December/January 2007 Volume 16 Issue 1
Published in the interest of fire protection and fire prevention in Ontario.
Comments, suggestions, questions and articles are welcome. Please send them to the attention of:
Carol Gravelle, Editor, Office of the Fire Marshal, 5775 Yonge Street, 7th Floor, Toronto, ON M2M 4J1, Tel: 416-325-3138, Fax: 416-325-3162, Carol.Gravelle@ontario.ca.
Unless otherwise indicated, the opinions expressed in any material published herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy of the Office of the Fire Marshal.
The reproduction of original articles appearing 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. Permission to use articles reprinted from other sources must be obtained from the original source.
ISSN 1188-7524
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue, particularly Bev Gilbert, Janice Johnstone, Ryan Betts, Chris Slosser, Gina Pontikas, Tony Pacheco, Ron Sparling, Laura Lee, Lisa Morhun, Martha Murphy, Doug Goodings, John McDougall, Michael Harrison, Rick Kerster, Tracy Jocque and Tony Stong.
Sparky®, Learn Not to Burn® and Risk Watch® are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 02269, U.S.A. Used with permission.
Pat Burke
Fire Marshal of Ontario
It is my pleasure to assume the role of Fire Marshal of Ontario. I am looking forward to carrying on the work of my predecessors in building a fire service that is ready to take on the challenges of this complex and ever-changing world of ours.
One of the guiding principles I strive to apply to all areas of my life is achieving a sense of balance. Balance, in a conceptual sense, can be defined as the median point between two opposite forces. It is a tenuous state, to be sure, but the resulting sense of harmony and purpose is definitely worth the effort. I believe the concept of balance can also be applied to the fire service.
For example, you have been hearing a lot about zero tolerance lately, relative to enforcing the smoke alarm requirements of the Fire Code. For many fire departments, this represents the polar extreme to their accepted practices. Community smoke alarm programs have traditionally involved increasing public awareness, while providing and installing smoke alarms in homes. The idea of holding people accountable for their responsibilities by issuing tickets or fines is still a foreign concept in many areas of the province. While I whole-heartedly support public education, it needs to be balanced with fair and enforceable consequences. Only then can we ensure that fire and life safety is a priority for everyone.
Zero-tolerance means there is no time allowed to achieve compliance in areas involving immediate life safety. Sanctions under the Fire Code communicate a strong message: it is not acceptable to be irresponsible in Ontario when it comes to life safety. I can recount numerous stories about children who have died because their parents or guardians did not accept responsibility for life safety in their own homes.
Recent, high-profile fires have shaken many Ontarians out of their complacent attitudes toward fire safety, but the threat of sanctions under the Fire Code are still needed in order to reach all homeowners, landlords and tenants. These sanctions can be reinforced by forging stronger working relationships with provincial offences prosecutors and by encouraging local media to cover Code prosecutions.
Enforcement is an important element of a risk management approach to Fire Code compliance. When I was Deputy Fire Chief with the Windsor Fire & Rescue Service, the department instituted a policy of reviewing all the case files on which the fire prevention team had worked according to three criteria. The review led to a program of follow-up on a number of red-flagged files to ensure compliance or to lay charges.
By taking a risk management approach, we found that just because we had given the owners direction on what to do to ensure the building was up to Code, it did not mean that these directions had been acted upon. By not following up, we were assuming part of the responsibility for putting our community at risk of fire as well as creating a legal liability for our municipality.
As the Fire Chief of Niagara Falls Fire Department, I implemented a similar risk management approach. In one year alone, more than $1 million in fines were levied as a result of following up on complaints and taking a zero tolerance approach to Code compliance.
This is an approach that can be applied to all types of occupancies, in any size of municipality. Balancing a fair enforcement component with strong public education programs and activities will achieve the greatest possible degree of life safety.
For us in the fire service, life safety is our priority and our passion. Now let’s make it a priority and a responsibility for all the residents of Ontario.
The Ontario fire service recently travelled to Israel to share its expertise and learn from the experiences of its Israeli counterparts. The trip will have enhanced community safety benefits for Ontario residents now and into the future.
“Our cooperation with the Israelis on fire safety and emergency response helps improve community safety in both Ontario and Israel,” said Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, on his return from the recent three-day trip to Israel. “The Israelis are particularly interested in Ontario’s Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, because its emphasis on fire prevention and public education has had a significant impact on the preventable fire death rate in Ontario.”
Kwinter, who was accompanied by Ontario’s Deputy Fire Marshal Doug Crawford and Toronto Fire Chief Bill Stewart, met with senior personnel from Israel’s defence and public security establishment. The minister’s itinerary included a tour of a hospital to learn about emergency triage for mass casualty events and a visit to the Jerusalem police anti-terror unit to learn about managing first responders at a terror incident.
Over the past two years, members of Israel’s fire service received training on high-rise firefighting at the Ontario Fire College. Last year, Kwinter, along with the Commissioner of Emergency Management and the Chiefs of 39 Ontario police services, held discussions in Israel on counter-terrorism measures with high-ranking Israeli officials.
The Ontario delegation was accompanied by a representative of the Canadian Jewish Congress, an organization which, among other activities, works to forge and maintain international cooperation among emergency services organizations.
“We are very pleased to have been able to help bring some of Ontario’s leaders in fire and rescue management to Israel to exchange expertise with their counterparts,” said Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario Region Director and National General Counsel Steven Shulman. “This was an educational experience that will provide benefits for all Ontarians and underscores the strong and mutually beneficial relationship between our province and Israel,” he added.
“One of the McGuinty government’s key commitments is to public safety,” Kwinter said. “International exchanges, like this one, are of great value to everyone involved.”
For more information, visit www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca.
Deputy Fire Marshal Doug Crawford (second from left), Toronto Fire Services Fire Chief Bill Stewart (third from right), Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services (second from right) pose for a picture with the Fire Commissioner of Israel and officials from Israel Defence Forces.
On November 9, 2006, four firefighters and 14 police officers received Ontario’s top honours for bravery by the Ontario government.
The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter presented medals at a Queen’s Park ceremony. These medals are the province’s highest award in recognition of firefighters and police officers whose actions demonstrate outstanding courage and bravery in the line of duty.
“In saving lives and fighting crime, these individuals have shown outstanding courage,” said Bartleman. “By honouring their bravery, we also show our gratitude for the daily acts of courage of firefighters and police officers across Ontario.”
“I am very honoured to acknowledge the dedication and heroism of our firefighters and police officers,” Kwinter said. “The Ontario Medals for Bravery serve as reminders that there are people among us who put their own lives at risk every day to keep all Ontarians safe.”
The recipients of the 2006 Ontario Medals for Firefighter Bravery included firefighters Richard Ainsworth and Richard Armstrong of Chatham-Kent Fire Department.
On a cold Sunday morning in January, firefighters Ainsworth and Armstrong were suddenly awakened by their pagers. They quickly went to an apartment fire above a clothing repair shop in downtown Blenheim. Fire had already breached the front window. Despite the heavy smoke, Ainsworth and Armstrong managed to reach the upper floor. They kicked the locked door open and rescued an injured person lying on the floor. Thanks to their team efforts, the victim survived and fully recovered after a lengthy stay in hospital.
