The Challange of Accumulating Fire Statistics in Canada

May 27, 2010

"Everyone complains about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it." - Mark Twain

An integral part of the mission of the Fire and Life Safety website is to accumulate "a national database of statistics that is comprehensive, current and relevant", which an extremely daunting task indeed. There is a no shortage of fire-fighting professionals asking for statistics yet despite the statutory requirement for Fire Departments to accumulate the data very little is accumulated and even less is available for public or professional use.

Sean Tracey, Canadian regional manager of NFPA International, in a very insightful article Fire Service Must Respond to lack of Statistics comments "One of the greatest hurdles in effecting change in fire safety in Canada is the lack of reliable statistics. Anyone who attempts to use the available statistics is dealing with little information, out-of-date data and data of little value in comparing performance among the provinces. This makes it more difficult for the fire service to convince others of its value to public safety."

Tracey lays the "problem and solution" in the hands of the Fire Service but there are challenges in every step in the chain from the initial reporting of the incident all the way up the chain through the Provincial Government to the Federal Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Fire Protection Services where the Statistics are to be assembled and published. At this point in time the latest National statistics available are from 2002 on the Canadian Council of Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners website (www.ccfmfc.ca ). Some more current information is available on Provincial Government websites but it is very incomplete. (See Chart on Canadian Fire Statistics by Province)

Fire Service professionals have no difficulty in diagnosing the reasons why statistics aren't being prepared. The root of problem begins with the Fire Service, as Sean Tracey has indicated, because it is their job to accumulate the data in the first place. However it is understandable when one looks at the hurdles thrown in their path.

The situation in British Columbia is typical of other provinces and illustrated some of the problems. Although BC adopted the National Standards this is what the Fire Service is facing.

• Operational guidelines weren't set up in many departments to collect the data in the first place.
• For those that do have guideline the Fire Service Officer is confronted with an extremely complex Reporting Structure which involves a time consuming process of wading through manuals for proper codes etc.
• The Provincial Government has provided no training since 1973. Even if training were available many members would need to travel a long ways on their own time and expense to get it.
• Members of most rural fire departments have to do reports on their own time.
• Where reports are generated by paid Officers one estimate was that each report cost $50.00 to produce, for which the return to the department was around $3.00
• An electronic version was built for reporting but it was "very clumsy", furthermore not all departments have computer or internet access.
• Some of the data is beyond scope of the average Fire Service Officer to enter such as assessing the dollar value of fires etc .
• Departments don't see a value in reporting, as their no perceived benefit to compliance with Statutory Requirement to report and little repercussions for not reporting.

Given these parameters it is obvious why task is not being accomplished. The news is not all bleak however, as there are some pilot projects underway that may offer solutions to some of these issues, which will be discussed in a future article.

Article Courtesy of:
	Victory Design Inc. Vancouver, BC   Canada Phone: 604.566.9938 Website: victory.ca