Rec #

#	Recommendation	Management Response	Est Comp Date	Status Updates (In Progress; Pending; Complete; Requires Resolution)
4	That the Ottawa Fire Service develop an annual reporting mechanism to provide Council with regular information on overall Branch performance against objectives and performance measures, including the results of all major fire events.	Management agrees with the recommendation. Ottawa Fire Service will report annually, through Standing Committee, as directed above including updates on Branch performance and a consolidated summary of major events from the previous year in Q2 each year. In addition, Fire Services will continue to report its performance through the existing mechanisms such as the Corporate Annual Report, OMBI Annual Report and the Quarterly Performance Report to Council.	Q4 2007	December 2009: In Progress. The first annual report was delivered to Community and Protective Services Committee on September 3, 2009. Further work will be undertaken in 2010 to fully meet the intent of the recommendation. June 2009: The annual reporting mechanism and implementation plan have been completed. The first annual report is scheduled for CPS committee on August 20, 2009. December 2008: Fire Services is continuing to develop the annual reporting mechanism and implementation plan. The first annual report is expected to come forward to Council in Q2 2009. August 2008: Fire Services is currently developing the annual reporting mechanism and implementation plan. This will be reviewed by FMT in September 2008. The first annual report is expected to come forward to Council in Q2 2009.
11	That the Ottawa Fire Service pursue the development of a public education program related to false alarms.	Management agrees with the recommendation. Fire Services will be reporting back in Q4 2007 to Standing Committee after completing a follow up review of findings from comparable municipalities who have recently implemented false alarm programs to determine feasibility of a program in Ottawa.	Q4 2007	December 2009: In Progress. A report with respect to a public education campaign in relation to false alarms has been written and is scheduled to come forward in Q2 2010. June 2009: In 2008, Fire Services developed its "top -10 properties initiative" to identify problem properties. A targeted education program for properties is being developed and will be rolled out in Q3 2009. December 2008: To be pursued in Q3 2009. August 2008: To be reviewed in Q4 2008.
13 13	That the Ottawa Fire Service develop a consolidated Long-Range Strategic Plan that outlines its future role and its strategy regarding the types of resources, training and skills that will be required in the future to best ensure public safety.	Management agrees with the recommendation. Ottawa Fire Services is in the initial stages of planning and has begun to develop a format and approach for the next stages for longer range planning anticipated to be complete in 2008.	Q4 2008	December 2009: In Progress. Ottawa Fire Services completed a strategic plan process resulting in a draft report. The next steps include finalizing the plan and presenting it to Council by the end of Q4 2011. June 2009: In Progress. Workflow planning is complete. A draft consolidated strategic plan should be finalized in Q4 2009. December 2008: Deloitte has been retained to undertake this work. Expected completion is Q2 2009. Resources approved in the 2008 capital project closure process in May 2008. Terms of Reference complete and in the process of assigning resources.
14	That the Ottawa Fire Service revise its management structure by creating additional managerial positions below the Deputy Chief position, by utilizing existing vacancies.	Management agrees with the recommendation in principle. The Ottawa Fire Services Branch agrees that additional managerial positions are required below the Deputy Chief position, however the issue is currently before an Interest Board of Arbitration regarding the Collective Agreement between the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Professional Firefighters’ Association.	Q4 2007	December 2009: In Progress. This will be a consideration of the new Fire Chief. June 2009: Fire management is working on a proposal with respect to a reorganized structure. Positions are currently being prepared through Job Evaluation. Once completed, discussions with the Fire union are still required. December 2008: Implementation of this recommendation is being reviewed as part of the corporate realignment initiative. Expected completion is Q2 2009. November 21, 2008: Update provided to CAWG. Implementation of this recommendation is underway and is being reviewed as part of the corporate realignment initiative. August 2008: Arbitrator has ruled. Update to be provided to CAWG. May 2008: Pending arbitrator's award.
