Did you know?
The Town of Fort Frances will officially swear in our new Mayor and Council on November 16, 2026. Prior to their first regular meeting, the incoming council will participate in orientation sessions, which typically include departmental presentations and facility tours.
Essentials of Municipal Fire Protection – A Decision Makers’ Guide: One-day seminar
Municipal leaders throughout Ontario—including mayors, councillors, CAOs, and new fire chiefs—can participate in a one-day educational seminar offered by the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM). To maximize this opportunity, communities like Fort Frances can request to host a session and invite neighbouring organized municipalities to join and collectively participate.
The one-day seminar offers clear guidance on legal liabilities and service options. For many municipal leaders, it serves as an eye-opening wake-up call: the legal responsibility for establishing mandated fire protections ultimately rests with the council, not just the Fire Chief.
More than a cost centre: Shout-out to our fire rescue service
In the meantime, as you may have guessed, this week’s column is dedicated to our local fire rescue service and our community’s overall emergency preparedness.
On a personal note, three months from now will mark 40 years since I first walked into the Fort Frances fire hall as a paid-on-call firefighter. That early step grew into a decades-long part-time career, culminating in serving as Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC) for over seven years starting in 2016.
Decades in the fire rescue service teach you that while the emergency calls stay in your memory, the people leave the lasting impact. The real strength of those years comes from the lifelong bonds built among responders and a deep commitment to the community. My experience on the front lines has consistently reinforced just how essential the Three Lines of Defence framework is to public safety.
The Three Lines of Defence
In Ontario, the delivery of fire protection services is guided by the Fire Protection and Prevention Act (FPPA). For decades, the Three Lines of Defence have served as the core framework and industry standard to support fire risk reduction and mitigation and are as follows:
- Line one: Public fire safety education;
- Line two: Fire safety standards and enforcement (inspect-to-correct); and
- Line three: Emergency response.
In addition, if we enhance our first two lines of defence, there will be less reliance on the third line of the defence; but, we need to ensure we have adequate staffing levels within our community’s fire rescue service. However, municipal operational and capital budget caps and staffing shortages frequently strain many fire rescue services throughout Canada. As well, we must also prioritize emergency management by backing it with serious attention, adequate staffing, and appropriate funding for both operational and capital budgets. Enhancing our community’s preparedness and response capabilities is essential. As I’ve mentioned before, the incoming mayor and council must actively engage with our municipal emergency plan—it is one of the single most critical public-safety tools our municipality has.
Fire-related emergencies: Low-frequency, but extremely high-risk events
Fire emergencies do not happen every day, but when they do, the risk to human life and property is extremely high. Inside a burning building, conditions can go from bad to deadly in just a few minutes. Because every second counts, having enough certified and highly trained firefighters on shift, as well as on the roster and available to respond is essential! When a fire call comes in, crews must instantly perform several dangerous jobs all at the same time: searching for trapped victims, setting up hose lines, forcing open doors, and putting out the flames. If a fire hall is understaffed, these life-saving steps get delayed, placing both victims and firefighters in much greater danger.
Beyond fire suppression, career (fulltime) firefighters in Fort Frances spend the majority of their shifts on everyday duties and other types of emergency calls such as:
• Prevention & Safety: Conducting fire inspections, enforcement (inspect-to-correct), and public fire safety education.
• Routine Services: Responding to fire alarms and general community service requests.
• Medical & Rescue: Attending medical emergencies and motor vehicle collisions etc.
It’s important to note that maintaining strong baseline staffing serves as a vital insurance policy, ensuring the team can respond rapidly, safely, and effectively during major incidents.
Climate change: Three-pronged
Climate change is three-pronged for emergency services, such as the fire rescue service, and presents challenges. The first prong is the meteorological climate change, and the disasters and weather events that have become more frequent and severe. The second prong is the “global cooling” of voluntarism in general; there are less people stepping up to staff our fire rescue service’s volunteer (paid-on-call) roster. The demand climate is the third prong, which is broadening. As other emergency services suffer from the lack of capacity such as in the paramedic service, fire rescue services throughout Canada are getting tasked to fill voids in medical response calls. As major emergency events continue to occur, municipalities (including Fort Frances) will be required to work harder than ever in preparations and emergency management.
Fire Rescue Service budget challenges
Committed to protecting their communities, fire chiefs throughout Canada—and right here in Fort Frances—have long challenged outdated budget constraints. Widespread shortages of trained personnel have forced leaders to recommend adjusting official service levels. Even with public safety on the line, these fire chiefs face uphill battles just to secure the vital resources required to keep their communities safe.
In the past, the Fort Frances Fire Rescue Service budget has faced major cuts without prior consultation or input from the Fire Chief before being presented to Council for approval. Operational and capital budget decisions have repeatedly been made by non-emergency administrative personnel who lack experience and operational expertise in fire rescue operations. Relying solely on cost-cutting measures without qualified input creates unjustified risks, compromising the safety of our firefighters and the public they serve.
Setting the direction: Level of service
In Ontario, the municipal council is responsible for setting or amending the levels of service in the establishing and regulating by-law—in consultation with the fire chief—and should keep in mind the following considerations:
• the current needs and circumstances of the municipality;
• training requirements based on current standards and practices;
• acquisition and maintenance of appropriate equipment; and
• the necessary funding to achieve and maintain the levels of service.
The future of our community’s fire rescue service and emergency preparedness capabilities
Community Risk Assessments, Fire Underwriters Surveys, and an updated Fire Master Plan provide leadership (mayors, councillors, administrators etc.) with a clear picture of local risks and operational needs. These tools ensure our fire rescue service has the staffing, equipment, apparatus, training, and modern facilities required to serve safely and effectively—including advocating for a new fire hall with dedicated decontamination facilities. At the end of the day, to truly safeguard our firefighters and community, we must move beyond basic compliance and commit to comprehensive protection.
Public safety infrastructure can’t wait for the ribbon-cutting. As our community grows with anticipated industry and community development, our fire and rescue service must be fully operational with adequate fulltime staff to handle the added demand before new risks are introduced. Don’t build the risk before the response—build the protection first!
