes
the provision of fire safety information and training.
Results:
Improves fire safety awareness and knowledge of the group. It
also increases the profile of the fire department in the community.
Considerations: Effective in increasing fire safety awareness and knowledge of the group but this method is limited in the number of groups or people that can be reached.
Public safety education will form an integral and essential part of your fire prevention strategy. Developing an effective program will require comprehensive planning and an assessment of available community resources.
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A Fire Incident Evaluation Program consists
of gathering information relevant to fire occurrences by visually
and physically examining the site and interviewing those who are
involved. The purpose of gathering such information is to gain
an understanding of what occurred so that the appropriate actions
may be taken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Fire Incident Evaluations of fire occurrences
may provide the data necessary to assess the impact of fire on
the community. It may also provide the information necessary to
conduct a thorough needs analysis and an evaluation of the effectiveness
of fire safety programs. Fire Incident Evaluations, cause determination
and subsequent actions may result in a reduced occurrence of fires.
A Fire Incident Evaluation program requires
a sufficient number of adequately trained staff to conduct the
appropriate evaluations. A department's involvement in Fire Incident
Evaluation has to be conducted in cooperation with the Fire Investigation
Program of the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Selection
Several issues must be addressed when
selecting a Fire Incident Evaluation program:
It is important to emphasize that the
best results will be achieved by evaluating all fires.
Also, Fire Incident Evaluations should include a review of the
performance of the property and its occupants.
Program Goals and Objectives
A goal should be established for each
program. The following goal would be appropriate for a Fire Incident
Evaluation program:
"To evaluate fire incidents
and gather pertinent information to enhance the level of fire
safety of the community."
An effective fire incident evaluation
program also needs objectives that are realistic and measurable.
These will help to monitor the delivery of the program and in
evaluating its results. (See Section III for further details of
measurable objectives.)
Using The Information
Determine specifically how the information
collected will be used. Any information gathered will be useful
in assessing and analyzing the impact of fire on the community.
It will also be essential in evaluating the fire safety programs
conducted by a fire department. However, the information may be
used for other purposes, such as legal action, amending existing
inspection or public safety education programs, implementing additional
programs, reviewing or revising fire suppression activities and
identifying needed legislative changes.
Select The Fire Incidents Subject
To Fire Incident Evaluation
A program can be designed to provide
a complete evaluation of every fire that occurs in the community
or it can be restricted to certain categories of fires. The fires
may be categorized according to the type of fire incident, the
property or occupancy where it occurred, or the occupant that
was involved (e.g. the elderly).
Before establishing which fires will
be evaluated, the resources available will need to be assessed.
Other considerations include how the information gathered will
be used and the community's fire risk identified in the needs
analysis.
Levels Of Fire Incident Evaluation
The type of Fire Incident Evaluation
refers to the amount of information gathered at a scene. The level
selected depends upon the amount of information required to understand
the fire situation and to determine the effectiveness of fire
safety programs.
Information from fire incidents is required
to evaluate inspection and fire safety education activities. Basic
information from each incident is also required by the Office
of the Fire Marshal to compile provincial fire loss information.
Standard Incident Report
The Standard Incident Report must be
completed by suppression staff, or other designated staff, as
required under the Fire Marshals Act. The Casualty Report
must also be completed as appropriate.
Expanded Incident Report
Suppression staff, or other designated
staff, may complete an additional report (created by the fire
department), ancillary to the Standard Incident Report, to gather
more information that is relevant to the fire and the community's
fire safety issues.
Examples of information that may be collected would include:
Basic Fire Incident Evaluation
An evaluation of a fire incident by designated staff and the completion of an report that addresses the issues the department has established as fundamental to its programs. This may involve a physical examination of the fire scene and/or appropriate interviews.
Information that may be collected would include:
Detailed Fire Incident Evaluation
A detailed evaluation of a fire incident
by designated staff and the completion of a detailed report that
addresses all fire safety issues relevant to the fire incident.
This may include building performance, occupant performance, and
the effect of fire department programs. It may also include an
evaluation of fire suppression effectiveness which would require
a physical examination of the fire scene and appropriate interviews.
Levels Of Skills/Knowledge
The level of knowledge of staff conducting
fire incident evaluations would depend upon the amount and type
of information gathered.
2.5.2. Development and Implementation
This is the planning stage for Fire
Incident Evaluation programs. During this stage, all of the supporting
information, operational procedures and other related material
necessary to successfully conduct the selected programs, should
be developed.
It is important that selected programs
are fully developed prior to implementation. This will ensure
that every issue has been addressed adequately to make the program
as effective as possible.
A Fire Incident Evaluation program must
be well planned with the scope and intent of the program clearly
defined and understood. There must be good communications with
the Office of the Fire Marshal's Investigators to ensure that
the proper process is followed for fire incidents that require
their involvement.
A Fire Incident Evaluation program must
be carefully planned so that it is effective. Prior to implementing
any Fire Incident Evaluation program, the following should be
considered.
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