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Location:  Fire Protection > Guidelines On Municipal Fire Protection > Optimizing Rural Emergency Response Workbook

CONTENTS

i About the Risk & Resource Rationalization Process Materials & Resources

1 About the Risk & Resource Rationalization Process
1 Purpose/Scope
1 Risk & Resource Rationalization Process—What is it?
1 Benefits
2 Risk & Resource Rationalization Process At A Glance
3 Step A: Record & Summarize Response Data
3 Getting Ready to Record Data

3 Understanding Which Emergency Responses to Record
3 Setting the Data Recording Period
4 Step-by-Step Instructions: Recording Data on the Emergency Response Record Form
5 Example Emergency Response Record Form

9 Reviewing Critical Time Components of Emergency Response

9 Calculating Critical Times

10 Summarizing the Emergency Response Record Data

11 Step-by-Step Instructions: Completing the Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels Form
11 Example Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels Form

12 Implementing Incident Management System and Accountability—The Staffing Link to Firefighter Safety

13 Step B: Analyze Response Data
13 Analyzing Response Data

14 Analyzing Critical Times
14 Analyzing Staffing Levels
15 Step-by-Step Instructions: Summarizing Response Issues and Barriers
15 Example Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions

16 Step C: Optimize & Report

16 Step-by-Step Instructions: Finishing the Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions— Recording Solutions & Outcomes or Goals
16 Taking Action to Optimize Response Capability
17 Enhancing Fire & Life Safety
17 Reporting Your Findings to Municipal Council

17 Example Outline of the Report to Council

19 Continuing to Self-Monitor
19 References (List of Public Fire Safety Guidelines)

19 Reproducible Forms

20 Emergency Response Record
21 Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels
22 Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions
23 Entry & S.C.B.A. Control Form

LIST OF CHARTS

9 Calculating Critical Times
10 Critical Time Components of Emergency Response
12 Example of a System that Can be Used to Track the
Arrival of Firefighters and Apparatus—Arrival Time Board Barriers Checklist
12 Entry & S.C.B.A. Control Form
13 Firefighter Functions
14 Common Response Barriers Checklist
16 Actions to Overcome Common Response
17 Fire & Life Safety Enhancements Checklist

ABOUT THE RISK & RESOURCE RATIONALIZATION PROCESS MATERIALS & RESOURCES

The materials and resources for the process include:

• A hard copy of Public Fire Safety Guideline 04-08A-03: Optimizing Rural Emergency Response.
• A hard copy of the workbook that guides you through the process and contains all of the blank forms you need to photocopy and fill in as required.
• A Web page that offers on-line versions of all hard copy materials and more:
  • The workbook that you can download to read, file or print should you need additional copies.
  • All of the forms used in the process so you can use your computer to enter, store, and print your data or print off extra blank forms, including the Entry & S.C.B.A. Control Form.
  • Links to PFSG 04-08A-03 and other guidelines you may wish to review while working through the process.
  • A larger size Emergency Response Record form that contains extra blank columns that some fire departments may wish to use to capture additional data, thereby combining all information they wish to track onto one form.

The reproduction of information in this publication is permitted and encouraged, however permission to reproduce material for commercial purposes must be obtained from the Office of the Fire Marshal.

VISIT THE OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL’S WEB SITE: www.ofm.gov.on.ca

Purpose/Scope

The purpose of the Risk & Resource Rationalization Process is to assist you, fire officials, in determining, assessing, and optimizing your fire department’s emergency response capabilities through evaluating your department’s capacity of addressing a fire in a 2-storey, single-family detached dwelling with a rescue component.

Risk & Resource Rationalization Process— What is it?

The process is set out in the Office of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Guideline 04-08A-03: Optimizing Rural Emergency Response and the accompanying workbook. This guideline and workbook are intended for use in a municipality, or area of a municipality, that is served by firefighters who respond in rural areas. In accordance with the intent of public fire safety guidelines, it is recognized that the guideline may apply in whole or in part to a municipality based on local needs and circumstances.

It is possible, for instance, that under certain circumstances, the guideline may have specific and limited application to a rural area that is part of a municipality characterized as predominantly urban. Other considerations when determining the application of the guideline may include such factors as use of pressurized and non-pressurized water systems or a combination of both, geography, and travel time.

