# Policy - Contractors and Mutual Aid

> Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-POL-19.
>
> Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid
>
> Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
>
> General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca.

> **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure**
>
> Adopting this policy without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices).

> **Warning: Before adoption**
>
> This model policy requires review by the department’s legal counsel, the municipality’s procurement and risk functions, and every applicable collective agreement and volunteer agreement before adoption. Mutual aid clauses also need the partner departments’ counsel. It is general information, not legal advice. Where it conflicts with a statute, a regulation, a contract or an agreement, that instrument governs. References are cited as of 2026-10-23; confirm each clause and section before the policy is signed.

## How to use this model

**Format.** Adopt as a policy approved by the fire chief, with the mutual aid provisions also approved by the governing body where agreements require it, or restate it as a directive. Keep the numbering, because the program, the orientation form and the audit checklist refer to it.

**Drafting conventions.** **Shall** is mandatory. **Should** is expected unless a documented reason exists. **May** is permitted. Placeholders in double curly braces, such as `{{Department}}`, are completed by the department. Drafting notes sit in callouts and are removed before adoption.

**Keep intact.** Orientation and hazard disclosure before any work (5.3), the permit list (5.4), stop authority in both directions (5.5.3, 5.16), the procurement gate (5.8), the service level agreement terms (5.9), the agreement safety clauses (5.10), “one command, one accountability system, one channel” and “not trained, not deployed” (5.11), the partner floor (5.12) and the joint learning review with the learning firewall (5.14). **Adapt** the titles, the prequalification thresholds, the supervision levels, the partner list and the turnaround times.

| Policy header |  |
|:---|:---|
| Title | Contractors and Mutual Aid |
| Number | {{Policy number}} |
| Approved by | {{Fire Chief}} (role); mutual aid provisions also by {{Council or CAO}} where required |
| Effective date | {{Effective date}} |
| Next review date | {{Review date}} (12 months after adoption, then every three years) |
| Policy owner | {{Deputy Chief}} responsible for operations |
| Consulted | {{JOHSC}}; {{Union}}; {{Volunteer Association}}; procurement; facilities; fleet; partner departments; the municipality’s risk manager; legal counsel |

## 1. Purpose

1.1 To state {{Department}}’s commitment that people who work in its workplaces without being members are protected as its members are; that what the department buys and outsources meets its safety standards; and that when departments work together, on either side of an agreement, command, accountability, communications, equipment and learning are settled before the day, not improvised on it.

1.2 To assign accountability to the line through two program owners (contractors and outsourced services; mutual aid), with verification by the health and safety officer and consultation with the joint occupational health and safety committee.

## 2. Scope and application

2.1 This policy applies to contractors and subcontractors working in the department’s workplaces or on its equipment; suppliers who deliver or service safety-critical equipment; outsourced services (fleet maintenance and testing, facilities maintenance, PPE advanced cleaning and inspection, SCBA service, breathing air supply, dispatch, occupational health); mutual aid, automatic aid and contract response partners, whether the department hosts or is the partner; and visitors, students, ride-alongs and the public in stations.

2.2 Where another party is the constructor on a department site, that party’s program governs the project; the department’s orientation, hazard disclosure and coordination duties in this policy still apply.

## 3. Definitions

- **Automatic aid:** a standing arrangement under which a neighbouring department is dispatched to certain calls without a request.
- **Contractor:** any person or firm, not a member, who works in a department workplace or on department equipment under a contract or purchase order, including subcontractors.
- **Hazard disclosure:** the department’s written statement to a contractor of the hazards it knows about in the work area.
- **Host department:** the department whose jurisdiction an incident is in and whose incident management system governs it.
- **Joint learning review:** the review of an event on a shared incident by the departments involved, under both departments’ learning firewalls, with the findings shared with both departments’ members.
- **Learning firewall:** the rule that information gathered for learning is never used as the basis for discipline, and that conduct concerns go to a separate process run by different people [(The Human Factor, 2026a)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-the-human-factor-2026a).
- **Mutual aid:** assistance given between departments on request under a written agreement.
- **Outsourced service:** a function the department relies on for safety that a corporate department or a contractor delivers.
- **Permit:** the department’s written authorization for high-risk work in its workplace, naming the controls, the duration and the person who issued it.
- **PPE equivalence:** the condition that a partner’s protective equipment and SCBA meet the standards the host’s members must meet.
- **Prequalification:** the check of a contractor’s registration, insurance, licences and safety program before engagement.
- **Psychological safety:** the shared belief that it is safe to speak up, ask, admit error and challenge [(Edmondson, 1999)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-edmondson-1999).
- **Service level agreement:** the written agreement that states the standard, schedule, qualifications, authority, turnaround and records for an outsourced service.
- **Work-as-done:** how a task is actually performed under real conditions, as distinct from how it is imagined [(Hollnagel, 2014)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-hollnagel-2014).