Firefighters Andrew Brassard and Steve Ellis of the Milton Fire Department also received medals and were recognized for their bravery in the line of duty. In the early morning hours of July, firefighters Brassard and Ellis responded to a house fire on White Drive in Milton. They searched the second floor in zero-visibility and under rapidly deteriorating conditions as the fire quickly spread. The pair continued their search into the basement and evacuated an unconscious person who was lying on a bed. The victim spent a brief period in hospital and later made a full recovery.
An independent body of citizens representing all regions of Ontario determine medal recipients. A total of 167 Ontario Medals for Firefighter Bravery have been awarded since 1976. For more information about the Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery, visit www.citizenship.gov.on.ca.
In the front row from left are Fire Chief Robert Crawford, Chatham-Kent Fire Department, Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Fire Chief Larry Brassard, Milton Fire Department. In the back row from left are firefighter Richard Armstrong and firefighter Richard Ainsworth, Chatham-Kent Fire Department, firefighter Steve Ellis and firefighter Andrew Brassard, Milton Fire Department. Photo credit: Tessa Buchan
BY JANICE JOHNSTONE
PROGRAM SPECIALIST, OFM PUBLIC EDUCATION & MEDIA RELATIONS
The OFM launches a province-wide campaign to address the problem of nuisance alarms
When the changes to the smoke alarm requirements of the Fire Code were introduced last year, the Ontario fire service launched a campaign to increase awareness and ensure compliance with the law. The impact of Smoke Alarms: It’s the Law! was unprecedented, with many fire departments reporting the public’s knowledge and awareness about smoke alarms at an all time high.
We know through reports from retail stores and smoke alarm manufacturers that the change to legislation and resulting campaign resulted in a huge consumer demand for smoke alarms. However, statistics indicate that although smoke alarms may be installed, they are frequently inoperative due to missing batteries or disconnected power sources.
Frustration due to frequent nuisance alarms is considered to be the primary reason that people remove batteries or disconnect power from their smoke alarms. If we really want to change this dangerous behaviour, it’s time to stop simply telling people not to remove batteries and start providing them with practical solutions to the problem.
At a news conference in Toronto on January 25, the Office of the Fire Marshal launched a campaign called Make it Stop!, intended to provide people with options for dealing with annoying nuisance alarms. The OFM, with support from the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and SMARTRISK, developed a new television public service announcement. New radio and print PSAs were also developed and all materials were distributed to Ontario media in English and French, were released to Ontario media. As nuisance alarms are something to which just about everyone can relate, the PSAs take a light-hearted approach to catch people’s attention. Dealing effectively with nuisance alarms is not a topic that can be adequately covered in a 30-second PSA, so viewers are directed to a dedicated website, www.makeitstop.ca for information and suggestions to address the problem.
The Make it Stop! campaign will be ongoing throughout the year, with periodic reminders to media to use the materials. Fire departments can support the campaign by encouraging their local media to use the PSAs, and incorporating information about nuisance alarms and Make it Stop! into their existing smoke alarm programs.
Key messages about nuisance alarms
Throughout the website, visitors are encouraged to contact their local fire departments for more information. It’s important that consistent messages are being delivered across the province and the OFM is encouraging fire department staff to take a few minutes to visit www.makeitstop.ca and familiarize themselves with the material.
Here is a brief summary of the key messages regarding nuisance alarms for Ontario residents:
Recently the Office of the Fire Marshal partnered with Burlington Fire Department and numerous other stakeholders to communicate concerns about heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems through public notices and news releases. The concerns focused on specific units that had been distributed under the names: Venmar, Venmar AVS, Flair, vänEE, Sears and Guardian by Broan Heat Recovery Ventilators. All the units had been sold in North America and produced between 1991 and 2001.
Since then, the manufacturer of these products, Venmar Ventilation, has asked owners of the heat recovery ventilators to immediately turn off and unplug their unit, and to contact Venmar as soon as possible at 1-866-441-4645, www.venmar.ca, or by mail at SUP, 550 Lenmire Blvd. Drummondville, QC, Canada J2C 7W9.
Heat recovery ventilator systems are part of many newer homes’ heating, cooling, and ventilating systems and are located near the home’s heating system.
If owners experience any strange odours, smoke or the smell of burning in their homes, they have been advised to call 9-1-1 immediately and have the fire department respond to determine the cause.
In November 2006, Jay C. Hope was named Ontario Commissioner of Emergency Management and soon afterward assumed an expanded role as the Ontario Commissioner of Community Safety.
The newly created Office of the Commissioner of Community Safety consolidates Emergency Management Ontario with other public safety functions including the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Office of the Chief Coroner. Responsibility for Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario will also come under Commissioner Hope’s office.
Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Hope had a very distinguished 27-year policing career where he rose to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). He became a strong advocate on behalf of all communities by strengthening relationships between police and Ontario’s diverse and aboriginal communities.
Jay C. Hope, Ontario Commissioner of Community Safety
Hawk Junction Fire Department Fire Chief/Special Needs Educational Assistant Laura Lee presents Rebecca McCaig-Morin with a fire safety award and Sparky toy.
McCaig-Morin’s illustration depicts the events of an unattended cooking oil fire in her home.
Although her sister threw the burning pot outside, a practice not condoned by the fire department, McCaig-Morin, did the right thing by alerting her family to the fire after she heard the smoke alarm. McCaig-Morin has pervasive developmental disorder (similar to autism) and attends St. Joseph School in Wawa. The student has received repeated fire safety messages from Lee and continues to pass along many of the messages to her family.
ROBERT BENZIE
TORONTO STAR
Ontario is honouring its fallen heroes in uniform with a new award.
The Remembrance Day on November 11, 2006 was unlike any other. It was the first time the province recognized military personnel, firefighters and police officers who have died in the line of duty with a new Tribute to the Fallen plaque to commemorate “their heroism, valour and sacrifice.”
“I don’t know that there are words strong or eloquent enough to capture the courage it takes to put oneself in harm’s way in order to keep others safe,” Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario’s statement read. “But it matters that we remember the service and sacrifice of our heroes. That’s what this tribute is all about. We’re expressing our gratitude to the families of men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We will never forget their contributions, their courage or their commitment to keeping us safe and secure.”
The new honour will pay tribute to Canadian Forces personnel, firefighters and police officers killed on the job from 2002 onward. The framed tribute, with a trillium and a brass plate complete with a commemorative inscription, was presented to families of the fallen beginning on November 10, 2006 at Queen’s Park.
Retired Maj.-Gen. Richard Rohmer, the catalyst behind the new 30- metre Veterans’ Memorial outside the Legislature, helped in the planning and design of the new award.
“This unique initiative by Premier Dalton McGuinty in honouring the fallen and their families is strong testimony to the high regard that he and all members of the provincial legislature hold for Canada’s military and the men and women who serve in it - even to the ultimate sacrifice,” Rohmer said in a statement.
Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association president Fred LeBlanc echoed those sentiments.
“This tribute honours the memory of firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The government is to be congratulated for honouring the contribution made by firefighters on behalf of all Ontarians,” said LeBlanc.
Excerpted from the November 3, 2006 issue of the Toronto Star.
During a minor occurrence one evening in November, two Mnjikaning police officers overheard a smoke alarm activating in the surrounding area. After a quick search of neighbouring homes, the officers found light smoke exiting a home. After contacting their dispatcher to request the fire department, the two officers gained entry into the house. One of the officers woke up and helped remove two children and a female babysitter. Meanwhile the other officer located a pot on the stove, which had ignited, and safely removed the pot to the outside of the home. Any attempts to remove a burning pot or pan are not recommended by the Mnjikaning Fire Department. In this instance, it was fortunate the police officer was wearing protective gloves and was able to safely remove the pot.
