Community Risk Assessments

Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997

ONTARIO REGULATION 378/18

COMMUNITY RISK ASSESSMENTS

Consolidation Period: From July 1, 2025 to the e-Laws currency date.

Last amendment: 378/18.

Legislative History: 378/18.

This is the English version of a bilingual regulation.

CONTENTS

Mandatory use

1. Every municipality, and every fire department in a territory without municipal organization, must,

(a)  complete and review a community risk assessment as provided by this Regulation; and

(b)  use its community risk assessment to inform decisions about the provision of fire protection services.

What it is

2. (1) A community risk assessment is a process of identifying, analyzing, evaluating and prioritizing risks to public safety to inform decisions about the provision of fire protection services.

(2) A community risk assessment must include consideration of the mandatory profiles listed in Schedule 1.

(3) A community risk assessment must be in the form, if any, that the Fire Marshal provides or approves.

When to complete (at least every five years)

3. (1) The municipality or fire department must complete a community risk assessment no later than five years after the day its previous community risk assessment was completed. O. Reg. 378/18, s. 3 (1).

(2) If a municipality, or a fire department in a territory without municipal organization, comes into existence, the municipality or fire department must complete a community risk assessment no later than two years after the day it comes into existence. O. Reg. 378/18, s. 3 (2).

(3), (4) Revoked: O. Reg. 378/18, s. 3 (4).

When to review (at least every year)

4. (1) The municipality or fire department must complete a review of its community risk assessment no later than 12 months after,

(a)  the day its community risk assessment was completed; and

(b)  the day its previous review was completed.

(2) The municipality or fire department must also review its community risk assessment whenever necessary.

(3) The municipality or fire department must revise its community risk assessment if it is necessary to reflect,

(a)  any significant changes in the mandatory profiles;

(b)  any other significant matters arising from the review.

(4) The municipality or fire department does not have to review its community risk assessment if it expects to complete a new community risk assessment on or before the day it would complete the review.

5. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Regulation).

Schedule 1
Mandatory Profiles

1. Geographic profile: The physical features of the community, including the nature and placement of features such as highways, waterways, railways, canyons, bridges, landforms and wildland-urban interfaces.

2. Building stock profile: The types of buildings in the community, the uses of the buildings in the community, the number of buildings of each type, the number of buildings of each use and any building-related risks known to the fire department.

3. Critical infrastructure profile: The capabilities and limitations of critical infrastructure, including electricity distribution, water distribution, telecommunications, hospitals and airports.

4. Demographic profile: The composition of the community’s population, respecting matters relevant to the community, such as population size and dispersion, age, gender, cultural background, level of education, socioeconomic make-up, and transient population.

5. Hazard profile: The hazards in the community, including natural hazards, hazards caused by humans, and technological hazards.

6. Public safety response profile: The types of incidents responded to by other entities in the community, and those entities’ response capabilities.

7. Community services profile: The types of services provided by other entities in the community, and those entities’ service capabilities.

8. Economic profile: The economic sectors affecting the community that are critical to its financial sustainability.

9. Past loss and event history profile: The community’s past emergency response experience, including the following analysis:

1.  The number and types of emergency responses, injuries, deaths and dollar losses.

2.  Comparison of the community’s fire loss statistics with provincial fire loss statistics.

Note: Each profile is to be interpreted as extending only to matters relevant to fire protection services.