City of Surrey's 2022-2026 Financial Plan

FIRE

2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

INCLUSION

• Continued to work on behalf of the City Manager and BC Emergency Health Services (“BCEHS”) to establish collaborative working groups to seek alternative, more efficient approaches for Fire Services and Ambulance Services involvement

in responding to medical emergencies in Surrey;

Facilitated Women in Firefighting workshops throughout the year to develop

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diverse candidates for firefighter recruitment;

43% of dispatch and firefighter recruits hired in 2021 were diverse candidates; and Completed staff training that focused on the importance of inclusivity and maintaining a respectful workplace.

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Surrey Fire hosts these events throughout the year as a component of Surrey’s Employment Diversity Program

BUILT ENVIRONMENT & NEIGHBOURHOODS

• The Community Property Safety Team (“CPST”) treats distressed properties with an immediate focus on unsecured or breached abandoned residentialproperties by ensuring that property owners maintain their properties in a safety-focused manner to reduce the risk of fire, loss of life or injury. Since inception, 927 properties have been identified by the CPST, 550 of those properties were demolished by their owners, and 128 properties re-invested. These continued efforts have decreased fire rates by 88% from 11.2 abandoned structure fires per 100 structure fires in 2019 to 1.3 abandoned structure fires per 100 structure fires in 2021. The program’s success at identifying distressed properties through the use of predictive modeling combined with progressive security measures, targeted inspections, and reporting of security breaches by fire crews has resulted in this dramatic reduction in abandoned structure fires.

City of Surrey | 2022—2026 Financial Plan | General Operating Fund | Fire

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