Milton Fire Truck COURTESY Milton Fire Department
There’s a significant dip in false alarm calls for Milton Fire and Rescue Services.
The Town of Milton presented data from its annual performance report for 2022 to Milton’s Council on Monday, October 23rd. Before 2022, false alarm calls were on the rise. False alarms made up 30% of all calls for service in 2020. That rose to 42% in 2021. However, in 2022, false alarms fell dramatically to just 9%.
The Town attributes this dip to a combination of public education, by-law amendments and improved practices.
Milton Fire and Rescue Services efforts in this area included:
- Enhanced public education program about the problem of false alarm calls
- By-law amendments to charge for false alarms after the second false alarm in the same calendar year
- Enhanced education for officers on fire incident reporting, to improve data quality
- Enhanced auditing of fire incident reporting data
“It is important to monitor and report on our progress so that we stay focused on achieving our long-term vision,” says Andrew Siltala, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Town of Milton. “It’s encouraging to know that Milton Fire and Rescue Services rises to the challenge and keeps Milton safe for residents.”
Although false alarm calls declined as a share of all calls for service, overall, Milton Fire and Rescue Services received about 400 more total calls for service in 2022 than in 2021. The service received 2,377 total calls for service in 2022.
In 2022, the Town began reporting annually on a series of Council-endorsed indicators of municipal service delivery performance. This data-informed approach helps staff and Council remain focused on advancing the Town’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
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