Toronto Fire Service Emergency Vehicle Inspection Guideline PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE EMERGENCY VEHICLE INSPECTION AND NON-EMERGENCY/LIGHT VEHICLE INSPECTION Date Issued: April 5, 2024 Rescinds: January 24, 2023 Section: Apparatus File Code: A-INSP PURPOSE To provide Toronto Fire Service (TFS) personnel with a guideline for inspections of Emergency Vehi...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE EMERGENCY VEHICLE INSPECTION AND NON-EMERGENCY/LIGHT VEHICLE INSPECTION Date Issued: April 5, 2024 Rescinds: January 24, 2023 Section: Apparatus File Code: A-INSP PURPOSE To provide Toronto Fire Service (TFS) personnel with a guideline for inspections of Emergency Vehicles and Non-Emergency Light Vehicles. RESPONSIBILITY Drivers are responsible for the inspection of TFS vehicles and reporting thereafter. Company Officers/Captains are responsible for ensuring that inspections are performed and properly reported as required. GUIDELINES 1. General Toronto Fire Service (TFS) vehicles can be placed into two categories. They include the following: (a) Emergency Vehicles; Operations Division response apparatus Support Division vehicles equipped with air brakes (b) Non-Emergency/Light Vehicles; Support Division light vehicles 2. Emergency Vehicle Inspections All emergency vehicles shall be inspected at the beginning of each shift by the firefighter assigned driving responsibility. Firefighters responsible for driving shall develop a routine for checking and maintaining apparatus and equipment. This thorough inspection shall verify the operational readiness and safety of the vehicles. Out of service apparatus shall be inspected when placed back into service. Some apparatus at select fire stations, as determined by the Deputy Fire Chief, Operations, may be directed to conduct the pre-trip inspection File Code: A-INSP Page 1 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE (specifically the operational pump test) later than the typical inspection time due to neighbourhood noise considerations, etc. Crew members may be assigned to assist the Driver as deemed necessary by the Company Officer. In the event the vehicle is dispatched prior to the pre-trip inspection, the vehicle is permitted to respond without first being inspected. Prior to each trip and prior to entering a vehicle, the Driver shall conduct a vehicle circle check/perimeter walk to check for hazards, deficiencies and damage. 3. Emergency Vehicle Inspection Form A new TFS Emergency Vehicle Inspection form shall be started on the Monday of each week for the respective vehicle. The TFS Emergency Vehicle Inspection form is available in the Forms section on the TFS intranet site. Upon completion of the vehicle inspection, an Emergency Vehicle Inspection form shall be completed by the Driver of the vehicle, then provided to the Company Officer for review and signature. After review of the Emergency Vehicle Inspection form, the Company Officer shall complete any necessary TFS Fleet Focus, Repair Order, Requisition and/or Lost or Damaged Equipment Report for submission. After review of the Emergency Vehicle Inspection form by the Company Officer, the form shall be placed in an obvious location for incoming Platoons and other personnel to view. At the end of each shift, the Driver of the vehicle shall update the Emergency Vehicle Inspection form with any deficiencies that became prevalent during the shift. Upon discovery of any minor deficiency, the Driver shall attempt to resolve the problem if it falls within the firefighter's ability. All deficiencies or issues that will be shared with other Platoons and shall be logged in the Vehicle History Report and Record Log. The Company Officer shall be responsible for contacting the Mechanical Division to initiate action to correct deficiencies beyond the routine maintenance performed by drivers. File Code: A-INSP Page 2 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Upon discovery of any serious deficiency, the Company Officer shall immediately notify the following: (a) Mechanical Division (b) District Chief Deficiencies that compromise the safety of public or TFS personnel justify removing a vehicle from service until a qualified member of the Mechanical Division rectifies the problem. The Communications Centre and District Chief shall be advised of all changes in response status of emergency vehicles. The District Chief is responsible for notifying the Platoon Chief at any time a vehicle is removed from service due to mechanical reasons. On Monday, the assigned Driver shall review the completed Emergency Vehicle Inspection form from the previous week. Emergency Vehicle Inspection forms shall be archived and available for the previous six (6) months of a vehicle's operation. 4. Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection Report A new Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report shall be started on the Monday of each week for the respective vehicle. The Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report is available in the Forms section on the TFS intranet site. Upon completion of the daily damage inspection, a Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report shall be completed by the Company Officer of the vehicle and signed. 4.4 After signing the Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report, the report shall be placed in an obvious location for incoming Company Officers to view. 4.5 At the end of each shift, the Company Officer of the vehicle shall update the Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report with any damage that became prevalent during the shift. 