To develop the plan, POMAX Consulting completed a detailed analysis that included:
- Reviewing several years of fire service data and response records.
- Comparing this information with community trends such as population growth, new development, land-use changes, demographics, and economic activity.
- Identifying patterns in incident types, response times, and outcomes.
- Establishing a risk profile based on these findings.
Master plans are built on data, analysis, quantified risk, available options, and associated costs. Using this information—along with population and demographic forecasts from Statistics Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the Municipality—the plan identifies the staffing, equipment, and facilities needed to meet community needs over the next decade.
The development of Central Elgin’s Fire Master Plan also included a Community Risk Assessment, as required under Ontario Regulation 378/18 of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. This assessment, along with Integrated Risk Management Planning techniques, informed the final recommendations.
Central Elgin updates its Fire Master Plan approximately every 10 years, which is considered best practice in Ontario. The current plan was formally commissioned by Council and provides a set of recommendations to guide decision-making for the next decade.