Fire Master Plan

The City of Oshawa is undertaking a Community Risk Assessment and Fire Master Plan. The Community Risk Assessment will identify Oshawa’s needs and circumstances, based on fire risk, and the Fire Master Plan will assess current and future levels of service and programs provided by Oshawa Fire Services.

The Fire Master Plan will be informed by the Community Risk Assessment, legislation and industry best practices. Input from Oshawa Fire Services, the Oshawa Professional Fire Fighters Association and community will be considered in the development of the Plan. The Fire Master Plan is intended to guide the City’s fire services for the next ten years.

The Fire Master Plan will aim to optimize the use of the Three Lines of Defence model to support fire risk reduction and mitigation. The three lines of defence are:

  1. Public Education and Prevention;
  2. Fire Safety Standards and Code Enforcement; and,
  3. Emergency Response.

Have your say

The Oshawa community is invited to share their experience with Oshawa Fire Services by:

  • completing a feedback form here on Connect Oshawa;
  • completing a feedback form on paper at Service Oshawa (50 Centre St. S.); and/or,
  • attending a Community Information Open House between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at the Civic Recreation Complex in Meeting Rooms 4 & 5.

Feedback on this phase will be received until 4:00 p.m., Thursday, February 6 and will be considered in the development of the Draft Fire Master Plan. The Draft Fire Master Plan will be available for review and comment in March 2020.

The City of Oshawa is undertaking a Community Risk Assessment and Fire Master Plan. The Community Risk Assessment will identify Oshawa’s needs and circumstances, based on fire risk, and the Fire Master Plan will assess current and future levels of service and programs provided by Oshawa Fire Services.

The Fire Master Plan will be informed by the Community Risk Assessment, legislation and industry best practices. Input from Oshawa Fire Services, the Oshawa Professional Fire Fighters Association and community will be considered in the development of the Plan. The Fire Master Plan is intended to guide the City’s fire services for the next ten years.

The Fire Master Plan will aim to optimize the use of the Three Lines of Defence model to support fire risk reduction and mitigation. The three lines of defence are:

  1. Public Education and Prevention;
  2. Fire Safety Standards and Code Enforcement; and,
  3. Emergency Response.

Have your say

The Oshawa community is invited to share their experience with Oshawa Fire Services by:

  • completing a feedback form here on Connect Oshawa;
  • completing a feedback form on paper at Service Oshawa (50 Centre St. S.); and/or,
  • attending a Community Information Open House between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at the Civic Recreation Complex in Meeting Rooms 4 & 5.

Feedback on this phase will be received until 4:00 p.m., Thursday, February 6 and will be considered in the development of the Draft Fire Master Plan. The Draft Fire Master Plan will be available for review and comment in March 2020.

Have a question about the Fire Master Plan? Ask it here! We'll do our best to get back to you within two business days.

Question & Answer

Ajax loader transparent
Forgot password?
Didn't receive confirmation?
Register Now
Seems like you are already registered, please provide the password. Forgot your password? Create a new one now.

  • I would like you to address the risk of fire caused by disposing of smoke alarm batteries before they run out of charge (i.e. every time the clocks are changed, whether they need to be disposed of or not). In my opinion, people should have replacement batteries on hand, and replace the batteries only when needed. If batteries are disposed of before they are discharged, there is a high risk of fire if the batteries come into contact with water or other batteries.

    JustKen asked 11 days ago

    Hi JustKen, thank you for your comments.

    Oshawa Fire Services encourages people to change their batteries when they change their clocks as a safety measure. This way people can be sure that there is a reliable power supply for life safety devices such as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

    We advise people when disposing of 9-volt batteries, that they should cover the battery contacts with electrical tape. Used/discharged batteries should not be placed into the regular garbage. Durham Region collects used/discharged batteries twice per year. Dates for curbside battery collection are noted in the Oshawa Waste Collection calendar.

  • What is a Community Risk Assessment?

    28 days ago

    A Community Risk Assessment (C.R.A.) provides insight into the local needs and circumstances of a community and is the process of identifying, analyzing, evaluating and prioritizing the probability and consequences of fire-related risks to public safety. C.R.A.s are a tool for use by Council and fire department staff to inform decisions about the provision of fire protection services. 

    As of July 1, 2019, all municipalities in Ontario must to develop a C.R.A. as required by Ontario Regulation 378/18: Community Risk Assessments. As provided by this new regulation, fire-related risks are to be assessed through the lens of nine mandatory profiles: 
    1. geographic profile; 
    2. building stock profile; 
    3. critical infrastructure profile; 
    4. demographic profile; 
    5. public safety and response profile; 
    6. community services profile; 
    7. hazard profile; 
    8. economic profile; and,
    9. past loss and event history profile. 
    Fire-related risks can be managed through a variety of strategies that include avoiding the risk, mitigating the risk, accepting the risk or transferring the risk. 

    The City of Oshawa Community Risk Assessment will be used to identify the existing and future fire-related risks within the City, and to inform the fire protection services provided by the Oshawa Fire Services (O.F.S.). 

  • What is a Fire Master Plan?

    28 days ago

    A Fire Master Plan (F.M.P.) is a strategic planning document that is intended to guide the City’s fire service for the next ten year community planning horizon in providing:
    • effective and efficient fire protection and emergency services; and,
    • the most value to the community. 

    The F.M.P. will assess the divisions, programs, efficiencies, and operations of the entire fire service including:
    • Administration; 
    • Training;
    • Fire Prevention and Public Education;
    • Fire Suppression, Station Location and Emergency Response;
    • Apparatus and Equipment;
    • Communications; and, 
    • Emergency Management.
    The F.M.P. will identify options for Council’s consideration in determining the level of programs and services to be provided by Oshawa Fire Services.

  • Why is the City undertaking a Fire Master Plan?

    28 days ago

    The City’s current F.M.P. was completed in 2013. The rate of growth within the City has exceeded what was predicted during the development of that study. As such, Council is looking to be proactive in responding to the new Community Risk Regulation 378/18 and as a result, update the current F.M.P.

    Through this fire master planning process, the City is also looking to evaluate the fire service’s current staffing and service delivery model in relation to current legislation, standards and industry best practices and further evaluate the impacts of continued community growth on the fire service as it relates high, moderate and low rates of growth and development scenarios.

  • How will the Fire Master Plan impact me?

    28 days ago

    The intent of a Fire Master Plan is to ensure that the City of Oshawa provides the most appropriate fire protection services to the community it serves based on the community’s specific needs and circumstances in the most efficient, effective and cost-beneficial way possible. Recommendations made within the Fire Master Plan will aim to reduce fire-related risk to both the public and the first responders, create a safer community, and reduce the costs associated with emergency response and property loss. Moving forward, the Plan will establish strategic priorities for Oshawa Fire Services, which will have a direct impact on the fire protection services delivered to the community.