2014-04-07_Agenda Packet--Dossier de l'ordre du jour
The City of Saint John
Séance du conseil communal
Le lundi 7 avril 2014
Si vous avez besoin des services en français pour une réunion de Conseil communal, veuillez
contacter le bureau du greffier communal au 658-2862.
Séance ordinaire
1.Ouverture de la réunion, suivie de la prière
La séance est ouverte par le maire Norton, et la mairesse suppléante Rinehart récite la
prière d'ouverture.
2.Approbation du procès-verbal
3.Adoption de l'ordre du jour
4.Divulgations de conflits d'intérêts
5.Questions soumises à l'approbation du conseil
6.Commentaires présentés par les membres
7.Proclamation
7.1Journée mondiale de la plomberie, le 11 mars
8.Délégations et présentations
8.1 Organismes de développement économique; SJ Waterfront; Enterprise SJ;
Destination Marketing; Industrial Parks
8.2 Services de la sécurité publique- Budget fondé sur les services pour 2014-2017
8.2.1 Services de protection Feu
9.Audiences publiques
10.Étude des arrêtés municipaux
11.Interventions des membres du conseil
12.Affaires municipales évoquées par les fonctionnaires municipaux
13.Rapports déposés par les comités
14.Étude des sujets écartés des questions soumises à l'approbation du conseil
15.Correspondance générale
16.Ordre du jour supplémentaire
17.Comité plénier
18.Levée de la séance
REPORT TO COMMON COUNCIL
April 4, 2014
His Worship Mayor Mel Norton and
Members of Common Council
Your Worship and Councillors:
SUBJECT: Sustainable Service Saint John Fire Service
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
th
March 4 resolutions relate
to the City of Saint John Fire Service. It will assess service level alternatives in full
g level frozen at the
2014 level; 2) spending levels capped at the 2014 level with an assumed 2% inflationary
increase and 3) revenue generation as a means to sustain current service delivery.
Prior to examining the various options and their impact to the Saint John community this
report provides an assessment of the current build of the Saint John Fire Service in
context with fire service standards, including the build and design of a fire service as it
relates to the hazard profile and occupancy hazards in Saint John and the fire services
ability to deploy appropriate resources in the appropriate time frame. This report
provides context on the ten previous fire service studies or assessments; the fire service
reductions that have occurred since 1994 and the changing trends in municipal liability.
The Appendixes to this report provide substantial detail on many of the context pieces
introduced in the background section.
This report assesses the service level alternatives across the provided expenditure
constraints and identifies the service impacts that can be expected on implementation of
the service level alternative. This report also introduces a third alternative in that revenue
generation could serve as a means for expenditure control in lieu of service reduction.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This Fire Service Review Report serves as a point of information for consideration during
the 2015 budget deliberations
Respectfully submitted,
_____________________ ___________________
Kevin Clifford J Patrick Woods
BBA CFO
Fire Chief / Director SJEMO City Manager
City of Saint John
M & C 2014 009 - 2 -
April 7, 2014
M & C 2014 009
Click here to enter a date.
His Worship Mayor Mel Norton and
Members of Common Council
Your Worship and Councillors:
Sustainable Service Saint John Fire Service
th
During the March 4 2014 public meeting, Common Council adopted a series of
resolutions as part of a sustainable service delivery review process. This report provides
information on how s relate to the City of Saint John Fire
Service. More specifically this report will assess service level alternatives in full
three options: 1) spending level frozen at the
2014 level and 2) spending levels capped at the 2014 level with an assumed 2%
inflationary increase and 3) revenue generation as a means to sustain current service
delivery.
The Saint John Fire service provides a number of key deliverables with respect to
CommA safe livable community is a foundation piece of
Councils mandate and indeed a tenet of the citizens who reside in this city. Existing
industry (economic sustainability) and potential industrial (economic development)
development both rely on reliable and credible emergency planning and a fully prepared
and responsive fire service.
2012) results which reported that the citizens place a high level of importance and are
highly satisfied with the fire service, clearly indicates that the fire service provides a
citizen focused service delivery
Today, the City of Saint John Fire-Rescue Services involves the delivery of six public
services to the community.
Fire Rescue and Suppression Service
Medical First Responder Service
Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Emergency Response Service
Technical Rescue Service
Fire Prevention & Code Enforcement Service
Fire Investigation Service
These services focus on reducing loss of life, personal injury and damage to property and
the environment as a result of incidents involving fire, hazardous materials or other types
of accidents or malicious acts through emergency planning, preparation, and response.
The goal of the Fire Rescue Service is to support public safety with effective and efficient
emergency planning, preparation, and response across a diverse range of emergency calls
(hazard profile); creating public awareness of fire safety and emergency planning; and
M & C 2014 009 - 3 -
April 7, 2014
providing for safer assembly of work and residential living by ensuring compliance with
regulatory and legislative requirements.
that the Fire Service expenditure is aligned to the urban ideals and principles as identified
by Plan SJ; albeit there are challenges in providing an appropriate response to the fire
loads within the PDA. (Appendix E provides further information on the six fire services)
Prior to examining the options it is important to rev
infrastructure in the context of fire service standards, applicable legislation, ten previous
fire service assessments, fiscal restraint and the impact on the level of fire service.
Fire Service Standards and Legislation
Fire service standards support the critical role that government has with respect to
providing protection and safety to its citizenry through the process of providing direction
and guidance on the design and build of a fire service. In his March 2008 research
document for The Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies (CCISS) at
Carlton University
responsibility of government is the protection of its citizenry. The National Security
Policy of Canada states that there can be no greater role, no more important obligation
for a government than the protection and safety of its citizens. Shore further states that
This was confirmed by the Supreme Court
The expert authority for the fire service as well as many industry practices is the National
Fire Protection Association Standard (NFPA). NFPA standards provide the essential
framework for emergency services operations and have created over 300 standards for
fire services. NFPA standards apply to many aspects of emergency response, public
safety, and the built environment. There are over 40 NFPA referenced standards in the
National Building Code of Canada. The Province of NB through the Occupational Health
and Safety Act has adopted a series of NFPA standards with respect to firefighting
equipment, training, technical rescue deployment, and Industries use of an Industrial Fire
Brigade.
The NFPA provides two standards for the organization and deployment of fire
suppression operations.
NFPA 1710 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire
Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special
Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments 2010
NFPA 1720 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire
Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special
Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments 2010
The major distinction between the standards as identified above is: The designation of
urban, suburban and rural departments based on the number of people per square mile
and/or the fire loads within a community. The 2012 Core Service review identified the
Saint John Fire Service as an urban response and as such NFPA 1710 is the pertinent
reference for the City of Saint John.
M & C 2014 009 - 4 -
April 7, 2014
NB legislation is mostly silent on the requirement for communities to provide fire
suppression service. The Municipalities Act (Sec 109) for the Province of NB does state
that a Council may establish a fire service. Never-the-less, and even though there is no
specific requirement for a fire service; the practice of providing fire protection service
has been widely adopted throughout the Province of NB where there are currently 5,000
firefighters within 221 permanent, volunteer and industrial fire departments. In adopting
a fire service, municipalities, local service districts and industry is responsible to the
those applicable fire service provisions within the Occupational Health and Safety Act
which in turn follow a particular NFPA standard.
There have been ten fire service studies commissioned by the City since 1991. Following
the annual budget approved for the fire service, to support a level of service less than that
recommended. An explicit service level policy, grounded on relevant facts and
considered analysis, provides significant protection to a municipality from potential
liability associated with the level of service delivered. Accordingly it is recommended
upon the completion of the Service Review that Council establish a service level policy
document.
Briefly then, a municipal fire service is subject to accepted industry standards. These
standards will be considered when third parties assess the municipal fire response to
emergencies. The best approach to protect against potential liability claims is for
Common Council to adopt a clear policy on service levels and for the service to
consistently meet those standards.
(Appendix A provides further information on fire service standards & legislation)
The Design and Build of a Fire Service
introduces the concept of risk and the idea of a risk assessment. The design and build of
assesses the
number of firefighters that are required for an effective response.
In the 2009 City of Saint John Fire Service Baseline Review, John Redden of Fire
the life safety risks, fire loading and risk of fire that is present in a given
ar
responding firefighting crew(s) can arrive at the fire emergency with the correct type and
number of resources and to also have a reasonable degree of opportunity to control or
extinguish a fire. Simply put, the response provided by a firefighting crew should equal
The 2009 fire service baseline review also
event is generally associated with the fuel load present and the exposures to the fire.
Factors such as building construction materials; quality of construction; building
renovation history; building size; heights and age; occupancy and hazards associated with
the occupancy, will all contribute to the potential severity of a fire. In addition, other
buildings sufficiently exposed to a burning building can contribute to the magnitude of a
fire and, the resources necessary to be in place to control or extinguish a given fire. The
M & C 2014 009 - 5 -
April 7, 2014
hazard and risk profile of a municipality is in part a measure of those occupancies that are
low, medium, or high hazard occupancies
protection service. Three different hazard occupancies are identified within the NFPA
Standards. Low, medium, and high hazard occupancies have different resource
deployments (number of responding firefighters) albeit a similar response time
requirement for the first arriving as well as the full complement of apparatus. Draft
changes to Zone SJ will be recommending risk and emergency response assessments for
new and significantly modified Industrial High Hazard Occupancies.
The City of Saint John contains medium to high hazard occupancies throughout each of
the seven fire zones. The following resource deployment and response times are
identified within the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook & NFPA Standard 1710.
Low Hazard Occupancy
Described as a 2000 square foot building with no basement
and no other buildings nearby (exposures).
the low hazard occupancy definition. The recommended response is anywhere from 10
firefighters in 10 minutes (suburban) to 16 firefighters in 8 minutes (urban). Saint John
Fire Department does not attain 10 firefighters in 10 minutes in most instances.
Recommended Response:
NFPA 1710 Full response of 16 firefighters in 8 minutes
Saint John Fire Department - Full response is 17 firefighters. (Most Saint John
Fires are in Medium to High Hazard Occupancies) Meets NFPA low hazard
response time - 10%
Medium Hazard Occupancy
Described as apartments, offices, mercantile and
industrial occupancies not normally requiring extensive use of firefighting forces. The
recommended initial response is not less than 20 firefighters. NFPA Standard 1710
recommends the following personnel resources & response time.
Recommended Response:
NFPA 1710 Full response of not less than 20 firefighters in 8 minutes
Saint John Fire Department - Full response of 17 firefighters. 2012 Core Service
Review rated SJFD response times as bronze when compared to its comparable
peer group (Moncton
High Hazard Occupancy
- Described as high-rise buildings, hospitals schools, nursing
homes, explosive plants, refineries, public assembly structures, and other high life hazard
or large fire potential occupancies (heritage and older interconnected housing stock). The
recommended initial response is not less than 29 firefighters. NFPA Standard 1710
recommends the following response times.
Recommended Response Time:
NFPA 1710 Full response of not less than 29 firefighters in 8 minutes
M & C 2014 009 - 6 -
April 7, 2014
Saint John Fire Department - Full response of 17 firefighters. 2012 Core Service
Review rated SJFD response times as bronze when compared to its comparable
peer group (Moncton
The Fire service response capability will ultimately have an impact on the loss of life,
loss of property and damage to the environment (social, build, and economic)
(Appendix B provides further information on )
PREVIOUS FIRE DEPARTMENT STUDIES/ASSESSMENTS: 1991 - 2013:
There have been ten fire service studies and /or assessments since 1991. Six of the
assessments were conducted by third party experts, one assessment was conducted by a
committee appointed by Council (2012) and a comprehensive review was presented to
Council by the fire chief in 2010. All of the reviews referenced the community hazard
profile as identified in the NFPA standards and referenced the challenge of getting
resources to the hazards in an appropriate time. There was never a recommendation for
fire service reductions. All studies referenced the hazard and response time challenges
that exist in Saint John and supported the following themes with respect to the
investment in their fire service.
