Toronto Fire Services Standard Operating Guideline for Clearing Accidental/False Fire Responses PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE CLEARING ACCIDENTAL AND FALSE FIRE RESPONSES Date Issued: March 29, 2019 Rescinds: September 18, 2012 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-CLEA PURPOSE To provide Toronto Fire Services Personnel guidelines for clearing apparatus from Accidental and Fa...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE CLEARING ACCIDENTAL AND FALSE FIRE RESPONSES Date Issued: March 29, 2019 Rescinds: September 18, 2012 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-CLEA PURPOSE To provide Toronto Fire Services Personnel guidelines for clearing apparatus from Accidental and False Fire Responses. RESPONSIBILITY The Incident Commander is responsible for ensuring that each alarm response is thoroughly investigated by TFS personnel prior to considering a situation under control and clearing all apparatus from the scene. TFS Communications Centre personnel are responsible for having a thorough understanding of TFS guidelines for downgrading responses, and clearing apparatus. GUIDELINES 1. General 1.1. When a fire alarm has been responded to by more than one apparatus and the Officer In Charge of the first arriving apparatus discovers that after a thorough investigation it is a false or accidental alarm, he/she shall immediately clear all other responding apparatus, including the District Chief. 1.2. Company Officers, in mobile Command at a scene, may advise the District Chief (if on scene) of their findings and their intention to clear apparatus. The District Chief may be requested to assist with clearing apparatus. This decision is the Company Officer's prerogative as Incident Commander. 1.3. Company Officers at the scene of a response, upon hearing reports or claims of a false fire alarm by on scene building personnel, should investigate to verify the validity of the claim prior to clearing all apparatus. 1.4. Some factors determining whether other incoming apparatus are cleared in advance of first apparatus investigation include, but are not limited to the following: a) Apparent training and competence of on scene personnel. b) Willingness of on scene personnel to oblige in assisting Toronto Fire. c) Size of building facility. d) Complexity of building facility. e) Volume of responses being answered by Toronto Fire. 1.5. District Chiefs dispatched to incidents will respond with lights and sirens to the File Code: G-CLEA Page 1 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE incident or Testing Notification until cleared by the Communications Centre. 2. Downgrading Emergency Responses/Clearing False Fire Responses 2.1. Emergency responses may be downgraded due to the following: a) Fire alarm testing/maintenance notification b) Known fault in fire alarm systems 3. Fire Alarm Testing/Maintenance Notification 3.1. The TFS communications centre shall be notified prior to fire alarm system testing or maintenance being performed at an address. Upon receiving a report of fire alarm testing or maintenance, the TFS call taker will record the information in the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system Database Manager as a Location of Interest (LOI) record that includes: a) Description and location of work being done b) Contact telephone number c) Expected time of completion d) Additional information such as Floor number, Unit number or Building number 3.2. Additional information will assist in determining whether a report of alarm bells ringing is related to the fire alarm system testing or maintenance, and the level of response required to the address. 3.3. Event type FACC – Fire Alarm Check Call, shall be used for response to incidents reported as alarm bells ringing and requiring a single emergency vehicle response. 3.4. A single emergency vehicle response, FACC – Fire Alarm Check Call, may be dispatched when the communications centre was notified of fire alarm testing or maintenance in advance, thereby creating a record in CAD. Communications centre personnel must also do the following: a) TFS call taker must first determine if smoke, flames or odours are present. If any of these conditions are reported, a First Alarm response will be dispatched to the address. b) LOI information must be reviewed: i. If LOI information has not been recorded for the reported address, a First Alarm response will be dispatched to the address. ii. If LOI information has been recorded, the call taker will review the LOI information to determine if the reported alarm location matches the LOI (floor number, unit number, building number, etc.). iii. If the information is the same, a single emergency vehicle will be dispatched to the address. c) If the call is received from an alarm company monitoring the building, and they were not notified of fire alarm testing or maintenance, the call taker will review the LOI information to determine if the reported alarm location matches. If the information matches, a single emergency vehicle may be File Code: G-CLEA Page 2 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE dispatched. The alarm company will be directed to contact the subscriber. 4. Known Fault in Fire Alarm Systems 4.1. A First Alarm response will be dispatched to all addresses reporting alarm bells ringing where there is no LOI information indicating fire alarm testing or maintenance. 4.2. If a fault in the fire alarm system is confirmed by the responding District Chief and communicated to the communications centre, a single emergency vehicle will be dispatched to the address for subsequent reports of alarm bells ringing, following verification by the call taker that no smoke, flames or odours are present. 4.3. The Operations District Chief will provide the communications centre with the timeframe for continuing the single emergency vehicle dispatch, with the maximum time being the end of the Operations Division shift. 4.4. If a single emergency vehicle is dispatched to the report of alarm bells ringing, the Operations Captain (as Incident Commander) will update the communications centre regarding the known fault in the fire alarm system. If the known fault can no longer be confirmed at the scene, the communications centre will dispatch a First Alarm response to any subsequent responses to the address. 5. Cancellation of Responding Emergency Vehicles Based on Updated Information 5.1. A First Alarm response will be dispatched to all addresses reporting alarm bells ringing where there is no CAD LOI information indicating fire alarm system testing or maintenance. 5.2. After the First Alarm response has been dispatched, the communications centre may be contacted for downgrading by one of the following: a) On site building manager b) On site building security c) The company on site performing the maintenance of the fire alarm system or conducting fire alarm system testing d) On site homeowner (fire alarm reported in a residential single family dwelling) 5.3. If a person listed above identifies a false alarm where prior notification of Fire Alarm Testing/Maintenance has been reported and entered in CAD, the call taker must confirm the following information prior to downgrading the response: a) The information related to the dispatched incident b) The homeowner/building manager's name c) The name of the company performing the maintenance d) The name of the security company 5.4. In the event further information is received identifying a false alarm, and all of the criteria above are met, the updated information shall be immediately relayed File Code: G-CLEA Page 3 of 4  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE to responding crews. 5.5. The communications centre shall designate one apparatus to continue to respond in emergency mode, based on their proximity to the event. The other dispatched emergency vehicle, including the District Chief, shall be cleared by the communications centre. 5.6. No apparatus shall clear from their response to the incident until directed to do so by the communications centre. 5.7. Communications centre personnel shall direct responding apparatus using the following radio transmission: Toronto Fire to apparatus responding to (address), we have updated information from the scene indicating a false alarm. (Apparatus identifier/number) will continue to respond, all other apparatus are clear. 5.8. Apparatus clearing the event will update their status using the GTAC. 6. Cancellation of Response if Updated Prior to Leaving the Fire Station 6.1. If the communications centre is contacted by building management or the company performing the fire alarm testing/maintenance, reporting a false alarm, where prior notification of Fire Alarm Testing/Maintenance has been reported and entered in CAD, and a First Alarm response is selected by not yet dispatched, the response may be downgraded to a single emergency vehicle response. ATTACHMENT(S) N/A RELATED SOGS G-RESE - Resetting Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Systems G-RESP - Response Guidelines G-SQUA - Squads File Code: G-CLEA Page 4 of 4