Benefits

Successful application and ongoing use of the process will assist you in:

• Enhancing your department’s capacity to defend its established service levels from civil liability.
• Offering evidence that your department is diligent in protecting the lives and property of your municipality.
• Ensuring that your department complies with or meets the intent of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act (FPPA).
• Determining the level of service required by your municipalities in order to provide adequate emergency response activities in accordance with your local needs and circumstances.
• Monitoring your department’s actual response activities through data collection and analysis. Data collected can provide supporting documentation for conveying to council an understanding of the service your department can safely provide, which may also indicate the requirement for additional resources to improve fire protection services.
• Measuring the impact of service improvements.
• Serving as a proactive tool for analyzing other types of emergency response.
• Complementing performance measurement and benchmarking activities through the measurement, analysis, and identification of best practices to support a continuous improvement process.

IT’S AS EASY AS A-B-C!

You record your fire department’s response activity for a period of at least 3 months. You summarize and analyze your data, take action to optimize your department’s response capability as best you can, and report to municipal council. Then you repeat the process on a continual basis.

Getting Ready to Record Data

Preparation is important. At first, some departments may find gathering the  necessary data challenging. Having a good incident command system greatly assists in recording emergency response data accurately. More information on incident management and accountability is on page 12.

• Read through the entire workbook. Knowing in advance what data and information you need to record will leave you better able to manage the process from the beginning.
• Determine how you are going to collect information from the fire scene. Ensure you have the co-operation of your crew for providing accurate information.
• Establish a data recording schedule that would best serve your needs based on 3-month periods. If you have a quarterly reporting structure in place, you may wish to align your data recording periods correspondingly.

Understanding Which Emergency Responses to Record

Although the public fire safety guideline is particularly concerned with two-storey, single-family dwellings:

• Record data on any type of structure fire and any type of emergency call that resulted in a full response similar to that of a structure fire. This will provide you with a fuller picture of your response capability by giving you the opportunity of recording more data to analyze.
• Be sure to record data on any type of response to a high-risk occupancy in your municipality.

Note: There is no need to record responses to which your department provided mutual or automatic aid.


Setting the Data Recording Period

You will record your department’s response activity for a period of 3 months. If you have not recorded 6 applicable responses at the end of 3 months, continue recording until you do.

• Get out a blank Critical Times & Staffing Levels form and a blank Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions form. Set the Data Recording Period on these forms as the date you start the process through the end of 3 months later, e.g. September 1, 2004 through November 30, 2004. Amend the dates later if you need to continue recording past 3 months. It is important to keep the summaries dated according to data recording period.
• Mark your schedule to begin your analysis at the end of the 3-month period and follow up.
   

1. Call #: Enter the unique number or identifier that your department assigned to this call to clearly distinguish it from other emergency incidents.
    
2. Date (yy-mm-dd): Enter the date of the incident in yy-mm-dd format.
    
3. Day of Week: Enter the day of the week of the incident— Monday, Tuesday, etc., as this may be very useful in assessing days that pose a response challenge.
    
4. Response Type: Enter the 2-digit response type classification code as in the OFM Standard Incident Report Codes List; e.g. fire = 01.
    
5. Property Type: Enter the 3-digit response type classification code as in the OFM Standard Incident Report Codes List; e.g. a single-family dwelling = 301.
    
6. Page _ of _: Enter the page # and the total # of pages that comprise the Emergency Response Record; e.g. Page 1 of 2.
    
7. Address of Incident: Enter the municipal address of the incident.
    
8. Call Reported As: Enter the description of the call as reported to the dispatcher; e.g. “smoke in house” or “alarm bells ringing”.
    
9. Time Call Received by 9-1-1: Enter the time the call was received by the 9-1-1 service provider. This is essential to calculating Time Taken to Dispatch. This is not necessarily the time the call was received by the FD.
    
10. Time Dispatcher Notified: Enter the time the call was received by the dispatch service—your fire department dispatcher or a fire department contracted dispatcher.
     
11. Name of Fire Department: Enter the name of your department.
     
12. Name of FD Official: Enter the name of the fire department official.
     
13. Signature of FD Official: The fire department official signs here.
     
14. Vehicles & Staff Responding: List all vehicles dispatched to the scene (regardless of whether or not they arrived) starting with the vehicle that arrived on scene first. List any vehicles arriving from neighbouring departments here (but record their department names in the Response Impact Factors column). Only firefighters arriving individually must be listed—you may use names or assigned numbers to keep track. If you wish, note in Response Impact Factors if they arrived in a personally owned vehicle (POV). Arrival time of individual firefighters can be recorded using an effective or slightly modified firefighter accountability system. Use of radio communications protocols is usually effective in recording arrival time of fire department vehicles and may be useful for some departments to record individual firefighters’ arrival.
     
15. # FFs on Apparatus: Enter the # of firefighters arriving on each listed apparatus and individually, regardless of whether they are full-time, part-time or volunteer.
     