Following the fire investigation, it was determined by the fire department that the cause of the fire was overheated cooking oil. Oil in a pot ignited after the babysitter had started to prepare a snack then fell asleep. Fire damage to the home was contained to the kitchen and the estimated damage was $2,000.
BY STEPHEN UHLER
PEMBROKE DAILY OBSERVER
The Pembroke Fire Department is hoping a recent conviction of a city landlord will drive home the message that everyone has to have working smoke alarms.
“The Pembroke Fire Department expects every home to have working smoke alarms, no exceptions,” said Fire Chief Rheaume Chaput “Smoke alarms are proven to save lives, but they are only effective if they are working.”
On Dec. 4, the court fined the man $5,000 after finding him guilty of failure to maintain working smoke alarms, failing to install smoke alarms and intentionally disabling a smoke alarm. The charges were laid by the fire department following a fire at a duplex in August, which the man owned and lived in at the time. The blaze was mostly contained to the building’s rear apartment while the front apartment still received extensive smoke and water damage. A family who had been living in the front apartment for less than two months was displaced as a result of the blaze.
Excerpted from the December 5, 2006 issue of the Pembroke Daily Observer.
Two owners of two residential four-plex apartment buildings with shared exits located at two different addresses have been fined $1,500 by the court based on charges laid by the City of Kawartha Lakes Fire Department for failing to provide and implement an approved fire safety plan.
The two owners of the properties were charged with two counts each for the two buildings. Although one owner had one count withdrawn, both pled guilty to the other three counts with a fine of $500 per count.
The owner and operator of a children’s group home in Ajax has been prosecuted and fined $37,500.
The home was located in a detached dwelling and prosecuted using Fire Code 6.3.3.2.(1).
Nicole Hannon, Fire Prevention Inspector with the Ajax Fire Department wrote “Both the principal company and operating business were fined $7,500 for each of the two smoke alarm violations for a total of $30,000. Furthermore, an additional fee of $7,500 was imposed for victims surcharge, bring the total fine to $37,500.”
Failing to provide working smoke alarms in each room of a Lundy’s Lane motel ravaged by fire earlier this year could have had tragic consequences, court heard on November 16, 2006.
“The action of the owner was nothing short of negligence,” prosecutor Ed Rasiulis said in Niagara Falls provincial offences court.
The corporation that owned the motel was fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to violating the Ontario Fire Code. The fire broke out April 24 after a hydro transformer malfunctioned at the motel on Lundy’s Lane. No one was injured but damage to the 30-unit motel was pegged at $250,000. While all the rooms had smoke alarms, court heard four units did not have batteries.
Excerpted from the November 18, 2006 issue of the Niagara Falls Review.
A Sarnia land title owner of a stand alone variety store, gas bar and deli has been charged with four Fire Code violations and fined $1,000, plus court costs. After his inspection, Dave Potts, Fire Prevention Officer with Sarnia Fire Department charged the land title owner with failure to check on a weekly basis, hoods, filters and ducts that are subject to combustible material deposits, failure to maintain access free of obstructions, failure to maintain the exit sign in a clear and legible condition and failure to keep the internally illuminated exit sign clearly illuminated at all times when the building is occupied.
The Ontario Fire Service Messenger would like to inform all readers about recent convictions and other successful enforcement initiatives in Ontario.
Visit www.ofm.gov.on.ca, then click on the Prosecutions & Convictions Form link in the Legislation box. Please send information to Carol.Gravelle@ontario.ca.
Pat Burke, Fire Marshal of Ontario
On December 1, 2006, Patrick (Pat) Burke was appointed Fire Marshal for the Province of Ontario.
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Burke began his career as a firefighter with Windsor Fire & Rescue Services in 1968. He held the rank of Lieutenant and was qualified as a Captain before being promoted to Deputy Chief in 1994.
In 2002, Burke was appointed to Chief of the Niagara Falls Fire Department and was a Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. In 2006, he was elected President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
Burke has served on the Executive Board of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association and was President from 1982 to 1986. In other years, his memberships have included: the Professional Standards Setting Body of the Ontario Fire Service, Provincial Emergency Management Advisory Committee, Ontario WSIB Firefighters Primary Prevention Committee, the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs Urban Fire Services Committee, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Government Relations Committee and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Board.
Burke holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Windsor, a diploma in Labour Studies from the Labour College of Canada and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. He was called to the Bar in 1992 and has practised in the areas of union side labour law and criminal law.
Burke is married to Joann and they have four children, Laura, Brendan, Kevin and Heather: in addition to three grandchildren, Lily, Wyatt and Emmett.
When not at work, Burke’s hobbies include photography, downhill skiing and basketball.
Click on the newest website to provide solutions to nuisance alarms.
The 2006 Lambton College Firefighter combat team made a splash this year with a second place finish for Canada. Not only did they take on established teams from across Canada for the first time, they also travelled to the United States to be challenged against international competitors.
“Being on the firefighter combat team is not for everyone,” says Ron Sparling, the team’s coach and a professor at Lambton College. “To be on the team, the people must train rigorously, up to 20 hours a week, including week-ends and outside of class. All the competitions are extra-curricular activities on top of their studies.”
The college’s 2006 team of five members consisted of Michael Roch, Dan Lanthier, Matt MacCormick, Fred Bellehumeur and Trevor Hepburn. All students are graduates of the Pre-Service Firefighter program and will be graduating from the Fire Science Technology three- year program.
The team’s finish for the year came after a year chock-full of events, beginning on May 6 at the Lambton College Fire & Emergency Response Training Centre, the first day of workouts for the combat team. By June 22, the five teammates were selected. Shortly after, on July 1, the team participated in a challenge in Kitchener and took home a gold medal in the fire school division over Conestoga College in the Firefighter Combat Relay and placed fourth in the Firefit individual team out of 15 teams. It was a wonderful beginning.
The Lambton College Ladies Firefighter combat team also entered the Kitchener challenge in the relay event. The team was composed of Michelle Stradwick, Jenny Butt, Emma Vickery and Ashley Hughes and finished with an impressive time of 2 minutes and 50 seconds. This women’s team was the first to compete in a combat challenge in Canada in 2006.
Throughout the summer, the men’s team collected more gold medals for team relays in the Fire School and Firefighter division categories. Team members also began to set individual records.
At a challenge in North Bay, Bellehumeur and Roch made it into the “elite” 100-second club of Firefighters of Canada. In Windsor, MacCormick made it into the “elite” 100-second club too.
With their successes under their belts, the men earned the Region ‘Byes’ to compete in the Canadian Scott Firefit Championship Finals in Niagara Falls on September 17. It was a tough day because the competition was set very close to the falls and the mist made surfaces slippery. The team prevailed. They obtained second place as the Canadian Champions in the Firefighter Combat Relay and first place gold medals as the Canadian Champions in the Fire School division .
The team’s final event was the Firefighter Combat World Challenge XV in Henderson, Nevada from November 7 to 11. Out of their international field of competitors, the team placed seventh in the world and second for Canada.
For first time competitors, this was no small feat and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication the students put into each challenge they entered.
