FRASER RESEARCH BULLETIN May 2015
Municipal Spending
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$ $ Municipal $3.8 Billion $ Fire Services (2008) $ in Canada: A Preliminary Analysis
by Charles Lammam, Milagros Palacios, and Feixue Ren
Summary
This bulletin examines trends in fire service Ontario for the period from 2000 to 2012 shows spending and the incidence of reported fires in that the number of fire-related calls fell by 15.3% Canada. It finds that the number of firefighters while non-fire related calls increased by 23.8%. and spending on fire services is increasing even as the incidence of reported fires is decreasing Data limitations preclude comparisons based on available data. between municipalities or conclusions about how to better control the growth in fire The most complete data is for the prov- service costs in Canada. Still, there is evi- ince of Ontario where between 1997 and 2012 dence that these expenditures are growing the number of firefighters increased by 36.3%, independently of the incidence of reported while the reported number of fires fell by 41.4%. fires and that municipal governments ought Part of the explanation for this inverse re- to look at how fire services are delivered as lationship is the different functions and activi- part of any efforts to better control overall ties that firefighters carry out. Evidence from spending. fraserinstitute.org FRASER RESEARCH BULLETIN 1 Municipal Fire Services in Canada: A Preliminary Analysis
Introduction pal budgeting. We show that the number of Municipalities across the country are facing firefighters and spending on fire services is budgetary pressures. The situation is well-doc- increasing even as the incidence of reported umented. As an example, a recent study pub- fires is decreasing. This inverse relationship lished by the Fraser Institute found that munic- suggests that fire services expenditures should ipalities in British Columbia’s Metro Vancouver be closely examined as part of any effort to bet- area increased spending by 74.2% over the ter control overall municipal spending. We also 10-year period between 2002 and 2012 (Lam- discuss and suggest improvements in the way mam and MacIntyre, 2014). The rapid pace of that data on the incidence of fires and fire ser- the spending increase has far exceeded popula- vices spending is collected. tion growth and inflation. This call for improvements comes about because This type of spending growth is not unique to there are a number of data limitations. Historical British Columbia. We are witnessing concerns data on the number of firefighters and average about municipal expenditure growth across the hourly wages only covers a 16-year period from country. 1997 to 2012. There currently exists no aggre- gate data on fire services spending after 2008. Part of the trend has been driven by increasing There is also no single database with munici- expenditures on emergency services such as pal-level data on fire services expenditures. In police and fire services.1 Indeed, the president addition, there are limitations with respect to of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario data on the number of fires in Canada (nation- recently called the growth in emergency services ally and provincially) after 2002. The upshot spending “unsustainable” (Brennan, 2014, Aug. 18). is that none of these datasets cover the same time period. It is also important to note that, as Other research published by the Fraser Insti- will be discussed later in the paper, in addition tute (see Di Matteo, 2014) has studied the to responding to fire calls, firefighters carry out rise in police expenditures. The research has a number of different other tasks. Still, there is attempted to better understand which Cana- value in using what data are available to begin dian municipalities spend more efficiently in to understand changes in staffing levels, expen- this area and what steps could be taken to learn ditures, the number of fires, and how firefight- from best practices to get policing spending ing services are contributing to rising municipal under more control. costs in Canada. This study seeks to expand on this past There are four parts to this study. The first research to understand how the number of examines the growth in the number of fire- firefighters and fire services expenditures fighters in Canada over 16 years. The second are growing and placing pressure on munici- evaluates spending on fire services between 1988 and 2008. The third compares the rise in 1 Lammam and MacIntyre’s (2014) examination the number of firefighters and the growth in of government spending in the 21 municipalities fire services spending to the number of fires comprising Metro Vancouver finds that protective over a multi-year period. To this end, readily services (including firefighters) represents the larg- est share of municipal spending totaling over 30% in available data in Ontario provide an illustrative 2012. sense of the direction of growth in fire services
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relative to the incidence of reported fires. The 25.1%, from 25,900 to 32,400, from 1997 to 2012 final section presents the available data on the (Statistics Canada, 2014a).3 aggregate wage growth of firefighters in Canada. At the provincial level, Alberta has experienced This paper ultimately provides no policy rec- the greatest increase in the number of fire- ommendations. It is a preliminary study that fighters over this period, from 2,700 to 4,300, examines trends in firefighter resources and or 59.3%. This is followed by British Columbia fire service expenditures and the incidence of (a 43.8% increase), Manitoba (36.4%), Ontario reported fires. It does not assess the efficiency (36.3%), and to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan of fire services or reach conclusions about (14.3%). Quebec and the Atlantic region, by con- whether the evolving nature of fire services trast, reported an overall decrease in the num- activities and functions ought to be changed. ber of firefighters over the past 16 years.
