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STAFF REPORT
March 6, 2000
To: Community Services Committee
From: Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services
Alan Speed, Fire Chief
Subject:Toronto Fire Services - Fire safety initiatives including a report on the re-testing of smoke alarms by ULC.
Purpose:
This report provides Council with additional information relating to fire safin residential dwellings, and an update on the
Fire Chief's "War on Fire" program.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
There are no financial implications associated in the approval of this report. Additional costs for translation services will be
borne by the Toronto Fire Services as part of their operating budget.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
Background:
The Community Services Committee at its meeting of January 13, 2000 had before it joint reports (December 30, 1999 and
January 4, 2000) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services and the Fire Chief respecting the "War on
Fire" and "Additional Report - War on Fire". The Fire Chief was requested to:
- "distribute and arrange for the integration of multi-lingual material to the City of Toronto's in-house publications, and to
all City Councillors for inclusion in their newsletters, in order to promote fire safety and the use of smoke alarms to the
public;
- submit to the Community Services Committee a comprehensive report on an accelerated strategy to undertake a
door-to-door City-wide fire safety campaign to get smoke alarms and carbon monoxide and gas detectors installed and
checked, such report to include the time line to complete such a campaign;
- explore approaching the insurance companies to request funding for this fire safety initiative, and
- submit to the Community Services Committee, a report on the results of the investigations being undertaken with
respect to smoke alarms."
Comments:
- Multi-lingual Fire Safety Material:
The staff of Toronto Fire Services have determined that the 11 core language translations for the Older and Wiser program
pamphlet cost approximately $2,000. This initiative is proceeding and will be completed this year.
Our Carbon Monoxide pamphlet has been translated into 11 languages. Our Fire in the Sky pamphlet has been translated
into 12 languages. Toronto Fire Services will ensure that all remaining pamphlets will be translated in the coming years as
operating budgets permit. As these pamphlets are translated and released, copies will be provided to City Councillors for
inclusion in their community newsletters.
- Fire Safety Campaign - Alarmed for Life Program 2000:
The Fire Services' Alarmed for Life program began in the newly amalgamated City of Toronto for the first time in the
summer of 1998. 16,261 homes were approached by Toronto fire fighters and each of the occupants was left with a
comprehensive fire safety information package. In each case, statistical information was collected by survey to establish the
degree of emergency preparedness with respect to fire and carbon monoxide incidents. In 1999, the Alarmed for Life
program ran for a shorter period of time with 10,782 homes being approached. Please see table below for annual statistics
including accelerated program projections for 2000.
| 1998 1999 2000
Number of homes:16,26110,782 25,000
Start program date:May 7thJune 1st May 1st
End program date:Sept 30thSept 30th Oct 31st |
The Alarmed for Life program is designed to run from the Spring to Fall of each year. This program reflects the fire safety
concerns that firefighters have for the community. The program identifies Toronto Fire Services as a community partner
that is prepared to bring important fire safety information into the home. As indicated by the above statistics for the City, it
is clear that our target audience is very extensive.
In terms of the number of homes that firefighters have approached so far, only a small percentage of the total number of
homes in our large city have been physically visited. Notwithstanding this reality, it must not diminish the fact that
residential buildings continue to account for the majority of fires, the majority of fire deaths and approximately ½ of the
total property loss due to fire in the City.
It is imperative that the Toronto Fire Services through the Alarmed for Life program continue to strive to reduce fire death
and injury. Educating the public is an enormous job, which requires a constant, vigilant effort, and from time to time,
educational strategies and approaches must be evaluated and modified to ensure that they remain beneficial. Similarly, the
Alarmed for Life program must adapt to change, improve with time and target as many residential buildings in the city as
possible.
In the past two years, the start of the Alarmed for Life program in the spring has been preceded by media coverage
outlining the intentions of the Toronto Fire Services in conducting the program and advising residents in advance to ensure
that their safety systems are operational. In this way, the Toronto Fire Services can reach those occupants that may not be
directly visited by firefighters during the summer. In the future, the onset of the program can be preceded by a strong media
drive that would also include actively soliciting the multilingual media. This would ensure that as many of the residents as
possible will be advised of firefighter visits to the home. In addition, City Councillors are in a position to include
information about the Alarmed for Life program in their community newsletters to their constituents.
Effective utilization of the media in tandem with the continued operation of the Alarmed for Life program are powerful
educational tools. In this way, the Toronto Fire Services can target a larger proportion of the city's residential population in
an accelerated program.
Toronto Fire Services has no mandate for gas detectors other than carbon monoxide detectors.
(c)Insurance Companies - Funding Request:
A letter has been sent to a representative of the Insurance Bureau of Canada requesting dialogue with respect to entering
into co-operative funding partnerships for these fire-safety initiatives. This approach will be vigorously pursued in order to
lower the cost of these programs in order to communicate our fire-safety messages to a larger audience.
- Results of the Investigations on Smoke Alarms:
Following a two-week investigation of 11 different models of smoke alarms, Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC)
announced on February 4, 2000 that "all 11 models tested met the requirements of the CAN/ULC-S531, the Canadian
National Standard."
In 100% of the tests, Health Canada staff verified "that the smoke alarms - all purchased in the marketplace by Health
Canada representatives - responded well within Canadian national requirements and provide homeowners with an
opportunity to evacuate their homes in the event of a fire."
ULC's investigation included more than 192 individual fire tests, using fuels commonly found in homes, that simulate
real-world situations.
Conclusions:
The translation of the Fire Services' fire-safety brochures into multi-languages is progressing well with three pamphlets
translated to date. The Alarmed for Life residential fire safety awareness program will be starting this Spring with an
emphasis on doubling the visits to homes this year. Communications have started with representatives of the insurance
industry for cost-sharing initiatives, and the results of the ULC re-testing of smoke alarms have been released.
Contacts:
Terry Boyko, Deputy Fire Chief
Tel: 397-4302 Fax: 397-4325
tboyko@toronto.ca
Alan F. Speed, Fire Chief
Tel: 397-4300 Fax: 397-4325
aspeed@toronto.ca
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Alan F. Speed, Fire Chief
Toronto Fire Services
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Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner
Works and Emergency Services
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Report-fire-safety
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