About the Project:
The City of Belleville’s Fire & Emergency Services department has undertaken a Fire Master Plan to assist the City in establishing a long-term strategy for fire and emergency services based on community risk, safety, corporate priorities and council-approved budget allocations. The document has been approved by Council and be used as a tool to evaluate and forecast immediate and future emergency service needs of the community.
The Approach:
Behr Integrated Solutions Inc. was awarded the contract in 2022 and work began immediately. The process was broken into three phases:
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Planning – Organizing and defining goals/objectives of the plan.
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Analysis – Collecting data, conducting a community risk assessment, defining programs and/or system requirements and preparing the plan.
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Implementation – While making sure to revisit and evaluate community risks and the plan itself on an ongoing basis.
In order to develop the plan, a number of consultations and comparisons were conducted by the project team, including: a community and fire station tour, a Fire Master Plan workshop with labour union leaders and other representatives of the Belleville Fire & Emergency Services, targeted interviews, an online firefighter survey and a comparative analysis of other similar-sized municipal fire and emergency services departments.
Using the findings gathered throughout the planning and analysis process, a number of observations and recommendations were developed by the team. A copy of the approved plan is now available.
Highlights:
Within the Fire Master Plan document, there are numerous operational and strategic recommendations which are key to improving the level of service. The below strategic initiatives are a direct result of the master plan recommendations. They create a path forward for creating a more efficient and effective response force for Belleville Fire & Emergency Services.
| Review of Fire Dispatch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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With the onset of new government regulations, it was determined that contracting out fire dispatch services was the most beneficial option for the City. This move alleviated multi-million dollar upgrades to the fire dispatch centre and re-focused staffing on emergency response. This initiative was successfully negotiated in 2023 with the firefighters association and fire dispatch has already transitioned to Peterborough Fire Services. |
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| Additional Supervisory Roles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The consultant identified the need for additional oversight within the fulltime fire suppression ranks to improve staff safety and generate efficiencies in the day-to-day operations. As part of the fire dispatch negotiations, four new supervisory positions have been created and already implemented. This new position, holding the rank of Platoon Chief, is a roaming command officer available to respond anywhere within the City limits. |
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| Update of Establishing and Regulating By-law | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A review and update of the regulating by-law for which Council determines the level of service. Current services, future needs and gap analysis will be conducted by staff for Council approval. The level of service will look at responses to fires, motor vehicle collisions, technical rescues, hazardous material response and marine response, as well as the fire prevention and public education programs. |
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| Station Location Study | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Staff will further assess the recommendations from the master plan with regards to the current state of fire stations and determine the optimal path forward for which stations require replacement, as well as where the most suitable location shall be based on a fully integrated fire service. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fully Integrated Fire Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Historically, Belleville Fire & Emergency Services has operated two fire departments. This included a fulltime service in the urban area and a volunteer service in the rural area. It was clearly identified that there are many efficiencies in operating a true composite service where resources are shared to achieve service excellence. This recommendation was not only found in the master plan but was also a clear directive from Mayor and Council. Many initiatives are now underway to achieve an integrated service, with more work to come. The following outlines some of these initiatives:
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| Tax Implications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Area Rating Tax rates can vary throughout the four billing areas within the municipality due to a process called “area rating” which provides a way for taxpayers to pay for the services they actually receive. When Council establishes the annual budget, each area is impacted by the budgets for the services they receive. The fire service is one of these area rated services, with the tax billing area of Belleville Urban and Cannifton Urban paying for the urban fire/fulltime fire budget costs, and Cannifton Rural and Belleville Rural paying for the rural fire/volunteer fire budget costs. For proper fire response and the adequate protection of persons and property in the community, the Fire Master Plan recommended an increased response area throughout the current Cannifton Rural tax billing area. With this area being provided urban fire service, it was important that the taxation of these properties be adjusted for the service they are provided. This will result in approximately 2,100 properties moving to the Cannifton Urban tax area in 2025. It is important to note that by adjusting the tax boundary, there is no additional tax revenues derived for the City. However, this change means a redistribution in the taxes that each area will pay for the services they are receiving. Residential Tax Impacts (Total Taxes) Ultimately, the result of the 2,100 properties moving to urban taxation, means that both urban tax billing areas will see relief from these Cannifton Rural properties moving to Cannifton Urban and paying for the urban fire budget. Those in the rural tax billing area will see increased rates because these 2,100 properties that are moving tax tables will no longer being paying for rural fire service costs. Given the proportionate costs of service, the approximately 2,100 properties moving from Cannifton Rural to Cannifton Urban will see the greatest impact, however will now be paying for and receiving this higher service level. Based on 2024 property taxes, the estimated impact on each billing table and the properties moving for Cannifton Rural to Cannifton Urban will be as follows (based on a $250,000 residential assessment):
Given the magnitude of these changes, the shift in billing is being proposed over a five-year phase-in period. This will help ease the burden on those most impacted. Residents are encouraged to use our Fire Boundary Map below to determine their service area and the corresponding tax implications. |
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| Residential Tax Impacts to your Property | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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To identify the tax impact to your residential property of the proposed 5 year phase-in, please use the below Fire Boundary Change- Phased-in Tax Impact Property tax calculator |
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| Residential Tax Impact Examples by Tax Table | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The below table is based on 2024 Operating Budget Tax levy requirements for an average residential assessment of $250,000. These estimates assume no change in levy and only the transition of Urban and Rural Fire taxation. It is important to note that by adjusting the tax boundary, there is no additional tax revenues derived for the City. These impacts are estimates based on the 2024 tax budget and 2024 assessment roll. Actual 2025-2029 tax impacts will differ depending on approved operating budgets in each year and property assessments in each billing table.
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Proposed Additions to Fire Response Boundaries |
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Receive a copy of the Proposed Additions to Fire Response Boundaries. |
Community Engagement:
Residents were invited to review the draft document and provide their feedback through public information sessions and by email. Thank you to everyone who took time to participate.
More Information
For further details on the Fire Master Plan project, please contact: firemasterplan@belleville.ca.