As mentioned, this is largely because data limi- Around the country, as of 2012, the major- tations make it difficult to derive conclusions ity of firefighters work in Ontario (42.9%), fol- about how to control the growth in fire service lowed by Quebec (16.4%), and British Columbia costs in Canada. Still, there is sufficient empiri- (14.2%). Census data enable us to evaluate the cal evidence to show that these expenditures distribution of firefighters by sector. In 2011, are growing independently of the incidence of the vast majority of firefighters (92.8%) worked reported fires and that municipalities ought in public administration, mainly in local gov- to look at how fire services are delivered as ernments (85.7%).4 They were also employed part of any efforts to control overall spending in the transportation sector (1.2%), and waste in the medium- and long-term. The research management and remediation services (1.3%)5 also highlights the need to improve national data quality. Otherwise citizens will not be able 3 Data on the number of firefighters is provided by to hold their public officials to account with Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS). To respect to municipal expenditures in general maintain confidentiality, the number of firefighters and the efficiency of fire services spending in in a given year corresponds to a two-year moving average. For simplicity, throughout this publication particular. we refer to the number of firefighters in a particular year (i.e. 1997), but in actuality the number is a two- The number of firefighters year moving average of that year and the next one (i.e. 1997 and 1998). The firefighters data include firefight- 2 Overall, the number of firefighters in Can- ers working in both the public and private sectors. ada has increased considerably over a 16-year 4 period. According to the Labour Force Survey, About 6.2% of the total number of firefighters works in the federal (2.6%) and the provincial gov- the number of firefighters in Canada rose by ernment (3.5%) (Statistics Canada, 2013a).
5 This industry comprises establishments primarily 2 All the statistics presented in this document are engaged in waste collection, treatment and dis- for career firefighters, which include full-time and/ posal services (land fill sites, incinerators, or other or part-time uniformed firefighters regardless of as- treatment or disposal facilities for non-hazardous signments, who might work in the public or private and hazardous waste); environmental remediation sector. Volunteer firefighters are not included. We services (clean-up of contaminated buildings, mine use “firefighters” throughout the rest of the paper to sites, soil or ground water, hazardous material re- mean “career firefighters.” moval, etc.); and septic tank pumping services.
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Figure 1: Canada—Comparative Growth in Population and Number of Firefighters as an Index, 1997 to 2012 (1997 = 100)
130
Firefighters Population 120
110
Index = 100 Index 100
90
80
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2013b and 2014a; calculations by authors.
(Statistics Canada, 2013a). That most firefight- These data show that the number of firefight- ers in Canada are employed by local govern- ers has grown over the past 16 years in the ments is consistent with concerns about the aggregate faster than normal benchmarks, such extent to which fire services spending is plac- as population growth, that are typically used to ing pressure on municipal budgets. assess public staffing and expenditures.
Firefighting spending Figure 1 illustrates the growth in the number of firefighters in Canada compared with the Data on fire services spending is also limited. growth in population between 1997 and 2012. Statistics Canada’s Financial Management Sys- The information in figure 1 is presented in the tem (FMS) is the only source that provides infor- form of an index in order to capture compara- mation on firefighting spending by local govern- tive changes in each variable. By giving each ments. This data has since been discontinued 6 variable an index value of 100 in the starting and it is only available from 1988 to 2008. year (1997), subsequent changes in relation to the initial year’s value become more evident. 6 Statistics Canada terminated FMS series in 2010 Figure 1 shows that while the number of fire- and replaced it with the Government Finance Sta- tistics (GFS) series. The breakdown provided by the fighters increased by 25.1% between 1997 and new system is not similar to the FMS and unfortu- 2012, the population expanded by just 16.2% nately, spending in protective services such as polic- over the same period. ing, firefighting, etc., is not included.
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Figure 2: Firefighting Spending as a Percentage of Total Spending, Canada, 1988 to 2008
3.2%
3.1%
3.0%
2.9%
Percent 2.8%
2.7%
2.6%
2.5% 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2009; calculations by authors.
