Waterloo Fire Master Plan update

The final Fire Master Plan will be presented to Council on Monday, November 27, 2023. You can read the entire report as part of the Council Packet (report begins on page 24 of the packet), and tune in to the Council livestream on the City of Waterloo YouTube channel.

Fire Rescue Services is working with Pomax Consulting to develop a comprehensive evidence-based Fire Master Plan. The Fire Master Plan will identify growth in contrast to service requirements based upon defined risks and therefore public safety as it pertains to current and foreseeable change in our community. The consultant’s analysis will be informed by the extensive use of data that will include the development of a Community Risk Assessment as mandated by the Office of the Fire Marshal. An introductory report (COM2022-010, begins page 14) was brought before City of Waterloo Council in April 2022 to introduce the Fire Master Plan Update project.

This assessment will assist in the development of a sustainable, efficient and effective Fire Master Plan to guide the growth of fire protection services, and establish strategic priorities over the next decade. In particular, the consultant will review emergency response capacities associated with ongoing trends of enhanced traffic calming throughout the City, the recent construction of light rail transit infrastructure, and significant high density redevelopment and intensification occurring in many parts of the community.

The Fire Master Plan will include a number of recommendations to Council, to address the current and future needs of:

• Community Risk Profile development
• Community Integration and Engagement toward a diverse workforce
• Fire prevention, public education and Fire Code enforcement
• Fire suppression and emergency response (fire station optimization)
• Training, communication and leadership development
• Technical Maintenance and Mechanical
• Asset Management: Apparatus and Equipment

Following the analysis and application of data including public, community partner and corporate discourse, the consultant’s comprehensive assessment will be brought forward in a Council report and presentation in March 2023.

In 2019, Ontario introduced new regulations under the Fire Prevention and Protection Act (O. Reg. 378/18: Community Risk Assessments) that require a Community Risk Assessment. A community risk assessment identifies, analyzes, evaluates and prioritizes fire-related risks to public safety within a community. This information will help determine the needs for fire protection services, and will also help inform the Fire Master Plan.

The Community Risk Assessment will help identify risks and community needs for fire services, now and in the future, based on factors defined in the legislation:

1. Geographic: the physical features of our community, including the nature and placement of things such as highways, rail systems, bridges, the river, and wildland-urban interfaces.
2. Building stock: the types of buildings in the community, the uses of the buildings in the community, the number of buildings of each type, the number of buildings of each use and any building-related risks known to the fire department.
3. Critical infrastructure: the capabilities and limitations of infrastructure such as electricity and water distribution, telecommunications, hospitals and airports.
4. Demographic: the composition of the community’s population, respecting matters relevant to the community, such as population size and dispersion, age, gender, cultural background, level of education, socioeconomic make-up, and transient population.
5. Hazard: the specific hazards in the community, including natural hazards, hazards caused by humans, and technological hazards.
6. Public safety response: the types of incidents responded to by other entities in the community (police, paramedics) and those entities’ response capabilities.
7. Community services: the types of services provided by other entities in the community, and those entities’ service capabilities.
8. Economic: the economic sectors affecting the community that are critical to its financial sustainability.
9. Past loss and event history: the community’s past emergency response experience, including the following analysis:
   1. The number and types of emergency responses, injuries, deaths and dollar losses.
   2. Comparison of the community’s fire loss statistics with provincial fire loss statistics.

In addition to recommendations for the future of public education and fire prevention, Waterloo Fire Rescue is also focused on community recruitment for a diverse workforce, so that those working in fire services for the City of Waterloo represent the community that they serve. Although some of the Fire Master Plan Update project work was delayed through 2022, Waterloo Fire Rescue has been doing some work in this area in advance of the coming master plan recommendations.

We know that we have much more to do in this area, and the input we receive through the master plan process will help guide our future plans and actions.

In September 2022, Waterloo Fire Rescue co-hosted the Emergency Services Career Camp, a joint camp experience brought to the community by Waterloo Fire Rescue, Waterloo Regional Police Services and Waterloo Region Paramedic Services. The camp was open to youth 15 to 19 years old who were interested in learning more about a future career in emergency services. The camp provided participants with first-hand knowledge of the duties of a police officer, firefighter or paramedic while developing emergency preparedness skills.

The Emergency Services Career Camp was two days of physically and mentally demanding, hands-on learning, modelled after similar camps in the province. This program aims to help educate and empower young people regarding careers in emergency services. Participants of the career camp had the opportunity to safely participate in various type of activities, including simulated rescues.

Applicants were especially encouraged from youth who identify with any of the following groups: Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, religious minorities and the intersections of these identities.

We look forward to hosting and participating in future career camps, and encouraging youth from a variety of diverse backgrounds to learn more about a career with Waterloo Fire Rescue!