## 4. Principles

1.  **Handing off the work does not hand off the hazard.** The department stays responsible for the hazards in its workplaces and for the standard of what it buys.

2.  **One command, one accountability system, one channel.** On a shared incident every crew works inside the host’s system.

3.  **Not trained, not deployed.** A crew is assigned only to tasks it has declared it is trained and equipped for, whichever department it belongs to.

4.  **Both departments learn from the same close call.** A shared incident is reviewed jointly, and the lesson reaches both departments’ members.

5.  **People are the solution we build around, not the problem to fix.** Contractors, partner crews and members on shared work see hazards the program cannot; this policy is built to hear them.

6.  **Procedures describe work as done, written with the people who do it.** The orientation, the permits and the agreement clauses start from how contractors and partner crews really arrive and work [(Conklin, 2012)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-conklin-2012).

7.  **Learning comes before blame, and learning information is never used for discipline,** in this department or the partner’s [(Dekker, 2016)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-dekker-2016).

8.  **Psychological safety is a condition of safety, so speaking up is expected and protected.** A member, a contractor or a partner member who stops work or declines a task outside their training has protected everyone on the site.

> **Information: Drafting note**
>
> Citations are kept out of the policy statements so the policy reads as policy. The law and standards behind each clause are in section 11, the Jurisdiction requirements table and [Contractor and Mutual Aid Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/contractor-and-mutual-aid-safety-program) section 3.

## 5. Policy statements

**5.1 People who are not members.** Contractors’ workers, suppliers’ technicians and visitors in a department workplace shall be protected by the department’s site rules to the same standard as members, and contractors shall meet or exceed the department’s rules while on its sites. *Accountable: the program manager, contractors.*

**5.2 Prequalification.** 5.2.1 Before a contractor is engaged for work in a department workplace, the department shall confirm workers’ compensation registration and clearance, liability insurance, the licences the work requires, a named site supervisor, and for high-risk work the contractor’s own safety program. 5.2.2 Procurement should give weight to an external safety certification where one is available. 5.2.3 Standing contractors shall be prequalified again every year, and every contractor’s safety performance shall be reviewed at contract end and kept for the next decision. *Accountable: procurement; facilities or fleet as the engaging function.*

**5.3 Orientation and hazard disclosure.** 5.3.1 Every contractor worker shall receive a site orientation on [Form - Contractor Orientation Checklist](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-contractor-orientation-checklist) before starting: the station emergency plan and assembly point, apparatus movement and bay rules, the zones and where the contractor may go, exhaust capture, lockout points, permit requirements, pressure systems and the fill station, working alone, how to report a hazard or incident, and the authority to stop work. 5.3.2 The department shall disclose in writing the hazards it knows about in the work area, including the asbestos register for the building. 5.3.3 Short, low-risk visits use the short form. *Accountable: station officers and facilities contacts.*

**5.4 Permits.** High-risk contractor work shall proceed only under a department permit: hot work; confined space entry; lockout of department systems; energized electrical work; work at heights above the regulated trigger height ([J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access)); excavation near services; any work that disturbs asbestos, which only a licensed abatement contractor shall do; and work that takes a life-safety system out of service (fire alarm, sprinklers, exhaust capture, bay doors, breathing air compressor, generator), which shall have an interim measure that keeps the station in service or a documented alternative. *Accountable: the authorized permit issuer.*

**5.5 Supervision, monitoring and stop authority.** 5.5.1 Supervision shall match the risk: continuous for hot work near apparatus, confined space and work that affects readiness; periodic for routine trades. 5.5.2 Contractors shall sign in and out, and the station officer shall know who is on site and where. 5.5.3 A department representative may stop any contractor work that endangers anyone, and a contractor’s worker may stop department activity that endangers them. *Accountable: station officers; facilities contacts.*

