When Seconds Matter
Filling critical gaps in emergency response during high-rise emergency incidents
By Quintin Johnstone
CEO Riskboss Inc.
You and your family are fast asleep in bed when you are woken by the sound of sirens outside your condo in the middle of the morning. Looking outside you see fire, police, and ambulance vehicles lining the street congregating near the entrance to your building. Red lights glitter off your window as more vehicles arrive from the main street. The distinct sound of emergency radio chatter fills the air.
You feel comfortable believing that emergency responders have all the tools possible for them to do their jobs right? You also feel comfortable that security at your site have the necessary tools, knowledge, skill, and ability to handle every eventuality. They are prepared right? Generally speaking, not so. Here’s why.
The Perfect Storm
Is there is a perfect storm of capacity gaps in our emergency response? The reality is disturbing.
The City of Toronto has more condominium towers than anywhere else by volume. Shocking but true Toronto is the world-wide epicenter for condominium living and growing even bigger. As of April 2024, there are 91,590 units being constructed in Toronto dominating the need for construction cranes worldwide.
Depending on your location, between 40% to 65% of the population in Toronto live in high rise communities. As population densities increase, the need to address emergency response time gaps becomes more important.
In the spring of 2024, it was widely reported in Toronto that delays are occurring to a staggering average of 22 minutes for emergency responders to arrive at scenes. This exceeds the benchmark standard of 5 minutes set by the Toronto Police Services Board as a minimum standard years ago. This issue came to a head when the Toronto Police Service commented further that in 60% of emergency situations there are no cars to attend and emergency calls for help are being left unanswered or much delayed due to the gradual reduction of call takers over the past decade.
As the Toronto population grows on average 80,000 immigrants each and every year, the need for better response times for all emergencies needs to be addressed. Emergency responders need every tool available to get to emergencies quickly.
Is High Rise Living Dangerous?
High rise community living has distinct disadvantages when it comes to emergency response.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that people experiencing medical emergencies have a lower survival rate mostly due to delays in emergency response. It’s simple math. According to the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the higher the floor, the lower the survival rate according to a study conducted in Toronto.
Cardiac arrest forms the most troubling statistic in that only 10% of those suffering in North America don’t make it to the hospital due mostly to delays in getting emergency responders to patients on time. For each one-minute delay to defibrillation, the chance of survival drops by 7-10% according to the CMA.
Boots on the Ground Know the Realities
What happens if a condo’s site security becomes incapacitated or is away from the desk attending to a medical emergency? What happens where there is no security presence at a site? Who do emergency responders call in the middle of the morning for information? Is the contact information up-to-date and accurate?
Sure, the fire department can retrieve the keys from the fire key box or smash the door glass to gain entry (which happens more often than one would think), but it often takes too long for emergency responders to find and gain access into unfamiliar areas of the building without security assistance or site knowledge from key personnel who can assist.
Emergency responders face significant personal dangers when responding to emergencies in high rise settings. Whether incidents relate to active aggressors or hidden dangers because of improperly stored chemicals/combustibles, the risk is real. Knowing the risks before emergency responders get to a scene by accessing critical information is the key to both saving lives and protecting their own lives, something that responders fear and know all too well.
The Aftermath
Such delays have been well documented and have been repeatedly poured over by lawyers and experts alike throughout North America. The aftermath and critiques are never flattering.
Emergency responders in many cases have been highly criticized despite not being provided with adequate tools to effectively do their jobs. Post-incident analysis experts often cite process, personnel constraints, and systemic failures as the cause.
In the United States, there have been countless mass casualty disasters where responders were frustrated by the lack of site access, information on site configuration, and/or access to key site personnel, that have led to unintended consequences including death.
An extreme example is the El Centro College shooting incident in 2016, one of the deadliest in U.S. law enforcement history, that involved an active aggressor. Post-incident analysis, criticism, and lawsuits focused on several failures. Delay in responding due to lack of information featured prominently in the post incident aftermath analysis.
Major incidents are not limited to the U. S. although they have had more than their fair share. Back in 2014, an explosion at a condominium in downtown Toronto’s Liberty Village blew up an entire unit, resulting in a major fire. This was caused by an illegal methadone lab. The outcome was severe; luckily no lives were lost.
