False alarm calls keep Ottawa firefighters busy

An Ottawa Fire Services investigation vehicle at the scene of a fire. (CTV News Ottawa)

False alarm calls kept Ottawa firefighters busy last year, with an average of 33 calls a day for false alarms across the City of Ottawa.

The 2025 Ottawa Fire Services annual report shows 12,013 of the 34,582 incidents responded to by firefighters last year were for false alarms.

The number of false alarm calls has increased from 8,966 in 2021 to 11,943 in 2023 and 11,827 in 2024.

“False responses are any emergency response where no actual emergency exists or no action is required,” said the report for Thursday’s emergency and protective services committee meeting.

“While this response type remained the largest incident category, the increase over 2024 was held to two per cent. Ottawa Fire Services is combining education, enforcement, technology, and data-driven follow-up, including the False Fire Alarm Strategy, to help reduce false responses.”

The Ottawa Fire Services launched a new false alarm strategy on July 1, 2024, in a bid to reduce nuisance alarms. The strategy includes fines for nuisance false alarms, with a $500 fee for a second fire alarm and $1,000 for a third false alarm.

“In its first full year, nuisance false fire alarms have remained stable compared to 2024 levels, despite an increase in overall service demand,” the report said.

“This represents a significant shift from previous trends, which saw false fire alarms increase by 33 per cent between 2021 and 2023. Since the introduction of the strategy, the stabilization of false alarm volumes demonstrates early effectiveness and highlights the positive impact of targeted education, outreach, and improved compliance among property stakeholders.”

The Ottawa Fire Services Annual Report does not say how many, if any, fines were issued for nuisance false alarms in 2025.

Increase in calls for service

The Ottawa Fire Services Communication Centre received 125,319 calls for service in 2025, up nine per cent from the 114,910 calls in 2024.

Firefighters responded to 34,582 incidents in 2025, up one per cent from 2024.

“While this represents a small increase overall in 2025, within those incidents there was an eight per cent increase in fire responses and another three per cent increase in fire-related responses,” the report said.

“The service recognizes that modern construction materials and building methods continue to contribute to hotter, faster‑spreading fires that demand rapid, well‑coordinated intervention and sustained demand for medical response services.”

The report shows firefighters responded to 1,521 fires in 2025, up from 1,412 fires in 2024. There were 2,530 fire-related calls last year, up from 2,451 calls in 2024.

The fire service reported a 26 per cent increase in Hazmat calls in 2025 to 1,574 incidents, while there was a 12 per cent increase in rescue calls last year.

According to the report, firefighters responded to nearly 1,000 fewer medical calls in 2025.

“Medical responses decreased by 12 per cent, returning closer to pre-2024 levels as a result of service improvements made by the Ottawa Paramedic Service to system performance and availability.”

The report says alcohol and drug-related calls were “significantly lower” in 2025.

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