Operational area | |
---|---|
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Address | 2800 Rutherford Rd, Concord, ON L4K 2N9 |
Agency overview | |
Established | 1971 |
Employees | 350 (2018) |
Commissioner | Mary Reali |
Fire chief | Andrew Zvanitajs |
EMS level | ALS and BLS |
Motto | Pride and Honour |
Facilities and equipment | |
Stations | 10 |
Engines | 8 |
Trucks | 5 |
Platforms | 1 |
Squads | 1 |
Rescues | 1 |
Ambulances | See York Region EMS |
HAZMAT | 1 |
Website | |
Official website |
Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance to the city of Vaughan, Ontario. It operates 10 fire stations and coordinates with other fire departments in York Region and the Greater Toronto Area. VFRS received a 100 per cent satisfaction rating in the City of Vaughan’s 2018 Citizen Survey. [1]
VFRS was established as the "Vaughan Fire Department" in the late 1800s in the Township of Vaughan. At the time, the department covered Markham sections of Thornhill in addition to Vaughan. In 1970, the Markham Fire Department opened and took over all areas of Markham.
The use of the title "Fire Department" gave way to "Fire and Rescue" as the firefighters' roles expanded in the 1990s.
In 2001, York Region was planning to merge all fire services in the region into one large unit. [2] Resistance from firefighters and others prevented the plan from being implemented. This was attempted again in 2013 also with no outcome. [3]
As of 2018, there is 350 uniformed personnel; all are full-time. The city did have volunteers in Station 7-3 and Station 7-4. The city no longer has volunteer firefighters. Station 7-3 disbanded its volunteers in the early 2000s, and the remainder of the volunteers were disbanded in 2013 when Station 7-4 closed.
Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service's biggest division is the Operations Division. The Operations Division is the division that is responsible for responding to emergency calls. [4] VFRS's total average response time to emergencies is six minutes and 19 seconds. The most common emergency call that VFRS responds to are medical calls, with 36% of calls in 2015 being medical related. [5] VFRS also responds to a large number of false alarms, with 24% of calls in 2015 being false alarms. [5] In the north parts of the city, VFRS primarily deals with rural scenarios, and in the south parts of the city the incidents are largely urban.
The VFRS Communications Division uses a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to dispatch fire apparatus to calls. The division works with the York Regional Police 9-1-1 centre, the Georgian Central Ambulance Communications Centre, and the surrounding municipal fire department communications centres in order to coordinate the emergency needs of the community. VFRS is also contracted to provide emergency communications services to Township of King. In 2015, the Communications Division processed 10,428 emergency calls for Vaughan and 1,002 calls for King Township Fire Service, totaling 11,430 calls for the year. [5] All of Vaughan’s fire communicators are certified by the Association of Public Safety Communications Operators (APCO) Institute. The Communication Division's motto is "The Voice of VFRS”.
VFRS firefighters are required to complete specific annual maintenance training. The firefighters in VFRS are all either certified or working towards their certification. It takes approximately four years to meet the requirements of certification.
Once certified, firefighters must continue to meet a number of objectives in order to meet the requirements of re-certification. All of the staff of the VFRS Training Division have either already met or are working towards the requirement as “Certified Training Officers". All of VFRS's firefighters attained certification in NFPA 1006 core competencies for technical rescue. All service delivery enhancements for the public must first be implemented through the Training Division. The Training Division is currently undertaking the delivery of Ontario Fire College programs in-house.
VFRS is one of the fire departments in the GTA which has access to York University's Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid-response Simulation (ADERSIM). This is a tool which was designed to model and simulate responses to emergency incidents. VFRS has used this model to analyze response times and other key performance indicators to in turn facilitate evidence-based decision-making for fire station location placement, the prioritization of new road networks, and allocation of resources. [6]
The VFRS Fire Prevention Division is the division that is responsible for educating the population of Vaughan on how to take precautions to prevent potentially harmful fires, and how to be educated about surviving them. The Fire Prevention Division provides inspections and plan reviews for fire/carbon monoxide alarms, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, and general fire hazards. They conduct building inspections to make sure they are compliant with fire codes, [7] and they visit schools and daycare centers to make presentations about arson, malicious false alarms, and fire safety.
