Burlington Fire Department 2010/2011 Annual Report€¦ · The Burlington Fire Department will be a...

Burlington Fire Department

2010/2011 Annual Report

Contents

Mission and Vision 1. |

Message from Fire Chief Shayne Mintz 3. |

Burlington Fire Department Division Overviews 5. |

• Administration Division

• Suppression Division

• Communications Division

• Fire Prevention Division

• Training Division

• Volunteer Division

• Maintenance Division

Fire Station No. 8 13. |

Fire Loss Overview 15. |

Operating Budget 17. |

Burlington Fire Stations Map 19. |

Mission & Vision

Statements

1 Burlington Fire Department | 2010/2011 Annual Report

2Burlington Fire Department | 2010/2011 Annual Report

Mission & Vision Statements

Mission Statement: Who We Are Today

The Burlington Fire Department is a team of highly trained and caring professionals who provide vital emergency response, prevention and education services that support community safety and quality of life.

Vision Statement: Our Preferred Future

The Burlington Fire Department will be a leader in our profession in service excellence, advanced training, employee development, use of technology and ongoing department evaluation to ensure community safety and quality of life.

How We Will Achieve Our Vision and Mission

The Burlington Fire Department will continue to implement the operational strategic plan of the 2007 Fire Master Plan update and will continue to use that plan as a reference document, which clearly articulates the Mission and Vision Statement and direction of the Burlington Fire Department.

Message from Fire Chief, Shayne Mintz

The Burlington Fire Department serves the community with an unwavering commitment to providing fire protection and life safety services to Burlington and the surrounding area. Each day our people strive to fulfill the department’s mission and vision, ensuring community safety and quality of life.

During 2010/2011, the department made significant advances in training, and improved technology and systems that enable us to better serve the community. We’re pleased to provide highlights of what we’ve accomplished.

Growth in Burlington

In recent years, Burlington has undergone significant growth. Rapid growth brings challenges, and in order to meet those, the Burlington Fire Department has expanded its ranks, adding four new recruits in 2010, and enhancing the skills of all our staff through training and development.

In 2011, we also welcomed the opening of Fire Station No. 8. This state-of-the-art facility improved emergency service in the Alton community, bringing it into alignment with service levels in the rest of Burlington.

Training

Training is a vital component that ensures we’re providing the best possible service. The department’s commitment to excellence in training is exemplified by our Auto Extrication Team – experts in rescuing people trapped in vehicles. Among its many accolades, Burlington’s Auto Extrication Team won first place in rapid extrication in a North American competition of firefighters in 2011. The skills learned by the team are integrated into the department’s training plan and shared with staff across the service. The department has also focused our training on maintaining first response capabilities in hazardous materials response, high angle and rope rescue, water and ice rescue and has upgraded Incident Command training to better control emergencies.

Emergency Planning

It’s important that the fire service is prepared to provide lifesaving services quickly and in co-ordination with other public safety professionals from Burlington and the Greater Toronto Area. In 2010 – 2011, the Burlington Fire Department successfully participated in a number of simulations and field exercises and delivered training in basic emergency management, including CN Rail incident command training.


Dave Beatty, Deputy Fire Chief, Suppression Division and Maintenance Division

Fire Chief, Shayne Mintz

Tony Bavota, Deputy Fire Chief, Training Division, Volunteer Division and Emergency Planning

Jeff Weber, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Prevention and Communications Division

Ontario Medal for Firefighter Bravery

In 2010, Acting Captain

Chris Martin and firefighters

George Cassady, Bruce Cole,

Blair Fedyszyn, and Joel

Kirschner were honoured at Queen’s Park

with the Ontario Medal for Firefighter

Bravery for their role in a heroic water

rescue that was performed on August 18,

2008 behind 1853 Four Seasons Drive in

the Tyandaga area of the city. Firefighter

Jeff Willemse was also cited with an Award

of Merit for his role in the emergency.

These firefighters placed their lives in

danger to save a citizen who was trapped

in a flood torrent in a ravine. This incident

is a fine example of the life-saving abilities

and quality emergency services provided

to at-risk citizens by the Burlington Fire

Department.

Communications and Technology

Communications technologies are vital tools that help our men and women keep the community safe. 2010/2011 saw the enhanced use of technology with the installation of a new 911 phone system and a computer-aided dispatch and records management system, which ensure we quickly get the right emergency responders to where they’re needed. This four-year project has been long-awaited, enabling the department to provide more timely delivery of critical information to front-line staff – something that’s vital in emergencies.

