City of Toronto
Curtis S. D. Massey
3300 Building, Suite 400
397 Little Neck Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
United States of America
Dear Curtis:
I am a career firefighter who has attained the position of Platoon Chief on the Toronto Fire Service. My 34 years of service have been mostly spent in the downtown core of the City of Toronto. This experience has given me some insight into the unique firefighting problems associated with high rise building emergencies.
I have been fortunate enough also to be part of the planning team that envisioned and developed the High Rise Fire Apparatus that we now deploy to all High Rise emergencies involving High Rise buildings in the core of the city as well as to other areas when required. It is a one of a kind vehicle in Canada that is specifically designed to respond to high rise emergencies.
I would like to comment for the record that your Pre-Fire Plans that I have used at certain emergencies and in numerous training exercises are amongst the most comprehensive and useful tools that could be available to us as emergency personnel. Although the Toronto Fire Service can not endorse any product over any other, it is incumbent on me to comment when a tool is made available to us that has the potential to save lives and prevent property loss as much as the “Massey Disaster/Pre-Fire Plan” does. The depth of information and comprehensive way that it is presented assists all emergency personnel once they have arrived at the premises when the plan is available. For example, including a “Pre-Plan Data” summation fold out section at the front of the binder for quick reference is extremely helpful for use by personnel going to remote locations within the structure. It is easy to use and understand and explains the unique aspects of the building.
Thank you for making this plan available for us to use, along with the High Rise One fire vehicle it is a unique tool that enables us to respond more effectively to high rise emergencies in the City of Toronto.
Regards,
Platoon Chief Robert Head
Toronto Fire Services,
South Command