One of the Fire Prevention Division's responsibilities is to educate seniors about fire safety. In addition to their annual inspections and witnessing of fire drills for all retirement homes and care facilities throughout Vaughan, the Fire Prevention Division together with B.A.S.S.I.C. (Bringing an Awareness of Senior Safety Issues to the Community) delivers fire safety education to approximately 700 attendees at B.A.S.S.I.C.'s annual senior’s symposium.
The Fire Prevention division is sometimes called to scenes of fires which look like arson to the firefighters on scene. Upon arrival, the division looks into it, and if they decide it is suspicious, they are responsible for contacting the Ontario Fire Marshall and York Regional Police to further investigate. [8]
The VFRS Mechanical Division is responsible for ensuring that all of VFRS's apparatus/equipment is in operationally ready state. They do this using the current Ministry of Transportation of Ontario Standards and National Fire Protection Association guidelines as benchmarks. Members of the Mechanical Division attend Emergency Vehicle Technician courses every year. The division provides both in-shop and mobile mechanical service for a number of Regional Emergency Service partners as well as a warranty repair depot for major fire service equipment suppliers and manufacturers.
The Mechanical Division is known for implementing on board GREEN generators for all of VFRS's engines/rescues. This technology automatically kicks in when the apparatus is at idle for more than three minutes. The engine automatically shuts off and a smaller engine maintains essential systems, lighting and heat/air conditioning as required. This technology was introduced in 2015 and it saves about 75 per cent of the energy typically used to run an idling fire truck. [9] It is useful because upon arriving at an incident, firefighters cannot afford to waste precious time turning off the engine and lights.
VFRS's HAZMAT team responds to calls for gas leaks, toxic chemicals, electrical emergencies and carbon monoxide investigations.
Station # | Neighbourhood | Engine Company | Ladder or Platform Company | Chief units | Miscellaneous units | Address | Build or opening date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7-1 | Thornhill | Engine 711 | Ladder 716 | 835 Clark Avenue West | 1981 | ||
7-2 | Maple | Engine 721 | Platoon Chief 7-4 | Utility 720 Rescue 729 | 9290 Keele Street | 1966 | |
7-3 | Woodbridge | Engine Rescue 731 | Platform 737 | District Chief 7-5 | Haz-Mat 738 | 7690 Martin Grove Road | Jun 26, 2017 |
7-4 | Kleinburg | Engine 741 | Tanker 744 | 835 Nashville Road | Jan 22, 2020 | ||
7-5 | Woodbridge | Engine 756 (quint) Engine Rescue 759 | Technical Rescue 758 | 2 Fieldstone Drive | 1997 | ||
7-6 | Concord | Platform 767 | 120 McCleary Court | 1990 | |||
7-7 | Woodbridge | Engine Rescue 771 | Tanker 774 | 40 Eagleview Heights | 2002 | ||
7-8 | Concord | Engine 786 (quint) | Air/Light 780 | 111 Racco Parkway | 2004 | ||
7-9 | Woodbridge | Engine 796 (quint) | Field Support unit | 9601 Islington Avenue | 2007 | ||
7-10 | Maple | Engine 7106 (quint) | Command 701 | 10800 Dufferin Street | 2012 | ||
Joint Operations Centre (Headquarters) | Concord | Mechanical Unit 702 Fire Investigation Unit | 2800 Rutherford Road | ||||
Spare Apparatus | Unit 7912 (pumper) Unit 7984 (pumper) Unit 7985 (pumper) Unit 7986 (pumper) | Unit 7968 (aerial) Aerial (ex-Burlington Fire Dept) | Chief SUV (x2) | Unit 7900 (rescue) |
The Los Angeles Fire Department provides Firefighting Services as well as Technical Rescue Services,Hazardous Materials Services and Emergency Medical Services to the citizens of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately 4 million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is the third largest municipal fire department in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department may be unofficially referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department which serves the county and whose name may directly confuse people, as the county seat is the city. Another possible reason is that the city and the unincorporated county are often bordering each other and thus the two appear to be serving the same area. The department is currently under the command of chief Kristin Crowley.