**5.6 Contractor incidents.** Injuries, exposures and near misses involving contractors in department workplaces shall be reported into the department’s system as well as the contractor’s, reviewed with the contractor through the learning system, and reported to the regulator where the law requires. *Accountable: the health and safety officer.*

**5.7 Training grounds.** Contractors on a training ground shall be oriented and supervised by the training division, the training schedule shall be blocked while they work, and gas-fired props shall be serviced only by licensed gas fitters. *Accountable: the training division.*

**5.8 Safety in procurement.** 5.8.1 Specifications for apparatus, PPE, SCBA, equipment and station systems shall cite the current edition of the applicable standard and the department’s standards list, and no item shall be substituted on price without the Equipment Standards team’s sign-off. 5.8.2 Safety-critical items shall be checked on receipt against the specification and the certification label, and the check recorded. 5.8.3 Safety-sensitive purchases shall be consulted with the JOHSC before adoption and introduced through management of change, with training before the item goes into service. 5.8.4 Donated and member-purchased equipment and PPE shall pass the same gate, and unapproved personal equipment shall not be used. 5.8.5 Supplier documentation (certification, user information, maintenance and retirement criteria, safety data sheets) shall be on file for every safety-critical item. *Accountable: procurement; the Equipment Standards team.*

**5.9 Outsourced services.** 5.9.1 Every safety-critical outsourced service shall have a written service level agreement stating the standard, the interval, the qualifications of the provider’s personnel, the records the department receives, the department’s right to audit, and the turnaround for safety-critical items. 5.9.2 The fleet agreement shall also state that an officer or a technician may place a unit out of service and only a technician may return it ([Policy - Apparatus and Driving](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-apparatus-and-driving) 5.3.4); the facilities agreement shall also carry the commitments in [Policy - Facilities](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-facilities) 5.15. 5.9.3 The department shall verify delivery by sampling records against the equipment and shall raise deficiencies with the provider. 5.9.4 Agreements shall be reviewed annually against turnaround data reported each quarter. *Accountable: the fire chief, who signs the agreements; the program manager, contractors.*

**5.10 Mutual and automatic aid agreements.** 5.10.1 Every mutual aid, automatic aid and contract response arrangement shall be written, approved by the governing bodies, held in one register with its aid boundaries, reviewed at least every three years and evaluated annually. 5.10.2 Each agreement shall carry the safety clauses in [Contractor and Mutual Aid Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/contractor-and-mutual-aid-safety-program) toolkit T2: the host’s incident management system governs; accountability; communications and an interoperability plan; PPE and SCBA equivalence warranted in writing each year; driver qualification and response mode never exceeding the host’s; rehabilitation; safety officer authority; declared capability; the joint learning review; injury and exposure reporting; joint training; conflict resolution; insurance. 5.10.3 Where an agreement lacks these clauses, an interim letter of understanding covering command, accountability, communications and equivalence shall be signed within 90 days of adoption. *Accountable: the fire chief; the program manager, mutual aid.*

**5.11 Shared incidents when the department hosts.** 5.11.1 Arriving partner crews shall report to staging or the command post, be logged into accountability, receive their channel and assignment from the host, and operate under the host’s safety officer. 5.11.2 A member whose PPE or SCBA does not meet the standard shall be assigned outside the hazard zone. 5.11.3 The host’s rehabilitation applies to everyone on scene. 5.11.4 No partner crew shall self-assign, and no crew shall be assigned a task outside its declared capability. *Accountable: incident commanders and accountability officers.*

**5.12 When the department is the partner.** 5.12.1 The department’s members shall operate under the host’s command and accountability system. 5.12.2 The department’s officer shall state the crew’s capability on arrival and decline tasks outside it. 5.12.3 The department’s own safety rules remain the floor for its members: where a host’s direction would breach them, the officer declines the task and tells the host’s command why. 5.12.4 Members shall report injuries, exposures and near misses to both departments. *Accountable: the senior officer of the department’s crews on scene.*