16. Time Dispatched: Enter the time the apparatus and/or individual firefighters were notified of the emergency response requirement, whether by station tones, telephone, radio or pager.
     
17. Time Acknowledged: Enter the time each apparatus and/or individual firefighter provided an acknowledgement indicating receipt of the emergency response requirement, when applicable. For example, firefighters with pagers may not be able to acknowledge receipt of notification.
     
18. Time Apparatus/Personnel Enroute: Enter the time apparatus and/or individual firefighters began moving to the emergency scene from wherever they were when the alarm was received, when applicable. For example, apparatus leaving the fire station.
     
19. Time Apparatus/Personnel on Scene: Enter the time each apparatus or individual firefighter arrived at the scene. Do not record the time any assigned firefighters or apparatus arrived at a designated staging location. It is not always possible to record the exact time of arrival on scene; however, strive to. When accuracy is not possible, record your best estimate.
     
20. Response Time: Enter the amount of time that elapsed from the time your department became aware of the emergency until each apparatus or individual firefighter arrived at the scene, based on your dispatch system. Your department can become aware of the emergency by a) taking the initial call, b) receiving the call from 9-1-1, or c) being dispatched from another FD or agency. Refer to the Critical Time Components of Emergency Response chart on page 10 and the Calculating Critical Times chart on page 9 to select the calculation that corresponds to your dispatch system.
     
21. Accumulated Total # FFs on Scene: Enter the # of firefighters on the scene, adding to the total as each additional apparatus or individual firefighter arrives. This running total shows how many firefighters were on the scene at any given time.
     
22. Response Impact Factors: Enter any factors that had a positive or negative impact on the arrival time of the vehicle or individual firefighter; e.g. weather conditions, exceptionally long travel distance, delays due to simultaneous alarms, etc. Record if the vehicle or personnel responded as a result of activation of mutual aid or an automatic aid agreement and the names of their fire departments. If a firefighter arrived in a personally owned vehicle (POV), you may record it here. Make your notes clear and meaningful; you will need this information later when you analyze your data.
     
23. Notes: Enter any information about the call that provides further insight into the nature of the incident or the results of the fire department response such as extensive losses, difficulties accessing the property, additional details about weather, etc. If you wish to track your department’s response activity during any specific time period other than weekdays 0700–1659, weekdays 1700–0659 or weekends, enter a description for the period here; e.g. Other Tracking: Hunting Season. Make your notes clear and meaningful; you will need this information later when you analyze your data.

PFSG-04-08A-03: 1 2005-02-02

24. Total # Responding Personnel of Local FD: Enter the total # of firefighters of your department that were on the emergency scene, ensuring firefighters from mutual or automatic aid are not included. Do not include firefighters that were staged or stayed at the stations.
     
25. Time Taken for 4 FFs to Arrive on Scene: Scan the Accumulated Total # FFs on Scene column to find the 4th firefighter on scene, and enter the response time of that entry. If fewer than 4 firefighters arrived, enter “N/A”.
     
26. Time Taken for 10 FFs to Arrive on Scene: Scan the Accumulated Total # FFs on Scene to find the 10th firefighter on scene, and enter the response time of that entry. If fewer than 10 firefighters arrived, enter “N/A”.
     
27. # FFs on Scene from Automatic Aid: Enter the # of firefighters that arrived on the scene as a result of an automatic aid agreement.
     
28. # FFs on Scene from Mutual Aid: Enter the # of firefighters that arrived on scene as a result of the activation of mutual aid.
     
29. Response Time of 1st FD Apparatus on Scene: Enter the response time of the 1st fire department apparatus to arrive on scene.
     
30. Total Time Taken to Dispatch: Enter the time that elapsed from the call being received by the 9-1-1 call-taker until the first FD apparatus was dispatched; e.g. Time Dispatched (step 16) minus Time Call Received by 9-1-1 (step 9).

Key Information

1. Total Time Taken to Dispatch.
2. Total # Responding Personnel of Local FD.
3. Response Time of first FD apparatus on scene.
4. Amount of time it takes to have 4 and 10 firefighters on scene. It is not always possible to record the exact time of arrival on scene; however, strive to. When accuracy is not possible, record your best estimate.

Best Practices Tip

When a fire department vehicle is responding to the scene, the firefighter in charge of the vehicles notifies dispatch of the number of firefighters on each vehicle. Many fire departments find the use of their Incident Management System and Firefighter Accountability the most effective means of gathering data from the incident, particularly the arrival times of vehicles and individual firefighters.

