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Town receives Community Risk Assessment report

July 5, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The town of New Tecumseth Council received a report by the Emergency Management Group detailing Community Risk Assessment and the Fire Master Plan during a Committee of the Whole working meeting on Monday, June 24.

The Ontario Fire Marshall requires every municipality in Ontario to complete a Community Risk Assessment by July 1, 2024, with the plan to be reviewed annually.

Completing a Community Risk Assessment (CRA) allows the municipality and its fire service to make sound decisions on the fire protection it will provide to its residents.

Emergency Management Group Inc. completed the CRA for the Town of New Tecumseth and New Tecumseth Fire Rescue.

New Tecumseth coordinated a joint Request for Proposal with the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio and the Township of Essa for the completion of these plans for each of the three municipalities.

The CRA has recommendations based on the Three Lines of Defence.

These are public fire safety education, Fire Code inspection enforcement, and emergency response. 

The CRA examines nine different areas that assess the Three Lines of Defence.

A geographic profile is a general overview of the community’s geography including topography, waterways and wetlands, and the road system and identifies any related challenges.

A building stock profile assesses the building stock within the community and identifies the risks posed by each occupancy’s classification.

The critical infrastructure profile examines risks that may or could exist in critical infrastructure.

The demographic profile identifies age groups, economic, visible minorities and Indigenous people and any associated risks.

A hazard profile analyses the critical hazards of the township based on data found in the Township’s Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.

The public safety response profile examines the response capabilities of safety organizations such as fire, police, and EMS while identifying any issues and concerns. Also reviewed are non-emergency agencies including power, natural gas, and telecommunications.

There is a community services profile offered by non-government organizations.

An economic profile identifies challenges relating to a community’s economic sustainability if an event occurs, such as a loss of power, telecommunications, water, and weather.

The report listed several potential risk areas including industry, hazardous material incidents, domestic terrorism, bodies of water, weather events, and technical rescues which require special skills.

The report did note the fact that the CP Railway runs through town creating an increased risk due to the transport of hazardous materials and a risk of derailment.

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