Throughout the year, the students demonstrated their passion for doing their best, through a combination of hard work and commitment. It parallels the same passion that members of the Ontario fire service have attributed as the reason for their long and accomplished careers. Well done students!
Lambton College teammates who travelled to Nevada pose for a photo. From left are Michael Roch, Dan Lanthier, Matt MacCormick, Fred Bellehumeur and Trevor Hepburn.
The last days of Bernard A. Moyle’s career as Fire Marshal of Ontario were filled with activity. They were no different than any other day in his more than 16 years as principal advisor to government on issues related to fire protection and prevention.
On November 20, he travelled to Rama Mnjikaning to present certificates of compliance to the community. At the ceremony, he was presented with a wooden eagle on his retirement. The eagle is a highly revered bird in the aboriginal culture because of its keen insight, powers of leadership and wisdom. The wood that was used for this piece was oak and pine and it was polished to a handsome finish. The artist, Mark Havill, is an aboriginal man from central Ontario.
From left are James Simcoe, Fire Chief Mark Pankhurst, Rama Mnjikaning First Nation Chief Sharon Stinson-Henry, Deputy Fire Chief Barry Denne, Bernard Moyle, Paul Leslie. The eagle in the picture was a retirement present from the Rama Mnjikaning First Nation. Photo submitted by Alan Brody, Training Officer, Mnjikaning Fire Rescue.
On November 21, Moyle distributed letters to every Ontario Fire Chief asking them to enforce a zero-tolerance approach to smoke alarms in their communities. The letter was followed up by a news release that was distributed throughout the province to all media outlets. And the media responded. The same day, Moyle particpated in eight media interviews, including three for major television networks.
During the same day, Moyle went back to where his fire service career began. He visited the first station he worked in on Lambton Avenue in Toronto (former City of York). It was there that he had lunch with colleagues he had not seen since working with them many years before he came to the Office of the Fire Marshal.
In the back row from left are Professor Bryan Evans, Program Coordinator, Public Administration and Governance Degree Program, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Dr. Fred McLennan, Principal, Ontario Fire College and Captain Craig Dart, Training Officer, Toronto Fire Services, Student Representative, Program Advisory Committee. In the front row from left are Dr. Neil Thomlinson, Chair, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Bernard Moyle and Lynne Lofquist, OFM Manager, Academic Standards and Evaluation.
On November 22, Moyle attended his final investiture. It was an evening to celebrate the long service achievements of Toronto Fire Services. His speech was about his days as a rookie firefighter and the importance his mentor, a former York firefighter, played in his life. He emphasized how important mentoring can be and that everyone in the room, with their many years of service, were role models for young firefighters. The recipients had a role to play in the vitality of the Ontario fire service’s future.
On November 23, a retirement dinner was held at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Richmond Hill. Approximately 320 people attended the event. The honour guards who attended the evening were from Vaughan Fire Department and the pipe and drum band was composed of the Toronto Fire Service and the Ontario fire service Pipes and Drums. Before the dinner, the band played three very different songs as a tribute to Moyle’s career and demonstrated how dynamic the band was as a group. It was an evening filled with warm wishes, many gifts and memories. Everyone was there to honour one person and Moyle did his best to visit with everyone.
Throughout the evening, two presentations, accompanied by music, were shown on a large screen. The presentations provided attendees with “a trip down memory lane”: they depicted Moyle’s many accomplishments in the Ontario fire service and in his personal life. Guest speakers at the dinner included Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Doug Crawford, Deputy Fire Marshal, Dr. James Young, Special Advisor to the Minister, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Government of Canada, Alan Speed, retired Toronto Fire Services Fire Chief, Terry Allen, Fire Chief of Cambridge Fire Department and Lee Grant, President of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.
One of the gifts was a magnificent quilt made by Margaret Bond, the wife of Kemptville Fire Chief Tim Bond. The quilt took almost 200 hours to complete and included a crest from every Ontario fire department. Some fire departments that did not have crests, had them created specifically for the quilt. A special message for Moyle was embroidered on the back of the quilt. Moyle has generously allowed the Ontario Fire College to house the quilt for one year so firefighters throughout the province may get an opportunity to see it for themselves.
A picture of the magnificent quilt and embroidery by Margaret Bond, the wife of Kemptville Fire Chief Tim Bond.
Moyle also spoke at the dinner. He talked about some of his accomplishments, touching on what others had said, but he also talked about his father’s influence in leading him to the Ontario fire service. He said he developed a passion for fighting fires and helping others after he joined the fire service. He attributed this passion to his accomplishments and for making Ontario a safer place from fire.
Moyle speaks at his retirement dinner.
The media interviews continued. Moyle was interviewed about his retirement and his career accomplishments by leading newspapers and a television station, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and CITY-TV.
His last day was November 30 and he spent it at OFM headquarters. In his final speech, he said he was humbled by the outpouring of support he received in his last days as Fire Marshal. He reinforced how wonderful it was to work with OFM staff, the Ontario fire service and that he would need some time to reflect on his career. All the best in your retirement Mr. Moyle!
In this photo Moyle receives a certificate from representatives of the Emergency Health Services Branch of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in recognition of the significant contributions that have been made to inter-agency cooperation benefiting the delivery of emergency health services across Ontario.
Check out our latest books and videos from the Fire Sciences Library & Audio-Visual Resource Centre. We provide current fire resources to support the Office of the Fire Marshal as well as fire departments, emergency services and fire related industries. The collection consists of 9,000+ books, standards, statue law, reports, 80+ journals, and over 1,300 audio-visual resources. A full listing of new resources is available on our website!
New Books
Kirk’s Fire Investigation by John DeHaan. 2007.
Rapid Intervention Company Operations (R.I.C.O.) by Michael R. Mason and Jeffrey S. Pindelski. 2006.
Risk Watch (Canadian Edition) National Fire Protection Association. 2005. Set of five compact discs Pre K – Gr. 8, aimed at elementary school teachers, to aid in education about injury prevention.
User's Manual for NFPA 921: guide for fire and explosion investigation National Fire Protection Association. 2005.
Risk Watch (Canadian Edition).
Kirk’s Fire Investigation
Rapid Intervention Company Operations (R.I.C.O.)
New Videos and DVDs
Christmas tree fire. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (2004)
Safety tips are presented to highlight potential fire hazards involving natural Christmas trees and other decorations.
Your Office Fire. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (2003)
Program features a fire shown in real time involving materials that are typical of many offices and demonstrates how quickly flashover occurs in about four and half minutes after ignition.
The Living Room Fire. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (2004)
This program shows in real-time what a fire in a fully furnished living room would look like. A single match is dropped into a wastepaper basket next to the couch. The room reaches flashover about 2 1/2 minutes after ignition.
The Residence Hall Fire. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (2006)
Safety tips are presented to remind students about fire prevention, detection and suppression and to engage them to form an escape plan ahead of time.
Web Resources
The Firefighting in Canada portal (http://firefightingincanada.com) has headline news and issues a magazine under the same name as well as Canadian Firefighter & EMS Quarterly. The site also has a apparatus directory and buyers guide, bookstore, job postings, events and links to various associations and fire departments.
National Fire & Rescue Magazine produces a website (www.nfrmag.com) providing access to their back issues from 2002 to date. NFRM also provides general news from the US fire service and access to First Responder Product and Services Buyer’s Guide.