Reviewing Critical Time Components of Emergency Response

Fire service professionals know only too well that every second counts. The Critical Time Components of Emergency Response chart on page 10 shows the two critical time frames of emergency response: Total Time Taken to Dispatch and Response Time. The goal listed for Total Time Taken to Dispatch serves as a benchmark that fire departments should strive to achieve or come as close as possible to achieving as a result of working through this Risk & Resource Rationalization Process. The chart shows three possible routes between call-taking and dispatch and indicates the points where the fire department accepts care and control.

The effectiveness of your department’s emergency response can be hampered by inefficient call processing and dispatching. If you contract for call-taking or dispatching, it is in your best interests to monitor the time that elapses between the time of the initial call and the time your department accepts care and control.

Calculating Critical Times

The following Calculating Critical Times chart shows how to calculate response times and total time taken to dispatch using data from the example Emergency Response Record on page 5. Although the calculation for time taken to dispatch is the same regardless of your dispatch system, response times are calculated differently for each of the three dispatch systems. Find your dispatch system on the chart and perform your calculations accordingly.
 

Summarizing the Emergency Response Record Data

When you summarize the emergency response data, you gain a snapshot of your emergency response capability, making it easy for you to notice and analyze trends and issues. Once completed, this summary will help you:

• Identify current staffing levels according to select times of day, day of the week, and a discretionary time block (Other Tracking)
• Identify the time it takes to have 4 and 10 firefighters on scene
• Identify reliance on automatic aid and mutual aid to obtain more firefighters on the emergency scene
• Identify whether response and dispatch times are on track or whether these critical times are beyond acceptable limits
• Gain a better understanding of when certain key milestones are being achieved

Summarizing the data involves copying key data from each Emergency Response Record onto the Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels form and performing minor calculations such as totalling and averaging. As you enter the data, you sort it into 4 time blocks:

• Weekdays: 0700–1659
• Weekdays: 1700–0659
• Weekends
• Other Tracking, e.g. long weekends, statutory and civic holidays,
  hunting season or other times of concern that you wish to track

When summarizing data, reference each Emergency Response Record by its Call #. Doing so will help you verify or look up data from any particular response. Ensure the correct data recording period is entered on the summary.

You can summarize data after each emergency incident occurs or at the end of the recording period, whichever makes sense in your situation. If you summarize as you go, you are more likely to be able to gather missing data while the incident is still fresh in mind. Also, the sooner you notice a problem, the sooner you can resolve it.

1. Data Recording Period: Enter the start date and end date of the data recording period, typically 3 months or more; e.g. September 1, 2004–November 30, 2004.
    
2. Page _ of _: Enter the page # and the total # of pages that comprise the summary; e.g. Page 1 of 2.
    
3. Weekdays 0700–1659, Weekdays 1700–0659, Weekends, Other Tracking: The summary is divided into these 4 time blocks. If you have been tracking a time period other than the first 3, enter the description of the time period beside Other Tracking on the summary; e.g. Other Tracking: Hunting Season.
    
4. Call #: Review the first Emergency Response Record and determine into which of the 4 time blocks it fits. For example, if the emergency call was received on Monday at 09:10:15, the record belongs in the Weekdays: 0700–1659 block. Enter the Call # of the Emergency Response Record. The rest of the data for the record will be placed in the same row.
    
5. Total Time Taken to Dispatch: Copy the entry made in Total Time Taken to Dispatch, step 30.
    
6. Response Time of 1st FD Apparatus on Scene: Copy the response time of the first fire department apparatus arriving on scene, step 29.
    
7. Time Taken to Arrive on Scene /4 FFs /10 FFs: Copy the entries made in Time Taken for 4 FFs to Arrive on Scene (step 25) and Time Taken for 10 FFs to Arrive on Scene (step 26) into their respective columns.
    
8. Local FD + AA: Enter the sum of Total # Responding Personnel of Local FD (step 24) and # FFs on Scene from Automatic Aid, step 27.
    
9. Mutual Aid: Copy the entry you made in # FFs on Scene from Mutual Aid, step 28.
   
   Continue entering the data for all Emergency Response Records into the appropriate areas of the summary.
    
10. Total: Total all columns of each time block and enter the totals across the Total rows.
     
11. # of Incidents: For each time block, add the number of calls you recorded and enter the totals across the # of Incidents rows.
     
12. Average: For each time block, calculate the average of each column by dividing Total by # of Incidents. Enter the result at the bottom of each column in the Average row.
     
13. Minimum # of Firefighters: For each time block, find the lowest # in the Local FD + AA column and enter it the space for Minimum # of Firefighters at the bottom of the column. For each time block, find the lowest # in the Mutual Aid column, and enter it the space for Minimum # of Firefighters at the bottom of the column. This shows the minimum # of firefighters on scene per time block.
     
