The Auditor General’s Work Plan included an operational review of Toronto Fire Services. Specifically, the objective of this audit was to review training activities at Toronto Fire Services in order to identify opportunities for improving the management, administration and effectiveness of firefighter training and recruitment programs.
The review identified a number of issues that highlight the need for a multi-year strategic plan to help guide Toronto Fire Services in managing training and recruitment resources more effectively and efficiently, while meeting its financial, operational, and legal obligations. Opportunities for improvement include the following:
- Developing a multi-year strategic plan for training
- Evaluating performance through the development of key performance indicators Enhancing operational efficiencies in training programs to reduce opportunity costs
- Improving compliance with training requirements, policies and procedures
- Improving training records management and functionality of the electronic learning management system
This report contains 32 recommendations along with a management response to each of the recommendations. The implementation of these recommendations has the potential to improve the overall administration and effectiveness of firefighter training and recruitment processes at Toronto Fire Services.
Although recommendations in this report focus on improving administration and effectiveness over firefighter training and recruitment, certain recommendations included in this report may be relevant to the City’s Agencies and Corporations and should be reviewed, evaluated and implemented as deemed appropriate.