OFM SIR: Selected Issues Part 1

Standard Incident Reporting (SIR)

• The SIR system was introduced in 2009 with new forms and requirements, and complete documentation is available on the web.
• The SIR provides a "snapshot" view of the incident at the time of the fire, and fire department staff are the primary source of information.

Reporting Fire Cause and Details

• Fire personnel should report possible cause, ignition source, area of origin, and object first ignited based on their impressions at the time of the fire.
• Information should be gathered as soon as possible after the incident to ensure accurate reporting.
• "Undetermined" should not be used if personnel on the scene observe a possible cause or other key information.
• The SIR is not an investigative report for any specific fire, but rather for assessing trends and the impact of fire in Ontario.

Timelines for Reporting

• Fire departments must file reports on a quarterly basis (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec) in the month immediately following the end of the quarter.
• Reports may be filed more often (monthly or weekly), but not after June 30th in the year following the incident.
• Revisions may be filed up to June 30th of the following year.

When to File a Fire Report

• File a FIRE report (response type codes 1 or 3) for any emergency response where there is evidence of an uncontrolled fire, even if the fire department does not put out the fire.
• File a FIRE report for any "controlled" fire where the fire department puts out the fire.
• If there was an explosion before or during the fire, file a FIRE report: Response type 2.

$0 Loss

• In fire incidents (response type 1 or 2) where there is no property loss, $0 is the appropriate entry for estimated dollar loss.
• Do not enter $1 in the estimated dollar loss when there was no $ loss.

Exposure Fire Reporting

• A separate report is required for uncontrolled fires that spread to adjacent properties (1 for each additional fire/property).
• The total number of these reports should be entered in the Total Exposures field.
• Do not include the initial fire in this total.

Reporting Response Type

• The OFM response type codes are for the actual situation and action, which may not be the same as the call type recorded for the incoming call.
• Use the code that best reports the ACTION of the fire department.
• If there is not a code that fits the action, then use the code that best reports the actual emergency situation.

CO Response Types

• CO False Calls – codes 37 and 38: Use these codes where there was no CO present.
• CODE 53 (new code) CO Incident, CO present (NOT false alarm): Use this ONLY when it is determined by the FD that Carbon Monoxide was present.

Documentation

• Full documentation is available to fire departments at the OFM website: https://www.ofm.ca/eng_index.asp
• The password for fire departments may be obtained by contacting the OFM at [email protected]