The sound of fire sirens has become increasingly common in Toronto. In 2023, Toronto Fire Services (TFS) reported 321,795 emergency incidents, marking a 5.9 per cent increase since 2022. 

However, a large number of the incidents that the fire department responds to are false alarms. In 2018, TFS responded to over 4,800 false alarms in multi-unit residential buildings. 

Such incidents are common to high-rise apartment buildings in Toronto but can pose significant costs to those affected by them. In fact, fire services can require substantial financial resources, with TFS making up 3.16 per cent of Toronto’s operating budget. The Varsity investigated the costs associated with fire alarms and fire operations across the city and UTSG.

Where does TFS’ revenue go?

This year, TFS has an operating budget of $540.4 million. Over 92.8 per cent of these expenditures were dedicated to the department’s fire responses, with additional costs arising from their inspections and fire safety education programs.

Compared to 2023, TFS observed an increase of $17 million in spending, some of which was attributed to labour costs arising from increased salaries and hiring. In their 2024 Budget Notes, the fire department outlined their expectations of increased demand for their fire services over the next two years due to city growth and hopes to decrease their response time by hiring more workers. TFS also cites various projects to improve their infrastructure as significant cost drivers.

Interestingly, false fire alarm fees played a role in helping the department afford its spending in 2023. The budget notes state that their revenue from these charges — which occurred at a higher rate than expected — helped partially offset their financial pressures.

The costs associated with fire alarms

Currently, TFS does not charge a fee when responding to an actual fire incident, including when the alarm was activated due to accidental damage to the system. However, they require payment to attend to ‘nuisance’ fire alarms — incidents caused by a faulty fire alarm system.

Fees for faulty fire alarm systems are pretty high — TFS charges $1,679.58 per dispatch for these alarms at buildings that are not single-family homes. These dispatches are made up of three Operations Crews and vehicles.

The fire department also requires payment when dealing with ‘malicious false alarms.’ These incidents occur when the fire alarm is activated through negligent or intentional misuse of the fire alarm system. TFS charges $559.86 per vehicle when dealing with these alarms. 

U of T has its own Fire Prevention team that is operated by the university’s Facilities & Services: the group behind the maintenance and day-to-day operations at the institution. They work together with TFS and provide various services like fire inspections and system maintenance. However, each federated college — Victoria, St Michael’s, and Trinity — is responsible for its own fire prevention. 

While TFS charges for services like building inspections, the Fire Prevention team on campus provides this and fire system maintenance free of cost for buildings on campus. In fact, U of T’s Facilities & Services team reports to have provided the university with over $19 million in savings in utility costs since 2011. 

The Varsity contacted the university for information on fire-related expenses, but  they declined to comment. 

Fire risk at U of T

There are many fire risks across the U of T campus. For example, science labs can be fire safety hazards as they contain flammable chemicals and equipment. 

On September 18, a fire alarm rang at Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories which caused students to quickly evacuate the building. In an email to The Varsity, Vikines Sathiamoorthy — a third-year student studying material science — wrote that he was “part way through [his lab] when the fire alarm started ringing. [His classmates and he] quickly exited the lab, funnelling towards the stairs. As the door to the stairs opened there was a thickening of the air with smoke drifting down from above.” 

According to Sathiamoorthy, a member of a research group was “noticing smoke coming from underneath a room” and pulled the fire alarm. The fire department was called to the scene and the students remained outside until the situation was deemed safe.

Many of the fire risks universities face are associated with student accommodation. TFS points out cooking, overloaded circuits, and space heaters as potential causes of residence fires.

In an email to The Varsity, Kevin Wang, a second-year student studying political science and international relations, wrote that fire “incidents appear to be quite frequent [in residence]. There was… a day where we had to evacuate three times due to the fire alarm.” He also emphasized how using kitchen appliances often caused these alarms, writing that, “a person microwaving popcorn [could] set off the alarm.”