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June 11, 2009

Document Number 2009-08

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE REPORT

Every municipal / Northern Fire Protection Program (NFPP) fire department in Ontario has received a certificate from the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) confirming that it was in compliance with clause 2.(1)(a) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA) at the time the certificate was given. Using the Municipal Fire Protection Information Survey (MFPIS), OFM advisory staff members worked closely with every municipality/jurisdiction to determine whether the municipality/jurisdiction had met its statutory obligations under the FPPA, and, if needed, to plan the next steps to be able to fulfill these obligations. The original purpose of the survey was to assist municipalities in complying with the minimum requirements for fire protection services, as directed by the FPPA, and to enable the OFM to meet its responsibility for monitoring municipal fire protection services in Ontario, as required by the Act.

For a fire department to be deemed in compliance, it has to satisfy four key requirements: simplified risk assessment; smoke alarm program, including home escape planning; distribution of public education information and implementation of public education programs; and, fire prevention inspections upon complaint or request.

The MFPIS data was used to:

The milestone of initial compliance has been reached, but the need for diligence remains. Meeting one’s statutory obligations is an ongoing task. For that reason, a self-assessment tool has been developed that will allow municipalities to confirm continued compliance with clause 2.(1)(a) of the FPPA. This tool, the Annual Compliance Report, will help the OFM to fulfill its monitoring duties. The Annual Compliance Report will be sent to municipalities and NFPP fire departments annually, three months prior to their compliance date, that is the date that appears at the bottom of the Certificate of Compliance. The Report will be sent in an electronic format, on a CD, to make it easier to complete. A copy of the Report is enclosed.

Completing the Annual Compliance Report entails:

The Annual Compliance Report is not intended to be another municipal fire protection information survey, but rather a reaffirmation that the original information is current and correct. The self assessment form covers the four key requirements for compliance with clause 2.(1)(a): the simplified risk assessment; the smoke alarm program, including home escape planning; distribution of public education information and implementation of public education programs; and, fire prevention inspections upon complaint or request.

A quick review of the simplified risk assessment will allow the fire department to note if there have been any major changes within the community (e.g., new high-rise seniors’ complex). The sections on smoke alarm programs, distribution of fire safety education materials and inspections upon request or complaint are simple and straightforward. Filling out these sections will confirm that these programs or processes are still active and in place, and provide a few basic statistics (e.g., number of inspections, number of charges laid). The final two sections offer an opportunity to explain factors that have had an impact on the ability to fulfill the minimum mandatory requirements and to recount any successes the municipality may wish to share.

Once completed, the Annual Compliance Report is to be signed by the fire chief and the head of council, and sent to the OFM. It will be reviewed by the local OFM fire protection adviser. Once it has been established that compliance is ongoing, fire protection advisers, in keeping with their monitoring duties, may conduct random audits of MFPIS and continued compliance documentation. Furthermore, the local fire protection adviser will be available to provide advice and assistance to any municipality that has had significant changes in its level of service and that has found itself to be in non-compliance.

Enquiries regarding the Annual Compliance Report should be directed to the local OFM fire protection adviser.


Enclosure

Annual Compliance Report ( HTML , PDF 90KB )

 

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