During inquests and post-incident inquires experts have identified three major solutions to overcome barriers that directly impede the effectiveness of emergency responders:
- Immediate and unencumbered access to areas within high-rise sites during emergencies;
- Advanced online site layout knowledge so emergency responders know exactly where the source of the problems are; and
- Accessing immediate updated communication channels to key site personnel like the property manager, security, and building superintendent who know the site intimately.
Training, Training, and More Training
Some think that training alone is the key to success.
“More training” is by far the go to excuse offered by oblivious leaders in both the private and public sectors when looking for answers when things go horribly wrong. It plays well to calm public sentiment, but it is overused and ineffective on its own.
“More training” alone is, always has been proven, and will always be a myopic view on the realities of emergency management. Those on the front lines (meaning the boots actually on the ground) know full well that having the proper tools, personnel resources, processes, time, and yes training to properly respond to emergencies all form part of what success looks like. All these ingredients together form part of the winning formula. Take one piece out and the emergency management house of cards falls.
Emergency response is something police, fire, and ambulance try to do very well. Emergency response is the cornerstone of their jobs. It’s in their DNA. They train, train, and retrain on this. Training in Ontario for these professionals is second to none by world-wide standards. Emergency responders’ procedures are time-tested and true. It is the processes that impede and frustrate emergency responders unfortunately still exist to this day that can and should be remedied.
Conversely, during the over seventy-five high rise properties where Riskboss has conducted comprehensive risk assessments over the past ten years, site specific procedures and training for emergency preparedness has been found to be wholly inadequate in most high rise settings and dangerously lacking in some circumstances. We need to do more to fill this gap at high rise sites.
Often limited to the Fire Safety Plan and non-site specific security ‘posted orders’ that are photocopied and left in binders at security desks all across the province, this is the standard that exists in most condominium communities. The time to prepare to respond to an emergency is not when incidents are actually occurring by security guards reading generic, cookie cutter information in binders. This is not the standard of care that is required.
Dating back to 2008, the Ontario Incident Management System (IMS) is a science that emergency responders heavily rely upon as the benchmark standard during emergencies. IMS offers clear, straightforward guidance on communicating, coordinating, and collaborating during emergencies. Part of this system relies significantly on quick access to key areas of sites and the control of information and by who. It is a role-based system of who should be doing what and when.
Is IMS mandatory for all security and property management firms in Ontario? No, it is not but definitely should be in our opinion. We hope and wait for government regulation making such emergency preparedness training programs mandatory in the province.
In an environment with defunded and severely stretched emergency resources that most likely will be delayed to your emergency, robust site specific emergency procedures and training is critical for all tall buildings everywhere.
Site specific emergency preparedness training over and above the contents of the Fire Safety Plan is a minimum standard that should be completed for all site personnel as soon as possible.
Until the province mandates such training, the free IMS 100 course is a great starting point. It works very well, and it is free.
Access to Highrise Sites and Critical Information in Emergencies
The lack of access to key areas of properties and critical information for emergency responders is an unfortunate reality common in high-rise settings not only in Toronto but across North America.
Getting instant access and information are critical success factors for emergency responders. Do they have the proper training now? Yes. Do they have the proper tools now? No. Should they? Yes, as their primary duty above all else is the preservation of life. Are they frustrated? Yes, very frustrated and they continue to openly voice their frustrations often falling upon deaf ears.
Advanced knowledge of dangerous materials is critical for emergency responders. They need to know exactly what is behind every single door, especially where chemicals are stored. Opening a door at the wrong time can fuel a fire and cause tremendous damage and without protective equipment serious injury, and very likely, the loss of life. The potential for explosions is also real in high-rise communities that turn a blind eye to illegal propane barbecues on balconies and improperly stored paint and chemicals inside locker rooms.
Where Are We Now?
As it stands, Ontario’s current benchmark standard for access control and information in high-rise communities is the Fire Safety Plan and secure key boxes that contain site access keys, floor plans, and a list of persons requiring special assistance.
Can you imagine in this day and age emergency responders having to flip through hardcopy floor plans (often out of date, faded, and missing pages) in the dark of night to determine important site areas when they arrive at an emergency scene? This is not the standard of care that emergency responders should be working with. They deserve better. Much better.
