Item - 2019.EC8.13

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Fire Chief and General Manager, Toronto Fire Services to report back to City Council in advance of the commencement of the 2021 budget process with recommendations for further Inspection and/or Quality Assurance (QA) Inspection Review Audit service level enhancements.

This report responds to City Council direction related to the Auditor General's 2018 report AU13.11 "Raising the Alarm: Fraud Investigation of a Vendor Providing Life Safety Inspection Services to the City of Toronto."

In response to this report, the Audit Committee, at its meeting of July 13, 2018, requested the Fire Chief and General Manager, Toronto Fire Services, to outline operational and financial implications for options related to the assessment of fire safety and compliance with the Ontario Fire Code in buildings within Toronto. Toronto Fire Services (TFS) provided three options designed to enhance annual inspection services. At its meeting of July 23, 2018, City Council endorsed Option 1 which included the assignment of 11 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) to the TFS Quality Assurance (QA) section effective September 1, 2018.

City Council further requested the Fire Chief and General Manager, Toronto Fire Services to report back to City Council in advance of the 2020 budget process with respect to outcomes and analysis of the enhanced service levels.

With the addition of 11 FTEs assigned to the TFS QA section, TFS estimated the completion of 80 QA Inspection Review Audits in the fourth quarter of 2018 and 325 QA Inspection Reviews in 2019 and annually thereafter. QA Inspection Review Audits involve a systematic and comprehensive review of all aspects of Ontario Fire Code compliance for a given building, including the associated processes completed by third-party contractors.

TFS has been delayed in achieving the original estimated number of QA Inspection Review Audits as a result of previously unanticipated workloads associated with completing the required re-inspections arising out of the Auditor General's 2018 report "Raising the Alarm: Fraud Investigation of a Vendor Providing Life Safety Inspection Services to the City of Toronto".  

At this time, TFS intends to maintain the current service level, and continue to analyze the data from the QA Inspection Review Audits, for the purposes of determining, what if any enhancements to the inspection services would be appropriate. TFS intends to complete this process, and be in a position to advise concerning further service level enhancements, including inspections and/or QA Inspection Review Audits, for the 2021 budget process.