The Fire Sciences Library & Audio-Visual Resource Centre are located in the Office of the Fire Marshal serving staff and residents of Ontario. We welcome visitors to come to the library and borrow from our collection. We will also courier material directly to clients. Hours are Monday – Friday 8:30am to 4:15pm. Visit our website by clicking on Resource Centre at www.ofm.gov.on.ca Phone: (Library) 416-325-3235/3236, (Audio-Visual) 416-325-3121, Email: firesciences.information@ofm.ca.
BY CHRIS SLOSSER
A/PROGRAM SPECIALIST, OFM PUBLIC EDUCATION & MEDIA RELATIONS
The fire service knows too well how difficult it can be to engage teenagers in fire and life safety education programs. A general sense of invincibility, the array of personal interests and the goings-on in their day-to-day lives can make it difficult to deliver safety programs in a way that attracts teenagers’ interest and impacts their thinking and behaviours.
The challenge is further heightened if the teenager (and his/her family) is faced with daily barriers and challenges that make it difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle (for example, youth from low-income families living in substandard housing conditions or in dangerous neighbourhoods).
Effective education programs that reach such ‘high risk’ youths must focus on the strengths and skills these youths have developed to survive their daily barriers and challenges, according to Dr. Wayne Hammond, vice-president and executive director of Resiliency Canada.
“In the past, professions working with ‘high risk’ youths have tended to focus on youths’ deficits, and designed programs to ‘fix’ those deficits,” Dr. Hammond recently told a seminar on youth resiliency organized by the national injury prevention organization SMARTRISK. The problem with this approach, Dr. Hammond continued, is that the individual youth comes to be defined by his/her deficits or deficiencies, which immediately puts him/her on the defensive and less receptive to the information educators are trying to provide.
Resiliency Canada, a non-profit organization in Calgary that works to advance the well-being of children, youth and their families, advocates an alternative approach that focuses on youths’ abilities. Dr. Hammond calls this a positive, strength-based approach that better engages youths by reinforcing, highlighting and further developing their strengths and skills.
A positive approach includes allowing teenagers to draw on their abilities to play a creative role in the educational process, for example, in developing and acting out a fire safety skit, designing a poster, participating in a safety fair, or doing internet research.
“We have to encourage people not to avoid risk,” Dr. Hammond said, “but to draw on their strengths to thrive through risk.”
Successful education programs also must be meaningful to the youth involved, and include meaningful activities that move toward goals that are important to them, Dr. Hammond continued.
“The logical part of our brains isn’t fully developed until our late 20s and early 30s,” Dr. Hammond said. “With youth, then, we need to appeal to the emotional part of their brain; to influence youths’ behaviour, we must influence the emotions that affect their thinking and decision-making.”
Techniques to achieve this include engaging teenagers in activities that lead them to conclusions about fire safety on their own. For example, initiate a discussion about a fire-related scenario in which unsafe decisions were made, then have them develop alternative, safe decisions and actions. Involving youth in this way helps to develop ownership. Teenagers will feel that the message is theirs because they developed it and shared it with others. As a result, that message will stay with them.
For more information about Resiliency Canada visit www.resiliencycanada.ca.
In mid-November, Markham Fire and Emergency Services was called to a home where a fire had ignited in the basement, due to a candle left unattended. While a man fell asleep on the first storey of the home, his wife and a three-month-old child slept on the second storey. The smoke alarm activated and woke the man. He noticed a large volume of smoke and flames coming from the basement and immediately woke his wife and the child and helped them to evacuate the home. On their way out the door, the man grabbed the cordless telephone and called 9-1-1 from outside the home.
On arrival, fire crews reported flames and smoke coming through the first floor and front door of the home. Twenty-six firefighters fought the fire. The damage from the unattended candle was estimated at $175,000. Candles left unattended are a leading cause of home fires. When you go out, blow out!
BY DENNIS COMPTON
www.FIRETIMES.COM
Dennis Compton speaks at the recent public educators’ conference in Cambridge.
Whether career or volunteer in structure, the relationship between the workforce and the chief officers in a fire department is one of the keys that determine organizational success. There are specific principles on which to form the basis of this relationship. These principles tend to drive the effectiveness of a fire department’s employee relations effort. Chief officers and labour leaders should be well aware of these principles and set the example for others in the organization as it relates to respecting them. They are meaningful issues and they should receive adequate attention.
It is easy to blame outside influences for internal fire department difficulties. Bottom line, however, the stronger the internal relationships and systems in a fire department, the more the organization can withstand and survive outside pressures.
How does your organization rate when compared to these principles? Celebrate areas where workers and managers do well and work on the others. Doing so will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the fire department. Period!
About the Author
Dennis Compton served as the Fire Chief in Mesa, Arizona for five years and as Assistant Fire Chief in the Phoenix, Arizona Fire Department, where he served for twenty-seven years. Chief Compton is the Past Chair of the Executive Board of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), Past Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Advisory Committee, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Home Safety Council (HSC).
Reprinted from www.FIRETIMES.COM. The article was posted on the website on April 30, 2004.
BY CHRIS SLOSSER
A/PROGRAM SPECIALIST, OFM PUBLIC EDUCATION & MEDIA RELATIONS
The 14th annual Fire and Life Safety Educators’ Conference was held in Cambridge November 15-17.
The theme of the conference was Igniting Your Leadership and conference attendees had an opportunity to participate in a variety of valuable workshops aimed at developing leadership skills. Included were workshops on delivering effective presentations; leading smoke alarm initiatives in your community; knowing your responsibilities regarding TAPP-C; ways to ignite the leader in everyone; and the use of humour to ignite leadership.
A pre-conference workshop on the new Canadian Risk Watch® provided conference attendees with an overview of the changes to the revised program. The workshop discussed a number of challenges identified by Risk Watch coalitions seeking to implement the program in their communities and concrete solutions to these challenges, also provided by coalitions.
The following is a summary of some of the challenges and solutions:
1. Finding the money and human resources to purchase and implement the program.
Suggested Solutions: The Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council has developed a new fundraising program called the Risk Watch Ambassador Program. Community groups, service clubs, local businesses and individuals can sponsor a classroom in a local school for $100 or an entire school for $2500. Contact Anne Miller at 416-325-3152 for more information.
For those coalitions facing a shortage of human resources, consider expanding the coalition to include membership beyond the traditional disciplines (i.e. fire, police, health, education). There may be other groups, agencies or associations with valuable contributions to offer that would be interested in participating.
2. Ensuring adequate training on the new program for coalitions and teachers.
Suggested Solutions: The OFM will be holding regional training sessions across the province. Stay tuned for a communiqué and training request form coming from the OFM in coming weeks. Coalitions can use the information provided in these sessions as part of their in-service training of teachers. The OFM will also have a PowerPoint presentation and other resource materials available for coalitions to use for teacher training sessions.
3. How do coalition leaders keep coalition members motivated?
Suggested Solutions: Coalitions indicated that developing a network of coalitions for support and information is important. Coalitions suggest meeting regularly with other area coalitions to share ideas and talk about the challenges (and solutions) in their communities.
Also, the OFM is developing a Risk Watch website that will include a message board to which coalitions from across the province can log in and share ideas, concerns and solutions to issues in their communities.
4. How do coalitions increase teachers’ interest and willingness to use the program and provide on-going motivation to teachers?
Suggested Solutions:
Karen Cook speaks at the conference about Risk Watch.
For more information about the Canadian Risk Watch, contact Chris Slosser, OFM, at 416-325-3120 or chris.slosser@ontario.ca.