It is not that first responders aren’t talking about this. Safety advocates and experts in Ontario are stepping up to the plate and pushing for better tools to help emergency responders. For example, a groundbreaking initiative is now underway in Ontario in several jurisdictions to reduce emergency response times and mitigate risk.
Technology – A Solution in the Making
In Ontario, the Peel Regional Police Service is one jurisdiction that is leading what’s called the Building Emergency Access Program, which focuses on high-rise community safety and resident well-being. Peel has partnered with a company (Safe Buildings) to create information and access online portal. It is an online application specifically designed to help emergency responders.
Safe Buildings is currently piloting this program in Peel to test its reliability in high-rise communities. The technology involves a resilient online application that digitizes floor plans and information for site key contacts like the property manager and security.
Emergency responders can access this information prior to reaching the site, which for them is a real game changer. A critical component of this application is that it allows for immediate access to remotely open main doors of a site when no one is present to assist. This shaves vital minutes off response times.
Right now, this technology is not yet mandatory across the province. Registering sites online for this program is a painfully slow voluntary process and only in a small area of Peel Region under the pilot project. The voluntary nature of this project makes it very difficult to gain enough traction to make the program effective for emergency responders.
Yet like other regulated minimum safety standards for high-rise buildings, such as emergency call buttons in elevators that are directed to third party providers, Safe Buildings technology is specifically designed to save lives and in the view of many, including emergency responders, this program should be mandatory across the province as soon as possible.
The Safe Buildings program was created to be net zero cost to all end users at high-rise sites. Ontario has already set aside monies for local governments to create initiatives to improve community safety. In response to provincial monies, local jurisdictions are finding ways to implement programs using these funds.
For instance, Toronto created the SafeTO program that was approved in January 2022. SafeTO is a long-term plan to spend provincial monies directed to improving community safety that involves prevention and well-being, not just crime and enforcement.
Although SafeTO money has not yet been earmarked for Safe Buildings technology in high-rise communities, it seems like a natural fit. Regulating this program province-wide will go a long way to mitigating risk and saving lives.
The technology is here and ready for use by emergency responders. It is working well in other jurisdictions. The funding appears to be available to jurisdictions as well through the province. We need the political will to make this happen by making this technology mandatory for all tall buildings.
Safe Buildings is led by Jason Reid, senior advisor for fire and emergency management with National Life Safety Group, and Aamer Merchant, a police professional with decades of front line experience and a strong technology background. Merchant believes that embracing innovative technologies is crucial in today’s resource-constrained environment where vertical living is becoming more prevalent in urban settings.
“By adopting responsive technologies, governments can fulfill their commitments to serve their residents effectively while also safeguarding both citizens and emergency responders,” Merchant says. “It’s not just about keeping pace with the times, but also staying ahead to meet the evolving needs of communities.”
For more information on Safe Buildings technology go to: www.safebuildings.ca
Moving Towards a Better Standard of Care
Are citizens getting the standard of care required in emergency situations? Frankly the answer is an unequivocable no. Are emergency responders doing the best with what they have? Yes.
Clearly there is much more work to do by many.
Riskboss offers the following advice that will help bridge gaps in emergency response and yes, save lives.
- The province should mandate applications like Safe Buildings for access to sites and critical information by emergency responders. This online application should be mandatory for each tall building in the province.
- Security and property management firms should create site specific emergency procedures and train on such material. Please note that property managers should never engage in the creation of such procedures personally. Only accredited policy and training professionals should be tasked with this.
- Site specific emergency preparedness training over and above the contents of the Fire Safety Plan is a minimum standard that should be completed as soon as possible. Until the province mandates such training, the free IMS 100 course is a great starting point for all site personnel: https://training.emergencymanagementontario.ca/GTFlex/GTOnline.dll/PublicCourse/COURSENO=COUR2009042216173303341001.
- Property management should label all non-residential doors with symbol labels regarding combustibles inside (e.g. paint, glycol, etc.). Resident storage lockers should be checked weekly for combustibles and material on top of cages that impede the sprinkler system. When found, items should be removed immediately. Illegal BBQ’s on balconies and any material found in underground parking spaces should be immediately removed.
- All high rise communities should have AED devices in lobbies available for anyone to use during medical emergencies.
Filling the gaps in emergency preparedness and response in both the public and private sector is time well spent.
After all, in emergencies seconds matter.