**5.13 Joint training.** The department shall train at least annually with each regular partner on command and accountability, radio, mayday and rapid intervention, water supply between different apparatus, and roadway blocking with two departments’ units, under the training safety rules in [Policy - Training and Competency](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency). *Accountable: the training division.*

**5.14 Joint learning review.** Events on shared incidents (near misses, maydays, injuries, collisions, lost accountability, equipment failures) shall be triaged within 24 hours and reviewed jointly under both departments’ learning firewalls. The host convenes unless the partner asks to; a Tier 2 review is completed within 30 days; a de-identified summary goes to both departments’ members and committees; each department’s statutory reporting is unaffected. *Accountable: the health and safety officer.*

**5.15 Visitors, ride-alongs, students and the public.** Visitors shall sign in, be escorted beyond public areas and be briefed on alarms, apparatus movement and the emergency plan; they shall be kept out of the red zone and contaminated areas. Ride-alongs and students shall be oriented, equipped with the PPE their role needs and kept out of hazard zones. Public events in stations shall have a documented hazard check and a plan for a call during the event. PPE shown to the public shall be clean and kept for display. *Accountable: station officers.*

**5.16 Speaking up and reprisal.** Any member, contractor or partner member may stop work or decline an assignment they believe is unsafe or outside their training. Every concern about contractors, purchases, outsourced services or partners shall get a reply within five working days, to a partner member through their own officer. No one shall suffer reprisal from the department for a stop, a refusal or a concern raised in good faith. *Accountable: the fire chief.*

**5.17 Program, consultation and review.** The department shall maintain [Contractor and Mutual Aid Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/contractor-and-mutual-aid-safety-program), owned by the Facilities and Stations team for contractors and services and by the Fire Suppression and Emergency Operations team for mutual aid; consult the JOHSC on the contractor procedure, the service level agreement safety terms and the agreement safety clauses; produce a quarterly update and an annual appraisal; audit annually with [Checklist - Contractors and Mutual Aid](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/checklist-contractors-and-mutual-aid); and have the program independently reviewed every three years. *Accountable: the fire chief.*

## 6. Roles and responsibilities

Only the differences from [01 Roles and Responsibilities](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/roles-and-responsibilities) are stated here.

6.1 **Fire chief:** signs mutual aid agreements and service level agreements; evaluates each partner and each service annually with its head.

6.2 **Deputy chief, operations (policy owner):** accountable for both program owners; receives escalations of overdue corrective actions on the department’s one priority scale (a P2 (Serious) item at its due date, a P3 (Moderate) item at 30 days overdue) in the [Corrective Action Register](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/corrective-action-register).

6.3 **Program manager, contractors and services (Facilities and Stations team):** owns prequalification, orientation, permits and the service level agreements; owns their corrective actions.

6.4 **Program manager, mutual aid (Fire Suppression and Emergency Operations team):** owns the agreement register, the safety clauses, equivalence letters, joint training and joint reviews.

6.5 **Procurement:** attaches prequalification and orientation to every purchase order and contract; enforces the specification and substitution rules.

6.6 **Station officers and facilities contacts:** deliver orientations, issue permits within their authority, monitor work and stop it when needed.

6.7 **Incident commanders and accountability officers:** integrate partner crews under 5.11; assign only within declared capability.

6.8 **Health and safety officer:** samples contractor engagements and shared incident accountability records each quarter; convenes joint reviews.

6.9 **Members:** follow the host’s system when they are the partner; stop work and speak up.

6.10 **{{JOHSC}}:** is consulted under 5.17; receives contractor incident and joint review summaries.

## 7. Program and procedures this policy requires

- [Contractor and Mutual Aid Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/contractor-and-mutual-aid-safety-program) (FSSMS-PRG-24) with its toolkit (prequalification checklist, mutual aid safety clauses, service level agreement requirements).
- [Form - Contractor Orientation Checklist](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-contractor-orientation-checklist); [Form - Hazard Report](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazard-report).
- Shared procedures: [SWP - Lockout and Shop Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-lockout-and-shop-safety); [SWP - Diesel Exhaust and Station Zoning](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-diesel-exhaust-and-station-zoning); [SWP - Accountability and Personnel Accountability Reports](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-accountability-and-personnel-accountability-reports); [SWP - Two-In Two-Out and Rapid Intervention](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-two-in-two-out-and-rapid-intervention); [SWP - Roadway Incident Scene Blocking](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-roadway-incident-scene-blocking); [SWP - Live Fire Training Evolutions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-live-fire-training-evolutions).
- Related policies: [Policy - Emergency Operations Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-emergency-operations-safety); [Policy - Facilities](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-facilities); [Policy - Apparatus and Driving](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-apparatus-and-driving); [Policy - Training and Competency](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-training-and-competency).