Fire Prevention

Keeping the community safe from the dangers of fire starts with the use of three lines of defence: public education and awareness; fire prevention inspection and code enforcement; and effective suppression capability. The Burlington Fire Department puts significant effort into all three areas. In particular, 2010/2011 the department continued its prevention work through the many educational programs we participate in, through opportunities to engage with the public at our annual open house, neighbourhood events, and informal opportunities the department members pursue to deliver messages that promote fire safety and fire prevention.

Overall, 2010/2011 brought a number of new and exciting changes to the Burlington Fire Department. We look forward to building on these and continually enhancing the quality of service we provide to the community.

Fire Chief Shayne Mintz

4



Division Overviews


Administration Division

The Administration Division provides leadership and direction to the Burlington Fire Department and is led by a senior management team that includes the Fire Chief and three operational Deputy Fire Chiefs. In 2010/2011, in addition to working towards performance targets set by City Council, the Administration Division focused on several priorities: implementation of the Avantis Fleet Management System to continue with improvements to our fleet maintenance; the further implementation of our technological capacity; and the enhancement of operational capabilities to improve service delivery.

Major achievements include:

• ImplementationofComputer-AidedDispatch(CAD)andautomatedRecordsManagementSystems(RMS)toquicklygettherightemergencyresponderstowhereverthey’reneeded

• Upgrading of the department’s mobile radio system to improve emergency communication

• Construction of Burlington’s new Fire Station No. 8 and purchase of pump fire truck to better serve the Alton community

Burlington Fire Department Organization Structure

Fire Chief/Director

Deputy Fire Chief, Operations Deputy Fire Chief, Prevention & CommunicationsDeputy Fire Chief, Support Services

Secretary to the Fire Chief Business Process Coordinator

Mechanic SupervisorMechanic

Volunteer Firefighters

• Corporate Emergency Planning• Public/Regional Emergency

Management Liason

Communication CoordinatorCommunicator

Part-time Communicator

Platoon ChiefCaptain

Acting CaptainFirefighter

Training SupervisorTraining OfficerTraining Clerk

Chief Fire Prevention OfficerFire Prevention Officer

Fire Prevention InspectorPublic Education Officer

Fire Prevention Secretary


Suppression Division

Currently employing 172 career suppression firefighters and an approved maximum complement of 65 volunteer firefighters, the Burlington Fire Department responds to a wide range of emergencies providing the following services:

• Emergency response to situations including, but not limited to, fires, medical assistance, non-emergency lift assists, motor vehicle accidents and alarm system activations

• Response and expertise in three specialized areas: hazardous material incidents, high angle rope rescue and water/ice rescue

The suppression crews are also involved in a number of non-emergency programs such as training; assisting fire prevention staff in delivering public education and fire prevention programs; annual audit programs; and fire pre-planning commercial, industrial and high-rise residential buildings.

The department tracks performance through key performance indicators prescribed by the Ontario Municipal Performance Program. Staff continuously work toward achieving the City Council approved response targets of four firefighters on scene in four minutes or less, 75 per cent of the time and, when needed, a depth response of 15 firefighters on scene within eight minutes or less, 75 per cent of the time.

In2010and2011,theCouncil-approvedaverageresponsetime(fourfirefightersonsceneinfourminutesorless)wasachieved70percentofthetime.

The department continues to improve its response times through training, operational improvements and performance reporting. It is anticipated that response time performance will improve in 2012 with the opening of Fire Station No. 8.

• In 2011, the Burlington Fire Department hosted an inaugural Fire Operations 101 event, in partnership withBurlingtonProfessionalFirefightersAssociation(IAFFLocal1552),WardCouncillors,Cityofficials,the local MP, as well as community leaders and journalists traded in their suits for firefighting gear to learn first-hand about a day in the life of a firefighter


Communications Division

The Burlington Fire Department’s Communications Division handles between 13,000 and 14,000 emergency calls, and thousands of non-emergency calls, every year. Among its responsibilities, the Communications Division is responsible for answering phone calls, dispatching emergency services and supporting suppression crews on scene for both the Burlington Fire Department and the Oakville Fire Department through the fire service dispatch partnership between the City of Burlington and the Town of Oakville.