15 15 15	That the Ottawa Fire Services explore other potential opportunities to revise its management structure including: a) Assigning Platoon Chiefs to non-shift regular hours; and, b) Exchanging the existing non-unionized Rural Sector Chief positions with the existing Platoon Chief positions.	a) Management disagrees with the recommendation. The Collective Agreement between the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Professional Firefighters’ Association and the Fire Protection and Prevention Act prescribe the hours of work and shift rotation to be utilized in the Fire Service Suppression and Operations’ Divisions. Accordingly, it would not be possible to assign these individuals to non-shift hours. To remove the position from the Platoon would require the consent of the Firefighters' Association, as it would be a collective bargaining issue. Secondly, It is important to note that the Platoon Chief is the single person in charge of each of four platoons in the 24/7 operations. They are the most senior person on duty citywide – including the rural areas, in the absence of Fire management, to provide oversight on behalf of the City. While management advocate that additional management positions are required overall per Auditor recommendation #14, the operations require oversight at the Platoon Chief level 24/7. b) Management disagrees with the recommendation. Currently Ottawa Fire Service enjoys the service of a successful Volunteer Complement of approximately 400 Firefighters. At amalgamation, after careful consideration, a decision was made to create the rural management positions as excluded from any bargaining unit. The Rural Sector Chief is a unique position that manages the recruitment, training, retention, oversight and termination of volunteer (non-unionized) firefighters. Their job is non-traditional in nature where they manage operations as well as act as a community liaison between the community they serve and the Ottawa Fire Service. Their hours are irregular by definition with training and other work required in the evenings and weekends when the volunteers are available after traditional work hours. This particular job type does not fit within the Collective Agreement between the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Professional Firefighters’ Association and it is appropriate that the Rural Sector Chief positions remain Management and Professional Exempt (MPE) positions.	Q4 2007	December 2009: In Progress. This will be a consideration of the new Fire Chief. June 2009: a) In Progress. This recommendation can be implemented via the establishment of Assistant Deputy Chief (MPE) positions as authorized by the 2008 arbitration which is being reviewed as part of the next phase of the corporate realignment process. The establishment of the MPE positions must be pursued via negotiation with the Association and implementation is subject to challenge by the Association. Fire Services plan to resume discussions with the Association upon the hiring of the new Fire Chief which is expected in Q3 2009. The timing of the establishment of the MPE positions is dependent on the status of discussions with the union, but staff is targeting an implementation date of Q2 2010. b) Pending. Subject to implementation of Recommendation 15a) with the establishment of MPE Assistant Deputy Chief positions, there will be no need to exchange non-unionized Rural Sector positions with the existing Platoon Chief position as the intent of the recommendation will be achieved via creation of the new Assistant Deputy Chief positions subject to the timelines highlighted in Recommendation 15a) above. December 2008: a) Implementation of this recommendation is being reviewed as part of the corporate realignment initiative. Expected completion is Q2 2009. b) Update provided to CAWG on November 21, 2008. Implementation of this recommendation is underway and is being reviewed as part of the corporate realignment initiative. Expected completion is Q2 2009. August 2008: Arbitrator has ruled. Update to be provided to CAWG. May 2008: Pending. This recommendation was discussed at the CAWG and it will be revisited once the ruling comes down from the arbitrator. For future discussion at Council Audit Working Group as above.
16	That the City realign its Labour Relations resources in order to provide additional support to the OFS.	Management agrees with the recommendation. LR Management agrees with the recommendation in principle, however resource constraints preclude any action being taken at this time.		December 2009: In Progress. Labour Relations recognizes the needs of Ottawa Fire Services and has re-aligned internal resources until the Shared Services review is completed. The re-alignment has assigned additional LR resources to OFS and weekly on-site meetings are taking place. June 2009: A shared services model is still being developed as a part of the corporate realignment initiative. December 2008: An enhanced service delivery model in Q2 2009 will have both a Senior LRC (not entirely dedicated) and a LRC assigned to the OFS portfolio. Two Senior LRC positions were requested through the 2009 budget process and were deferred. The positions are still under review and may be resolved through the shared services restructuring model, which is currently underway and is expected to be complete in Q1 2009. August 2008: Employee Services Update - Enhanced service delivery model in Q2 to have both a Senior LRC (not entirely dedicated) and a LRC assigned to OPFFA portfolio. Senior LRC has been requested through the 2009 budget process.