## 8. Records, confidentiality and disclosure

8.1 The records this policy creates are prequalification files, orientation forms and hazard disclosures, permits, monitoring records, contractor incident reports, service level agreements and turnaround data, the agreement register with review dates, equivalence letters, joint training rosters and joint review summaries. They are kept in {{Records system}} for the statutory minimum or the life of the agreement, whichever is longer ([05 Document Control and Records](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/document-control-and-records)).

8.2 Contractor workers’ personal information is limited to what the orientation and sign-in need.

8.3 Agreements and service level agreements may be public records. Joint review material is de-identified and shared only as the joint review clause provides; privilege is asserted only on counsel’s advice.

## 9. Reporting

9.1 To the fire chief: the quarterly indicator update; any contractor or shared-incident Tier 2 or Tier 3 event within 24 hours; the annual appraisal and partner evaluations.

9.2 To {{JOHSC}}: contractor incidents, joint review summaries, service level agreement turnaround data and the corrective action register.

9.3 To council or the governing board: the agreement register and its review dates, and service turnaround performance, in the annual health and safety report ([03 Accountability and Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/accountability-and-reporting)).

9.4 To partner departments: the annual evaluation and joint review summaries. To the regulator and compensation board: as the law requires, each department for its own members ([J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation)).

## 10. Training requirements

| Role | Minimum training | Refresh |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Station officers and facilities contacts | Orientation delivery; hazard disclosure; permit issue; supervision levels; stopping work | On appointment; every three years |
| Procurement staff | Prequalification; the orientation step; specification, substitution and receiving rules | On assignment |
| Incident commanders and accountability officers | Integrating partner crews: logging, channel, assignment, equivalence, capability, rehab | Initial; the annual joint session |
| All operational members | Operating under a host’s system; the partner floor in 5.12; the joint learning review | Initial; annually |
| Contractors | Site orientation; permits; lockout under the department’s procedure | Each engagement; annually for standing contractors |
| JOHSC members | This policy and the agreement safety clauses | At each revision |

## 11. Legal and standards basis

11.1 The applicable occupational health and safety statute and regulations: duties of employers, contractors and constructors toward people at or near the workplace who are not their employees ([J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j02-duties-of-employers-supervisors-workers-and-contractors)); written work procedures and consultation with the committee on them ([J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j05-joint-committee-and-health-and-safety-representative); [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation)); lockout, electrical and confined space rules that bind contractors on department sites ([J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space); [J19 Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j19-lockout-machine-guarding-and-electrical-safety)); fall protection ([J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access)); asbestos disclosure and licensed abatement ([J21 WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j21-whmis-hazardous-materials-and-asbestos)); the firefighter PPE and SCBA rules a partner’s equipment must meet ([J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment); [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air)); and the reporting of serious injuries, including contractor incidents ([J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation)). The applicable workers’ compensation statute governs contractor registration and clearance ([J32 Workers' Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j32-workers-compensation-and-firefighter-presumptions)), and the external safety certification open to contractors differs by jurisdiction ([J36 External Verification and Funding](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j36-external-verification-and-funding)).

11.2 The management system’s operational controls for procurement, contractors and outsourcing (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 8.1.4); the Canadian adoption (CSA Z45001:19, cl. 8.1.4); the national certificate of recognition element on contractor management [(CFCSA, 2021)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-cfcsa-2021).

11.3 [NFPA 1550 (2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-nfpa-1550): one incident management system and personnel accountability for all agencies at an incident (ch. 10 and the incident management chapters); [NFPA 1750 (2026)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-nfpa-1750): mutual aid agreements written and contractual.

11.4 [NFPA 1910 (2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-nfpa-1910) for outsourced fleet work; [NFPA 1850 (2026)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-nfpa-1850) for verified PPE service providers; CSA Z180.1:19 for purchased breathing air.