BY JOHN MCDOUGALL
FIRE CHIEF, TOWN OF ERIN FIRE DEPARTMENT
The recently purchased Fire and Life Safety Training Trailer by four Wellington County fire departments has many features that makes it unique.
The door handle in the mock kid’s bedroom can be warm to the touch, and at the flick of a switch, smoke can pour in through the opening in the floor. A pot on the stove can burn with simulated orange flames, and the stairs at the back are a place where heavy smoke can lurk. Fortunately, for the children who will be learning their fire safety lessons in this trailer, there is an escape ladder that hangs from the back of the trailer. A Training Officer will be present to help children learn how to confidently and quickly deal with emergencies.
In addition to representing an important education tool, this unique trailer can also act as a command centre in the event of an emergency.
Thanks to money provided by the province to be used for training and improving fire prevention and safety ($70,000 in the case of Erin), four Wellington municipalities are now offering area students with superior and dramatic fire safety training.
The Town of Erin, Centre Wellington, Mapleton and Arthur joined forces to purchase the trailer, which contains models of a child’s bedroom, a kitchen and carpeted stairs, along with a small control room to be used by the Training Officer.
Other features of the trailers include a fire safety video for students to watch, a screen outside the trailer for others, like parents, to watch what is happening inside and slogans throughout such as “Have a Home Escape Plan,” and “Know Two Ways Out.”
The trailer arrived in Erin just in time for September 5, Manufacturer’s Night at the Erin Fairgrounds. Members of fire and emergency departments from surrounding municipalities attended to view the latest offerings in safety and rescue equipment from suppliers.
The 130 year anniversary was celebrated on November 11. All retired firefighters as well as the present firefighters were invited to attend. The celebration included a dinner and social that was attended by approximately 135 people. Four of the former Fire Chiefs were present and gave speeches, in addition to two family members of deceased Fire Chiefs. There were numerous displays of memorobilia and equipment. A slide show of approximately 420 pictures was presented of events past and present. In the photo above, all fire department members both past and present who attended the reunion. Photo submitted by Deputy Chief Chris Harrow, Minto Fire Department. .
BY MICHAEL HARRISON
PUBLIC EDUCATOR, OAKVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Going to sleep at night without a properly installed and working smoke alarm or not practising safe cooking techniques may be a thing of the past for the numerous visitors who attended this year’s Fire Prevention Week kick-off event. Seven years ago we embarked on a new approach to kicking-off Fire Prevention Week in our community: we borrowed some old ideas and blended them with new ones to attain what we have today.
One Saturday in October eight years ago, we opened the doors of six of our fire stations and invited the public to meet the firefighters, look at the fire trucks, learn about fire safety and have a free hotdog and drink.
The following year we decided to consolidate the six separate events into one location; Oakville’s Town Hall parking lot was chosen to be the site. We offered fire safety education, fun activities for children old and young alike and once again, free hotdogs and drinks. For the first event of this nature we attracted some 400 plus visitors. This was the beginning of our Fire Prevention Week kick-off event that has now become a tradition in Oakville.
This year we celebrated our seventh annual kick-off event. The attendance has climbed to over 2,500 people which isn’t our record, but not bad for a cloudy, rainy day!
The Fire Prevention Week/Month kick-off event is now modeled around the Risk Watch injury prevention program and its eight key safety topics. We invite people, groups and organizations who complement any of these topics to participate in the event. Participants set up booths or activities around our six-acre firefighter training campus; adults and children then stroll around and visit each location.
Fun activities for the children are also part of the event. We have clowns, face painting, crafts, various inflatable air structure rides and challenge games to play. New this year, which proved to be a hit, were the water, rope and ladder truck rescues, auto extrication and propane fire simulation demonstrations that were staged by our various Oakville Fire Department specialty teams. We hope to enhance these demonstrations in future years to make them bigger and better and also to showcase to the public the various firefighter skill sets.
A picture of the student volunteer staff who assisted with the seventh annual kick-off event for Fire Prevention Week. Photo submitted by Michael Harrison, Oakville Fire Department. .
The group of participants grew this year to include CN Police and their demonstration crash vehicle, Halton Multicultural Society, various departments from the Town of Oakville such as Aquatics, Transit and the Halton Health Services Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital with their Teddy Bear Triage Clinic.
A free lunch was provided and this year Oakville McDonalds Restaurants sponsored the food pavilion.
Staging such an event would not have been possible without the help and generous support of Oakville’s business community. Almost one hundred volunteer students from various colleges such as Humber, Seneca, Durham and Sheridan along with high school students from local schools assisted us with the many tasks.
Promotion of the event was through the newspapers, a specially designed poster, radio stations and television. Every child from daycare age to Grade 4 received an invitation at school.
Two weeks after the kick off, at a community display at the local mall Oakville Fire distributed the grand prizes to winning families. Incidentially, Oakville Place Mall was a major sponsor of the kick off event.
Every year Oakville Fire strives to provide a good mix of fire and life safety information along with many fun activities in a carnival-like atmosphere. At the completion of each year’s event the organizing staff assembles for a review meeting. We discuss and attempt to resolve all concerns and then start planning for the next year’s event.
Children at Oakville’s kick-off to Fire Prevention Week got to test their skills with a fire hose. Photo submitted by Michael Harrison, Oakville Fire Department.
For more information, contact Michael Harrison, Public Educator Oakville Fire Department at 905-845-6601 ext. 3602
The Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners (CCFM/FC) and the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner were pleased to host its forum of Fire and Life Safety Educators from across Canada from May 31 to June 2, 2006 in Winnipeg Manitoba. The forum allowed fire and life safety educators to share knowledge, ideas and visions for the future.
Educators were able to discuss various issues concerning public education delivery, as well as celebrate the many successes of the past year.
Representatives spent one day examining and discussing the results of the ‘genesis form’ to determine if the recommendations made in 2004 are in keeping with future direction. The focus of the two and half days was to identify practical and achievable goals and objectives to make a difference provincially, territorially and nationally.
In the front row from left are Bev Gilbert, OFM, Richard McCurry, Gord Favelle, and Luc Page. In the second row from left are Kathy Danino, Tom Makey, Jackie Goodwin, Mahendra Wijayasinghe, and Angela Prawzick. In the third row from left are Frederick Morrison, Ann Kall, Robert Prima, Cheryl Deibert, Wayne Higgins, Judy Harvie, Janice Johnstone, OFM, Frank Savage, Everitt Pitts, Dave Gallant, and Tim Nickerson. Photo submitted by Lisa Morhun, Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner.
Reprinted from the Summer/Fall 2006 issue of Burning Issues, a publication of the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner.
The objective of Climbing the Ladder is to keep you informed and up to date on issues related to education and training within the Ontario fire service, and to adequately address your questions and concerns. If there is a particular issue you want covered, send the topic to the Editor of The Messenger and it will be passed on to the appropriate person in the OFM Academic Standards and Evaluation section.
BY ROSE BARG, EdD
ACADEMIC MANAGER, OFM ACADEMIC STANDARDS & EVALUATION (AS&E)
The Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program, developed by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC) and the OFM, continues to be offered by community colleges across the province in partnership with local fire departments. This program, which parallels the Ontario Firefighter Curriculum in terms of program outcomes, is designed to effectively prepare potential firefighters for entry into the Ontario fire service.