17 17	That the Ottawa Fire Service develop a set of core competencies for all officer positions and incorporate these into the job requirements in order to better facilitate merit-based promotions and succession planning.	Management agrees with the recommendation. It is important to note that the incorporation of competencies into the job requirements will require a major concession with respect to the provisions of the Collective Agreement between the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Professional Firefighters’ Association - which continues to advocate promotions based on seniority rather than on merit. Consequently, in order to enhance the promotional system in this manner, a revision to the Collective Agreement is required. In the interim Fire management believes that identification of core competencies for various job types in the Branch will allow the Service to provide training around those core competencies in an effort to ensure that although staff are currently being promoted to a great extent on a seniority basis, they have acquired the skills necessary to do the job. To accomplish this recommendation, significant support and expertise from the Employee Services COE will be required.	Q4 2008	December 2009: In Progress. This issue was successfully negotiated and signed off on April 17, 2009. Union and management have formed a committee to develop a revised promotional system. The promotions process review committee findings will address merit based promotion and succession planning issues. OFS Management expect a report from the committee in 2010. June 2009: This issue was successfully negotiated and signed off on April 17th, 2009. It was agreed that the union and management would form a committee to develop a revised promotional system. To date the committee has been struck and the first meeting has occurred. December 2008: Twelve core competencies have been identified consistent with the Ontario Fire Services Standards for Officers. In order to implement the remainder of this recommendation, an amendment to the current collective agreement would be required. This is presently being negotiated as part of the current round of collective bargaining.
18 18	That the Ottawa Fire Service: a) examine the business processes related to incident reporting to ensure all information is captured as efficiently and effectively as possible; b) explore the potential to consolidate its information systems activities on a Branch-wide basis; and, c) in concert with Employee Services, integrate the Volunteer payroll with the corporate payroll system.	a) Management agrees with the recommendation. Fire Services is currently undergoing a business process review related to incident reporting in an effort to improve the process for capturing information and to assist in ensuring accuracy. b) Management agrees with the recommendation. Ottawa Fire Service contemplates being able to achieve consolidation of information on a branch-wide basis with the full implementation of all modules within their RMS anticipated for 2009. c) Management agrees with the recommendation. The City is currently exploring alternate options for paying the volunteer firefighters.		December 2009: In Progress. c) Work to transfer the pay data has been completed by both Ottawa Fire Services and the Payroll Division. It is anticipated that the first volunteer payroll will be run in Q2 2010. June 2009: c) The SAP group and payroll divisions have been given all of the requirements and are currently calculating the length of time it will take to complete the build. December 2008: a) COMPLETE - Fire Services and Employee Services are working with IT to assess the feasibility of implementing the recommendation. In compliance with the Corporate Value Management Process, a business case was completed at the end of 2008 to determine the relative priority of deploying the proposed solution. b) COMPLETE - Fire Department Management - Fire Services has eliminated previous manual and electronic processes and has migrated all branch-wide reporting to the Fire Services records management software system. All inputting and reporting is contained within one system with new modules being added as required. c) Payroll update: An IT project was initiated to explore alternate options for paying volunteer firefighters. The project is currently in the analysis and business case evaluation phase. A design has been approved and data specification will be completed by the end of February 2009. It is anticipated that the SAP build component will be completed by Q3 2009. In addition, the Fire Department Management (FDM) system requires adjustment to automate an interface from FDM to SAP. The timeline for completion of this build is yet to be determined. August 2008: a) Fire Services and Employee Services are working with ITS to assess the feasibility of implementing the recommendation. In compliance with the Corporate Value Management Process, a business case will be prepared by year-end 2008 to determine the relative priority of deploying the proposed solution. b) Complete - Fire Department Management - RMS position vacant since February 2007, filled as of April 2008. c) Further discussions are required to determine the feasibility of this initiative. Payroll update January 2009 - This request is in progress and the initiative is undergoing the same analysis and business case evaluation as all other Info Technology requests. The request is to have this solution in place by Q3 2009.
