The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) developed a comprehensive strategic plan to help ensure current and future service demands are met. A forward-looking assessment of this nature has never previously been conducted for the department.
The 2020 Strategic Direction prepares WFPS to appropriately meet current and future needs, taking into consideration three reports: the WFPS Master Plan, the Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover, and findings in the Fire Underwriters Survey.
The recommendations in each report are transformative, moving from the current state which has changed very little since unicity amalgamation in the early 1970s to a future state which includes new traffic management technology, updated performance standards and industry best practices, and preparation for a consistently growing population and the coinciding emergency call volumes.
The recommendations address serious infrastructure and operating capacity deficits that threaten the ability of the department to fulfill its response and regulatory mandates.
Note that possible implementation of any of the recommendations will be further considered by the department in subsequent strategic action plans and future budget submissions for Council’s consideration.
For a summary of the 2020 Strategic Direction, view the 2020 Strategic Direction Detail
WFPS Master Plan
The WFPS Master Plan consisted of four phases.
In the first phase, a baseline assessment of current conditions and service performance was conducted. The purpose was to assess the department’s infrastructure, operations, and service delivery in comparison to industry standards and best practices. It also created a benchmark against which future service delivery can be measured.
The project team assessed potential future community conditions, service demand, and risks in the second phase to determine what impact growth may have on planning and emergency service delivery.
In the third phase of the project, team members identified future service delivery models and associated staffing levels.
In the fourth phase, the project team recommended program, staffing, equipment, and capital facilities strategies to meet the needs of the community now and into the foreseeable future. The recommendations are intended to address current gaps where possible and to keep pace with population growth.
View the WFPS Master Plan
Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover
The Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover documents community risks, response resources, deployment strategies, and service levels. Overall, the study recommended that the WFPS should formally adopt response performance objectives; annual performance reporting; improve call-processing performance; improve turnout times; and make improvements to its facilities.
View the Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover
Fire Underwriters Survey
The Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) is a national organization of private sector property and casualty insurance providers. FUS provides data from surveys of fire protection programs throughout Canada. The results of these surveys are utilized by insurance providers to establish the Public Fire Protection Classification (PFPC) and Dwelling Protection Grade (DPG) within a community, both of which have an impact on insurance premiums of affected properties.
The PFPC grading system evaluates the ability of a community’s fire protection programs to prevent and control major fires that may occur in multi-family residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings, as well as construction developments. The PFPC is a numerical grading system scaled from 1 to 10. Class 1 is the highest grading possible, whereas Class 10 indicates that little or no fire protection is in place.
The DPG assesses the protection available for buildings such as single-family dwellings. The DPG is a numerical grading system scaled from 1 to 5. One (1) is the highest grading possible, and five (5) indicates little or no fire protection is provided.
View the Fire Underwriters Survey