1) Supported current investment / some studies recommended additional investment
2) Noted unique hazard and response complexities within the municipality
3) Noted the challenges with response times
4) No recommendations on fire service reductions
The last study on the fire service was conducted by Performance Concepts in conjunction
with the Core Service Review. Performance Concepts identified the Saint John Fire
Service as both a survival and regulatory service. The Core Service review gave the Saint
John Fire Service a bronze grade with respect to the response times when measured
against the NFPA Standards and a list of five peer comparable municipalities.
(Appendix C provides detailed information on the previous fire department studies)
PAST REDUCTIONS & FIRE SERVICE IMPACTS
Fifty-two positions have been eliminated (one-three person rescue; two-4 person engines
units; onesingle person tanker; and one -single person command officer; in each of the
4 platoons) from the Saint John Fire Service since the time of the first fire service review
in 1991. It should be noted that Ernst and Young provided that there was no opportunity
for service cuts in the 1991 study.
Saint John Fire Service reductions have been a contributing factor to the bronze rated
level of service in the PDA and indeed the cumulative impact of the fire service
reductions is responsible for the ten-fold increase in instances where there is no fire
protection readily available as a result of units being fully deployed (non-medical calls).
Additional impacts from the service reductions include a more challenging and dangerous
emergency environment for first responders, depleted resources for secondary fires or
technical rescue incidents, and the possibility of a further decrease in our fire
M & C 2014 009 - 7 -
April 7, 2014
underwriters insurance rating as a result of a pending re-examination by Risk
Management Service.
(Appendix D provides detailed Information on the previous fire service reductions)
FIVE YEAR COMPARATIVE SUMMARY
The following graph and table illustrates the expenditure restraint and revenue growth
over the last five years. The expenditure restraint has been accommodated by the 2012
cuts in personnel, the re-deployment of vacation and utilization of Holiday Relief
Firefighters. In addition, all fire service expenditures (operating and capital) have been
examined and efficiencies identified and implemented.
Expenditure Restraint and Revenue Growth
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
Total Budget 1:100
Overtime Budget
400,000
Revenue Budget
300,000
Revenue Actual
200,000
100,000
0
20102011201220132014
NOTE: Total Budget line is based on 1:100 dollar ratio
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Total Budget 21,268,240 21,480,651 20,629,623 20,123,989 21,570,090
582,486 579,929 707,165 221,386 209,003
Overtime Budget
Revenue Budget 194,000 270,000 254,000 297,650 370,200
Revenue Actual 161,568 200,209 367,847 294,977 302,200*
2014 YTD
Shared Risk Solution added $700,000 in 2014
Revenue growth is of particular merit in that the recent increase in revenue can now be
identified as sustainable; with further growth a real possibility. The recent change in
sustainable revenue could now be allocated to support increasing cost of service.
M & C 2014 009 - 8 -
April 7, 2014
MOVING FORWARD
Zone SJ will
be introducing the principles of risk assessment and emergency response assessment to
high hazard occupancies. The Saint John Fire Service will play a critical role in
advocating for responsible industrial development by requiring a risk assessment and
emergency response assessment. These assessments will identify any safety and
emergency response gaps that need to be addressed. Indeed potential investors have
already reached out to the Fire Service to assess and understand the level of emergency
planning, preparation and response that is in place to support their investments. The level
of potential development may actually require more investment in fire service
infrastructure. Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
In reviewing the expenditure control options all aspects of the fire service where
consider. Numerous expenditure control ideas were explored including the elimination of
medical first response service (MFR) and the fire prevention division. The elimination of
the MFR service would have a tremendous negative impact on the community and
provides a marginal gain with respect to expenditure control. Eliminating the Fire
Prevention Division provides significant expenditure control but is an unreasonable and
irresponsible approach to managing a modern fire service. Fire prevention is critical to
mitigating incidents and ensuring that the community is on the good side of bad events.
EXPENDITURE CONTROL OPTIONS
Below are a number of options with respect to implementing additional expenditure
controls and service reductions within the fire service. As part of the process on
considering fire service level options Urban Forum MEffectively
managing a fire department requires an understanding of and an ability to demonstrate
how changes to resources will affect community outcomes. It is imperative that fire
department leaders, as well as political decision makers, know how fire department
resource deployment in their local community affects community outcomes in three
important areas: civilian injury and death; firefighters injury and death; and property
.
OPTION 1 - SPENDING LEVEL FROZEN AT THE 2014 LEVEL
This option will lead to a service reduction. The combined changes in CPI and arbitrated
wage settlements are for the most part outside of the fire departments ability to control.
To this end, the financial analysis for spending to be frozen at 2014 levels will assume a
reduction in service that falls within the 3% to 5% percent range or an expenditure
reduction that equates to $609,000 to $1,029,000 across both 2015 & 2016.
$609,000 reduction 2015:
Eliminate Tanker Vehicle at Manchester Avenue or Loch Lomond Road plus the
elimination of the $210,000 overtime budget.
M & C 2014 009 - 9 -
April 7, 2014
Impact:
Loss of Tanker and overtime resources will reduce fire service response
capability below the bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Tanker will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that those personnel engaged in interior fire and search operations
will lose water supply while inside the burning structure.
Loss of Tanker will reduce the possibility of area redundancy when the primary
unit is deployed. (credited with two cardiac saves in last two years)
Loss of Tanker will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond as a result of multiple incidents at the
same time.
Loss of tanker will have a negative impact on the fire underwriter survey rating
and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of tanker could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets of
the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
Loss of overtime will cause random blackouts or (shutdown) of community fire
stations.
Loss of overtime will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond.
Loss of overtime will have a negative impact on the fire underwriter survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of overtime will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that the response will either be deficient in response time or deployed
resources.
Loss of overtime could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets
of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
An additional $609,000 reduction in 2016 (total service reduction of $1,218,000 in two
years):
Elimination of the Ladder Tower unit from uptown core.
Impact:
Loss of Ladder Truck will reduce fire service response capability below the
bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Ladder Truck will eliminate dedicated and highly specialized ladder
response from Saint John Fire Response capability.
Loss of Ladder Truck will jeopardize the fire departments ability to manage and
control large scale fire events from extending throughout the community.
Loss of Ladder truck jeopardizes initial response capability in an area with
predominantly heavy fire loads (City Central and Eastern Industrial).
Loss of Ladder Truck reduces industrial support to large scale events at industrial
sites.
M & C 2014 009 - 10 -
April 7, 2014
Loss of Ladder truck will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John
Fire Service has no units available to respond as a result of multiple incidents at
the same time.
Loss of Ladder truck will extend the response time for full response to structures
fires in the city.
Loss of ladder truck will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of ladder truck could have a negative impact with respect to the principle
tenets of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the
Environment.
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
$1,029,000 reduction in 2015:
Elimination of the Ladder Tower unit from uptown core.
Impact:
Loss of Ladder Truck will reduce fire service response capability below the
bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Ladder Truck will eliminate dedicated and highly specialized ladder
response from Saint John Fire Response capability.
Loss of Ladder Truck will jeopardize the fire departments ability to manage and
control large scale fire events from extending throughout the community.
Loss of Ladder truck jeopardizes initial response capability in an area with
predominantly heavy fire loads. (City Central and Eastern Industrial)
Loss of Ladder Truck reduces industrial support to large scale events at industrial
sites.
Loss of Ladder truck will extend the response time for full response to structures
fires in the city.
Loss of ladder truck will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John
Fire Service has no units available to respond as a result of multiple incidents at
the same time.
Loss of ladder truck will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of ladder truck could have a negative impact with respect to the principle
tenets of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the
Environment.
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
An additional $1,029,000 reduction in 2016 (total service reduction of $2,058,000
in two years):
M & C 2014 009 - 11 -
April 7, 2014
Elimination of the Ladder Tower unit from uptown core.
Eliminate Tanker Vehicle at Manchester Avenue or Loch Lomond Road.
Impact:
Loss of Ladder Truck will reduce fire service response capability below the
bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Ladder Truck will eliminate dedicated and highly specialized ladder
response from Saint John Fire Response capability.
Loss of Ladder Truck will jeopardize the fire departments ability to manage and
control large scale fire events from extending throughout the community.
Loss of Ladder truck jeopardizes initial response capability in an area with
predominantly heavy fire loads. (City Central and Eastern Industrial)
Loss of Ladder Truck reduces industrial support to large scale events at industrial
sites.
Loss of Ladder truck will extend the response time for full response to structures
fires in the city.
Loss of ladder truck will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John
Fire Service has no units available to respond, as a result of multiple incidents at
the same time.
Loss of ladder truck will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of ladder truck could have a negative impact with respect to the principle
tenets of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the
Environment.
Loss of Tanker will reduce fire service response capability below the bronze
rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Tanker will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that those personnel engaged in interior fire and search operations
will lose water supply while inside the burning structure.
Loss of Tanker will reduce the possibility of area redundancy when the primary
unit is deployed. (credited with two cardiac saves in last two years)
Loss of Tanker will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond.
Loss of tanker will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey rating
and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of tanker could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets of
the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
OPTION 2 - SPENDING LEVELS CAPPED AT THE 2014 FOR 2015
WITH AN ASSUMED 2% INFLATIONARY ADJUSTMENT:
The implementation of this option will most likely lead to a service reduction.
The
combined changes in CPI and arbitrated wage settlements are for the most part outside of
M & C 2014 009 - 12 -
April 7, 2014
o this end the financial analysis for a 2%
the Fire Departments ability to control. T
cap on total expenditures will assume a reduction in service that falls within the
1% to 3% percent range or $210,000 to $609,000 in each of 2015 & 2016.
$210,000 reduction in 2015:
Eliminate the $210,000 overtime budget.
Impact:
Loss of overtime will cause random blackouts or (shutdown) of community fire
stations.
Loss of overtime will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond as a result of multiple incidents at the
same time.
Loss of overtime will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of overtime could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets
of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
An additional $210,000 reduction in 2016 (Total service reduction of $420,000 in two
years):
Eliminate Tanker Vehicle at Manchester Avenue or Loch Lomond Road.
Impact:
Loss of Tanker will reduce fire service response capability below the bronze
rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Tanker will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that those personnel engaged in interior fire and search operations
will lose water supply while inside the burning structure.
Loss of Tanker will reduce the possibility of area redundancy when the primary
unit is deployed. (credited with two cardiac saves in last two years)
Loss of Tanker will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond as a result of multiple incidents at the
same time.
Loss of tanker will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey rating
and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Loss of tanker could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets of
the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
M & C 2014 009 - 13 -
April 7, 2014
$609,000 reduction in 2015:
Loss of Tanker and overtime resources will reduce fire service response
capability below the bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Tanker will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that interior fire and search operations will lose water supply support
while inside the burning structure.
Loss of Tanker will reduce the possibility of area redundancy when the primary
unit is deployed.
Loss of Tanker will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond, as a result of multiple incidents at the
same time.
Loss of tanker will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey rating
and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of tanker could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets of
the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
Loss of overtime will cause random blackouts or (shutdown) of community fire
stations.
Loss of overtime will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John Fire
Service has no units available to respond, as a result of multiple incidents at the
same time.
Loss of overtime will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of overtime will jeopardize the safety of fire operations in that it raises the
probability that the response will either be deficient in response time or deployed
resources.
Loss of overtime could have a negative impact with respect to the principle tenets
of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the Environment
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
Adequate fire infrastructure is critical to supporting responsible industrial
growth.
