| Description: |
In October 2012, the Ottawa Police, Fire and Paramedic services signed the Tiered Response Activation Agreement. The agreement sets out guiding principles to ensure that the right emergency services arrive at the right location at the right time in response to emergencies. The three services agreed to the following commitments:
- ensure the timely availability of emergency responders and resources to safely and efficiently mitigate public safety emergencies;
- dispatch properly trained and equipped emergency responders to the scene of public safety emergencies; and
- support public and emergency responder safety.
A project team made up of representatives from the Ottawa Police, Fire and Paramedic services will implement the agreement and measure progress. The team will conduct a review of each service’s current standard operating procedures and protocols, developing and revising them as needed. This exercise, which is currently underway, will also identify the resources required to enforce the Tiered Response Activation Agreement. The project team will also develop a “tiered response de-escalation” agreement to ensure that, as situations are assessed, the appropriate emergency services and resources are reduced and ultimately released so that they can respond to the next request for service in the community.
This initiative will formalize the coordination of tiered response activities, making Ottawa the only municipality in Ontario to have an all-encompassing tiered response activation agreement that extends beyond medical calls. This initiative is part of another Ottawa initiative, Collaboration and Efficiency Opportunities within Emergency Services (also referenced in this Index). |