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for fire suppression and fire prevention, and is a major provider of EMS services in New York City. Beyond fire suppression and EMS, the FDNY is responsible for a broad range of services, including technical rescue, CBRN defense, and structural collapse response and analysis. The FDNY is equipped with a wide variety of general-purpose and specialized Vehicles,Tools and Equipment to serve its varied missions.
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond to emergency calls for long periods of time, and are summoned to the fire station when their services are needed. They are also expected to attend other non-emergency duties as well.
Firefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that two departments may have completely different terms for the same thing. For example, depending on whom one asks, a safety team may be referred to as a standby, a RIT or RIG or RIC, or a FAST. Furthermore, a department may change a definition within its SOP, such that one year it may be RIT, and the next RIG or RIC.
Toronto Fire Services (TFS), commonly called Toronto Fire, provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada.
Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (MFES) provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance to the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Fire prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public on the precautions which should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires and how to survive these fires if they do occur. It is a proactive method of preventing fire-based emergencies and reducing the damage caused by them. Many fire departments have one or more Fire Prevention Officers, which may also be a routine duty of firefighters.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), also known as the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, was a fire service in Victoria, Australia. The MFB provided firefighting, rescue, medical and hazardous material incident response services to the metropolitan area of Melbourne. The MFB's headquarters were located at the Eastern Hill Fire Station in East Melbourne.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue is one of the largest fire departments in the state of Florida. With 51 stations Palm Beach County Fire Rescue provides fire protection, Advanced Life Support, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials' mitigation, aircraft rescue/firefighting, fire investigation, and 911 dispatching for unincorporated parts of Palm Beach County, Florida as well as 19 cities under contract.
As firefighting has a rich history throughout the world, traditions in this profession vary widely from country to country.
Fire services in the York Region of Canada are provided for and by each municipality. There are 35 fire stations across the region. Most services consist of full-time members, but some services have volunteer firefighters.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) was founded in 1886 and today serves the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, providing fire, medical first response, rescue and extrication services. In 2017, VFRS responded to 67,000 emergency calls.
Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department is the fire and rescue service provider for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as the cities of Wilton Manors and Lazy Lake through service contracts. Additionally the FLFRD is responsible for ARFF at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. In 2013, the department responded to 44,387 calls for service.
The Boston Fire Department provides fire services and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, floods, explosions, and construction accidents among others.
The Dutchess County Department Of Emergency Response has the responsibility of governing Emergency operations in Dutchess County, New York. This encompasses Police, Fire and EMS.
The St. Louis Fire Department provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services to the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The department is also the second oldest professional and fully paid fire department in the United States. The STLFD is responsible for 69.0 square miles (179 km2) and has a population of approximately 294,890 with a daytime population of over 2 million.
The Yonkers Fire Department (YFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Yonkers, New York, United States.
The San José Fire Department (SJFD) provides firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services to the city of San Jose, California, United States. The San Jose Fire Department protects the third largest city in California and the tenth largest city in the nation.
The Teaneck Fire Department (TFD) was established in 1915 and provides fire protection, rescue and first responder emergency medical services to the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey. The TFD has 94 employees: 92 uniformed firefighters and 2 civilian employees. The department is directly responsible for over 41,000 residents living within the 6.23 square miles of Teaneck. Furthermore, The TFD routinely provides mutual aid to 6 surrounding communities in Bergen County, further assisting an additional 139,000 people over an additional 18.52 square miles.
Harrisburg Bureau of Fire (HBF) is a firefighting agency that is located in and serves Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is a career firefighting agency with at least 15 firefighters and fire officers on duty at any given time, supplemented with volunteer staffing as well. Everyday duties for the Bureau include fire suppression, emergency medical services, tactical rescue, urban search and rescue, water rescue, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, fire codes enforcement, and public safety educations.