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 - False Alarms
Purpose:
The report provides Council with additional Information relating to false alarms.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
There are no financial implications associated with the presentation of this report.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
Council Background:
The Community Services Committee at its meeting of December 1, 1999 requested that the Fire Chief:
- "investigate the sophisticated technology that exists in other parts of North America that has proven effective in
identifying whether an alarm is false or real, and report thereon to the Community Services committee; and
- meet with the Executive Director of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association to
discuss any further possible improvements to the program to reduce false alarms; and
- report to the Community Services Committee on the reward system and the possibility of increasing rewards to
individuals who report others for pulling fire alarms that are false.
And that these reports also be forwarded to the Budget Advisory Committee for information."
Comments:
- Alarms Monitoring Equipment:
Many commercial and industrial property owners, and some residential property owners have contracts with private-sector
alarm companies that monitor alarms on the client's property for fire, burglary and other sundry reasons 24 hours a day.
When the monitoring company receives an alarm signal, their staff then makes a determination if the signal is due to a
transmission from the client's property, or the equipment has malfunctioned sending a false signal.
For all cases of a fire signal originating from the client's property, staff of the monitoring company are to call the fire
department for a response. If it can be reliably determined by the use of sophisticated monitoring technology that the alarm
signal is false, usually due to equipment malfunction, (not to be confused with a suspected false alarm), then the local fire
department is usually not contacted.
In no case are staff of Fire Services aware of any system that can reliably detect the difference between a real fire and a
false alarm from a distance, especially without the fire department having any liability for not responding.
- Greater Toronto Apartment Association:
A meeting was held between senior officials of the Toronto Fire Services and with representatives of the Greater Toronto
Apartment Association with respect to concerns over the false fire alarms. As a follow-up, a seminar was held on February
1, 2000 at a nearby hotel for about 100 members of the GTAA.
At this informative seminar, attendees were provided with an overview of the contents of the fire alarm By-law itself;
measures the fire services recommends to eliminate false fire alarms; and an explanation of how the 90% rebate program
works, and the procedures for the building owner to recoup these funds; and the incentive program for residents to inform
the building management and police about those activating false fire alarms.
- False Alarm Reward System:
Staff of Toronto Fire Services have provided a separate staff report to Committee recommending a new By-law to provide
a reward of $500 to any persons who supply information leading to the conviction of any person who wilfully causes a
false fire alarm.
Conclusions:
False alarms accounted for 37,028 incidents in the City of Toronto last year resulting in 130,396 emergency vehicle
movements. Any initiatives to reduce these figures will and are being vigorously pursued by staff of Fire Services.
Unfortunately, in the absence of a third party such as a private-sector alarms-monitoring company, there is no sophisticated
technology available to reliably determine if a remote signal transmitted to the fire communications centre is real or false
from a distance.
Contact:
Norm Gibbons, Sr. Policy Advisor, Toronto Fire Services
Tel: 397-4315 Fax: 397-4325
E-mail: ngibbons@toronto.ca
Terry Boyko, Deputy Fire Chief, Toronto Fire Services
Tel: 397-4302 Fax: 397-4325
E-mail: tboyko@toronto.ca
____________________
Alan F. Speed, Fire Chief
Toronto Fire Services
____________________
Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner
Works and Emergency Services
Report-false-alarms