14. Maximum # of Firefighters: For each time block, find the highest # in the Local FD + AA column and enter it the space for Maximum # of Firefighters at the bottom of the column. For each time block, find the highest # in the Mutual Aid column, and enter it the space for Maximum # of Firefighters at the bottom of the column. This shows the maximum # of firefighters on scene per time block.
     
15. Notes: This area is for your discretionary use. You may wish to list factors that affected critical times and staffing numbers at different times and their impacts. For example, if there is a low day-time response, perhaps your note may explain that most firefighters work out of town or on shifts. You might note the reason for mutual aid activation or the positive impacts of automatic aid agreements.

Implementing Incident Management System and Accountability— The Staffing Link to Firefighter Safety

Fire chiefs must understand their responsibilities as they relate to occupational health and safety requirements and the safety of their firefighters.

The Firefighter Functions chart (page 13) outlines the tasks that can be safely accomplished based on the number of firefighters on the emergency scene. Firefighters must be aware of these parameters. Firefighters are expected to be cognizant of the following points:

1. The fire department has an incident management system that includes accountability.
2. Firefighters must work safely and in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Safety Guidelines for the Ontario Fire Service.
3. The incident commander must evaluate the emergency situation and deploy his or her resources in a manner to safely and effectively address the situation. For example, a small fire contained to a kitchen area in a house would be addressed in a manner different from a serious working house fire with a rescue component.

Every fire department should develop and implement an incident management system.

The most effective incident management system will be specific to each fire department’s own resources but based on the principles of incident management referenced from systems such as the:

• Incident Management System as taught by the Ontario Fire College, Gravenhurst;
• Phoenix Fireground Command System;
• California Incident Command System; and
• Incident Management System currently being developed by the National Fire Service Incident Management System Consortium, which is merging both the Phoenix and California systems.

An incident management system will assist you in complying with Section 21 Guidance Note #11 and in promoting the effective, efficient, and safe deployment of fire department resources. Successful emergency scene operations require the application of an effective overall IMS to all members of the fire department. All firefighters must understand their role in the IMS and that of the incident commander. Firefighters must receive training specific to their role in the IMS and officers skill development so that they can serve as incident commanders. Training must be supported by appropriate SOGs. A consistently applied IMS will also assist you in recording the data required to complete the Emergency Response Record.

An IMS must include an effective firefighter accountability system (see Guidance Note #11). Several systems of crew accountability have been found to be effective. All involve some method of identifying firefighters and assigning them to companies or groups with appropriate supervision. As firefighters arrive at the scene, they are required to report in to the incident commander. The incident commander then uses tactical worksheets, command boards, apparatus riding lists, apparatus personnel boards, electronic bar-coding systems or other means to track the location of crews.

Tracking begins from the initial response until the emergency is over.

Entry control is another important element of an IMS and supports the accountability system. Following is an example of an Entry & S.C.B.A. Control Form to help track the location of firefighters. Fire departments are encouraged to duplicate this form (see the reproducible forms section for a larger sample) and apply accordingly.

Analyzing Response Data

Now you prepare the first part of the Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions. You use existing data to analyze and summarize response issues and barriers to obtaining or maintaining a desired response capability that meets your local needs and circumstances.

Determining what constitutes a common response issue, whether it be response time or staffing, may be difficult. The fire department’s response activity should be assessed to determine the actual response capability. Depending on the result, it may be identified that the department is currently capable of providing:

• Limited structural firefighting with limited resources, i.e. exterior attack only
  Exterior attack and possibly limited rescue capability
• Interior attack or rescue
• Or combination of the above, i.e. depending on the circumstances,
  e.g. daytime responses, geography, driving conditions.

Review what is known about the risks present in the community and the expectations of the public and council. It is recommended that reference be made to PFSG 04-13-12 Basic Structural Fire Fighting (No Expected Rescue Component) and PFSG 04-14-12 Structural Fire Fighting Including Rescue relating to service delivery considerations in answering the following questions:

• Is the council/department providing emergency response services, including fire suppression and rescue, in accordance with local needs and circumstances?
• Is the council/department providing a level of response that is consistent with public/council expectations?
• Is the council/department providing the optimum level of services possible taking into account local needs and circumstances?

Your answers will identify whether or not local needs and circumstances and service delivery expectations are being met.

Analyzing Critical Times

When analyzing your critical times, keep five key matters in mind:

1. Total Time Taken to Dispatch efficiency (aim for no more than 1.5 minutes).
2. Response times.
3. Amount of time it takes to have 4 and 10 firefighters on scene.
4. Conditions such as day of the week and time of day or year, e.g. long weekends and hunting season.
5. Barriers and other factors affecting response capability.

