Committee receives update on public safety, fire services

The Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services Committee today received updates from the Public Safety Service and from Ottawa Fire Services on their activities and performance in 2024.  The Public Safety Service is comprised of the Office of Emergency Management, the Corporate Security Branch, Public Safety Systems and Systems Coordination Support. The Office of Emergency Management continued to coordinate the City’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities for major planned and unplanned events. In 2024, this included the solar eclipse in April, extreme heat in June, Canada Day in July and heavy rainfall in August. Preparing for extreme weather events continues to be a priority for the City. The Office of Emergency Management remains focused on building community resilience through engagement, such as providing education on emergency preparedness and identifying community groups that can provide local support during an emergency.  The Corporate Security Branch maintained security at City facilities and worked closely with frontline services to address and mitigate security issues. In 2024, this branch continued to promote good security practices through staff training and facility security audits. The Corporate Radio System team continued to ensure the City has a reliable, public-safety-grade radio service available for first responders and other users. In 2024, the team began work with Bell Mobility Radio on a significant infrastructure upgrade which will be a key focus over the next year.  Ottawa Fire Services continued to successfully meet Council-approved response times in 2024, despite an eight-per-cent increase in the number of calls and vehicle responses. Calls for medical emergency response increased by 18 per cent. The City launched a new strategy to reduce false fire alarms in 2024, with positive early results. This is the first year since 2020 that there has been no increase in false fire alarms, followed by a one per cent decrease in the strategy’s first six months. The strategy is expected to further reduce nuisance alarms over the next few years by ensuring alarm systems are properly maintained, thus reducing unnecessary responses by emergency services.  Ottawa Fire Services successfully completed the 2024-2029 Commission on Fire Accreditation International accreditation process. This prestigious accreditation demonstrates the service’s commitment to high service standards and strategic planning to ensure it can meet demand as Ottawa grows.  Ottawa Fire Services also focused on fire prevention, code enforcement and outreach to raise awareness about fire safety. This includes the Wake Up! program, which reminds residents to check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they are in good working order. The service continued to engage with future firefighters through the Camp FFIT program for young women and diverse youth from all social backgrounds, and the Fire Venturers program for youth. The service hired a full-time staff psychologist dedicated to supporting the mental health needs of personnel, reinforcing its commitment to employee well-being.  Items from this meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, April 30.