In order to do so, the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program uses a two-level approach.
Academic Component:
The academic part of this program meets the requirements established by the Ontario Fire Service Standards for Firefighters and exceeds NFPA 1001 Level 1. The program’s curriculum incorporates a strong theoretical base with an applied skills focus. It is designed to further the Ontario fire service’s professionalization process.
Specifically, the curriculum builds the students’ knowledge and skills in the following core areas: basic fire science, fire suppression, firefighter emergency patient care, fire prevention and public education. Students are provided with the opportunity to practice and test their skills in both simulated and controlled live fire training scenarios.
Practicum Component:
The practicum experience is an integral part of the pre-service program and forms part of the standardized curriculum. This provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable experience of what it is like to work within the municipal fire service prior to seeking employment.
For more information on the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program, please visit our website at www.ofm.gov.on.ca.
Recognition of academic equivalency:
The OFM has reviewed the academic programs from various other institutions in order to established equivalencies. While none of these programs meet the outcomes of the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program entirely, there is significant recognition of equivalency in the areas of fire service theory and skills. These programs with currently recognized equivalencies are:
Community Colleges also recognize that the Ontario Firefighter Curriculum as equivalent to the Academic Component of the Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program.
For further information, please contact the colleges that offer the Pre-Service Program, or Doug Goodings, Executive Coordinator/Chair Certification, at (416) 325-3136 or doug.goodings@ontario.ca.
Fire service certification update
Firefighter Certification Program Departments enrolled-190 -Firefighters enrolled-15,757 Total certified career firefighters-1,808 -Total certified firefighters-630
Fire Prevention Officer Certification Program Departments enrolled-86 -Fire Prevention Officers enrolled-487 Total certified Fire Prevention Officers-171
Company Officer Certification Program Departments enrolled-78 -Company Officers enrolled-1,187 Total certified Company Officers-42
Training Officer Certification Program Departments enrolled-54 -Training Officers enrolled-173 Total certified Training Officers-14
Public Fire & Life Safety Educator’s Certification Total certified Public Fire & Life Safety Educators-247 Statistics as of November 2006.
BY TRACY JOCQUE
TRAINING OFFICER, GRAVENHURST VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Many Fire Prevention Week activities in Gravenhurst were all about the children.
Gravenhurst Fire Department centred many of their activities around educating young children about fire safety in their homes. The setting was a fire safety trailer and included activities like testing children’s knowledge about fire safety hazards such as cloths on the stove, matches lying about and newspapers on the woodstove. It was the job of the children to point out these fire safety hazards as they went through the rooms. At one point as the children gathered in the bedroom and the door closed, squeals of anticipation and excitement could be heard. Then smoke started to enter the room. The smoke alarm did its job and started to chirp. Excitedly, one by one, each child, remembering their fire safety messages, got low and went under the smoke. But which way out they all wondered? A nervous little girl checked the door and to her surprise it was warm to the touch. She remembered the message “If the door is warm it’s not safe to go out.” Instinctively remembering to find two ways out of every room, she told the others “Try the window.” The window opened and they exited the room under the supervision of Rob King, Gravenhurst’s Fire Prevention Officer.
Throughout the week, Gravenhurst Volunteer Fire Department took the Muskoka Fire Safety trailer to all of the local schools to provide the same public education opportunity. Children from Kindergarten to Grade 5 were taught the importance of a home fire escape plan, Stop, Drop and Roll and what to do should they have to call 9-1-1. In addition to the activities, the children were given stickers, hats, coloring books, badges and the Autumn Fire Safety Book to take home to their parents. The trailer provided a great opportunity to share fire safety with the whole community. None of the children even minded their homework: checking their smoke alarms and practising their home fire escape plan.
Children got a kick out of getting up close and personal with firefighter Steve Bozzo in his breathing apparatus. Photo submitted by Tracy Jocque, Gravenhurst Volunteer Fire Department.
During the summer, the Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Department was called to a newly constructed two-storey home due to activated smoke alarms. At the time, a mother and her daughter were in the large home. After some searching, fire crews found a burning candle left unattended in the daughter’s bedroom. Fortunately, there was minimal damage, due to the early warning by the smoke alarms.
“This would have been a very difficult fire to overcome had it started,” said Ross Poole, Deputy Fire Chief, Municipality of Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Department. He was speaking in relation to the sheer size of the home, its stonewall construction and the fact there was no nearby water source for suppression.
In the early morning of October 13, the Belleville Fire Department was called to a home where a fire had started in a teenager’s bedroom in the basement. During the evening of October 12, the hydro had gone out then came back on at 11:45 p.m. During the hydro outage, the youth lit a few candles to provide light throughout the evening, but placed one too close to the bed. The youth was woken by an activating smoke alarm and discovered his bed was on fire. He immediately left the bedroom, closed the door and raced up the stairs to alert his parents. Three occupants, a dog and cat escaped safely.
Last winter, the Alnwick/Haldimand Fire Department was called to a home of two retired seniors. One of the seniors had been a member of the local volunteer fire department for many years. The couple had parked a third vehicle in their two-car garage for the winter. The garage also provided storage for a garden tiller, lawn mower and other small items. On the ceiling above these items was an electrical heater that was attached to supply heat in very cold weather. A few pieces of the heater coil fell onto the combustibles below, which began to burn. Fortunately, a battery-operated smoke alarm had been installed and alerted the occupants, helping to limit the damage to the garage and home.
Click on the newest website to provide solutions to nuisance alarms.
This year, visitors got lost in a corn maze but found their way out by demonstrating their fire prevention knowledge.
BY GINA PONTIKAS
INFORMATION COORDINATOR, OFM PUBLIC EDUCATION & MEDIA RELATIONS
The McMaze is located on Cedar Fox Farm in St. Andrew’s, Ontario. It first opened on August 18, 2001 and was created by Sandy McDonald, who was 12 at the time and is now a third year university student studying biochemistry.
The maze is a family-run business and helps to support community groups such as the Canadian Air Cadets, Ryan’s Well Foundation and the Tagwi Secondary School Senior Band. The farm also employs over 50 students.
Every year the maze follows a theme – one year it was the map of Canada and last year the theme focused on fire safety and prevention.
During Fire Prevention Week 2006, firefighters with four local fire departments (Long Sault, St. Andrew’s, Newington, and Ingleside) dressed in their gear and spoke to children and adults about fire safety.
Throughout the 3.5 acre maze, a number of stations were set up, each with a fire safety question. If participants answered correctly, they moved to the next station. The questions covered a number of fire safety topics including safe cooking, candle safety, home escape planning and smoke alarms.
Children and youth who have toured the maze describe the experience as both fun and educational. Students who participate in the maze and successfully answer all the questions will have their names entered into a draw for a $250 Education Savings Bond.
The maze opens every year in July and closes on October 31st, (Halloween). Although rain and snow may affect attendance, every year anywhere between 8,000 and 10,000 people tour the maze. One year, attendance was at almost 15,000 people!
Admission to the farm ranges between $7 to $10 and includes a tour of the maze, viewing of the farm animals and pig races. This year, $1 from each admission was collected for the local departments for community fire prevention initiatives.
Information on directions and upcoming events can be found at the McDonald’s family McMaze website at www.mcmaze.ca.
For more information about fire safety measures for amusement activities on farms and other sites visit www.ofm.gov.on.ca and click on Communique #23 that was distributed in 2002.