Burlington Call Response Statistics

Type of response 2009 2010 2011 3-year average of total responses (%)

Alarm activation 915 919 826 13%

Assistance 165 379 315 4%

Fire/smoke non-structural 321 281 285 4%

Fire/smoke structural 138 128 128 2%

Fire/smoke vehicle 82 74 79 1%

Hazard 76 94 111 1%

Investigation 701 687 649 10%

Medical 3829 3764 3665 54%

Mutual aid 1 0 0 0%

Motor vehicle accident 711 668 718 10%

Rescue 25 35 159 1%

Total 6964 7029 6935


Fire Prevention Division

The Fire Prevention Division conducts fire inspections, enforces the Ontario Fire Code and delivers public education programs. The Division works under a decentralized Community-Based Fire Protection Model. Fire Inspectors work closely with suppression personnel in five urban fire stations and assume responsibility for all related inspections and enforcement activities. They also develop educational initiatives related to fire protection in their respective districts.

As part of the Community Risk Profile, inspections are conducted with available resources on a complaint or request basis.

Fire prevention through public education is a priority of the Burlington Fire Department. It is part of each employee’s responsibility to inform, educate and promote fire prevention messages whenever possible. The department does this in many ways, including:

• Hosting the annual Fire Department open house

• Supporting our Seniors Program and lunch-and-learn programs with seniors

• Delivering a Grade 4 fire education program to 60 Burlington schools

• Placing the department’s fire prevention trailer at public events

• Delivering fire prevention messages to new Canadians


Training Division

The department’s Training Division is responsible for the training requirements of 202 full-time department staff and an actual complement of 50 volunteer firefighters. Continuous learning for new recruits and veteran firefighters is vital to ensuring staff remain at the highest level of skill and readiness to respond to emergencies.

In 2010/2011, significant training exercises included: a hazardous material scenario-based training exercise at Tansley Woods Community Centre; collaboration with Halton Police Marine Unit to prepare for joint responses to water emergencies; delivery of CN Rail incident command training; a plane crash mass casualty exercise at Bronte Park; and, participation in a three-day hazardous materials exercise with Halton Regional Police Service, the RCMP, the Niagara Police Service; and the Oakville Fire Department.

As training requirements of the department have grown, the Training Division continues to use the ‘train-the-trainer’approachtoexpandtrainingcapacityinacost-efficientmanner.Todelivertraining,thedivision supervises 64 on-shift instructors and three full-time training division staff who co-ordinate and are involved in the delivery of in-service training programs.

In 2010, the Training Division provided a total of 59,748 staff hours of formal training to 172 full-time firefighters and 51 volunteer firefighters. In addition, in 2010, 10 new full-time firefighters were recruited, each receiving 480 hours of instructional and practical training. In 2011, the Training Division provided a total of 54,696 staff hours of formal training to 172 full-time firefighters and 10,404 hours of training to 51 volunteer firefighters for a combined total of 65,100 hours of training.

2009/2010/2011 Formal Training Provision

2009 2010 2011

Suppression staffNumber of

staffTotal staff

hoursNumber of

staffTotal staff

hoursNumber of

staffTotal staff

hours

Full-time Firefighters 168 43,680 172 50,568 172 54,696

Volunteer Firefighters 44 4,576 51 9,180 51 10,404

Total staff hours in training 48,256 59,748 65,100


Volunteer Division

Volunteer firefighters are integral to Burlington’s emergency response capacity. The Burlington Fire Departmentmaintainstwovolunteercompanies:anurbancompanywithanapprovedmaximumstaffingcomplement of 35 operating out of the Fairview Street Headquarters Station No. 1; and, a rural company withanapprovedmaximumstaffingcomplementof30operatingoutofFireStationNo.5inKilbride.

The volunteer company at the Headquarters Station is trained to provide support and response at incidents requiring additional human resources and equipment. In the rural area, the volunteer company in Kilbride provides emergency response to the rural area of north Burlington and also participates in mutual aid response with neighbouring communities.

In 2010/2011, 23 volunteer firefighters were recruited. Recruit volunteers undergo a 100-hour training program.

In2011,theBurlingtonFireDepartmentcontinueditsvolunteerofficerdevelopmentandpromotionalprocess. Upon completion of an extensive course curriculum in areas of occupational health and safety; strategies and tactics; building construction and fire prevention; recommended candidates must complete verbal, written and practical testing.

