Toronto Fire Services

Fire service of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Toronto Fire Services

Agency overview
Established| 1874 (as Toronto Fire Department), 1998 (as Toronto Fire Services)
Annual calls| 469,056 (2023)[1]
Employees| 3,258 (2023)[1]
Annual budget| C$524.440 million (2019)
Staffing| Career
Fire chief| Jim Jessop[2]
EMS level| First Responder
Motto| "Courage, Compassion, Service"
Facilities and equipment
Stations| 84
Engines| 86
Trucks| 6
Quints| 26
Squads| 5
Tenders| 2
HAZMAT| 4
Fireboats| 2
Website
www.toronto.ca/fire-services

Toronto Fire Services (TFS), commonly called Toronto Fire, provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario. TFS is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada and has been internationally recognized for providing world-class fire protection services.

## History

[edit]

The Bedford Park Volunteer Fire Brigade, c. 1900.

The first fire company in what is now Toronto was the York Fire Company created in 1826, followed by the Hook and Ladder Fire Company in 1831. These early companies consisted of able-bodied volunteers that were not well trained.[citation needed] A wooden pumper presented to Toronto by the British America Assurance Company c. 1837 has been preserved at Black Creek Pioneer Village.[3][relevant?]

The city's vulnerability to fire was highlighted by the Great Toronto Fire of 1849 and that of 1904. After the latter fire, which destroyed much of Bay Street from The Esplanade West to Melinda Street, Toronto's Fire Department was recognized as a critical city service.[by whom?]

With the amalgamation of Toronto, the fire departments of Metropolitan Toronto's six constituent municipalities were merged in 1998 to form Toronto Fire Services, the largest fire department in Canada[4] and the fifth-largest municipal fire department in North America.[4]

The Weston Fire Department, c. 1964.

In the 2010s, Station 424 and four pumper trucks were taken out of service and Fire District 12 was disbanded, due to budgetary constraints and obsolescence.[5] A new plan was introduced seeing to inclusion in staffing,[6] a permanent safety task force for the needs of Toronto Community Housing,[7] and a new station was opened in Downsview Park.[8][9]

TFS holds accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Centre for Public Safety Excellence, recognizing the organization's delivery of "world-class fire protection services". As of 2024, Toronto was the largest city in North America to receive international fire service accreditation.[10][11]

### Predecessor organizations

[edit]

A fire hall on Birchmount Road, which was used by the Scarborough Fire Department until its amalgamation with other Metro Toronto fire services.

#### Former borough departments

[edit]

* North York Fire Department, est. 1923 – merged seven volunteer brigades[12]
* Scarborough Fire Department, est. 1925 – replaced five volunteer bucket brigades dating to the 1850s[13]
* New Toronto Fire Department, est. 1930
* Township of Etobicoke Fire Department, est. 1955, merged with New Toronto Fire Department 1967[14][failed verification]

## Organization

[edit]

A command vehicle used by Toronto Fire leadership to coordinate activity on the scene of a large incident.

The fire chief (C1), as well as the four commanding deputy chiefs (C2 through C5), are all based at 4330 Dufferin Street, which is the central headquarters for both Toronto Fire and Toronto Paramedic Services. There are four division commanders (C6 through C9), each based in their respective commands: north, east, south and west.

### List of chiefs

[edit]

Toronto Fire Services chiefs have been promoted from within the service's ranks – with the exception of Jim Sales, who was Edmonton's fire chief (1988–2000) and Markham fire chief (2000–2001)[15] before serving as a bureaucrat and general manager of the City of Barrie.[16]

* Alan F. Speed: 1997–2003
* William A. Stewart: 2003–2012
* Jim W. Sales: 2012–2016
* Matthew Pegg: 2016–2024[17][18]
* Jim Jessop: 2024–present[19]

A firefighter from the Toronto Fire Services in firefighting gear

* Innotex – current bunker gear
* Cairns 660C Metro composite fire helmet – current fire helmet (as of June 2018)
* Drager UCF 7000 thermal imaging camera
* Globe Supreme 14 fire boot
* MSA G1 self-contained breathing apparatus

### Vehicles

[edit]

Pumper apparatus (P143)

Aerial apparatus (A312)

Light and air unit (AL114)

Rescue pumper apparatus (R112)

Hazardous materials unit (HAZ332)

Platoon chief vehicle (C30)

High rise unit (HR332)

Tower aerial apparatus (T114)

Squad heavy rescue unit (S143)

Early fire companies in Toronto used horse drawn engines and ladders. The first motorized pumper, based in the College Street station, came into use in 1911. Tiller-ladder trucks were used until the 1950s, when smaller aerial trucks were adopted to operate in narrow streets. In the 1970s, the last open air vehicles were phased out and Metro's fire departments had vehicles with fully enclosed cabs.[citation needed] In 2024, North America's first fully-electric fire truck was built for TFS.[20]

Fireboat William Lyon Mackenzie is one of two TFS fire boats.