An additional $609,000 reduction in 2016
(Total service reduction of $1,218,000 in
two years):
Elimination of the Ladder Tower unit from uptown core.
Impact:
Loss of Ladder Truck will reduce fire service response capability below the
bronze rating as identified in the Core Service Review.
Loss of Ladder Truck will eliminate dedicated and highly specialized ladder
response from Saint John Fire Response capability.
Loss of Ladder Truck will jeopardize the fire departments ability to manage and
control large scale fire events from extending throughout the community.
Loss of Tanker will reduce the possibility of area redundancy when the primary
unit is deployed. (credited with two cardiac saves in last two years)
M & C 2014 009 - 14 -
April 7, 2014
Loss of Ladder Truck reduces industrial support to large scale events at industrial
sites.
Loss of Ladder truck will extend the response time for full response to structures
fires in the city.
Loss of ladder truck will increase the number of occasions that the Saint John
Fire Service has no units available to respond, as a result of multiple incidents at
the same time.
Loss of ladder truck will have a negative impact on the fire underwrites survey
rating and could lead to an increase in insurance rates.
Loss of ladder truck could have a negative impact with respect to the principle
tenets of the fire service Save Lives, Save Property, and Protect the
Environment.
The utilization of this option needs to be assessed in accordance with the
cumulative organizational impact of Shared Risk Plan projections.
The utilization of this option may have an impact on the Saint John Fire Service
ability to support future industrial based economic development.
EXPENDITURE CONTROL OPTION REVENUE GENERATION
Recognition of the current and potential revenue growth as an expenditure control
option in lieu of making service reductions is a viable alternative that needs to be
considered.
Fire Service revenue growth is of particular merit in that the recent increase in revenue
can now be identified as sustainable; with further growth a real possibility. The recent
change in sustainable revenue could now be allocated to off-set the increasing cost of
service, and potential growth in revenue could be allocated to sustained increases in
service cost with the main benefit being the retention of the current level of fire service.
In addition to the increased trend in fire service revenue the F
collaboration with
service has produced yearly savings in the range of $30,000 to $40,000
Implementation constraints, restrictions and considerations:
In assessing the expenditure control options as presented above there are a number of
variables that need to be considered. Fire service reductions are achieved through lay-off
of the least expensive and most junior employees. The actual number of personnel
reductions need to extend much deeper than intended in order to attain the financial
targets. Lay-offs of our junior people are losses of personnel investment and can create
disenchantment in those who most likely will be the future of the fire service.
st
December 31 2014; and as such, any decision to implement one of the expenditure
control options needs to be mindful of the time lines related to the freeze provision within
Act for the Province of NB.
the Industrial Relations
M & C 2014 009 - 15 -
April 7, 2014
RECOMMENDATION
This Fire Service Review Report serves as information for consideration during the 2015
budget deliberations
Respectfully submitted,
Kevin Clifford J. Patrick Woods
Fire Chief City Manager
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April 7, 2014
APPENDIX A:
Fire Service Standards & Legislation
In the March 2008 The
undertaken as part of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies, Critical
Energy Infrastructure Protection Policy Research Project, research author Jacques J.M.
Shore provides:
Canadian Critical Infrastructure (CI) is made up of a number of sectors that include
energy and utilities, communications and information technology, finance, health care,
food, water transportation, government, and manufacturing. These CI sectors face a
range of physical and cyber threats that include terrorism, natural phenomena such as
earthquakes, floods, or ice storms, accidents and cyber-attacks.
Given that Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) is of paramount importance to the
economy of Canada, making substantial contribution to national income, employment,
economic activity, exports and growth, protecting CEI is crucial.
Ultimately, protecting national security, which encompasses CEI security, is a task for
which government has primary responsibility. It is the role of government to do its utmost
to protect its citizens; however it cannot do so by itself. To foster and help establish a
sector have mutually important roles to
play.
Beyond the motivation to reduce threats to national and corporate security that both
public and private sectors must share, another motivation in a ecure economy is to
guard against legal liability. In order to avoid or reduce potential legal liability, there is
a legal imperative on the part of both government and private enterprise to protect CEI
As more and more private sector organizations adopt emergency management and
response standards, the foreseeability of the need to become certified compliant with
standards setting bodies will grow. It is, without a doubt, a reasonable expectation that
corporations will keep abreast of developments in security protection being adopted by
other companies within their industry, and legal liability may flow from such reasonable
expectations for those corporations that fail to adopt proven security-related industry
should then limit the liability of companies and of government.
Litigation against government is not uncommon and indeed there is case law. With
respect to liability of Canadian governments for negligence under tort law, the following
elements must be proven by a plaintiff suing the government; the defendant government
owed a duty to the injured party (plaintiff); by failing to exercise a degree of care based
on the standard of what a reasonable person would do in a like circumstance, the
government breached its duty of care; the breach of duty proximately caused an injury to
mpensation
from the government.
The Supreme Court of Canada decisions as Nielson v Kamloops and Just v British
Columbia, established that government actors are not liable in negligence in tort claims
M & C 2014 009 - 17 -
April 7, 2014
for policy decisions, but only operational decisions. The basis of this immunity is that
policy is the prerogative of the elected legislature, although a government actor may be
negligence for the manner in which it executes or carries out a policy.
In seeking to avoid litigation, the major defense available to public and private sector
entities is due diligence. This means simply doing what the reasonable person would do
in similar circumstances and doing it for all the necessary stakeholders. Among other
things, due diligence concerns good corporate governance, best practices, and meeting
(or exceeding) industry standards
NFPA STANDARDS ARE: Consensus standards developed by specific industries to
set forth widely accepted standards of care and operations for certain practices.
Standards are an attempt by the industry or profession to self-regulate by establishing
minimal operating, performance, or safety standards, and they establish a recognized
standard of care. They are written by consensus committees composed of industry
representatives and other affected parties. The National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) has many standards which affect fire departments. The standards should be
followed to protect fire and rescue personnel from unnecessary workplace hazards and
because they establish the standard of care that may be used in civil lawsuits against fire
and rescue departments.
In most cases, compliance with NFPA standards is voluntary. However, in some cases,
Federal or state OSHA agencies have incorporated wording from NFPA standards into
regulations. In these cases, the compliance with the standards is mandatory (WHSCC /
OHSA) Regardless of whether compliance with an NFPA standard is voluntary or
standards on private litigation. In some states, a department may be liable for the
negligent performance of their duties. Even in states that protect rescue workers under an
immunity statute, most state laws do not protect fire or rescue departments for grossly
negligent acts. Essentially, negligence involves the violation of a standard of care that
results in injury or loss to some other individual or organization.
In establishing the standard of care for rescue operations, the courts will frequently look
dards can become, in effect, the legally enforceable
standard of care for fire or rescue department. Accordingly, fire and rescue departments
should pay close attention to applicable standards - Alabama Municipal Insurance
Corporation
The above two discussion pieces (Canadian Centre of Intelligence Security, and the
Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation) are referenced as an illustrative point to
demonstrate that legislation like the standards themselves has international application
and that there is an international trend toward holding government to the standard, even if
the standard is deemed voluntary in nature or policy.
A final cautionary note with respect to risk management and the trend towards
municipalities being responsible to identified standards as has been recently experienced
in British Columbia and Ontario. Does the thirteen year historical trend of conducting
fire service studies (10 studies since 1991), and taking a different direction (reduce fire
service) than the fire service study recommended, increase the risk of the municipality
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April 7, 2014
expose the municipality to potential substantial liability.
Standards related to fire service design and firefighter performance competence
NFPA 1201 Standard for Providing Fire and Emergency Services to the Public
NFPA 1250 Recommended Practice in Fire and Emergency Services
Organization Risk Management
NFPA 1410 Standard on Training for initial Emergency Scene Operations
NFPA 1561 Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System
NFPA 1600 Standard on Disaster / Emergency Management and Business
Continuity Programs
NFPA 1620 Standard for Pre-Incident Planning
NFPA 1710 - Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression
Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public
by Career Fire Departments 2010
NFPA 1720 Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression
Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public
by Volunteer Fire Departments 2010
Relevance of Standards
Province of NB utilizes numerous NFPA standards in legislation
Responsible risk management for industry and construction
TransCanada
o
Potash
o
Marine Terminals
o
Pipelines
o
LNG facilities
o
Industrial Fire Brigade
o
Transportation of Dangerous Goods
o
NFPA 1201: Standard for Providing Emergency Services to the Public 2010
Provides The Following Guidance On The Design Of A Fire Service:
Chapter 4 Governance and Administration
NFPA 4.1 Governing Authority Responsibility
NFPA 4.1.1 The entity responsible for the establishment and operation of the Fire
Emergency Services Organization (FESO) shall adopt a formal statement of purpose that
includes the general types of services to be provided, the area to be served, and the
delegation of authority.
NFPA 4.1.2 The level(s) of services to be provided by the FESO shall be determined by
the FESO or by the authority having jurisdiction
NFPA 4.1.3 The resources and personnel required to provide the level of service(s)
outlined within 4.1.2 shall be determined by the FESO or by the authority having
jurisdiction
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April 7, 2014
NFPA 4.3 Concept of Risk
NFPA 4.3.1 The FESO shall carry out a program to develop public awareness and
cooperation in management of risk, based on analysis of relevant loss records and
potential hazards in the identifiable physical and social sectors of the community.
NFPA 4.3.2 The means and level of service provided and the degree of risk accepted by
the jurisdiction shall be subject to local determination.
NFPA 4.3.3 Regular Examinations
NFPA 4.3.3.1 The FESO shall develop programs under which regular examinations are
performed in every part of the service area in which hazardous situations could develop.
NFPA 4.3.3.2 Examinations shall emphasize those locations identified with a high level
of hazard to life, property, or critical systems.
e
service area potentially affected by hazardous conditions or situations.
NFPA 4.3.5* The FESO shall provide customer service-orientated programs and
procedures to accomplish the following:
1. Prevent fires, injuries, and deaths from emergencies and disasters
2. Mitigate fires, injuries, deaths, property damage, and environmental damage
from emergencies and disasters.
3. Recover from fires, emergencies and disasters.
4. Protect critical infrastructure
5. Sustain economic viability
6. Protect cultural resources
Chapter 5 Engineering
NFPA 5.1 Engineering
NFPA 5.1.1 Purpose
NFPA 5.1.1.1 The FESO shall have a defined process for identifying and addressing
environmental factors in the community that affect its risk for fires and other
emergencies.
NFPA 5.1.1.2 This process shall encompass consideration of relevant engineering
challenges and potential solutions with respect to the following:
(1) Risk Assessment
(2) Water Supply
(3) Planning
NFPA 5.1.2 Responsibility The FESO shall be responsible, within the limits of its legal
authority, for identifying and addressing environmental factors in the community that
affect its risk for fires and other emergencies.
NFPA 5.2 Community Planning
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April 7, 2014
NFPA 5.2.1 The research and planning functions shall encompass the examination of all
aspects of the community that relate to the current demands and future needs of the
community (e.g. planning, zoning, and growth strategies).
NFPA 5.2.2 The research and planning shall be directed toward improving and
maintaining a responsive approach
NFPA 5.3 Water Supply
NFPA 5.3.1 Purpose The FESO shall develop and maintain a regular program for
evaluating all sources of water supplies and delivery systems for firefighting within the
community and shall facilitate the delivery of adequate water supply consistent with
community fire risk and FESO capabilities.
NFPA 5.3.2 Responsibility. The FESO is responsible for ensuring the availability of
sufficient water supplies for firefighting throughout the community.
NFPA 5.3.3 Water Supply Operations.
