Toronto Fire Services Violence Related Incidents PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE VIOLENCE RELATED INCIDENTS Date Issued: April 4, 2024 Rescinds: March 23, 2023 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-VIOL PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Services (TFS) personnel with a guideline for responses to situations that involve violence or...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE VIOLENCE RELATED INCIDENTS Date Issued: April 4, 2024 Rescinds: March 23, 2023 Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-VIOL PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Services (TFS) personnel with a guideline for responses to situations that involve violence or the potential to become violent. RESPONSIBILITY All personnel are responsible for safety and being able to recognize situations of violence or potential for violence. Company Officers are responsible for the safety of themselves and their crews, and for requesting Toronto Fire Communications for further resources if required. Company Officers are responsible for maintaining crews at a safe distance from potentially volatile situations. Incident Commanders are responsible for assessing the potential for violence and for liaising with other First Responders, including Police and Paramedic Services’. GUIDELINES 1. General Toronto Fire Services is always concerned about the safety of its employees when they are protecting life, property, and the environment. When responding to incidents, Company Officers are responsible for the safety of personnel. The Company Officer assesses all scenes for the potential of violent situations. File Code: G-VIOL Page 1 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE 2. Communications The TFS Communications Division will relay additional information to responding crews for any potentially violent incidents as the information becomes available. This information shall be communicated to the assigned apparatus in the following ways: (a) Electronic updates to the MDT in apparatus. (b) Verbal updates from the Call-Taker/Dispatcher to the responding apparatus via the onboard radio prior to arrival at the scene. After apparatus have arrived on scene, if Communications receives information that leads them to reasonably believe firefighters may be in danger, the Dispatcher will radio the Incident Commander to notify them of potential danger. An example of how this will be communicated is, "DC 42, you have a Code 2". 3. Scene Safety Assessment Risk assessments will be performed on an on-going basis. Situations are dynamic and decisions will be made about the level of TFS involvement based on the on-going risk assessment. While on route to an incident, the Company Officer must evaluate available information to determine if there is a specific safety risk based on one or more of the following factors: (a) Ongoing violence or potential violence (b) Use of weapons (c) Persons is Crisis (PIC) (d) Assailant still on scene or in vicinity (e) Hostile environment (f) Fire or other chemicals involved. (g) Allied Emergency Services directing Fire Services to delay service. (h) Other safety risk (i) If necessary, request clarification of call information and/or status of the Police response. NOTE: When crews are responding to a medical incident in a high-rise building where there is any possible threat of violence, indication of violence or personal safety concerns consider either taking the stairs or taking the elevator to the floor below the reported unit/floor and then ascend via stairs. Ensure Communications is notified, and patient contact delay is minimized to the best of your ability. Upon arriving at scene, the Company Officer must be able to visualize the incident scene to identify any specific safety risks and access and egress points. File Code: G-VIOL Page 2 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE NOTE: TFS crews must use reasonable judgement based on their risk assessment when considering whether to attend the scene or to Stage. When performing an assessment of the environment to determine potential hazards to patient(s) and/or crew, firefighters are reminded of their responsibility under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Section 43, (1) and (2). These sections exclude firefighters from the right to refuse work where the circumstances are inherent in their work and/or if the work refusal would directly endanger the health and safety of another person. Risk Identified (Decision made to Stage) (a) Upon arrival at scene, if there is a visible safety risk, the crew and/or apparatus must move to a Staging Area. From the Staging Area, crews should be able to safely visualize access and egress points of the scene to monitor the status of the specific safety risk and wait for the arrival of Allied Emergency Services. (b) Once the crew/apparatus have arrived at a safe location and have made the decision to Stage, they must immediately contact Toronto Fire Communications and provide an update on the situation and rationale for the decision to Stage. NOTE: The decision to Stage must include recognizing and evaluating the reasons for problematic behaviour (such as metabolic causes of combative behaviour), to ensure crews are not jeopardizing the patient's life, health, or safety. Risk Not Immediately Identified (Decision made to attend Scene) (a) Upon arrival at the scene, the Company Officer shall perform an assessment of the environment and identify points of access and egress (for multiple patient incidents and for potential