Ottawa fire received fewer calls in 2020 as people spent more time at home
Ottawa firefighters responded to fewer calls for service in 2020, as many residents spent more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, a new report says there was a significant increase in the severity of the incidents responded to by firefighters last year, including water and ice rescues.
The Ottawa Fire Service 2020 Annual Report shows firefighters responded to 22,582 incidents last year, down 13.2 per cent from 2019. There were a total of 63,784 vehicle responses in 2020, down 12 per cent from the year before.
"This is the first time since 2014 that Ottawa Fire Services has experienced this level of response volume," said the report for the community and protective services committee.
"This decrease is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic along with the implementation and enforcement of various emergency orders which resulted in the closure of non-essential workplaces and more residents spending more time at home."
Here is a look at the top five response types for Ottawa firefighters in 2020:
- False alarm: 8,531
- Medical: 3,410
- Rescue: 2,932
- Miscellaneous: 2,734
- Fire related: 2,664
Firefighters responded to 1,086 fires in 2020, up from 1,008 calls in 2019.
The report says while there was a decrease in calls, there was a significant increase in the severity of the incidents being responded to.
"In 2020, Ottawa Fire Services responded to 176 water/ice rescues that represents an increase of 28 per cent compared to 2019," said the report.
"Ottawa Fire Services worked as part of the Ottawa Drowning Prevention Coalition (ODPC) to increase awareness around the importance of water safety through social media campaigns, media events, handouts, and colouring books for children."
911 CALLS
Ottawa's 911 line saw a drop in calls in 2020.
There were 294,259 calls to 911 last year, compared to 303,328 calls in 2019.
A report for the community and protective services committee says 64 per cent of 911 calls were for Ottawa Police, compared to 30.5 per cent for the Ottawa Paramedic Service and 3.1 per cent for fire.
Staff say there was a slight decrease in 911 calls in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and most residents staying home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.