NFPA 5.3.3.1 The FESO shall have policies and procedures for utilization of available
water supplies, both piped and static, taking into account any weaknesses or deficiencies
and providing contingency plans for potential service outages.
Chapter 6 Code Administration
NFPA 6.1 Code Enforcement
NFPA 6.1.1 Purpose. The FESO shall determine the status of its code management
responsibility and authority and shall be aware of how these interface with federal, state
and provincial, local and other political subdivisional agencies.
NFPA 6.1.2 Responsibility. The FESO shall establish policies and procedures for the
development, implementation, and enforcement of relevant codes.
NFPA 6.2 Zoning Regulations. The FESO shall seek to establish good working
relationships with the local zoning and planning authorities so that the review of
development and construction proposals can identify fire protection concerns.
NFPA 6.3 Building Regulations. The FESO shall seek to establish a good working
relationship with the agency or authority responsible for enforcing the building code so
that the review of the design, construction, alternation, or demolition of buildings and
structures can be monitored to identify fire protection concerns.
NFPA 6.4 Investigations. The FESO shall ensure the investigation of fires and other
emergencies to assist with developing an effective hazard and risk prevention program.
Chapter 7 Public Education
NFPA 7.1 Purpose. The FESO shall coordinate public education programs that enhance
FESO, the risks faced by the
public and the appropriate prevention and intervention activities.
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April 7, 2014
NFPA 7.2 Responsibility. The FESO shall have a system to accomplish the
requirements of Section 7.1 that includes program development, delivery, evaluation, and
revision.
Chapter 8 Emergency Operations
NFPA 8.1 General. The FESO shall provide resources, planning and training that are
consistent with the level of service identified in the scope of authority and responsibilities
for emergency operations.
NFPA 8.2 Incident Management. The FESO shall utilize an incident management
system for all emergency operations that meets with the requirements of NFPA 1561,
Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System.
NFPA 8.3 Deployment of Resources. The FESO shall develop a deployment of
resources implementation plan in accordance with NFPA 1710, Standard for the
Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical
Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, or NFPA
1720, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations,
Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire
Departments.
NFPA 8.4 Safety/Health/Risk Management. The FESO shall develop a safety, health,
and risk management implementation plan to comply with all federal, state, or provincial,
and local applicable laws, codes, regulations, or standards and NFPA 1500, Standard on
Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program.
NFPA 8.5 Incident Reporting
NFPA 8.5.1 The FESO shall develop and implement a field reporting mechanism for
incident reporting, data collection, future planning and decision making.
NFPA 8.5.2 All records and reports shall follow the FESO records management policy
that ensures confidentiality where appropriate or required.
NFPA 8.6. Emergency Medical Service Protocols. The FESO that provides emergency
medical service shall maintain a close working relationship with a physician or medical
authority to provide an applicable level of medical supervision for the service level to
which the FESO is authorized.
3.3.28* High-Hazard Occupancy. An occupancy that presents a high life hazard or
large fire potential due to its construction, configuration, or the presence of specific
materials, processes, or contents.
3.3.29 Incident Commander. The individual responsible for all incident activities,
including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and the release of
resources
Chapter 5 Fire Department Services
5.1 Purpose.
5.1.1 The services provided by the fire department shall include those activities identified
by the organizational statement developed as required by Chapter 4.
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April 7, 2014
5.1.2 The procedures involved in providing these services, including operations and
deployment, shall be established through written administrative regulations, standard
operating procedures (SOPs), and departmental orders.
5.2* Fire Suppression Services.
5.2.1 Fire Suppression Capability.
5.2.1.1 Fire suppression operations shall be organized to ensure
fire suppression capability encompasses deployment of personnel, equipment, and
resources for an initial arriving company, the initial full alarm assignment, and additional
alarm assignments.
5.2.1.2 The fire department shall be permitted to use established automatic aid and
mutual aid agreements to comply with the requirements of Section 5.2.
5.2.2* Staffing. The number of on-duty fire suppression personnel shall be sufficient to
perform the necessary fire-fighting operations given the expected fire-fighting conditions.
5.2.2.1 These numbers shall be determined through task analyses that take the following
factors into consideration: (1) Life hazard to the populace protected
(2) Provisions of safe and effective fire-fighting performance conditions for the fire
fighters (3) Potential property loss (4) Nature, configuration, hazards, and internal
protection of the properties involved (5) Types of fireground tactics and evolutions
employed as standard procedure, type of apparatus used, and results expected to be
obtained at the fire scene
5.2.2.2* On-duty personnel assigned to fire suppression shall be organized into company
units and shall have appropriate apparatus and equipment assigned to such companies.
5.2.2.2.1* The fire department shall identify minimum company staffing levels as
necessary to meet the deployment criteria required in 5.2.4 to ensure that a sufficient
number of members are assigned, on duty, and available to safely and effectively respond
with each company.
NFPA 1710:
Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations,
Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire
Departments 2010
Provides The Following Guidance On The Build & Design Of A Fire Service:
5.2.2.2.2 Each company shall be led by an officer who shall be considered a part of the
company.
5.2.2.2.3* Supervisory chief officers shall be dispatched or notified to respond to all full
alarm assignments.
5.2.2.2.4 The supervisory chief officer shall ensure that the incident management system
is established as required in Section 6.2.
5.2.2.2.5* Supervisory chief officers shall have staff aides deployed to them for purposes
of incident management and accountability at emergency incidents.
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April 7, 2014
5.2.3 Operating Units. Fire company staffing requirements shall be based on minimum
levels necessary for safe, effective, and efficient emergency operations.
5.2.3.1 Fire companies whose primary functions are to pump and deliver water and
perform basic firefighting at fires, including search and rescue, shall be known as engine
companies.
5.2.3.1.1 These companies shall be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty personnel.
5.2.3.1.2 In jurisdictions with tactical hazards, high-hazard occupancies, high incident
frequencies, geographical restrictions, or other pertinent factors as identified by the AHJ,
these companies shall be staffed with a minimum of five or six on duty members.
5.2.3.2 Fire companies whose primary functions are to perform the variety of services
associated with truck work, such as forcible entry, ventilation, search and rescue, aerial
operations for water delivery and rescue, utility control, illumination, overhaul, and
salvage work, shall be known as ladder or truck companies.
5.2.3.2.1 These companies shall be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty personnel.
5.2.3.2.2 In jurisdictions with tactical hazards, high-hazard occupancies, high incident
frequencies, geographical restrictions, or other pertinent factors as identified by the AHJ,
these companies shall be staffed with a minimum of five or six on duty personnel.
5.2.3.3 Other Types of Companies.
5.2.3.3.1 Other types of companies equipped with specialized apparatus and equipment
shall be provided to assist engine and ladder companies where necessary to support the
5.2.3.3.2 These companies shall be staffed with the minimum number of on-duty
personnel required to deal with the tactical hazards, high-hazard occupancies, high
incident frequencies, geographical restrictions, or other pertinent factors as identified by
the AHJ.
5.2.3.4 Fire Companies with Quint Apparatus.
5.2.3.4.1 A fire company that deploys with quint apparatus, designed to operate as either
an engine company or a ladder company, shall be staffed as specified in 5.2.3.
5.2.3.4.2 If the company is expected to perform multiple roles simultaneously, additional
staffing, above the levels specified in 5.2.3, shall be provided to ensure that those
operations can be performed as required.
5.2.4 Deployment.
5.2.4.1 Initial Arriving Company.
shall be deployed to provide
for the arrival of an engine company within a 240-second travel time to 90 percent of the
incidents as established in Chapter 4.
5.2.4.1.2* Personnel assigned to the initial arriving company shall have the capability to
implement an initial rapid intervention crew (IRIC).
5.2.4.2 Initial Full Alarm Assignment Capability.
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April 7, 2014
5.2.4.2.1 The fire department shall have the capability to deploy an initial full alarm
assignment within a 480-second travel time to 90 percent of the incidents as established
in Chapter 4.
5.2.4.2.2* The initial full alarm assignment to a structure fire in a typical 2000 ft2 (186
m2), two-story single-family dwelling without basement and with no exposures shall
provide for the following:
(1) Establishment of incident command outside of the hazard area for the overall
coordination and direction of the initial full alarm assignment with a minimum of one
individual dedicated to this task
(2) Establishment of an uninterrupted water supply of a minimum of 400 gpm (1520
L/min) for 30 minutes with supply line(s) maintained by an operator
(3) Establishment of an effective water flow application rate of 300 gpm (1140 L/min)
from two hand lines, each of which has a minimum flow rate of 100 gpm (380 L/min)
with each handline operated by a minimum of two individuals to effectively and safely
maintain the line
(4) Provision of one support person for each attack and backupline deployed to provide
hydrant hookup and to assist inlaying of hose lines, utility control, and forcible entry
(5) Provision of at least one victim search and rescue team with each such team
consisting of a minimum of two individuals
(6) Provision of at least one team, consisting of a minimum of two individuals, to raise
ground ladders and perform ventilation
(7) If an aerial device is used in operations, one person to function as an aerial operator
and maintain primary control of the aerial device at all times
(8) Establishment of an IRIC consisting of a minimum of two properly equipped and
trained individuals
5.2.4.2.3* Fire departments that respond to fires in high-medium-, or low-hazard
occupancies that present hazards greater than those found in the low-hazard occupancy
described in 5.2.4.2.2 shall deploy additional resources on the initial alarm.
5.2.4.3 Additional Alarm Assignments.
5.2.4.3.1* The fire department shall have the capability to deploy additional alarm
assignments that can provide for additional command staff, personnel, and additional
services, including the application of water to the fire; engagement in search and rescue,
forcible entry, ventilation, and preservation of property; safety and accountability for
personnel; and provision of support activities for those situations that are beyond
the capability of the initial full alarm assignment.
5.2.4.3.2 When an incident escalates beyond an initial full alarm assignment or when
significant risk is present to the fire fighters due to the magnitude of the incident, the
incident commander shall upgrade the IRIC to a full rapid intervention (RIC) that
consists of an officer and at least three firefighters who are fully equipped and trained in
RIC operations.
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April 7, 2014
5.2.4.3.3 An incident safety officer shall be deployed to all incidents that escalate beyond
an initial full alarm assignment or when significant risk is present to fire fighters.
5.2.4.3.4 The incident safety officer shall ensure that the safety and health system is
established as required in Section 6.1.
5.3* Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The purpose of this section shall be to provide
standards for the delivery of EMS by fire departments.
5.3.1 The fire department shall clearly document its role, responsibilities,
functions, and objectives for the delivery of EMS.
5.3.1.1 EMS operations shall be organized to ensure that the
medical capability includes personnel, equipment, and resources to deploy the initial
arriving company and additional alarm assignments.
5.3.1.2 The fire department shall be permitted to use established automatic aid or mutual
aid agreements to comply with the requirements of Section 5.3.
5.3.2* System Components.
5.3.2.1 Treatment Levels.
5.3.2.1.1 The basic treatment levels within an EMS system, for the purposes of this
standard, shall be categorized as first responder, basic life support (BLS), and advanced
life support (ALS).
5.3.2.1.2 The specific patient treatment capabilities associated with each level shall be
determined by the AHJ based on the requirements for approval and licensing of EMS
providers within each state or province.
5.3.2.2 Training Levels.
5.3.2.2.1 The minimal level of training for all fire fighters that respond to emergency
incidents shall be to the first responder/AED level.
5.3.2.2.2 The AHJ shall determine if further training is required.
5.3.3 EMS System Functions.
5.3.3.1 The AHJ shall determine which of the following components of an EMS system
the fire department shall be responsible for providing:
(1) Initial response to provide medical treatment at the location of the emergency (first
responder with AED capability or higher)
(2) BLS response
(3) ALS response
(4) Patient transport in an ambulance or alternative vehicle designed to provide for
uninterrupted patient care at the ALS or BLS level while en route to a medical facility
(5) Assurance of response and medical care through a quality management program
5.3.3.2 Staffing.
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April 7, 2014
5.3.3.2.1 On-duty EMS units shall be staffed with the minimum personnel necessary for
emergency medical care relative to the level of EMS provided by the fire department.