#### Fire boats

[edit]

Main article: Fireboats of Toronto

The Toronto Fire Department and successor Toronto Fire Services has operated fire boats since 1923. The service presently has two fireboats in service: William Lyon Mackenzie, which entered service in 1964 and is the department's main fireboat and icebreaker; and William Thornton, a former Canadian Coast Guard cutter acquired by TFS in 2015.

## Fire stations

[edit]

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As of 2014, TFS operates 83 fire stations.These Fire Stations are organized into 15 districts.These Districts are located in 4 geographical divisions.Several companies have been disbanded or reassigned over the years.[21][22][needs update]

### North Command

[edit]

The North Command's office (Command 1) is located at Fire Station 114. There are 21 stations in the 3 districts of North Command. (District 12 was disbanded in 2013, its 4 stations absorbed into the surrounding districts.)

Station 121 serves the neighbourhood of Hoggs Hollow.

Station 131 is situated on Yonge Street.

Station 143 serves the neighbourhood of Clanton Park.

### East Command

[edit]

Station 227 serves the Beaches neighbourhood in Toronto.

The East Command's office (Command 2) is located at Fire Station 221. There are 22 stations in the 4 districts of East Command.

### South Command

[edit]

The South Command's office (Command 3) is located at Fire Station 332. There are 22 stations in 4 districts of South Command.

Station 312, serving the neighbourhood of Yorkville, is the oldest active fire station in Toronto.

Station 324 serves the neighbourhood of Riverdale.

Fireboats of TFS are stored at Station 334.

Station 346 is a seasonally open station based in Exhibition Place.

### West Command

[edit]

The West Command's office (Command 4) is located at Fire Station 442. There are 19 stations in the 4 districts of West Command. (Fire Station 424 at 462 Runnymede Road closed permanently in 2014.)

Station 425 serves the neighbourhood of Swansea.

Station 431 serves the Kingsway neighbourhood.

## See also

[edit]

* Canada portal
* Ontario portal

* List of historic Toronto fire stations
* Woodbine Building Supply fire

Other members of Toronto's Emergency Services structure include:

* Toronto (CAN-TF3) Heavy Urban Search and Rescue
* Toronto Paramedic Services
* Toronto Police Service

## Footnotes

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

### References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Toronto Fire Services 2023 Annual Report" (PDF). City of Toronto. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
2. ^ Lautens, Kristjan (29 November 2024). "Toronto city council names new fire chief". Retrieved 29 November 2024.
3. ^ "Fire House c.1850. Black Creek Pioneer Village. Toronto, Canada". flickr. 22 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
4. ^ a b "Fire Services – City of Toronto". Fire Services – City of Toronto. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
5. ^ "Closures report". CBC News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
6. ^ "Documentsdate=2018" (PDF). www.toronto.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
7. ^ "Documents" (PDF). www.toronto.ca. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
8. ^ Toronto, City of (1 December 2017). "Toronto Fire Services". toronto. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
9. ^ "Operating Budget Notes 2018, Toronto Fire Services" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
10. ^ "Toronto Fire services earns accredited agency status from SFAI again". Firefighting in Canada. 29 February 2024.
11. ^ Hoey, Iain (5 March 2024). "Toronto Fire SErvices achieves accredited agency status from CFIA". Fire & Safety Journal Americas.
12. ^ "North York F.D. Information". northyorkfire.org. Archived from the original on 14 February 2003. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
13. ^ "History". scarboroughfirefighters.org. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
14. ^ "New Toronto Fire Department". newtorontohistorical.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
15. ^ "Press Release|Congratulations Jim Sales!". www.barrie.ca. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
16. ^ Doolittle, Robyn (12 July 2012). "Toronto's new fire chief a top bureaucrat from Barrie". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
17. ^ "Toronto Fire Chief Jim Sales departs from role – CityNews Toronto". CityNews. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
18. ^ "Toronto Fire Services selects interim fire chief". Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs (OAFC). 2 October 2024.
19. ^ Lautens, Kristjan (29 November 2024). "Toronto city council names new fire chief". Retrieved 29 November 2024.
20. ^ Hoey, Iain (16 April 2024). "Spartan Emergency Response to showcase fully electric fire truck and other innovations at FDIC International 2024". Fire & Safety Journal Americas.
21. ^ "Fire Station Locations – Toronto Fire Services – Emergency Services | City of Toronto". toronto.ca. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
22. ^ "Toronto Fire Stations". Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.

## External links

[edit]

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