While attraction and retention of rural volunteers continues to be a challenge, in the spring each year, the fire department launches its annual volunteer recruitment campaign with a focus on addressing the need for new volunteer firefighters in the rural area of Kilbride.


Maintenance Division

The Maintenance Division oversees repair and maintenance of all department vehicles and equipment, as well as defect reporting, facility repairs, and annual inspection requirements for vehicles, pumps, ladders, and other equipment. In 2011, the implementation of an asset management software system, Avantis, has provided tracking systems for work orders, stock and available parts – streamlining the operations of the Maintenance Division.

Vehicle type and quantities

Pumps 7

Quints(combinationpump/laddertruck) 2

Rescue trucks 2

Aerial ladders 2

Emergency response support vehicles 2

Other support vehicles 17

Tanker truck 1


Fire Station

No. 8


Fire Station No. 8 is the newest fire station in Burlington and was built with the community and the environment in mind. It enhances emergency services delivered to the growing northeastBurlingtoncommunityinanefficientandenvironmentally sustainable way.

Located at 1837 Ironstone Drive, Fire Station No. 8 serves the district bordered by North Service Road (tothesouth),BurloakDrive(totheeast),DundasStreet(tothenorth)andtheCanadianNationalRailline(tothewest).

The new station accommodates 16 full-time firefighters, and includes a drive-through apparatus bay, fitness area, dormitory, locker rooms and full kitchen. The station has been designed and constructedtoexceedenergyefficiencythat’s25per cent better than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. Fire Station No. 8 is the first of the city’s fire stations to achieve a Leadership in EnergyandEnvironmentalDesign(LEED®)Silvercertification in recognition of its environmentally friendly design.

The $2.95 million cost for the station was shared by the governments of Canada, Ontario and the City of Burlington through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.

Unique Features

• A seasonal storm pond reduces water run-off from the site

• The majority of the roof is white to reflect solar heat

• The station uses two major sources of renewable energy:

A heating system that is 60 per cent more efficientthanastandardHVACsystemandincludes a solar wall to preheat fresh air and a heat recovery system to transfer wasted energy back into 100 per cent fresh air supply

In partnership with Burlington Hydro, two solar arrays have been installed on the exterior perimeter of the station, which will feed energy back into the grid system

• A TermoBuild integrated structure/HVAC system circulates conditioned air through the concrete roof structure to store heat or cold for use during extreme tempuratures. A BuildingAutomationSystem(BAS)wasinstalledallowing remote control of temperature

• Thishigh-efficiencybuildingincludes50percent more insulation than is required by the building code to perimeter walls, foundation and the roof to reduce heat loss.

• 89 per cent of construction waste was diverted from landfills

Burlington Fire Department | 2010/2011 Annual Report

Fire Loss Overview

15


Fire/smoke incidents: count and dollar loss

2010 2011

Incident Count Dollar loss Count Dollar loss

Appliance 2 $1,200 3 $100

BBQ 1 $100 3 $1,500

Dumpster 12 $2,100 15 $2,600

Grass/rubbish 10 $5,000 11 $3,600

Hydro pole/transformer 1 $2,000 0 $0

Non-structural: other 3 $500 2 $1,500

Apartment 12 $309,900 9 $422,500

Chimney fire 2 $0 4 $1,000

Commercial 18 $1,049,500 19 $378,500

House/townhouse 45 $4,340,100 30 $2,146,700

Industrial 3 $32,000 0 $0

Nursing home/seniors residence 2 $20,000 0 $0

School 0 $0 1 $5,000

Car/light truck 34 $621,100 34 $215,800

Vehicle: other 1 $5,000 3 $120,000

Semi-trailer/bus 4 $205,300 0 $0

Transport truck 3 $10,000 2 $200,000

Watercraft 1 $2,000 0 $0

Total: 154 $6,605,800 136 $3,498,800


2010/2011Operating

Budgets

17


Operating Budget

2009 2010 2011Plan Actual Variance % Plan Actual Variance % Plan Actual Variance %

Administration $989,836 $962,203 -2.8% $920,069 $940,435 2.2% $745,250 $731,753 -1.8%

Fire suppression $17,757,661 $17,775,772 0.1% $18,890,388 $18,359,948 -2.8% $19,555,700 $19,537,701 -0.1%

Volunteer Firefighters $261,600 $254,033 -2.9% $250,200 $216,118 -13.6% $250,200 $239,722 -4.2%