5.3.3.2.2 EMS staffing requirements shall be based on the minimum levels needed to
provide patient care and member safety.
5.3.3.2.2.1 Units that provide emergency medical care shall be staffed at a minimum with
personnel trained to the first responder/AED level.
5.3.3.2.2.2 Units that provide BLS transport shall be staffed and trained at the level
prescribed by the state or provincial agency responsible for providing EMS licensing.
5.3.3.2.2.3 Units that provide ALS transport shall be staffed and trained at the level
prescribed by the state or provincial agency responsible for providing EMS licensing.
5.3.3.3 Service Delivery Deployment.
5.3.3.3.1 The fire department shall adopt service delivery objectives based on time
standards for the deployment of each service component for which it is responsible.
responder with AED shall be
deployed to provide for the arrival of a first responder with AED company within a 240-
second travel time to 90 percent of the incidents as established in Chapter 4.
ALS shall be
deployed to provide for the arrival of an ALS company within a 480-second travel time
to 90 percent of the incidents provided a first responder with AED or BLS unit
arrived in 240 seconds or less travel time as established in
5.3.3.3.4 Personnel deployed to ALS emergency responses shall include a minimum of
two members trained at the emergency medical technicianparamedic level and two
members trained at the emergency medical technicianbasic level arriving on scene
within the established travel time.
5.3.4 Quality Management.
5.3.4.1 The fire department shall institute a quality management program to ensure that
the service has met time objectives as required in 4.1.2 for all medical responses.
5.3.4.2 Fire Department Medical Personnel Review.
5.3.4.2.1 All first responder and BLS medical care provided by the fire department shall
be reviewed by the fire department medical personnel.
5.3.4.2.2 This review process shall be documented.
5.3.4.3 Medical Director Review.
5.3.4.3.1 All fire departments with ALS services shall have a named medical director
with the responsibility to oversee and ensure quality medical care in accordance with
state or provincial laws or regulations.
5.3.4.3.2 This review process shall be documented.
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April 7, 2014
5.3.4.4 Fire departments providing ALS services shall provide a mechanism for
immediate communications with EMS supervision and medical oversight.
5.4 Special Operations Response. Special operations shall be organized to ensure that the
capability includes personnel, equipment, and
resources to deploy the initial arriving company and additional alarm assignments
providing such services.
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April 7, 2014
APPENDIX B
The Design And Build Of A Fire Service
Hazards and Risk Profile within the Community:
service is directly linked to the hazards and risk profile within the community. If fire
department resources (both responding apparatus and personnel) are deployed to match
the risk levels inherent to hazards in the community, it has scientifically demonstrated
A Community Risk Assessment:
through an overall profile of the community based on the unique mixture of
demographics, socioeconomic factors, occupancy risk, fire management zones, and the
Matching Resources to Risk:
service leaders prepare a plan for timely and sufficient coverage of all hazards and the
adverse risk events that occur. This plan is often referred to as a Standard of Response
Coverage. Response time goals for first-due units (distribution) and for the total effective
on-scene emergency response force (concentration) drives fire department objectives like
fire station locations, apparatus deployed and staffing levels.
Fire Department Operational Performance
:
measure of the ability to respond, mitigate and recover from each emergency call, often
depends on the time of dispatch, arrival of first responders, and the assembly of an
effective response force in relation to the magnitude of the risk event when they arrive.
For example, some fires will be at an early stage and other fires may already have spread
throughout an entire building. Therefore when determining fire station location,
apparatus placement and staffing levels, fire service leaders target a particular point of a
at to life and property. The goal of
resource deployment is to save lives of occupants, minimize risk to firefighters by
engaging prior to substantial risk escalation, and to protect property and the
environment.
Characteristics of Properties:
C
an have a significant impact on outcome and
associated response requirements. Each property or structure in a community can be
considered a hazard that carries inherent risks based on occupancy type and fire load.
The NFPA Fire Protection Handbook defines hazard levels of occupancies by types.
Fire service leaders assess the number and location of each type of occupancy and its
associated hazard level and then plan resource deployment to assure that sufficient fire
department resources are dispatched to adverse events that occur in the occupancies.
The Consequences of an Event:
Given that a particular hazard exists in a community,
the consequences of an emergency event (e.g. fire) in such a hazard are ultimately
determined by the mitigation efforts. The consequences are often grouped into four
categories
1) Human Impacts (civilian and firefighter)
2) Economic Impacts (property and business loss both direct and indirect effects)
3) Psychological Impact (public confidence)
4) Functional Impact (continuity of operation)
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April 7, 2014
APPENDIX B information referenced Urban Forum Magazine 2012 / 2013
APPENDIX C
Previous Studies On The Saint John Fire Service
Fire protection has been a significant part of the municipal operating budget for a number
of years. Responsible councils have long pondered the resources that have been allocated
to this side of protective services, and as such numerous studies and assessments have
been conducted to assess the appropriateness of the expenditure on fire protection. The
first of a series of fire service studies within the last 23years was conducted by the
management consulting firm Ernst and Young in 1991.
1991 - Ernst & Young:
municipality requires that a basic fire protection infrastructure be maintained to deliver a
suppression capability regardless of the frequency of calls. The report which was
undertaken to examine the fire protection on the western side on the city provided the
following commentary with respect to fire station 6 located at King Street West
relatively low frequency of alarms does not present any opportunity for reducing the level
of fire protection that is required since the City of Saint John now maintains the basic fire
At the time of
those comments the fire truck on the lower west side would only respond to structure
fires east of the harbor bridge on third and fourth alarms. That truck is now first
assignment to all fires on the West side, North End and Up Town.
Ernst & Young were somewhat visionary in stating that
service is expected, the fire service should engage in other emergency response type
Saint John Fire Service has attained expert competence across a number of
emergency disciplines including: medical first responder, hazardous materials technician;
CBRNE technicians, rope rescue (high angle and confined space) technician; and
Incident Command (ICS).
1997 Insurance Underwrites (IAO):
required. At present, distances are excessive for areas covered by station 6 and 7 in the
western portion of the city and areas covered by station2 and 4 in eastern portions of the
city. We would recommend that an additional aerial ladder truck or elevating platform be
provid
close scrutiny before any consideration is made in further reductions to the present level
M & C 2014 009 - 30 -
April 7, 2014
2000 Response Time Analysis (Baird):
Report findings presented in the 2002 budget report to Common Council
2002 - Optimization Study (Dillon Consulting):
Report findings presented in the 2002 budget report to Common Council
2002 Budget Report to Council
:
Response time and Optimization analysis reviewed the impact of closing each of the
stations A station closure increased both the initial response of the first arriving
apparatus and extended the time for an effective (per standard) total response.
within our municipality remains high. Modern construction methods, coupled with the
increased emphasis on fire prevention have resulted in a decrease in the number of
residential fires. However the growth of major industries and the increased concerns
related to the movement of chemicals and toxins throughout the community have
2003 Fire & Police Chiefs Report on Police / Fire Consolidation:
America in the mid-fifties. At present, the actual number of communities that have some
form of consolidatio this represents
less than half of 1% of all police and fire services. Current experience annually is that
there are as many de-consolidation processes as there are consolidation initiatives. A
reasonable conclusion is that most communities that experiment with Police-Fire
consolidation find it unsatisfactory. In recent years there has also been a move towards
state or provincial legislation prohibiting consolidation. The Province of Quebec, which
has long-standing consolidated departments, has passed legislation that will prohibit
consolidated departments by 2003. As a consequence, there will no longer be
consolidated Police-
A detailed analysis of additional costs for Police-Fire consolidation has not been
performed. Major categories of expenditure may include:
- candidate screening ($350,000)
- Firefighter police training ($11,000,000)
- Police firefighter training ($1,400,000)
- Police equipment and uniforms for Firefighters ($???,000)
- Turnout gear fire clothing for Police ($???,000)
These are startup costs incurred in the initial consolidation period. Experience in
jurisdictions with a Public Safety Department indicates that employees also receive a
salary premium of 6-20%, in recognition of the additional demands. Ongoing training
costs are likely to increase by a factor reflecting the number of additional employees
cross-trained in the respective services.
M & C 2014 009 - 31 -
April 7, 2014
CONCLUSION: Full consolidation of Police and Fire services does not appear to be a
practical option in Saint John.
2009 Fire Chiefs Report:
Recognizing the significant investment that Council allocates to providing fire protection
to the City of Saint John, Council directed the Fire Chief (through the City Manager) to
undertake a Fire Service review with the objective of identifying opportunities to reduce
expenditures. Additionally, Council directed the Fire Chief to evaluate how the various
cost reducing options could impact the Fire Underwrites Survey Grade for the
community.
More specifically, Council directed the Fire Chief to review the following areas:
Restructuring / re-alignment;
Consolidation of fire stations;
Integration of fire services;
Use of volunteer Fire Fighters;
Response Policy;
Medical First Responder Service;
Technological Change;
Any other measure necessary to reduce costs
baseline assessment of the fire protection needs of the community in relation to existing
retained the services of Risk Management Services, (formerly known as the Insurance
Advisory Organization), to conduct the assessment with the objective of verifying the
important given that significant reductions to the Saint John Fire Department had
occurred since the last FUS review was completed.
The FUS Grade serves to not only quantitatively measure the fire protection needs in a
community against existing fire protection capabilities, it is the predominate determinate
in establishing fire insurance premiums for property owners.
Current State
The analysis most recently completed by the insurance industry revealed that the FUS
Grading for Saint John has been reduced from a Grade 2 to a Grade 3. The new Grading
will take effect upon the filing of Risk Managements Services report within the next
month. Given the general propensity to compare the City of Saint John with the cities of
Fredericton and Moncton it should be noted that all three cities now have the same FUS
Grade.
Additionally, the FUS analysis also revealed that the City of Saint John is on the cusp of
being reduced to a FUS Grade 4 with very limited capacity to remain in a FUS Grade 3.
From a monetary perspective, the reclassification of the FUS grade from a 2 to a 3 will
result in an immediate increase in insurance premiums paid by property owners of over
one million dollars annually. Although this is a substantial increase, it should be noted
that from a strictly monetary perspective, the increase in premiums is less than the
amount of funding required to reinstate the positions that had been previously reduced.
M & C 2014 009 - 32 -
April 7, 2014
Hence the cost avoidance of employing the 40 positions which had been reduced from the
Fire Department is substantially more than the anticipated increase to insurance
premiums. Alternatively however, the loss of operational capacity and the ability to
respond to simultaneous demand cannot be evaluated from a monetary perspective.
Future State
On a go forward basis, it was also determined that should the FUS Grade for the City of
Saint John be reduced to a Grade 4 or a Grade 5, the increases to insurance premiums
paid by property owners will increase exponentially. Further analysis revealed that the
savings associated with cost reductions associated with the various options explored by
the Fire Department would be substantially less than the significant increases in
insurance premiums paid by property owners. For illustrative purposes, it was
determined that the financial implications of migrating from a FUS Grade 3 to a FUS
Grade 4 would result in additional insurance premiums of over 2.5 million dollars
annually; which compounded with the additional increases associated with migrating
from a FUS Grade of 2 3 would have a minimum cumulative impact of over 3.5 million
dollars annually to property owners.