Your primary objectives are to:

• Detect any unacceptable critical times. Determining unacceptability is a reflection of a number of factors, including local needs and circumstances. Review what is known about the risks present in the community and the expectations of the public and council as they pertain to response times.
• Identify critical time response issues and barriers or factors that contributed to the time delays recorded on your

Emergency Response Records.

Analyzing Staffing Levels

When analyzing staffing, keep these key matters in mind:

1. Staffing coverage at select times of day and day of the week.
2. Consistency in staffing.
3. Overreliance on mutual aid to compensate for staffing shortages. Mutual aid is not intended to provide or be used as routine response.
4. Barriers and other factors affecting staffing levels.

Your primary objectives are to:

• Identify ability or inability to have 10 firefighters on scene.
• Identify barriers or factors that contributed to inability of having 10 firefighters on scene.

Scan the data on your Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels for each call until you find a critical times or staffing issue, and retrieve the Emergency Response Record for that call. If you did not find any issues, congratulations!

1. Data Recording Period: Enter the start date and end date of the data recording period, typically 3 months or more; e.g. September 1, 2004–November 30, 2004.
    
2. Page _ of _: Enter the page # and the total # of pages that comprise the summary; e.g. Page 1 of 2.
    
3. Response Issues: Review the Emergency Response Record, including the Response Impact Factors field and the Notes field for any information you need to firmly grasp what occurred, then enter a description of the issue.
    
4. TYPE T or S: Label the issue as either a time issue by entering a “T” or a staffing issue by entering an “S”.
    
5. Call #s: Enter the Call # of the incident.
    
6. Barriers: Review the Emergency Response Record again, if necessary, and enter a description of any barriers or factors that had an impact on, contributed to, or were responsible for causing the response issue. Consult the Common Response Barriers Checklist to assist you in identifying other barriers or factors that adversely affected response times or staffing levels.
   
   Repeat steps 1 through 4 for any other response issues on the Emergency Response Record you are reviewing. If an issue you have already recorded under Response Issues recurs in the same time block, you need not restate it. Just enter the Call #, and make an additional entry in the barriers column, if warranted.
   
   Continue to scan the data on your Summary of Critical Times & Staffing Levels and compile your Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions in the manner described above until you have documented all of the issues and barriers for the data recording period.

Your primary objectives are to develop optimization strategies, set goals or outcomes, and take action to eliminate or overcome the barriers.

If you cannot consistently have 10 firefighters on scene and therefore be unable to safely perform Interior Attack or Rescue, your secondary objectives are to:

• Develop strategies and take action to enhance fire and life safety when improvement is warranted but all avenues for optimization have been exhausted.
• Ensure your department is safely performing its functions to correspond to the risk being faced.

7. Solutions: Refer to your partially completed Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions form. At this point you will have completed the first 4 columns. Consult the Actions to Overcome Common Response Barriers Checklist to see what you can do to eliminate, minimize or work around the barriers and issues you have recorded. Enter the potential solutions.
    
8. Outcomes or Goals: Now that you have identified and recorded your practical solutions, you need to set outcomes or goals. Record the outcomes you are hoping to achieve; for example, a reduction in response time of 2 minutes or an increase in staffing levels of 3 firefighters. Include a time frame for achieving the goals.

Taking Action to Optimize Response Capability

Now that you have solutions and goals for optimizing your emergency response capability, formulate and implement an action plan, keeping in mind that it is important to track whether or not your solutions produce the desired outcomes. However, if you have determined that you have no feasible options for optimization at this time, take action to enhance fire & life safety.

Enhancing Fire & Life Safety

Have all of your avenues for optimization been exhausted?
Continue to seek opportunities for improvement.

The Fire Protection and Prevention Act mandates public education and a component of fire prevention. The minimum acceptable model includes a simplified risk assessment, a smoke alarm program with escape planning, the distribution of public education materials, and fire safety inspections based on complaint or request. Consider activities that will enhance fire and life safety in your municipality over and beyond the minimum acceptable model, especially in remote areas of your community. If you have not received your certificate of compliance, you will need to start work on the Municipal Fire Protection Information Survey process. This will assist you in reaching an enhanced level of fire and life safety in your community.

• Consult the Fire & Life Safety Enhancements Checklist for a list of activities to consider. If you think of others that are not listed, enter them in the spaces provided for Other.
• Formulate an action plan.
• Implement your plan according to your needs and circumstances.