Figure 2 shows expenditures on firefighting normalized these expenditure categories to services as a percentage of local government equal 100 in 1988 to allow for their presentation expenditures from 1988 to 2008. The propor- in a single graph.7 Since 1988, spending on fire tional cost increased from 2.8% in 1988 to 3.1% services has increased by 167.4% while spend- in 2008. Although data after 2008 are not avail- ing on education, and transportation and com- able, up until that time, the trend of firefighting munication at the local level has increased by spending relative to total spending was clearly 116.3% and 155.7%, respectively. increasing. The consequence is that, over this period, fire services spending was consuming The number of fires8 an ever-greater share of municipal spending in Canada. The growth in the number of firefighters and overall expenditures on fire services is incom-
We have created an index to enable a com- 7 parison of firefighting and two other areas of In 2008, local spending on education was $48.0 billion, or 12 times the amount spent on firefighting municipal spending: education (school boards) ($3.8 billion). Similarly, spending on transportation and transportation and communication (which and communications was $15.8 billion, or four times includes expenditures on public transit, spend- firefighting spending (Statistics Canada, 2009). ing on roads, water transport, etc.) in Canada 8 All the statistics on the number of fires here and beginning in 1988 (see figure 3). In order to elsewhere (unless otherwise noted) pertain to fires reflect the fact that local government spending with loss reported. Loss fires are defined as any on education, and transportation and commu- fire where an injury, fatality, or dollar loss has been nication are greater than firefighting, we have reported.
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Figure 3: Canada—Comparative Growth in Local Government Spending as an Index, 1988 to 2008 (1988 = 100) 280 Firefighting 260 Education 240 Transportation and communication 220
200
180
Index = 100 Index 160
140
120
100 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2009; calculations by authors.
plete in isolation. The role of fire services is to ers (CCFM/FC) collected statistics on reported respond to the incidence of reported fires and fires and fire loses in Canada. This data series thus it seems logical that the number of fire- has been discontinued, which prevents longitu- fighters would grow in concert with the num- dinal analysis.10 The data presented below use ber of fires. But we actually find an inverse the available reports from CCFM/FC and per- relationship between the trend in the number tain to the number of reported fires, includ- of firefighters and the number of fires—even ing those classified as residential occupancies, allowing for the possibility that the decreasing assembly, institutional, business and personal number of fires may be partly a result of more service, mercantile property, industrial man- firefighters providing more public fire educa- ufacturing property, storage property, spe- tion and thereby preventing fires. cial property and transportation equipment, and miscellaneous property. In general, a large Unlike the United States, Canada does not proportion of the fires occurred in residential have an ongoing national fire information data- property (about 40%). base.9 Between 1988 and 2002 the Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commission- 10 Reports from 1986 to 2002 and 2007 are available electronically at http://www.ccfmfc.ca/stats.html. 9 Reports and statistics on fires in the US are avail- Although the CCFM/FC published a report in 2007, able through the National Fire Protection Associa- the total number of reported fires in Canada was not tion (NFPA) at http://www.nfpa.org/research/ provided in that publication since some provincial reports-and-statistics/fires-in-the-us. data was incomplete or unavailable.
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Figure 4: Number of Fires, Canada, 1988 to 2002
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Source: Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners [CCFM/FC], various years.
The available data indicate that the number of fires in Canada declined by 24.5% from 1988 reported fires in Canada decreased from 71,009 to 2002. Meanwhile, local government spend- in 1988 to 53,589 in 2002, or 24.5% in that ing on firefighting increased by 81.0% in nomi- period (see figure 4).11 nal terms, or 28.9% in real terms, over the same period. Between 2002 and 2008 (the period for Firefighting spending versus which we do not have data on the number of the number of fires fires), firefighting spending increased by 47.7% in nominal terms, or 29.5% in real terms. Figure 5 compares the trends of spending by local governments on firefighting and reported The number of firefighters versus fires in Canada from 1988 to 2008. Although data on reported fires in Canada are only avail- the number of fires in Ontario able up to 2002, they show that the number of Due to data constraints, we cannot analyze the reported fires with loss and the number 11 This paper does not evaluate the causes for the of firefighters for Canada. But as an illustra- decline in the number of fires. Other research at- tion, we can analyze these two variables for tributes it to a range of factors including updated Ontario. Figure 6 presents the results. Over the building codes with non-combustible construction 16 years from 1997 to 2012, the number of fires materials (such as walls and floors made of metal or in Ontario fell by 41.4%, while the number of gypsum), more sophisticated sprinkler systems, fire and smoke dampers, and fireproofing materials. See, firefighters increased by 36.3%. The diametri- for instance, Licht (2005). cally opposite trends show an inverse relation-
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Figure 5: Firefighting Spending versus Number of Fires, Canada, 1988 to 2008
4,500 80,000
4,000 70,000 Number of fires 3,500 60,000 3,000 50,000 2,500 40,000 2,000 30,000 1,500 Spending Number of fires Spending ($ millions) 20,000 1,000
500 10,000
0 0
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2009; Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners [CCFM/FC], various years.