Analysis
evaluated a multitude of restructuring, consolidation and other potential options with a
view to minimize the financial costs to property owners. In each instance, staff vetted the
the goal of ensuring that the contemplated reduction would not inadvertently cause a
further reduction in the FUS Grade (specific examples are provided in the report).
Invariably, it was determined that given the City of Saint John is now on the boundary
between a FUS Grade of 3 and a FUS Grade of 4, any additional reduction to the Fire
Department would cause the community to be reclassified downward resulting in
substantial increases in the premiums paid by property owners.
Notwithstanding the reclassification o
support a number of initiatives designed to support fire protection in the community have
lessened the impact on the Cit
reductions to the Fire Department. The initiatives include:
Staffing all Engine, Ladder and Engine Rescue Companies with 4 Personnel
Maintaining fully functional reserve apparatus
Supporting previous restructuring opportunities
Acquiring a Ladder truck designed to generate fire flows and capable of
accessing larger commercial, industrial and residential occupancies
Migrating to 1500 gallons per minute Engines
Extending the water distribution through varying portions of the city
Upgrading existing portions of the water distribution system
Staffing and resourcing a proactive Fire Prevention Division
Staffing and resourcing a proactive Training Division
M & C 2014 009 - 33 -
April 7, 2014
It is important to note that the above noted initiatives not only served to lessen the impact
of the previous reductions to the Fire Department, they also served to position the city to
adequately manage the increased risks to the community in relation to new and emerging
demands related to industrial, commercial and residential development.
Finally, the analysis revealed (and validated by the representatives of FUS) that the
current resources made available to the Fire Department are being deployed to the
optimum level. More specifically, it was noted that the resources allocated to Operations,
Program Development, Training, Prevention and Administration are being utilized in a
manner which have precluded the FUS Grade to be reclassified to a FUS Grade 4. By
extension, property owners are being shielded from further increases to their insurance
premiums.
2009 Risk Management Services Fire Underwriters Survey:
City of Saint John assessment has grown significantly since the last Fire
Underwriters Survey conducted in 1996. As the community population has actually
decreased over the past few years (1996 2001 census) the community has expanded to a
number of new areas.
The degree of risk has increased substantially with the construction of large industrial
areas and increased densities in residential districts. The distribution of fire risk has also
increased with the annexation of new lands and the development of outlying areas. The
Saint John Fire Department has improved significantly in almost all areas however the
distribution of resources has not kept pace with the expansion of fire risk. The loss of two
apparatus and 36 positions in the fire department has had a more significant impact than
the improvements made. The Saint John Fire Department has been re-evaluated with a
relative classification of 3 (from 2) in the 2009 / 10 FUS assessment.
The City of Saint John should carefully consider the options presented within this report
and advise Fire Underwriters Surveys as to the planned course of action with respect to
development of fire protection. Once this response is received, the appropriate fire
insurance grades will be published in the fire insurance grading index for use by
Fire Underwriters Survey is in the process of completing another assessment in response
to the 2012 fire service reductions, as indicated in the following excerpt from letter sent
to the fire chief on March, 21, 2012 from Mr. Jim MacLeod National Vice-President Fire
Underwriters Survey
th
, we
understand the Saint John Fire Department has been, or may be negatively
affected as a result of budget cutbacks. Fire Underwriters Survey would like to
initiate a FUS survey the first week of July 2012, or at a mutually agreed upon
date. The cost associated with FUS survey are paid for by our subscribing
insurers which represent approximately 90 percent of the private sector property
2011 Taxation Review Committee (A Committee established by Common
Council)
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April 7, 2014
The Saint John Fire Service provided detailed response in written form and to a meeting
of the committee on a series of budget and service related questions:
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 1What services does your department
provide?
The City of Saint John Fire Department delivers six services to the citizen and industry in
Saint John. These services are as follows:
1.Fire Rescue and Suppression Service
2.Medical First Responder Service
3.Technical Rescue Service
4.Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Service
5.Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Service
6.Fire Investigation Service
Appendices to the Report to Common
Council titled Fire Department 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
definitions and outcomes for each the above noted services. Although the service
profiles referenced in Appendix 3 to 8 were prepared in August of 2010, the profiles are
still relevant.
2011 Taxation Review Question 2:If you have to rank the services your
department provides in terms of importance, which would you consider your
core services; and which would you consider your secondary services?
The core service of the City of Saint John Fire Department is Fire Rescue and
Suppression. From this core service, the Fire Department is able to provide Medical First
Responder Service, Technical Rescue Service, and Hazardous Materials Emergency
Response Service. These ancillary services are delivered at a low cost and also offer
revenue generating opportunities for the City of Saint John.
Paralleling Fire Rescue and Suppression Service are the Fire Prevention and Code
Enforcement and Fire Investigation Services. The work outcomes of Fire Prevention and
Code Enforcement Service help minimize stress on Fire Rescue and Suppression Service.
Similarly, the work outcomes of Fire Investigation Service help identify the need for
criminal investigations, product recalls, public education needs or building standard
reviews.
Fire Rescue and Suppression Service, its ancillary services, Fire Prevention and Code
Enforcement Service, and Fire Investigation Service are all considered core services of
the Fire Department. Having said that and as referenced in past reviews, the services
offered by the Fire Department exist at the wishes of Common Council. Similarly, the
Although the cost of delivery, frequency of response and method of response vary from
service to service (offered by the Fire Department), the consequence of not performing
the service is the same (i.e. loss of life, property or damage to the environment). Since
the creation of the Fire Department in 1786, community need has dictated the evolution
of the services it delivers. Currently, there is a community expectation to deliver
Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response and Medical First
M & C 2014 009 - 35 -
April 7, 2014
Responder Services in addition to Fire Rescue and Suppression and Fire Prevention and
Code Enforcement and Investigation Services.
Appendices to the
from service to service. Appendix 3 to 8 of the attached report t
Report to Common Council titled Fire Department 2011 and 2012 Operating
Budgets
for
the services delivered by the Fire Department.
2011 Taxation Review Question 3:If your budget was cut by 10%, what
services would you reduce?
The 2011 budget allocation for the six services of the Fire Department is as follows:
Fire Rescue and Suppression $ 20,192,399
Medical First Responder $ 76,860
Technical Rescue $ 92,153
Hazardous Materials Emergency Response $ 147,036
Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement $ 919,913
Fire Investigation $ 23,285
Total 2011 Budget for Fire Department Services $21,451,647
$2,145,165
In 2011 constant dollars, a 10 percent cut equates to .
Cuts
As references above, the delivery of Medical First Responder Service, Technical Rescue
Service, and Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Service are linked to the capacity
of Fire Rescue and Suppression Service. Similarly, the cost to deliver these ancillary
services is also linked to the cost of Fire Rescue and Suppression. It is the same fire
crews and equipment that deliver these services.
Impacts of budget cuts have been we (2009) and
Fire Department - 2011 and 2012
Operating BudgetsFire
Service ReviewFire Department - 2011 and 2012 Operating
and page 3 to 6 of the
Budgets
both summarize the 15 reduction options recently explored.
Although the various reports to Council referenced numerous budget reduction and
revenue generation options, the reports did not specifically illustrate a 10% budget
currently equates to:
The deletion of two engine companies (32 FTE) within the Fire Rescue and
Suppression Service, which may or may not include fire station closures, which
would be determined by assessing the best deployment model for the remaining
resources; or
The deletion of one-engine company (16 FTE) within the Fire Rescue and
Suppression Service and the full deletion of Fire Prevention and Code
Enforcement Service and Fire Investigation Service (8 FTE combined) plus a
reduction in goods and service. This option may or may not include a fire
station closure, which again would be determined by assessing the best
deployment model for the remaining resources.
Impacts of Service Level Reductions
deliver services to current service level standards. The response model will have to
s ability to mitigate / manage fires during the
M & C 2014 009 - 36 -
April 7, 2014
early intervention will lead to faster and greater fire growth. This is of significant
concern especially given the analysis by the Underwriters Laboratories who determined
7.5
, from inception to fully developed, is timesfaster for
new materials (i.e. synthetics) compared to legacy materials (i.e. wood, cotton).
A 10% reduction would necessitate a review of the deployment model conducted in 2003.
As a result of the 2009 fire service review undertaken by RMS (Fire Underwriters
Survey), the City has already been advised that any further reduction in response
capability, without something to counter balance the cuts (mutual aid agreements, etc),
rating. The 2009 review by RMS resu
to 3. The lowering grade arose out of reductions that took place in 2002 and 2004.
The consultant with RMS has indicated that further service level reductions will result in
S grade from 3 to 4 or 5. This translates into a potential
$2.5 million dollar increase in gross insurance premiums for property owners in Saint
RMS Fire Service Baseline Review 2009.
John. See Section 11 of the
Similarly, the deletion or reduction of the Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Service
will not necessarily result in savings to the municipality. Putting aside any issues with
unsafe conditions in places of assembly or multi-residential units, the authority of the Fire
ntion and Safety Division comes from the Fire Prevention Act as
opposed to a municipal by-law. The Office of the Fire Marshal delegates that authority to
the Saint John Fire Department because there are qualified inspectors to fulfil the
obligations of the Act.
Fire Service Review
As part of the (2009), which included options such the elimination
of the Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Service, it was made clear by the Office of
the Fire Marshal that code enforcement services would continue in Saint John. If the
City chose to eliminate its Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Service, the Fire
bill the City accordingly. This matter is explained in more detail in Section XII of the
Fire Service Review.
In summary, the reduction or elimination in the Fire Prevention
and Code Enforcement Service may not result in savings for the City.
With respect to Fire Investigation Service, the expertise could reside with either the Fire
Fire Department.
2011 Taxation Review Question 4:(A) How do you know that what you are
currently doing is the best practice / provides the best value for money?
The Fire Department reviews its performance profile across both objective and subject
assessments. The recognized best practice minimum standards for all six of the Fire
Fire Protection Association.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international non-profit
organization that was established in 1896. The NFPA is responsible for 300 codes and
standards that are designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria
for building, processing, design, service, and installation in the United States, as well as
burden of fire and
other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and
M & C 2014 009 - 37 -
April 7, 2014
standards, research, training, and education. Its more than 200 technical code and
standard development committees; comprised of over 6,000 volunteer seats. Volunteers
vote on proposals and revisions in a process that is accredited by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI). NFPA membership totals more than 70,000 individuals
around the world. (NFPA Website)
Best Practices
Appendices to the Report
In addition to the comprehensive submission contained in the
to Common Council titled Fire Department 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
,
additional qualita
of its six services and are as follows:
a)In his 2006 comments regarding a proposed LNG Plant and NG Pipeline in
Saint John, Sean Tracey, the Canadian Director of the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) provided the following when referring to the
the Fire Department is operating very effectively with very few staff at the
operations and planning level. This is a credit to the professionalism and skills
of these staff. The Fire Department appears to be performing at a skill level and
operational tempo above that of any Fire Department comparable to city size in
Canad
b)With respect to Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Service, the
Department of National Defence has solicited the Saint John Fire Department to
research and identify mass decontamination procedures. Also, numerous local,
regional, national and international organizations have engaged members of the
Fire Department for the competencies which they have acquired to enable an
appropriate response to local hazards (i.e. incident command, industrial fires and
hazardous materials responses).
c)As it relates to our Medical First Responder Service, when statistics were being
collected by the Atlantic Science Health Corporation (now Horizon Health
Network), the Fire Department had the highest cardiac save rate in all of Canada
with respect to resuscitation through the use of automatic external defibrillators.
d)In the area of Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement and Fire Investigation
Services, the Fire Marshal for the Province of New Brunswick recognized the
City of Saint John as providing fire inspection and investigation reports of the
highest professional
Division was awarded the NB Fire Prevention Division of the year in 2008.
e)The Fire Department has been recognized as a leader in fire service training and
has been asked to deliver expert training in Incident Command, Industrial Fire
Fighting, Hazardous Materials Response, as well as develop training programs
for fire service delivered to numerous municipalities and organizations reaching
throughout Canada, United States and South America.
f)The Fire Department has been asked to act as an extension of the Nova Scotia
Firefighters School curriculum program (i.e. revenue opportunity). The Fire
Department is one of only a few municipal fire services capable to conduct
International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) certification courses
in Hazardous Materials Technician and Fire Service Instructor.