Reporting Your Findings to Municipal Council

The fire chief is ultimately responsible to council for the delivery of fire protection services. In fulfilling this responsibility, it is essential that you report your Risk & Resource Rationalization Process findings direct to council regardless of whether the resulting level of service is satisfactory or whether no major improvements are required. In doing so, you make council aware of this level of service and place it in the public record.

In the report, you present the service delivery gaps you identified, your plans to resolve them, and your request for any additional financial or human resources that may be required complete with options, implementation time frames, and cost analyses. Report improvements you have implemented during the process, and include recommendations for warranted improvements that require council direction or approval to implement. It is important to ensure that council understands the purpose of the Risk & Resource Rationalization Process and how the municipality can benefit from its implementation.

Example Outline of the Report to Council

Consider working through the following example outline when preparing your report to council. Most of the information you will need is contained on the forms you completed during the process. The outline shows how you can incorporate your data into your report using some of the example data contained in the workbook.

Purpose of Report: Identify the purpose of applying the Risk & Resource Rationalization Process. It may include the following. The fire department has completed a risk and resource rationalization process that identifies the level of service required by the municipality to provide adequate emergency response activities in accordance with its needs and circumstances. This report contains a number of proposed options to realize opportunities for improvement.

Successful application and ongoing use of this process will assist in: (List advantages and benefits of applying this process to the municipality–see page 1 of the workbook.)

Scope: Identify the area(s) of the municipality to which the process was applied. The guideline and workbook are intended for use in a municipality or area of a municipality that is served by firefighters who respond in rural areas. In accordance with the intent of public fire safety guidelines, it is recognized that the guideline may apply in whole or in part to a municipality based on local needs and circumstances.

It is possible that, under certain circumstances, the guideline may have specific and limited application to a rural area that is part of a municipality characterized as being predominately urban. Other considerations when determining the application of the guideline may include factors such as use of pressurized and non-pressurized water supply and/or a combination of both geography and travel time.

Authority: Authority may include quotation of 6.(3) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA).

Subsection 6.(3) of the FPPA states: “A fire chief is the person who is ultimately responsible to the council of a municipality that appointed him or her for the delivery of fire protection services”.



Background: This section may refer to the background section of PFSG 04-08A-03. It may include a statement referring to 2.(1)(a) and 2.(1)(b) of the FPPA. This section may also include the following.

This process followed the Office of the Fire Marshal Public Fire Safety Guideline 04-08A-03: Optimizing Rural Emergency Response and the accompanying workbook.

The 3-step process included the following:

• Detailed data and observations from actual emergency response to structure fires and similar full-response emergencies were recorded and summarized.
• Response issues and barriers to obtaining or maintaining the desired response capability were summarized and analyzed. (Provide impact details of identified issues/barriers.)
• Action was taken or is required (to be approved by council) to reduce critical times that are beyond acceptable limits and/or to improve staffing levels if warranted or practical.

Process: Explain how the process was applied. This section should include the following information.

• Time frame (data recording period) during which the process was applied.
• Names of key fire department personnel involved in the process.
  Process criteria (evaluating the fire department’s ability to address a fire in a two-storey, single-family detached dwelling with a rescue component). Information from other emergencies normally requiring a full fire department response may also be utilized.
• Process determines the level of existing service and identifies opportunities for improvement.
• Total number of responses recorded during the process.
• Note emphasis paid to the times required to assemble 4 and 10 firefighters on the emergency scene.

Determinations: Report your findings. What are municipal service level expectations? Indicate how levels of service met or did not meet expectations. If expectations were not met, report barriers and/or issues identified that were addressed or need to be resolved. The Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions that you compiled during the process may be used to present information. Determinations may include the following.

It was determined that the municipality is providing a level of service that includes (refer to chart on page 13 of the workbook). Include a general statement respecting existing service level being either adequate or inadequate.

• You may wish to report specific information in terms of daytime, evening, and weekend response capability.
• Include information such as inadequate staff availability (number of incidents) or staff being unable to arrive at the scene of an emergency within an acceptable time frame (number of incidents).
• Include dispatch time findings.

Recommendations: Include any improvement actions that were taken by the fire department or that require council direction and/or approval. Cost impacts, if any, must be included to assist council in making decisions. Based on the Summary of Response Issues, Barriers & Solutions example included, recommendations could be provided as follows.

ISSUE: Firefighters assigned to Stn. #1 work away from the township and are unable to respond during the day.

Recommendation: Enter into an Automatic Aid Agreement. Based on call volume, this is a more cost effective solution compared to recruiting additional firefighters. With an Automatic Aid Agreement, the local fire station will still be dispatched as well as another fire station from our fire department.

