Burlington Council Receives 2022 Fire Master Plan Outlining Current Circumstances; Existing & Long-term Service Delivery Needs of Fire Department
Council received, at our June 21 meeting, the 2022 Fire Master Plan from staff. The 2022 Fire Master Plan (FMP) is provided at the request of Council “develop a Fire Master Plan to support the growth and change within the city.” (Vision to Focus, 2019)The primary objective of the FMP is to present a comprehensive analysis of the City of Burlington Fire Protection Service community needs and circumstances.The FMP is a complementary document to the recently approved Community Risk Assessment (CRA) (BFD-02-22) that outlines community fire risk priorities. These documents provide valuable data and information to allow staff and council to make informed decisions about the existing and long-term service delivery needs of theBurlington Fire Department (BFD).Understanding that some of the recommendations require financial investment, the implementation schedule will be phased in subject to annual operating and capital budget constraints and prioritization with other corporate priorities allowing for future planning.Here is the full motion Council unanimously approved at our June 21 Council meeting:
- Receive and file the Fire Master Plan (FMP) (2022) prepared by Dillon Consulting, attached as Appendix A, to Burlington fire department report BFD-03-22; and
- Direct the Fire Chief to utilize the 2022 FMP, as a reference document, to support “Fire Protection Service” delivery within the City of Burlington over the next 10 years (2022-2031); and
- Direct the Chief Financial Officer to incorporate the financial investments recommended within the 2022 FMP, as part of the 2023 budget and multi-year simulation, based on prioritization of funding as part of the revised long-term community investment plan; and
- Direct the Fire Chief to report back to council on the various recommendations provided within the Fire Master Plan through additional staff reports and/or the budget process, as required.
To read the full staff report, 2022 Fire Master Plan and supporting documents, please click the links below:
- Staff report: BFD-03-22 Fire Master Plan (FMP) 2022
- Appendices:
MY TAKE:We’ve heard loud and clear the challenges of population growth on our fire protection service, both through the work of the master plan and input from colleagues at the Burlington Fire Department. There will be a need for additional fire fighters, as well as a strategy for serving new high rises at our GO stations and especially in downtown Burlington. This may require a new station in the foot of a redevelopment to protect response times. On this issue and others, the Fire Master Plan will help us plan safely for today and the future. I’d like to thank our Burlington Fire Chief Karen Roche and the entire team at the Burlington Fire Department -- you head into danger to keep us safe, so we can all sleep well at night knowing you’re on watch.