Item - 2016.CD13.7

The Community Development and Recreation Committee received the report (June 8, 2016) from the Fire Chief and General Manager, Fire Services for information.

This report responds to the Community Development and Recreation Committee’s request for the Fire Chief and General Manager, Fire Services to provide an update on the Open Data initiative with respect to Toronto Fire Services’ (TFS) data.  The report addresses the data format of TFS' daily incident responses currently posted on the TFS Website.  This report also addresses the use of the “Open by Default” standard, Open Data deliverables in Requests for Proposal (RFP), Open Data in 9-1-1 standards, and TFS annual reporting on new datasets.

TFS is committed to transparency in data reporting.  TFS adopted the City’s Strategic Action #13, Open Government by Design, in the Master Fire Plan 2015-2019.  Recent requests for large volumes of incident data have encouraged TFS to review both format and content of data as well as how to make data readily available.  The data provided in response to these requests will form the basis for TFS Open Data sets.  TFS anticipates the release of the datasets by the fourth quarter 2016.

TFS is working with the City’s Information and Technology Division as well as Toronto Paramedic Services (TPS), the Toronto Police Service, the City Clerk’s Office and Legal Services to ensure compliance with the Open Data Policy, and, to ensure that datasets do not contain personal or private information and are published in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and the  Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).