Fire dispatch/ Communications $652,432 $614,149 -5.9% $713,799 $669,383 -6.2% $843,401 $794,349 -5.8%

Fire prevention $882,208 $850,094 -3.6% $772,712 $789,514 2.2% $815,100 $796,026 -2.3%

Fire training $492,676 $449,687 -8.7% $511,882 $449,503 -12.2% $518,900 $517,680 -0.2%

Fire station operations $295,088 $287,068 -2.7% $302,300 $252,941 -16.3% $338,700 $264,966 -21.8%

Fleet maintenance $558,153 $535,436 -4.1% $546,525 $532,704 -2.5% $524,065 $497,415 -5.1%

Emergency planning and corporate radio system

$123,150 $87,912 -28.6% $116,300 $99,757 -14.2% $118,300 $105,637 -10.7%

Total operating budget $22,012,804 $21,816,354 -0.9% $23,024,175 $22,310,304 -3.1% $23,709,616 $23,485,247 -0.9%

Operating Budget Allocation by Division

2009 2010 2011Plan Allocation % Plan Allocation % Plan Allocation %

Administration $989,836 4.5% $920,069 4% $745,250 3.1%

Fire suppression $17,757,661 80.7% $18,359,948 82% $19,555,700 82.5%

Volunteer Firefighters $261,600 1.2% $250,200 1.1% $250,200 1.1%

Fire dispatch/Communications $652,432 3% $713,799 3.1% $843,401 3.6%

Fire prevention $882,208 4% $772,712 3.4% $815,100 3.4%

Fire training $492,676 2.2% $511,882 2.2% $518,900 2.2%

Fire station operations $295,088 1.3% $302,300 1.3% $338,700 1.4%

Fleet maintenance $558,153 2.5% $546,525 2.4% $524,065 2.2%

Emergency planning and corporate radio system $123,150 0.6% $116,300 0.5% $118,300 0.5%

Total operating budget $22,012,804 100% $23,024,175 100% $23,709,616 100%

Operating Budget Expenditures and Revenues

2009 2010 2011Plan Actual Plan Actual Plan Actual

Total Expenditures $23,009,954 $22,772,152 $24,350,075 $23,408,448 $25,160,544 $24,867,231

Total Revenues -$997,150 - $955,797 - $1,325,900 - $1,098,144 - $1,450,839 -$1,381,984

Net Operating Budget $22,012,804 $21,816,354 $23,024,175 $22,310,304 $23,709,616 $23,485,247

18

Burlington Fire Stations

Burlington Fire Department | 2010/2011 Annual Report19

Burlington Fire Department | 2010/2011 Annual Report 20

NO. 4 SIDE RDNO. 4 SIDE RD


CED

AR

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DUNDAS STDUNDAS ST

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TREM

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407 ETR

407 ETR

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S RD

TWIS

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PLAINS RD WPLAINS RD W

QEW

QEW

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KIN

G R

DKI

NG

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MIL

BURO

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H L

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MIL

BURO

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DERRY RDDERRY RD

BRITANNIA RDBRITANNIA RD

BLIN

D L

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BLIN

D L

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APP

LEBY

LIN

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BY L

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McN

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RD

McN

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RD

BELL

SCH

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BELL

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HWY 403HWY 403

WA

LKER

S LI

NE

WA

LKER

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MAINWAYMAINWAY

MAP

LE A

VEM

APLE

AVE

UPPER MIDDLE RDUPPER MIDDLE RD

HARVESTER RDHARVESTER RD

LAKESHORE RDLAKESHORE RD

NORTH SHORE BLVD

NORTH SHORE BLVD

WAT

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OW

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DW

ATER

DO

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EAST

PORT

DR

EAST

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BRA

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PLAINS RD EPLAINS RD EPLAINS RD EPLAINS RD E

FAIRVIEW STFAIRVIEW ST

BURL

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K D

RBU

RLO

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DRNEW STNEW ST

E

E

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EE

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1

2

3 4

5

6

7

8

Station 1 1255 Fairview Street

Station 2 2300 Upper Middle Road

Station 3 1044 Waterdown Road

Station 4 711 Appleby Line

Station 5 2241 Kilbride Street

Station 6 455 Cumberland Avenue

Station 7 4100 Dundas Street

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Station 8 1837 Ironstone Drive8


1255 Fairview Street Burlington, Ontario

905-637-8207

www.burlington.ca/fire

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