ship between the number of fires and number 23.8% (Ontario, Office of the Fire Marshal and of firefighters. Emergency Management, 2014).12
The Toronto Fire Services releases annual data The different functions and activities on the number of response calls it receives for fire services each year and categorizes the calls in 18 groups, one of which is actual “fires.”13 In 2013, the Of course the role of fire services extends most recent year for which data are available, beyond that of simply fighting fires. Firefight- the Toronto Fire Services received 109,463 ers also respond to medical emergencies and response calls of which 10,854, or only 9.9%, motor vehicle accidents, and assist police in were for actual fires (including vehicle fires). their inquiries. These activities consume time About 44% were for medical issues (Toronto and resources (Toronto Fire Services, 2014). Yet Fire Services, 2014: 16). This composition has it is difficult to quantify the extent to which been largely consistent over the past 9 years. non-fire related activities and functions are Between 2005 and 2013, response calls for contributing factors in fire services resources and expenditure growth across the country. 12 In this context, fire-related calls include both fires with loss reported and non-loss fires.
For instance, from 2000 to 2012, the number of 13 Other categories include rescue operations, fire-related calls decreased by 15.3% while the police assistance, fire alarm ringing, and non-emer- number of non-fire related calls increased by gency calls. See Toronto Fire Services (2014).
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Figure 6: Ontario Fires and Number of Firefighters, 1997 to 2012
25,000 16,000
14,000 20,000 12,000
Number of firefighters 10,000 15,000
8,000 Total number of fires 10,000 6,000 Number of fires Number of firefighters 4,000 5,000 2,000
0 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sources: Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners [CCFM/FC], various years; Ontario, Ministry of Commu- nity Safety and Correctional Services, 2013; Statistics Canada, 2014a.
actual fires was always less than 10.0% of over- 2014: 27). From 2009 to 2013, the proportion of all responses and in 2011 was as low as 7.1% response calls for actual fires decreased from (Toronto Fire Services, 2012: 10; Toronto Fire 8.0% to 3.8%. Meanwhile, the proportion of Services, 2014: 16). first response calls in the city increased con- sistently over this period from 57.3% in 2009 to In 2013, the City of Calgary’s fire department 62.0% in 2013. reported that only 3.4% of response calls were for actual fires and 50.1% were for medical These illustrative cases provide a sense of how assistance. From 2009 to 2013, the propor- other functions and activities are consuming tion of response calls for actual fires decreased a considerable share of firefighting resources in that city from 4.6% to 3.4%. Meanwhile, the and time. proportion of response calls related to medi- There has been limited research on the dif- cal assistance increased consistently over this ferent functions and activities carried out by period, from 45.0% in 2009 to 50.1% in 2013 municipal fire services. One study commis- (Calgary Fire Department, 2013: 15). sioned by the City of Toronto noted the extent Similarly, the City of Montreal’s public report- to which the city’s fire department is increas- ing finds that, in 2013, 3.8% of incidents were ingly active in emergency medical services. for actual fires and more than 60% were first The report records that “firefighter medi- response calls (Securite Incendie Montreal, cal response has become a normal practice in
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Figure 7: Average Hourly Rate, Two-year Moving Average, both Full- and Part-time Employees, 1997 to 2012
35
30 Firefighters 25
20 Hourly ($) rate Total employees, all occupations 15
10 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2014a and 2014c.
many Ontario municipalities” (City of Toronto, between 1997 to 2012.14 The average hourly 2013: 105). Yet as of 2012 the City of Toronto wage rate for all employees (including firefight- began to restrict the use of fire services per- ers) consistently lagged behind that for fire- sonnel to medical emergencies in the name of fighters alone over this period, with an average saving resources on the grounds that the ben- annual difference of $7.28, or 37.5%. efit of dispatching firefighters to medical emer- gencies was limited. There are questions, then, Figure 8 illustrates the growth in the average about the evolving role of fire services person- hourly wage rate by comparing it to the growth nel and the extent to which their work is pro- in price levels (inflation). Over the 16 years from viding value for money. 1997 to 2012, firefighters’ average hourly wage rate increased by 47.8%. Price levels, mean- while, grew by 34.6%. Wages Expenditures on firefighter compensation have increased over the period for which data 14 To maintain confidentiality, the average hourly are available. A wage comparison between wage rate for firefighters in a given year corre- firefighters and the average employee might sponds to a two-year moving average. For simplicity, help explain the increasing trend in firefight- throughout this publication we refer to the average hourly wage rate for firefighters in a particular year ing spending. Figure 7 displays the trend in the (i.e. 1997), but in actuality the number is a two-year average hourly wage rate for firefighters ver- moving average of that year and the next one (i.e. sus all employees (considering all occupations) 1997 and 1998).