Resource/Cost: There will be a cost implication of approximately $XXXX per year based on negotiated terms with Town XXX. A municipal by-law will be required to authorize this agreement.

ISSUE: Reliance on Mutual Aid to assemble 10 firefighters.

Recommendation: Multiple station response. A system of multiple station response will be put into place. This new system will be monitored for 6 months to determine if this issue has been resolved.  If not resolved, additional firefighters have to be recruited.

Resource/Cost: An increase in the number of volunteer firefighters responding will translate into additional costs based on the existing method of compensation.

ISSUE: Significant delay in arrival of firefighters due to distance.

Recommendation: Increase fire prevention and public education efforts in area. Implement 6-month door-to-door smoke alarm and home escape planning. As all avenues to improve emergency response in this area have been exhausted, this  area will not be receiving the same level of emergency service afforded to other areas of the municipality. This difference in service level will require policy approval by council.

Resource/Cost: Minimal, reallocate discretionary funds to fire prevention and public education.

ISSUE: Inability to achieve adequate number of firefighters from Station #4 to cover assigned area. Number of firefighters is below normal complement.

Recommendation: Recruit additional firefighters to assign to Station #4. To achieve normal complement, 8 additional firefighters need to be hired.

Resource/Cost: Require council direction to submit recruitment business case for consideration and/or approval. Business case will include costs associated with 8 new firefighters including required equipment and training.

ISSUE: Significant delay and inability to assemble adequate number of firefighters during deer hunting season.

Recommendation: A schedule to assign specific firefighters during hunting season is established.  Consultation with fire department officers indicated that this is the most cost effective solution and that it is easily achievable.

Resource/Cost: N/A.

ISSUE: Dispatch time processing is in excess of 1.5 minutes. Private paging company dispatches numerous other agencies, which is causing delays in dispatching the fire department, particularly during the weekend when paging company activity increases.

Recommendation: Identify performance criteria (NFPA 1221) and review expectations with service provider and monitor. It was determined that service provider was not clear on expectations. This will be addressed and clarified during next service contract renewal in December 2004.

Resource/Cost: To be determined during contract renewal negotiations. Based on previous contract negotiations, expect 10%–15% increase.

Closing: Summarize the purpose and outcomes of the process, and make any requests for council direction/approval required to implement opportunities for improvement. Closing may include the following.

This report provides to council information regarding the level of emergency service delivered to the municipality as well as opportunities where improvements can be made.

Implemented recommendations will be monitored to ensure the desired results are achieved, and subsequent progress reports will be made to council.

From time-to-time, the risk and resource rationalization process will be repeated. This will ensure the municipality continues to provide a level of service in accordance with identified needs and circumstances.

Continuing to Self-Monitor

Now that you have done all that you can to provide the best emergency response possible given your particular local needs and circumstances, repeat the process on a continual basis.

References

For more information, refer to the following Public Fire Safety Guidelines. The Office of the Fire Marshal distributes guidelines to all Ontario fire departments and makes them available on the OFM Web site.

01-02-01 Comprehensive Fire Safety Effectiveness Model
04-01-12 Selecting Fire Suppression Capability
04-02-01 Service Delivery Considerations
04-03-12 Service Providers – Impact of Policy Decisions on Operations
04-03A-12 Service Providers – Volunteer Firefighter Staffing
04-04-12 Automatic Aid
04-05-12 Mutual Aid
04-09-12 Fire Protection Agreements
04-10-12 Steps in Establishing a Jointly Managed and Operated Fire Department
04-13-12 Basic Structural Fire Fighting (No Expected Rescue Component)
04-14-12 Structural Fire Fighting Including Rescue
04-40A-03 Simplified Risk Assessments
04-40B-12 Smoke Alarm Programs
04-40C-12 Distribution of Public Fire Safety Education Materials
04-40D-12 Inspection Programs
04-64A-12 Communications Best Practices & NFPA 1221 Communications
04-84-13 Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention

REPRODUCIBLE FORMS

IF YOU DON’T WRITE ON THESE FORMS, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE CLEAR
ORIGINALS TO PHOTOCOPY

A BLANK COPY OF EACH FORM USED IN THE PROCESS
IS PROVIDED IN THE FOLLOWING SECTION FOR YOU TO PHOTOCOPY.

All of the forms used in the
Risk & Resource Rationalization Process
are available in Microsoft® Word format on the
OFM Web site:

www.ofm.gov.on.ca

When you photocopy the
Summary of Critical Times and Staffing Levels form,
you might like to copy the step-by-step instructions
from the workbook onto the reverse side of the page.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE RECORD

SUMMARY OF CRITICAL TIMES & STAFFING LEVELS