M & C 2014 009 - 38 -
April 7, 2014
Value for Money
It is very difficult to state the value for money proposition property owners receive from
their Fire Service. The Fire Service is not like the Solid Waste Collection Service where
you can benchmark against private haulers. Benchmarking within the Fire Service is
linked to insurance premiums. On a regular basis (e.g. 5 to 10 years) communities
engage a Fire Underwriters Survey certified consultant to assess a number of metrics (i.e.
risk, response capability, fire training, fire prevention resources, water supply, etc) to
ascertain the effectiveness of the Fire Service within the community. Risk Management
Services (RMS) is the authorized Fire Underwriters Survey firm within Canada. The
City of Saint John engaged RMS in 2009 to undertake a baseline survey.
RMS Fire Service Baseline Review 2009
During the the consultant stated that it is not
uncommon for his firm to recommend cuts to the fire service on the basis that:
A reduction in response capability will not translate into a reduced FUS grade;
or
The potential increase in insurance premiums (arising from a reduction in fire
response resources) is less than the resulting budget saving to the municipality
(i.e. property owners will pay more for fire insurance, but it is offset by a greater
reduction in property taxes).
Having stated the above, the FUS grade for the City of Saint John was lowered from 2 to
3 as a result of the 2009 review. When the consultant presented his report to Common
Council, he advised Common Council that:
The grade change from 2 to 3 could have easily been a grade change of 2 to 4;
The numerous improvements in standard operating procedures, the purchase of
newer fire trucks with better pumping capacity, the implementation of a reserve
apparatus program and the re-deployment of the remaining assets (from the
2002 and 2004 reductions) significantly helped defer further FUS grade
reductions;
Further reductions in response capability will result in FUS grade reductions (to
4 or 5 depending upon the scale of the reduction and the effectiveness of the
new deployment model);
The estimated increase in insurance premiums to property owners arising from a
FUS grade reduction from 3 to 4 is $2.5 million. This is in addition to the
estimated $1 million impact arising from the reduction from grade 2 to 3.
RMS Fire Service Baseline Review 2009
Based upon the finding and conclusions of the
report, the City of Saint John is currently receiving value for money from its Fire Service.
2011 Taxation Review Question 4: (b)Do you bench mark? If yes, what
comparators to you use? What comparators are available to you? If not, Why
not?
The Saint John Fire Department currently benchmarks across the following criteria:
Fire Underwriters Survey Grade
Attaining a particular Fire Underwriters Survey grade is an appropriate benchmark. Fire
Underwriters Survey grades are linked to insurance premiums and as such financial
resources spent on a fire service can equate to lower insurance premiums. From the pure
business case perspective, a fire service investment is approved as long as the insurance
premium reduction is greater than the tax rate increase. This financial decision does not
consider the increased value of the investment which is afforded by virtue of greater
possibility of lives, property and business continuity being protected.
M & C 2014 009 - 39 -
April 7, 2014
The challenge with respect to Fire Underwriters Survey grade is that different
communities with similar populations have significantly different response and protection
needs. This dichotomy produces a real apples and oranges comparative in that
communities with similar size populations could require different response capabilities to
attain similar FUS ratings. For many years Saint John had a better FUS grade than
Moncton and Fredericton; however changes in the mid-nineties have resulted in similar /
lower FUS grades than Moncton and Fredericton despite the fact that Saint John pays 3 to
5 million more for fire protection services. Likewise, the Fire Service in Moncton or
Fredericton do not have to train to or respond to incidents at an oil refinery, pulp mill,
tissue plant, LNG facility, nuclear power plant, or port, nor do these fire services have
different risk profiles).
Response Times
Response time is a measure of efficiency with the Fire Service. The current adopted
response time standard for the City of Saint John Fire Department arose out of the 1991
Ernst and Young Report. The report recommended that the first arriving apparatus be on
scene within 5 minutes and 30 seconds ninety percent of the time. The department meets
this target 75 to 79 percent of the time. It is suffice to say, Saint John is geographically
large and fire station relocations / additions have not kept pace with growth outside the
core.
Attaining Training & Professional Development Objectives
Numerous certification bodies require that skills and competencies are renewed /
refreshed on an annual basis. For the most part, skills and competencies are renewed on a
regular basis.
Numerous roles within the organization require particular skills, competence and
certifications as outlined within the professional development criteria. Our holiday relief,
probationary, junior firefighters are all evaluated against a benchmark of performance
mostly measuring a planned personal development schedule against actual achievements
on a yearly basis.
On an annual basis, the professional development achievements of fire service officers
are measured against the planned professional development criteria.
Effectiveness of Incident Response
Th
which incorporates a formal review of a particular emergency scene operation by all
personnel at the incident.
The AIR review process assesses the incident operation with respect to incident
management, strategic decision-making, and the tactical assignments. This assessment is
conducted against the department and organizational operating procedures as well as
industry best practices. Identified deficiencies in decisions, equipment and personnel
performance are identified and corrective action items assigned to correct the
deficiencies.
Citizen feedback
The City of Saint John engaged Ipso Reid in 2009 and 2010 for the purpose of measuring
citizen satisfaction with the level services received from the municipality. The citizens of
Saint John rated the fire service as a high quality and very important service. It is the
only corporate service to be rated so high in both annual surveys.
M & C 2014 009 - 40 -
April 7, 2014
Deficiencies in Measuring Performance Absence of Benchmarks
The Saint John Fire Department needs to do a better job of measuring its effectiveness at
emergency scenes and needs to establish benchmarks that speak to the effectiveness of
the emergency crews once they arrive at scene. In particular, recent measurements in the
Fire Service include measuring the growth of the fire after the arrival of the fire
apparatus.
2011 Taxation Review Question 5)How do you evaluate the outcomes of
services provided by your department? Provide Examples. How can this be
explained to the citizens of Saint John?
Many of our outcomes are measured against the planned performance within the
particular service area. A comprehensive measure of our outcomes on a yearly / regular
basis is not in place at this time; however the evaluation criteria (metric or expected
Appendices to the Report to
performance ) for all of our services is presented within the
Common Council titled Fire Department 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
.
2011 Taxation Review Question 6 (a):Does your department employ cost
recovery measure (e.g. user fees) for the services it delivers?
No fees are levied or costs recovered for emergency responses to: structure fires,
accidents, rescues, medical first responder calls, or hazardous materials mitigation as well
as fire code inspections or fire investigations.
Fees are levied for the following:
Issuance of clearance letters by Fire Prevention
Fire extinguisher or self-contained breathing apparatus training provided to
external parties
Annual stand-by for Point Lepreau Generating Station
Annual stand-by for Regional Hazardous Materials Emergency Response
Services
:
Costs are recovered for
Stand-by service at private industry (e.g. placing a Fire Truck at an industry
during a water supply shutdown - one occurrence annually)
Responding to Point Lepreau Generation Station (past one hour - zero
occurrences to date)
Responding to regional hazardous materials emergency responses as per the
Revenues vary from year to year and currently represent about $114,000 annually.
generate increased revenues through:
A revised agreement with NB Power for responding to Point Lepreau
Generating Station
The renewal and extension of the regional hazardous materials emergency
response agreement with the Province or New Brunswick to include scout team
services
The undertaking of a civilian mass decontamination technology demonstration
project with the CRTI (a Federal Government Agency)
The creation of a Fire Protection and Life Safety By-Law for the City of Saint
John that addresses fees for service.
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April 7, 2014
The above initiatives involve agreements or agreement renewals requiring Common
Council approval. Before agreements can be presented to Common Council, the
bringing these revenue objectives to realization. Documents pertaining to the mass
decontamination project and the renewal of the Regional Hazardous Materials
Emergency Response A
September. Once these two projects are approved by Council; staff can commence work
on a new agreement with NB Power as well as advance the by-law concept to the initial
public input phase.
In summary, there are numerous revenue generating opportunities for the Fire Service.
Fire Department - 2011 and
Pages 17 to 20 of the Report to Common Council titled
2012 Operating Budgets
lists a number of short-term to long-term revenue generating
opportunities for the Fire Service.
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 6(b)If yes, what percentage of cost recovery
is being achieved? Do you believe opportunities exist to recover more? If so,
please elaborate.
As noted above, the City of Saint John currently does not seek cost recovery for
emergency responses to structure fires, grass fires, accidents, rescues, recoveries, medical
first responder calls, hazardous materials emergency responses (within Saint John) as
well as fire code inspections or fire investigations.
The percentage of cost recovery is currently about 1% of budget.
Fire Department
As noted above and illustrated in the Report to Common Coun
- 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
generate additional revenue. Again as noted above, the Fire Department has commenced
action towards achieving the identified revenue opportunities and will continue to work
on the various identified initiatives.
2011 Taxation Review Question 6(c)If your department does not employ cost
recovery measures, do you think the opportunity exists to implement cost
recovery measures? Please Explain?
Within the Fire Service, there are opportunities to implement cost recovery measures.
As noted in the answer to Question 6(a), one of the identified revenue generating / cost
recovery measures is the creation of a Fire Protection and Life Safety Bylaw for the City
of Saint John. The document is currently in preliminary development phase. The intent
of the document is to:
Define the authorities and scope of the Fire Service within the City of Saint John
Define service levels by response type and response location within the city
Identify and set fees for services not considered covered within the current
property tax rate
Having stated the above, the public must be involved in the process of defining
expectation for service response level and fees for service. This process will take several
months and has not commenced due to limited recourses (human and financial).
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April 7, 2014
2011 Taxation Review Question 7:How does your department manage
unexpected events? Does your department try to fit unexpected costs into its
existing budget, or is it accepted that the occurrence of unexpected events will
handled significant unexpected events in the past? Please give an example?
There is no contingency fund within the Fire Department budget to address unexpected
events. Unexpected events with dire financial implications become a priority and this
priority forces something off the planned expenditure list (capital or operational).
Depending on the size of the financial burden that the unexpected event bears, the cost is
either addressed through existing funds in operating or capital (Fleet, Facility or Fire) and
as such other important items are deferred until later.
occurred recently
when one of our ladder trucks failed its annual inspection and could not be affordably
repaired. An emergency purchase of a used ladder truck was facilitated through Fleet
Capital. Conversely, a planned purchase through Fleet Capital had to be deferred.
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 8 (a)What are the top three things that your
department could do to operate / deliver its services more efficiently?
2011 Taxation Review Question 8 (b):Please explain how each item would
impact the efficiency of your department?
2011 Taxation Review Question 8 (c):What is preventing your department
from implementing these items?
The answers to Questions 8(a), 8(b) and 8(c) are dependent on the context in which
Financial Efficiency
8(a)
1. Achieve fair and equitable financial support from industry, the provincial and/or
federal governments for servicing industrial and commercial enterprises which
provide tens of millions of dollars in the form of profit for industry, as well as
property and income taxes for the provincial and federal governments. The City of
Saint John taxpayer is subsidizing business as well as outside residents through the
enhanced cost associated with providing adequate emergency response to industrial
and commercial facilities which in turn generate revenue for profit and government
outside of Saint John.
8 (b)
Fair and equitable financial support would mean more money for infrastructure
services such as fire protection.