violence or confrontation). The Company Officer will identify obvious and potential hazards to their crew, patient, and the public. (b) Ensure the scene environment is safe with no danger to self or others. The Company Officer shall determine the need for additional resources and utilize appropriate TFS issued PPE. NOTE: The apparatus driver will monitor the on-board MDT for messages from Communications once the Company Officer has exited the apparatus. Messages will be relayed to the crew as required. (c) If danger exists, or there is uncertainty regarding personal and/or patient safety, request assistance from the Toronto Police Services immediately. Ensure to initiate and/or maintain communication with Toronto Fire Communications. File Code: G-VIOL Page 3 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE 4. Responses to Known Violent Incidents Apparatus responding to known violent situations need to consider the following safety recommendations: (a) The location that the police want TFS to set up base and the safest route to that location. (b) Whether sirens and emergency lights should be turned off when the apparatus is within proximity to the call. (c) Confirm the response of Toronto Police and Toronto Paramedic Services if unknown. NOTE: Base shall be established in accordance with TFS practices and the TFS Incident Commander will liaise with Police. 5. Incidents That Become Violent After Being on Scene At incidents that become violent, or the threat of violence becomes imminent, TFS Incident Commanders shall: (a) Retreat crews to a safe location, (b) Advise the TFS Communication Centre, (c) Establish a safe area for staging, (d) Request Police and provide details of the circumstances, then; i. Await Police arrival at scene, ii. Liaise with Police and follow their direction. 6. Requesting Police All requests for Police assistance shall be accompanied by a reason. Examples where TFS personnel might request police assistance but are not directly threatened are: (a) Fights (b) Violent crimes (c) Drug-related situations (d) Family disturbances (e) Person in Crisis (PIC) (f) People interfering with fire department operations. Requests for Police assistance shall be recorded by the Communications Centre in the incident record. File Code: G-VIOL Page 4 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE NOTE: With TFS personnel responding to an increasing number of Persons in Crisis incidents, Company Officers should consider a request through TFS Communications to Toronto Police Service for the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) to respond. 7. Emergency Assistance for Firefighters (Code 1 & Code 2) Code 1 will be used to indicate that Police are required immediately at the scene of an event because the safety of firefighters is in jeopardy. This code will be transmitted to the Communications Centre without the normal radio identification. It will be acknowledged by the Communications Centre with “Code 1, Roger” Example: "Code 1" (by any radio user, no identification is necessary) "Code 1, Roger" (reply by Dispatcher) The Dispatcher will immediately call Police and request their attendance as “fire- fighter in danger”. Do not use Code 1 in your description to Police. They use different codes, and it has no meaning to them. If the location of the crew is not clear, the Communications Centre will attempt to contact the apparatus driver to determine the location. Example: Radio user: "Code 1" Toronto Fire: "Pumper three-eleven driver, this is Toronto Fire. Switch to..." (pick another radio channel). Toronto Fire: (on selected other radio channel): "Pumper three-eleven, your location?" "P311: "Pumper three-eleven is at 325 Bleecker St" Toronto Fire: "Code 1, Roger." If the radio user is not clear, the Communications Centre will request identification as per the following protocol: Example: Radio user: "Code 1" Toronto Fire: "Code 1, Request ID" At this time the radio user should depress the emergency button, which will retransmit the ID to the Communications Centre. A District Chief will be dispatched to the emergency scene whenever Communications receives a “Code 1” and the Platoon Chief should be notified to monitor the radio channel. File Code: G-VIOL Page 5 of 6  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Code 2 is a means of relaying information from the Communications Centre Dispatcher to an Incident Commander or crew at the scene of an incident when discretion is required due to a scene safety issue. Information updates received by the Communications Centre Dispatcher are currently communicated to assigned apparatus by providing a verbal update via radio and updating the MDT. If the Communications Centre Dispatcher receives information related to a safety issue that may potentially involve a violent patient or situation after apparatus arrive on scene, they will notify the Incident Commander or crew by stating "Code 2". Example: Toronto Fire: "Main Street Command, Code 2" Command: "Roger, Code 2" Toronto Fire: relays information related to the safety issue. The TFS Incident Commander shall notify the TFS Communications Centre Officer of any injuries to TFS personnel sustained because of a violent incident. ATTACHMENT(S) N/A RELATED SOGS G-CONS - Consular (Diplomatic) Properties G-POPT - Police (Toronto) G-CIAW - Mass Crowds, Civil Unrest, Violent Situations - Awareness G-CIPO - Mass Crowds, Civil Unrest, Violent Situations - Public Order Operations G-CIDE - Mass Crowds, Civil Unrest, Violent Situations - Public Order Decontamination File Code: G-VIOL Page 6 of 6