Budget - Fire Services

The Peterborough Fire Services division provides fire protection services including suppression, public fire and life safety education, training, communications, fire prevention, Fire Code inspections and fire cause determination/investigations. The Division also provides fire suppression and public fire and life safety services utilizing the three lines of defense as recognized by the Fire Protection and Prevention Act:

• Public Education
• Fire Safety Standards and Enforcement
• Fire and Emergency Response

Interactive Budget

Explore the City's budget using the interactive OpenBook feature, including expenses by department and division as well as a breakdown of what a typical residential property taxpayer pays per $100,000 of assessment.

• Expenses page - Fire Services in OpenBook

The full budget information is available in the Draft 2025 Budget book.

Highlights

Approximately 85% of the PFS Operating Budget is applied to salaries and benefits. PFS staff includes a Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Manager of Staffing and Logistics, 1.6 FTE Administrative Assistants and 113 FTEs in Suppression and Support Services. In 2025, PFS will continue to focus on succession planning and provincially mandated training requirements.

PFS provides fire and emergency dispatch/communication services to all municipalities within the County of Peterborough, Northumberland County and the City of Belleville. PFS requires two additional Fire Alarm Room Operators to meet to growing call volume for dispatch services. The cost of the two dispatchers is offset by dispatch revenues.

PFS continues to operate a Technical Level Hazmat Program. All related training and equipment costs are funded by the Province.

The 2025 budget includes two new staff positions, Alarm Operators, required to meet the growing call volume for dispatch services and is funded by a dispatch contract with another municipality.

Fire Fighter Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective turnout gear will be purchased to protect firefighters from immediately dangerous to life hazards. PPE has an operational life of 5-10 years and includes specially designed pants and coats, gloves, helmets, boots and other protective clothing to fire service standards. This program allows for the replacement of decommissioned PPE to ensure firefighters are suitably equipped to remain in-service when their primary set of PPE has been taken out of service for cleaning and/or repairs. Supplying the additional set of required PPE to each firefighter is mandated by the Ministry of Labour.

This program also covers the purchase of various firefighting equipment such as:

• Power tools, hose, nozzles and related tools and equipment
• Training props for safe fire and rescue training operations
• Replacement of specialty rescue equipment and trailer
• Water/ice rescue equipment

Fire Apparatus Replacement/Additions

The ongoing replacement of apparatus will lower maintenance costs in future years. To meet the proposed capital expenditures, the annual contribution of $300,000 from the operating budget to the Fire Vehicle Equipment Reserve Fund will need to be maintained.

The current aerial apparatus is fifteen years old and would move to be the reserve aerial. The 1992 aerial is over thirty years old and requires replacement in 2025 and would be capable of performing rescue and suppression with an onboard pump and water with an articulating platform boom.