A picture of the McMaze.
Margarita Andrade was the successful candidate in the competition for administrative coordinator to the Fire Marshal. She began this secondment on December 1.
Wayne Bennett was the successful candidate in the competition for Northeast Operations Manager in Fire Protection Services. Wayne began his new job on October 10.
Jean Carter retired November 10. Jean was the administrative assistant in the Academic Standards & Evaluation section. She worked at the OFM for approximately six years.
Andy Glynn left his position as specialist in the Emergency Management Response Unit of Fire Protection Services to join the Oakville Fire Department as the Deputy Fire Chief.
Myles Mailvaganam retired on October 31. Myles worked as an engineer in the Applied Research section.
Connie Nakay left OFM Corporate Services in November to join the Family Responsibility Office.
Cynthia Semenick was the successful candidate in the competition for Manager, Resource Management Services in Corporate Services. Cindy began on December 4.
In the evening of October 26, Marathon Fire Department facilated a pizza promo with Pizza Hut to raise awareness about changing the clocks, changing smoke alarm batteries for the upcoming time change. After more than 30 deliveries, the department members were able to hand out promotional materials and speak with homeowners.
In the picture a family receives a few pizzas and a fire safety visit from Sparky. Photo submitted by Rick Kerster, Fire Chief, Town of Marathon.
Fatal Fire Summary
October 2006: 8 fatal fires resulting in 10 fire deaths
Age Group 0-15: Male - 0, Female - 2, Total - 2
Age Group 16-64: Male - 3, Female - 2, Total - 5
Age Group 65 and over: Male - 2, Female - 1, Total - 3
Total: Male - 5, Female - 5, Total - 10
Fire Cause - Accidental 5, Undetermined 0, Under Investigation 5, Incendiary 0
Time of Day - 0001-0800 - 6, 0801-1600 - 2, 1601-1800 - 0, 1801-0000 - 2
Locations of fatal fires: Toronto (3), Campbellford/Seymour, Percy, Hastings (1), London (1), Orillia (1), Ottawa (1) and Thunder Bay City (1).
November 2006: 4 fatal fires resulting in 4 fire deaths
Age Group 0-15: Male - 0, Female - 0, Total - 0
Age Group 16-64: Male - 3, Female - 1, Total - 4
Age Group 65 and over: Male - 0, Female - 0, Total - 0
Total: Male - 3, Female - 1, Total - 4
Fire Cause - Accidental 1, Undetermined 0, Under Investigation 3, Incendiary 0
Time of Day - 0001-0800 - 3, 0801-1600 - 1, 1601-1800 - 0, 1801-0000 - 0
Locations of fatal fires: West Grey (1), Oshawa (1), Desoronto (1) and Ingersoll (1).
A 15-year-old boy was sent to hospital suffering smoke inhalation after fire broke out in his family’s home in early November. But had it not been for the tenacious cries of one of the family’s three cats, the situation could have turned out differently for the boy.
The boy was using the family computer after school when the cat began meowing repeatedly, said the boy’s grandmother, who declined to give her name. When the boy checked on the agitated feline, he noticed smoke pouring out from under his bedroom door nearby.
“Right away, he called 9-1-1,” the grandmother said. But rather than run for safety, the boy attempted to round up each of the family’s pets, including a dog and guinea pig, all the while breathing in the acrid smoke spilling from his bedroom.
“That’s why they couldn’t get him out of the house, because he couldn’t find the cats,” the grandmother said.
“The neighbour was yelling, ‘Get out, get out.’ Eventually the boy got out, leaving the animals’ rescue to St. Catharines firefighters who had the blaze contained within a minute of their arrival,” said Platoon Chief Bernie Starrs.
Starrs did not know the cause of the blaze that caused about $60,000 damage to the Roxborough Court bungalow, but said its origins were traced to the mattress in the boy’s bedroom.
“The bedroom is pretty much totalled,” Starrs said. “It’s charred pretty good and then there’s a lot of smoke damage (in other parts of the house) as well.”
Excerpted from the November 2, 2006 issue of the St. Catharines Standard.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has announced the release of a report regarding heating fires in residential buildings. Between the years 2002-2004, an annual average of 49,100 heating fires occurred in residential buildings. These fires were responsible for an estimated 125 civilian fire deaths, 575 civilian fire injuries, and $232 million in property loss.
“Each year an unacceptable number of American citizens lose their lives in heating related fires,” said Acting USFA Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson. “With the winter months quickly approaching, it is important to take the necessary safety precautions to prevent heating fires in the home. Many of these fires can be prevented through proper use and maintenance of heating systems and equipment.”
The report, Heating Fires in Residential Buildings, was developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center as part of its Topical Fire Research Series and is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for 2002-2004. The report examines the causes and characteristics of heating fires that occur in residential buildings.
A copy of the topical report can be downloaded at www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/reports/pubs/tfrs.shtm
Excerpted from a November 21, 2006 news release from the United States Fire Administration.
Jan. 30 - Feb. 2 OPFFA Health & Safety Seminar-Toronto, ON
March 29 - April 1 Northeastern Fire Education Conference-North Bay, ON
May 5 - 9 - Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs 55th Annual Conference & Trade Show-Toronto, ON
June 4 -7 - OMFPOA Training & Educational Symposium-Richmond Hill, ON
Sept. 23-26 - Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs Conference-Niagara Falls, ON
Nov. 14 - 16 - 15th annual Fire & Life Safety Educators’ Conference-Midland, ON
On November 3, the Ramara Fire and Rescue Services launched their first fire safety village on home turf - literally.
The Paint on Safety village resides on the asphalt apron at Ramara Fire Station One in Brechin and houses components from various community members including the Orillia OPP and Mnjikaning Police Services, CN Police, Rama Mnjikaning EMS, Ramara Fire and Rescue Services, Laidlaw Educational Services, and Lafarge Canada. It is hoped the efforts of these core interest groups will pay dividends to the changing face of fire prevention, public safety and crime prevention in the community for years to come.
The safety landscape will provide learners with the real-life opportunity to explore road safety, home safety, home escape planning, smoke alarm education, anti-bullying, anti-drug, Internet safety and crime prevention issues.
A stroll through this safety hamlet proves to be both educational and amusing. This was evident when students from Brechin Public School traversed its games and interactive lessons with safety officials.
“The face of the fire service continues to change,” said Ramara Fire Chief Ted Conway. Prevention is coming to the forefront. Safety villages like this one will further this focus to ultimately create safer communities.”
The Paint on Safety village is a first in Ontario, thanks in large measure to funding and educational component support from Lafarge Canada. The core group who developed this initiative and nurtured it to fruition include: Officer Gerry Dwyer of the Orillia OPP Detachment, Peggy Onlock – Orillia OPP CSO & Adult/Youth Community Volunteer Group, Chief Ted Conway Ramara Fire and Rescue Services, Brooke McRoberts – Mnjikaning Police Services, Firefighter Allen Robinson – Ramara Fire and Rescue Services, John Silvester – Precise Pavement. Jason Brewer – CN Police, Rick Perry – Laidlaw educational services, Darryl Colley – Rama Mnjikaning EMS, Shawn Holloway – Lafarge Canada, and Administrator Tony Stong – Ramara Fire and Rescue Services.
Aerial views of the fire safety village illustrate how this versatile tool will be used in educating youth about life safety issues. Photos submitted by Tony Stong.
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