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Figure 8: Canada—Comparative Growth in Firefighters’ Wages and Inflation as an Index, 1997 to 2012 (1997 = 100)
160
150 Firefighters’ wages 140
130 Inflation Index = 100 Index 120
110
100 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2014a and 2014b; calculations by authors.
This analysis provides some insight into the arguing for greater resources—including new extent to which spending on compensation for revenue sources—to cover these and other firefighters has grown over the 16-year period. costs. But it is necessary to understand what The consequence of the increased wage spend- is driving these costs before any decisions are ing is that municipal governments are spend- taken to change the spending mix or augment ing more on the number of the firefighters and their revenue-generating capacity. their compensation than they used to. The issue of indirect compensation, such as pension Municipal leaders themselves have pointed to benefits, is another layer of the compensation expenditures on fire services as one source of this debate that is difficult to quantify broadly.15 spending growth. Using available data, this analy- sis has tried to better understand how firefighter Conclusion staffing and fire services expenditures have grown. It has also sought to compare these mea- Municipal governments across Canada are fac- sures to the incidence of reported fires. There ing considerable budget pressures. Some are appears to be a negative relationship. Indeed, the number of firefighters and the growth in 15 Palacios and Clemens (2013) found that workers fire services expenditures diverges from the in the public sector have a wage premium compared incidence of reported fires. This divergence to their counterparts in the private sector. More- leads to obvious questions about what is driving over, they enjoy more generous non-wage benefits than private-sector workers including higher rates these increases if it is not actual firefighting. of pension coverage, higher rates of defined benefit pensions, lower ages of retirement and lower rates Data limitations preclude us from compar- of job loss. ing Canadian municipalities to understand
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which ones are more efficient and could pro- Council of Canadian Fire Marshals and Fire vide a source of best practices. This means that Commissioners [CCFM/FC] (various years, more data are required to assess how staff- 1986 to 2002 and 2007). Fire Losses in Canada. ing and costs have changed across the country
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Palacios, Milagros, and Jason Clemens (2013). 0&PID=107565&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0 Comparing Public and Private Sector &SHOWALL=1&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THE Compensation in Canada. The Fraser ME=96&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=>, as of Institute.
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Charles Lammam is Director Fis- cal Studies at the Fraser Institute. Acknowledgments He has published over 50 peer- The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewed studies and 190 original reviewers for their comments, sugges- commentaries on a wide range of tions, and insights. Any remaining errors or economic policy issues including taxation, government finances, pen- oversights are the sole responsibility of the sions, investment, income mobility, authors. As the researchers have worked labour, entrepreneurship, public- independently, the views and conclusions private partnerships, and charitable expressed in this paper do not necessar- giving. His commentaries have ap- ily reflect those of the Board of Directors of peared in every major national and the Fraser Institute, the staff, or supporters. regional newspaper in Canada as well as prominent US-based pub- lications. He holds an MA in public policy and a BA in economics with a minor in business administration Copyright © 2015 by the Fraser Institute. All rights re- from Simon Fraser University. served. Without written permission, only brief passag- es may be quoted in critical articles and reviews. ISSN 2291-8620 Milagros Palacios is a Senior Re- Media queries: call 604.714.4582 or e-mail: search Economist at the Fraser In- [email protected] stitute. Since joining the Institute, Ms. Palacios has authored or coau- Support the Institute: call 1.800.665.3558, ext. 586, or thored over 75 research studies and e-mail: [email protected] 75 commentaries on a wide range of Visit our website: www.fraserinstitute.org public policy issues including taxa- tion, government finances, invest- ment, productivity, labour markets, and charitable giving, among others. She has also co-written four books. Ms. Palacios holds a BA in Industrial Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and an MSc in Economics from the Univer- sity of Concepcion, Chile.
Feixue Ren is a research intern at the Fraser Institute. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Lakehead Universityand a BA in Statistics from Hunan Normal University in China. Since joining the institute, she has co-authored an assortment of studies on fiscal policy including tax competitiveness and government debt.
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