Ontario Fire Service
Performance Measurement & Benchmarking System (PMBS)
PILOT TESTING PHASE
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
- What is the PMBS and who designed it?
In September 2002, the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) initiated a partnership
with municipal fire services, municipalities and the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs, to develop a performance measurement and benchmarking framework that
will assist Ontario’s fire departments in providing their communities with the
best services possible and, in turn, assist the OFM to fulfill its
responsibilities.
As part of this initiative, a working group (including 30 representatives from
municipal fire departments) has been working together with the OFM to define
meaningful performance outcomes and measures and develop a system to support
their appropriate use.
In November 2003, a Pilot Project Design Team (consisting of working group
members and the OFM) began working with a vendor to develop web-based software
to support the implementation of the measurement framework.
- Where does this system reside? Is it owned by the
OFM?
The OFM has
agreed to host and support the software system. However, the main sources of
information include data submitted by municipal fire services (primarily
Standard Incident Reports) as well as additional information from other sources
such as Statistics Canada and the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).
Because the system
is currently in the pilot-testing phase, the information is preliminary and
participants have been asked not to make use of this information for other
purposes.
- What is the pilot project all about?
Twenty-two fire departments from across the province have kindly volunteered to
participate in the pilot testing phase. In February and March 2004, these
departments will have access to the preliminary system for testing purposes. It
is expected that they will provide helpful feedback to the working group to
ensure a successful implementation of the final product to fire departments
across Ontario in 2004-05.
- Can the public access this system?
The system was developed for use by the fire service and is not available to
the public. However, much of the information contained in the system is
information that is publicly available from other sources, e.g. your
municipality, Statistics Canada, and the Municipal Property Assessment
Corporation. The pilot system itself is only accessible to the working group
members and the 22 fire departments that are participating in testing the pilot
system.
- How will this system really help me?
The framework for performance measurement and benchmarking in this system is
positioned as a credible and progressive management tool (developed
by the fire service for
the fire service). It will allow fire departments to align their strategic
directions with measurable outcomes, assess more quickly the adequacy of their
strategies, fulfill their responsibilities under the Fire
Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA), and make decisions more
easily with respect to the targeted allocation of resources in the best
interest of fire safety for their communities.
The system does not replace your day-to-day tactical decision-making tools and
record-keeping systems. This system is a “performance exploration” tool
designed to highlight trends and opportunities at a high level and to identify
potential industry best practices. Once the system has been finalized, you will
be able to download data from the system to the statistical package of your
choice, should you wish to do more advanced analysis.
- How will the OFM be using the information that is
contained in the pilot project?
The pilot phase is for system testing purposes only.
While the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking System is an important tool
for municipal fire department self-assessment, the final system will also help
the OFM in promoting best practices, encouraging the sharing of relevant
information within the fire service community, and providing advice and
assistance to municipal fire services toward enhancing service delivery.
- Who should I contact if I have other questions?
Carol-Lynn Chambers,
Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project Manager
Office of the Fire Marshal
Telephone: (416) 325-3216
Fax: (416) 325-3213
E-mail: carol-lynn.chambers@jus.gov.on.ca