19 19	That the Community and Protective Service Department: i) explore the potential for integrating its management information activities ii) and consolidating its communications centre operations on a department-wide basis.	i) Management agrees with the recommendation. Currently, Ottawa Fire Service has implemented five modules within their RMS: incident reporting, prevention (inspections/property module), training, personnel, and permits modules. Currently being implemented is the asset management/preventive maintenance module with early meetings beginning to look at implementing the Roster Module, which is expected to be operational within the next 24 months. With this information available, Fire Services could provide performance reporting against performance standards in addition to the reports currently being provided per the Auditor’s recommendation 3 & 4. This information could be reported on a branch basis in Q1 2008. ii) Management does not agree with the recommendation. A consultant’s report completed at amalgamation recommended that the Emergency Services consider co-locating their communication centres. However, preliminary costs for a consolidated communication centre were projected to be considerable and far outweighed the benefits the City was likely to realize. A significant benefit of consolidating a communication centre is the capability to share information. This has been achieved by the implementation of the new Fire CAD system, which is the same system that Ottawa Police use and now both services are sharing information and resources where appropriate. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) controls the Paramedic Communication Centre, although managed by the City of Ottawa, under a contract to the Province. Consequently, any changes to the Centre operations require approval by the Province. Some improvements have been made with information sharing by the limited implementation of the corporate radio system to the Paramedic Service. In addition, current technology allows for a seamless delivery of service to the citizens of Ottawa through the 911 system operated under contract by the Ottawa Police Service. Finally, a recent benchmarking review of seven By-law Services in the Province, revealed that it is not a best practice to co-locate By-law dispatching services with other City services.		December 2009: In Progress. In Q3 2009, the newly formed Emergency Protective Services received a report from an external consultant outlining the options and associated cost estimates for the construction of a consolidated dispatch. After a review of the report by all emergency services partners and select non-emergency partners it was determined that there are a series of potential opportunities to enhance interoperability and information sharing beyond just the consolidation of dispatch centres. Meetings between partners have been initiated. Once the partners have identified a series of options to enhance the interoperability and information sharing between services a report to all impacted governance bodies will be presented. June 2009: The Community and Protective Services department has been realigned as part of the corporate realignment and an Emergency and Protective Services department has been created encompassing Fire, Paramedics, By-law and Regulatory Services and Integrated Public Safety. This new department has been tasked with investigating opportunities to integrated and enhance service delivery. The new EPS department will be receiving a report on the potential to consolidate dispatch centres in Q3 2010. December 2008: The Asset Management/Preventative Maintenance Module is 25% implemented but is not ready to roll out. It is expected that this module will not be fully completed until Q4 2011. The focus for 2009 will be on implementing the Roster Module. Due to staffing vacancies, the Roster Module will not commence implementation until Q4 2009 with full implementation expected in Q3 2010 (see recommendation 20). August 2008: Due to staffing vacancies the rostering module cannot be undertaken until 2009 (see #20). February 25, 2008: CAWG Resolution: Part ii) Complete - Agreed to with the AG that Council has directed that this be reviewed. AG is going to look at the progress made in 2009 workplan. Report on consolidated dispatch, presently being undertaken by a consultant and is due in Q2 2009.
20	That the Ottawa Fire Service pursue the implementation of the Rostering module on a priority basis and ensure that adequate orientation and training is provided to staff to facilitate its acceptance and use.	Management agrees with the recommendation. To implement the Rostering module within the RMS planned by Dec 31, 2008. In order to complete the implementation of the Rostering module, Fire Services will need to: Upgrade the version of RMS from 4.2 to 6.0 (estimated time to do this is 1 year - IT resources are required for this) as FDM is currently only releasing Rostering in version 6.0. Hire a project and consultant team to train staff and resolve the issues. A work plan is currently being drafted. A dedicated FTE is required to manage on an ongoing basis.	Q4 2009	December 2009: In Progress. The implementation of this recommendation is dependant on the software vendor releasing a new version of the rostering module. Further, this recommendation is lower priority than other items on the 2010 work plan. June 2009: Ottawa Fire is waiting for the vendor to release the new version of the rostering module (expected to be released July 31, 2009). December / August 2008: The IT business case was approved in April 2008. The rollout of the software has been delayed by the vendor with implementation to commence Q4 2009 with full implementation by Q3 2010.