4.6 All damage shall be shared with other Platoons and will be logged in the Vehicle History Report and Record Log. File Code: A-INSP Page 3 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE 4.7 Upon discovery of any new damage, the Company Officer shall immediately notify the following: (a) Mechanical Division (b) District Chief 4.8 Damage that compromises the safety of the public or TFS personnel justify removing a vehicle from service until a qualified member of the Mechanical Division rectifies the problem. 4.9 The Communications Centre and District Chief shall be advised of all changes in response status of emergency vehicles. 4.10 The District Chief is responsible for notifying the Platoon Chief at any time a vehicle is removed from service due to mechanical reasons. 4.11 On Monday, the Company Officer shall review the completed Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection report from the previous week. 4.12 Daily Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection reports shall be archived and available for the previous six (6) months of a vehicle's operation. 5. Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspections Non-Emergency/Light Vehicles used by TFS Support Divisions shall be inspected at least once per week. When vehicles are assigned to one driver for a prolonged period, vehicle inspections should be conducted on Monday or the first day of the work week. When they are assigned to a unit for general use and a new driver takes control of the vehicle for any reason, the new driver shall conduct a vehicle inspection. Out of service vehicles shall be inspected when placed back into service. The Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle inspection should include, but not be limited to the following: (a) Fluid levels (b) Lights (c) Visual inspection of tires (d) Tire pressure (e) Overall condition The Driver of a vehicle is responsible for ensuring an inspection is conducted. In Support Divisions, a person other than the Driver may be assigned to inspect the vehicle(s). File Code: A-INSP Page 4 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Prior to each trip and prior to entering a vehicle, the Driver shall conduct a brief vehicle circle check/perimeter walk to check for hazards, deficiencies and damage. 6. TFS Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection Form The Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle inspection should be recorded on the TFS Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection form. The TFS Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection form is available in the Forms section on the TFS intranet site. The person conducting the vehicle inspection shall present the form to their respective Officer/Captain for review. After review of the Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection form the Officer/Captain shall complete any necessary TFS Repair Order, Requisition and/or Lost or Damaged Equipment report for submission. After review of the Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection form by the Officer/Captain, the form shall be placed in an obvious location for other Support Division personnel to view. At the end of each shift, the Driver of the vehicle shall update the Non- Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection form with any deficiencies that became prevalent during the shift. Upon discovery of any minor deficiency, the Driver shall attempt to resolve the problem if it falls within the firefighter's ability. All deficiencies or issues that shall be shared with other Support Division personnel should be logged in the Vehicle History Report and Record Log. The Officer/Captain shall be responsible for contacting the Mechanical Division in order to initiate action to correct deficiencies beyond the routine maintenance performed by drivers. Upon discovery of any serious deficiency, the Officer/Captain shall immediately notify the following: (a) Mechanical Division (b) District Chief Deficiencies that compromise the safety of the public or TFS personnel justifies removing a vehicle from service until a qualified member of the Mechanical Division rectifies the problem. File Code: A-INSP Page 5 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE The District Chief/Division Chief shall be advised of all changes in response status of non-emergency/light vehicles. The District Chief is responsible for notifying the Division Chief at any time a vehicle is removed from service due to mechanical reasons. Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection forms for a six (6) month period shall be archived and available for the previous six (6) months of a vehicle's operation. 7. State of Appearance TFS vehicles shall be maintained in a professional state of appearance at all times. Vehicles shall not display stickers, decals, tape, adhesives, signs, banners, toys, flags, etc., unless approved by the Fire Chief. Any stickers or decals approved by the Fire Chief will be inspected daily to ensure they are in good repair and will not be removed until directed by the Fire Chief. ATTACHMENT(S) Emergency Vehicle Inspection Form Emergency Vehicle Damage Inspection Report Non-Emergency/Light Vehicle Inspection Form RELATED SOGS A-IN&R – Insurance and Registration for Vehicles A-DRI(L) – Driver's Licence – Licencing/Loss/Suspension A-HIST – History Report and Record Log A-MAIN – Maintenance and Repair to Apparatus and Vehicles File Code: A-INSP Page 6 of 6