Examples of how to organize and analyze
available information to assess and prioritize the relative fire
risks are provided below. Fire departments should make the collection
and analysis of relevant information an on-going component of
their fire prevention activities.
The sample tables (or some similar method)
may be used as a tool to help organize information and analyze
the fire risks associated with various property and occupant types
or the different causes of fire. The sample tables may be modified
in any way necessary to assist a department in evaluating risk.
Remember that the fire risk is a factor
of both the Probability of a fire occurring and the Impact
of a fire should it occur.
Note: It is recommended that the information
used in the tables cover a three to five year period to
ensure relevancy to present conditions. If the intention is to
track trends in fire losses, the information used should cover
at least five years.
There is a separate table available
to assist in the evaluation of fire risk to property, occupants,
and the risk posed by different causes of fires.
In using the tables:
For the items listed in the left column
of the tables, the appropriate information should be gathered
on the property, occupant, and fire types of concern to the community.
At the very least, the property types that are listed below the
table should be analyzed.
It is important to have the total number
(or a reasonable estimate) of properties, occupants and/or fires
that are being analyzed to determine the relative risk to the
community and to plan for effective programs to be implemented.
An analysis may determine that the risk of a fire incident for
a property or occupant group is very low but that the impact of
a fire on this group is very large. This may help to focus on
an acceptable solution. For example, the risk of any particular
single family dwelling being subject to a fire is relatively low.
However, the total fire losses in single family dwellings is significant.
In this case, a public safety education program that targets occupants
of single family dwellings may be more effective and efficient
than thoroughly inspecting and enforcing fire safety for each
individual property.
The additional property types (listed after the table) can be placed on a separate table, or the table re-formatted to extend the columns to the right and place all the property types being analyzed on the one table.
| PROPERTY TYPE | |||||
| Assembly | Institutional | Single Dwelling Unit | Rooming Houses | Commercial | |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF THESE PROPERTIES | |||||
| NUMBER OF FIRE INCIDENTS | |||||
| NUMBER OF INJURIES | |||||
| NUMBER OF FATALITIES | |||||
| PROPERTY LOSSES $ | |||||
| AVERAGE # OF PERSONS AT RISK FROM A FIRE * | |||||
| AVERAGE # OF PERSONS AFFECTED BY A FIRE * | |||||
| IGNITION SOURCES | |||||
| OTHER FACTORS | |||||
* This is to give an indication of the
average number of persons affected or at risk. A range can be
used, i.e. large, medium, small, or give an estimate of the average
number expected.
OTHER FACTORS may include:
PROPERTY TYPES
The following categories may be subdivided
further, as appropriate for the subject community.
| OCCUPANT TYPE | |||||
| TOTAL | INFANT | CHILD | ADULT | ELDERLY | |
| POPULATION BY OCCUPANT TYPE | |||||
| NUMBER OF INJURIES | |||||
| NUMBER OF FATALITIES | |||||
| NUMBER OF FIRE INCIDENTS | |||||
| IGNITION SOURCES | |||||
| SMOKE ALARM STATUS | |||||
| PROPERTY TYPES INVOLVED | |||||
| OTHER FACTORS | |||||
OTHER FACTORS may include:
Alcohol or drug impairment, mental or
physical disability, occupants of a geographic area, language
groups and/or any other occupant groups that may be of concern
to the community.
Note that it may be appropriate to conduct further analysis for some factors, if the degree of concern is sufficient. For instance, if there are a significant number of injuries involving disabled persons, it may be appropriate to analyze the risks to the disabled population separately.
| FIRE TYPE (by ignition source or cause) | ||||||
| TOTAL | ARSON | COOKING (kitchen) | CARELESS SMOKING | HEATING EQUIPT | ELECTRIC EQUIPT | |
| FIRE INCIDENTS | ||||||
| INJURIES | ||||||
| FATALITIES | ||||||
| $ LOSSES | ||||||
| OTHER FACTORS | ||||||
OTHER FACTORS may include:
Property types, areas within the community or any other implications for public safety education, code enforcement or prevention of fire.
1. Determine the amount of time available from the current staff.
To determine the amount of time available from the staff assigned exclusively to fire prevention activities, calculate:
| Total Hours Per Year | =____Hours Per Week x 52 Weeks | =______ | |
| Deduct Vacation | =____Days x ____ Hours Per Day | =______ | |
| Deduct Stat. Holidays | =____Days x ____ Hours Per Day | =______ | |
| Deduct Sick Leave | =____Days x ____ Hours Per Day | =______ | |
| =______ | |||
| Multiply by "Effective Time Factor" | X 0.75 | ||
| ================================================== | |||
| Total Hours Available | =______ | ||
Note that the "Effective Time Factor"
allows for inaccuracies in estimation and additional staff time
considerations such as staff meetings, staff training, maintenance
of equipment, telephone calls and court time not related to programs
(i.e. inquests). Where this factor cannot be estimated, a factor
of .75 is recommended. If some or all of these staff time considerations
can be calculated, the .75 factor can be altered accordingly and
a more accurate assessment calculated.
Time available from staff that are available
on a part time or occasional basis should be calculated separately,
using a sound estimate of the amount of time they can contribute.
When assessing the time available from
fire suppression crews, it must be established how they conduct
activities in the Fire Prevention field. Do they conduct activities
as a team or individually? It may be necessary to determine the
time available from them based upon teams, not individuals. Do
they conduct activities seasonally or year round? This would be
reflected in the number of weeks per year that they are available.
Time required for activities such as emergency response training
and maintenance needs to be recognized. This should be determined
and totaled separately from staff assigned exclusively to fire
prevention activities.
2. Determine Program Time Requirements.
The tables below will help to determine the time requirements where there is a consistent repetitive aspect to the program. In situations where the subject program has no repetitive aspect, the program should be considered in phases and a projected approximate time determined for each phase. Adding the time for each phase will give you the total required time for that program.
| Group of Bldgs Requiring Inspection | Method of Inspection Conducted | Average Time to Complete Inspection | Numbers of Bldgs in This Group | Total Time Required to Inspect Group |
| Total Time Required | ||||
Group of Properties Requiring Inspection
- The targeted group established in the Program Development Section.
Method of Inspection Conducted
- The Method of Inspection established in the Program Development
Section. The level of inspection must be established for the Inspection
Program as this will have an impact on the amount of time required.
Average Time to Complete Inspection
- The average amount of time, determined from experience, to conduct
a complete inspections and achieve compliance for the relevant
Category of building. This time includes travel, preparation,
inspection, interviews, report writing, research and consultation,
follow-up inspections, and enforcement.
Number of Properties in a Group
- An inventory, or at least an approximation, of the number of
properties that fall within a group. Other than for Routine Inspections,
this would be an estimate of the number required to be inspected
as a result of the expected demand (e.g. for Complaints, an estimate
of the number of Complaints expected for this group).
Total Time Required to Inspect
- The total time required to complete one inspection (through
to compliance) of all the properties that fall within this group.
Total Time Required - The total amount of time required to inspect all identified properties once. If the established frequency is semi-annual, this would need to be multiplied by two to determine the resources required for one year.
| Type of Program | Average Time to Complete | Estimated Number of Programs | Total Time Required |
| Level of Fire Incident Evaluation | Average Time to Complete Each Fire Incident Evaluation | Estimated Number of Fires to be Evaluated | Total Time required to Evaluate Fires |
Average Time to Complete - The amount of time, determined from experience, required to complete all of the related duties, including travel, preparation, conducting the program, and report writing.
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