Ottawa firefighters see spike in demand in 2024

Firefighters responded to a fire in a four-storey apartment building on St. Patrick Street Tuesday night. (Scott Stilborn/Ottawa Fire Services)

Ottawa firefighters continued to meet its response time targets in 2024, despite responding to 1,200 more incidents across the city last year

The Ottawa Fire Services 2024 annual report shows firefighters responded to 34,372 incidents in 2024, up from 33,120 incidents in 2023 and 28,663 in 2022.

“(The increase) is attributable to a variety of factors, including population growth, urban intensification, materials used in new construction creating hotter and faster spreading fires, and the ongoing demand for medical response services,” the report says.

“In 2024, the Ottawa Fire Services continued to successfully meet the council-approved response times, ensuring timely and efficient emergency responses.”

Firefighters responded to 1,408 fires last year, up from 1,304 in 2023 and 1,179 in 2022. The Ottawa Fire Services report shows there were 8,307 medical call responses last year, up from 7,011 in 2023 and 5,651 in 2022.

There were 85,511 apparatus responses from firefighters in 2024, down from 85,910 in 2023.

The Ottawa Fire Services Communications Centre received 114,851 calls in 2024, up from 106,772 calls the previous year.

“This rise in call volume is being observed across all emergency services,” the report says. “For Ottawa Fire Services, there was an 18 per cent increase in medical calls under the tiered response agreement. A tiered response involves the coordinated efforts of the three emergency services to various types of medical emergencies.”

Ottawa Fire Services says there were 12 fire and incident-related fatalities in Ottawa last year.

Drop in false alarm calls

While firefighters responded to more incidents in 2024, there was a drop in false alarm calls last year.

The report shows there were 11,827 false alarm calls in 2024, down from 11,943 in 2023.

“This decrease is largely attributed to the False Fire Alarm Strategy that went into effect on July 1, 2024,” the report says. “The program is anticipated to result in fewer nuisance false fire alarms over the next few years. The initial steps involve communications and education of building owners and managers.”

The False Alarm Strategy includes fines for nuisance false fire alarms, with a $500 fee for a second fire alarm and $1,000 fine for a third false alarm.

Response times

The report says the Ottawa Fire Services met its response time standards in 2024.

The report shows firefighters responded to calls classified as “Fire: Maximum Risk” in 3 minutes and 43 minutes in 2024, below the baseline of 5 minutes and 33 seconds. Firefighters responded to calls classified as “Fire: Low-Risk” in an average of 7 minutes and 21 seconds last year, below the baseline of 7 minutes and 29 seconds. Response times for “Fire: Moderate Risk” and “Fire: High Risk” were slightly above the baseline.

The report says the total volume of emergency calls has a “direct impact on response times.”

“Ongoing construction and road closures also affect response capabilities. Detours and restricted routes can delay response vehicles, requiring Ottawa Fire Services to continually adjust to changing traffic patterns,” the report says.

“Response times are additionally influenced by time of day, with peak traffic congestion during rush hours and potential visibility and staffing challenges during nighttime hours. Severe weather events, including heavy snowfall, ice storms, and flooding, present further risks to timely response. Hazardous road conditions, reduced visibility, and other environmental factors necessitate additional caution. Moreover, urban traffic congestion associated with population growth and increased density contributes to longer travel times, highlighting the need for efficient routing and real-time traffic updates.”