8 (c)
Minimum opportunities to influence a very politically entrenched culture
8(a)
2. Include paying customers into the existing training sessions conducted at the
Saint John Fire Department Training Division.
8(b
) Generate additional revenue through processes that are already in place to
acquire and maintain skills
8(c
) Gain acceptance to this revenue generation idea
8(a
3.) Achieve regional efficiency through a regional service delivery.
M & C 2014 009 - 43 -
April 7, 2014
8 (b)
Shared administration, training, prevention programs will reduce cost
8(c)
Political will and regional acceptance
Performance Efficiency
:
8(a)
1. Response Times ensure that the placement of stations matches the growth of
population lives in the preferred development areas where infrastructure is already in
place.
8(b
) More of the population will be within a short distance of the fire hall providing
reduced response times
8(c)
Deviation from PlanSJ
8(a)
2. Regionalization of services by collectively managing all of the fire resources
across the numerous communities; a better emergency preparation and response
model can be developed.
8(b)
Better overall preparation and emergency response
8 (c)
Political will and regional acceptance
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 9What do you see as the best opportunity to
save money in your department? What is preventing your department from
seizing this opportunity?
2009 Fire Service ReviewRMS Fire Service Baseline Review 2009
The , the and the
Fire Department - 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
Report to Common Council titled
Fire
all examined opportunities to save money. The Report to Common Council titled
Department - 2011 and 2012 Operating Budgets
specifically addressed the lack of
discret
benefits and 9% goods and services. Within the goods and services component of the
budget, approximately 80% of the budget lines fund semi-fixed costs (such as utilities,
property taxes, insurance), contract related costs, or internal charges. Except for contract
related charges, these semi-fixed charges are automatically charged against the
Similarly, the Fire Department routinely reviews its needs for telecommunications, trunk
radios, computers, fleet services, facilities, utilities, etc. with the objective of eliminating
assets no longer required. Overall, there are no glaring cost saving opportunities within
Having stated the above, one of the sections in the proposed Fire Protection and Life
systems. The intent of this section is to reduce the occurrences of false alarms (1,200 per
annum +/-). Fewer false alarms translate into savings on fuel and vehicle maintenance.
Similarly, there are opportunities to generate revenues through the skills that fire
personnel require to service our community. One such opportunity (as noted elsewhere
in the memo) is partnering with the Nova Scotia Firefighter College to deliver Fire
Fighter Level I & II training to students.
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April 7, 2014
As referenced elsewhere in this memo, the obstacle to commencing the bylaw
development process is limited resources (human and financial).
2011 Taxation Review Question 10 (a):What do you foresee as the most
significant financial need of your department within the next: (a) one-year and
(b) five-years?
From an organizational perspective, the most significant financial need for the Fire
Department is a new financial / funding model that recognizes the City of Saint John is
subsidizing business and outside residents through the enhanced cost associated with
providing adequate emergency response services to industrial and commercial enterprises
within Saint John. When the organization progresses through the process of
regionalizing service, it must not be lost that the enhanced cost of providing emergency
response services help sustain the economic base of our neighbouring municipalities.
From an operational perspective, the most significant financial need for the Fire
Department within the next one and five-year windows are as follows:
One Year
Live Fire Training Tower Replacement (currently underway)
$0.6 million
Five Year
Replacement of the Fire Training Academy situated in Millidgeville
$10 million +/-
Replacement of Fire Station 6, 286 King Street West (almost 100 years old)
$2.5 million +/-
Building envelop improvements to Fire Stations 5 and 8
$ n/a
Creation of a Fire Master Plan
$0.1-0.25 mill
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 10 (b)Are there any significant major
financial needs of which you are aware beyond five years?
As noted above and as recognized in the Finn Report, a better financial model is needed
to support the Fire Service.
The most significant financial need for the Fire Department outside of the current five-
year window could be the implementation of any recommendations arising out of the
proposed Fire Service Master Plan.
2011 Taxation Review Question 11:
as the best opportunity for the City to save money and/or increase non-tax
revenue?
The Fire Department interacts with all other municipal departments. However, it would
be entirely subjective to recommend how other business units could save money or
generate new revenue. Most of the obvious suggestions to increase non-tax revenue
would entail direct competition with the private sector, which could be negatively
received by our business community.
With the process of regionalization in its early phase, it is difficult to speculate on the
revenue opportunities for the City. Regionalization should produce economic
efficiencies.
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April 7, 2014
:
2011 Taxation Review Question 12What are your thoughts on the number of
boards, agencies and commissions that the City has, and the effectiveness /
The Fire Department interacts with a number of Agencies, Boards and Commissions. In
fact, the Fire Department has a very close relationship with the Saint John Salvage Corps
and Fire Police. The Fire Department supports part of the cost of operating the Corps.
As for value to the City, the volunteers of the Salvage Corp. and Fire Police provide a
number of services to both the Fire Department and Police Force that defray the need to
For example, the members of the Corps secure
fire scenes until the fire investigation is complete and assist the Police Force with traffic
control at fire scenes, on Cruise Ship days and along parade routes.
s and Fire Police is
very positive and s and Fire Police
From a broader perspective, the new corporate structure aligns ABCs with core municipal
services. This new alignment should yield better cooperation between municipal
2011 Taxation Review - Question 13:Is there anything else you would like
the Committee to know?
In closing, if any member of the Taxation Review Committee wishes to know more about
the management and operations of the Fire Department, I will gladly arrange a facility
tour and presentation. Similarly, if the Committee has specific questions for the Fire
Department, please direct them through the City Manager (to the undersigned); I will
endeavour to respond promptly.
2012 Core Service Review:
The Core Service Review designated the Saint John Fire Service as both a survival and
regulatory service and furthermore stated that the City of Saint John Fire Service is an
Urban Service in its form. When compared with five other peer municipalities (Moncton,
that the Saint John Fire Service was a bronze level of service with respect to emergency
response times and stated that:
th
P response
times of 5:30 8 minute actuals - with service calls primarily in the Plan SJ urban area
Irregular shape of the 77 square km urban response map is problematic for
coverage and efficient staffing response.
The Core Service Review also commented on the fire load within the urban area
burn curves)
The Core Service Review recommended
th
resources to at least maintain existing 9 10 minute 90 P response times
(including dispatch, assembly and travel)
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April 7, 2014
Deliver a non-urban model with significantly slower response times (e.g. 15
th
minute 90 P) for structure fire suppression (Aggressive fire prevention
/education program to compensate)
Review of revenue generation opportunities (cost-recovery) including isolated
Review of EMS Response ( report is pending )
2010 - 2012 THREE CONSECUTIVE - IPSOS REID CITIZENS SURVEY:
Higher Importance and Higher Satisfaction:
Three consecutive IPSOS Reid Citizen Surveys reported that citizens placed a high level
of importance on their Saint John Fire Service. In addition the three IPSOS Reid
Citizens Survey reported that citizens were highly satisfied with their Fire Service.
IPSOS Reid stated that the survey results indicate the the community expected that the
service would be maintained.
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April 7, 2014
APPENDIX D:
FIRE SERVICE REDUCTIONS 1994 - 2013
1993
Establishment (46 firefighters on shift each day/night)
14 front line apparatus located within seven stations.
8 Platoon Commanders (2 each shift)
3 Division Managers
1994reduced 20 positions
Establishment ( - 42 firefighters on shift each day//night)
13 front line apparatus located within seven stations.
4 Platoon Commanders (1 each shift)
3 Division Managers
2003 Reduced 16 positions
Establishment ( 38 firefighters on shift each day)
11 front line apparatus located within seven stations.
4 Platoon Commanders ( 1 each shift )
3 Division Managers
2012Reduced 16 positions
Establishment ( 34 firefighters on shift each day)
10 front line apparatus located within seven stations.
4 Platoon Commanders ( 1 each shift )
3 Division Managers
2013reduced by $590,000
Fire Department Budget
2014Budget Submission reduced by 165,000
Fire Department Budget
The 2014 Fire Department Budget is lower than the actual budget for 2010 and the
percentage of municipal budget (14.28%) has declined to since 2002 (16.48%) by
13.34%
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April 7, 2014
APPENDIX E:
The Six Fire Services
The six services as adopted by Common Council are:
Fire Rescue and Suppression Service:
The Fire Rescue and Suppression
Service provides emergency planning, preparation and response to residential,
commercial and industrial fires (and explosions). The service is responsible for
coordination and implementation of fire suppression operations including sizing
up the environment, performing a risk assessment, setting-up incident command,
developing an incident strategy, assigning and obtaining resources,
communicating status, establishing a safe perimeter, rescuing trapped victims,
conducting fire suppression, evaluating preliminary cause, and ensuring the site is
left in a safe condition. The goal is to save lives, minimize damage to property
and the environment and ensure that commercial and industrial facilities get back
into operation quickly. A key component of Fire Rescue and Suppression Service
is preparation for safe, efficient response to incidents through training.
Medical First Responder Service:
The Medical First Responder Service
provides first responder preambulatory care in instances where emergency
medical assistance is required. The City of Saint John currently trains its Fire
Fighters to the Medical First Responder level. This means fire crews can deliver
arrival on scene. The Fire Department only responds to medical calls that meet
predefined criteria for tiered response (NFPA 450 - Guide for Emergency Medical
Services and Systems), which represents about 25% of all medicals calls addressed
by Ambulance NB.
Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Emergency Response Services:
The Hazardous
Materials Emergency Response Service provides a planned response to incidents
where the public is exposed to risks created by the release of, or fire involving
hazardous materials. All emergency response incidents that occur within a
municipal boundary are the responsibility of the municipality. This includes
emergency responses to spills or accidental releases of hazardous materials being
any solid, liquid, or gas capable of creating harm to people, the environment,
and/or property. Emergency responses include site assessment, container
evaluation, threat assessment, victim removal, search and rescue,
extrication/disentanglement, smoke/toxic gas ventilation, identification / analysis
of the material, evacuation, establishing a safe working area and monitoring or
sampling of the material. The service also includes decontamination of personnel
and equipment, notification of other agencies, and referral to the proper authorities.
Through a fee for service agreement, the City delivers (in cooperation with the
appropriate local authorities) hazardous materials emergency response service to
regional communities, in accordance with established service standards and
operational plan.
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April 7, 2014
Technical Rescue Service:
The Technical Rescue Service carries out emergency
rescue to those individuals trapped by their physical environment (water, ice,
motor vehicle accident, structural collapse, confined space or high angle). (The
Fire Department is currently working toward certification in confined space and
high angle rescue.) The industrial base, geography and size of Saint John increase
the demand for the Fire Service (Technical Rescue Service) to respond to rescues
that are highly technical in nature. Firefighters are crosstrained to meet these
technical rescue needs. Although emergencies that require dispatch of a technical
rescue team seldom occur, they are incidents that pose a highly technical response
to ensure a safe intervention for both the victims and firefighters.
Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Service:
The Fire Prevention and Code
Enforcement Service performs technical and field work that includes inspections
of all manner of occupancies to ensure life safety and to identify possible fire code
violations. Service is delivered within the mandate of the Provincial Fire Marshal
to enforce and rectify deficiencies found during inspections. Public education is
also a huge undertaking carried out by the Fire Prevention Service team.
Fire Investigation Service:
The Fire Investigation Serviceinvestigates every fire
or explosion that results in property damage, injury, or death to determine the
origin, cause and circumstances of the fire/explosion. The investigation is initiated
immediately during the initial stages of a fire response. The results of the
investigations are forwarded to the Office of the Fire Marshal as part of the
collection of provincial fire statistics which in turn could impact changes to the
provincial fire codes. If the fire is considered to be suspicious or if there is a
fatality, the Saint John Police Force participates in the investigation and follow-up.
(See attached service based budget submission for details on each of the six fire
services).