11.5 The duty of everyone who directs work, including a contractor’s supervisor and a department representative, to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm [(Criminal Code \[CA\], 1985, s. 217.1)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-criminal-code-ca).

11.6 Accreditation: aid boundaries documented and approved; external relationships, conflict resolution, agreements reviewed every three years, a process to manage them and an annual evaluation of partner performance; apparatus specifications with employee input; investigation of incidents [(CPSE, 2019, criteria 2A.2, 10A.1, 10A.4, 10B.1 to 10B.3, 6C.3, 11A.7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-contractors-and-mutual-aid#ref-cpse-2019).

## 12. Review and approval

12.1 This policy is reviewed 12 months after adoption and every three years after that.

12.2 It is reviewed sooner after a contractor or shared-incident death, critical injury or Tier 2 event; a change in the applicable law; a new edition of NFPA 1550 or 1750; a change of partner or service provider; a written request of {{JOHSC}}; or when the audit or appraisal recommends it.

12.3 Every revision is consulted with {{JOHSC}}, {{Union}} and {{Volunteer Association}}, and the mutual aid provisions with the partner departments, before approval.

## 13. Adoption checklist

| Step | Lead | Done |
|:---|:---|:---|
| 1\. Complete every placeholder and the policy header | Policy owner |  |
| 2\. Counsel, procurement and risk review; partner counsel for the agreement clauses | Fire chief; counsel |  |
| 3\. Attach prequalification and orientation to every purchase order and contract template | Procurement |  |
| 4\. Put the orientation form and the permit books at every station and the training ground | Program manager, contractors |  |
| 5\. Locate every mutual aid and automatic aid agreement; enter each in the register with its review date | Program manager, mutual aid |  |
| 6\. Send interim letters of understanding where safety clauses are missing | Fire chief |  |
| 7\. Exchange PPE and SCBA equivalence letters with each partner | Program manager, mutual aid |  |
| 8\. Sign or update the fleet and facilities service level agreements | Fire chief |  |
| 9\. Train officers and accountability officers on partner integration | Training division |  |
| 10\. Schedule the joint training session with each regular partner | Training division |  |
| 11\. Consult the JOHSC; file the record | Fire chief; JOHSC co-chairs |  |
| 12\. Start the quarterly update and the concern reply log | Team leads |  |
| 13\. Diarize the 12-month review | Policy owner |  |

## 14. Consulting the JOHSC and bargaining agents

Consult early, before the policy is in final form, and put the outcome in writing.

| They will ask | Honest answer |
|:---|:---|
| Can a member stop a contractor who is working unsafely? | Yes, under 5.5.3, and the member is thanked. The contractor’s own supervisor and the facilities contact are told the same day. |
| What if a partner department’s gear does not meet our standard? | Those members work outside the hazard zone on our incidents, and the annual equivalence letter is meant to stop that from being a surprise. |
| What if the host department tells our crew to do something our rules forbid? | Our officer declines and tells the host’s command why (5.12.3). Our rules are the floor for our members wherever they work. |
| Will a joint review be used against our members by the other department? | No. The clause requires both departments’ learning firewalls, de-identified summaries and conduct concerns handled by each department’s own separate process. |
| Who makes corporate fleet and facilities fix things on time? | The service level agreements, signed by the fire chief, with turnaround times reported to the committee every quarter. |
| Are contractors’ workers covered by our safety rules? | They follow our site rules while on our sites, and our duties to them as people at our workplace apply. |

Where the parties disagree, record the disagreement, adopt what can be adopted, and review at 12 months.

## 15. Customization and sector variants

> **Note: Customize**
>
> Complete the header and every placeholder. Record the prequalification thresholds for high-risk work, the supervision levels by type of work, the permit issuers, the partner list with each agreement’s status, the interoperability plan, the equivalence confirmation method, the joint review convening rule, and the service providers with their turnaround times. The policy text is generic for every province and territory: read your jurisdiction’s section of each topic page listed under Jurisdiction requirements, and confirm the policy meets or exceeds it before adoption.

> **Tip: Volunteer and composite departments**
>
> A small department lives on mutual aid, so the agreement is its safety program for half its working fires. Write borrowed specialists (a live fire instructor-in-charge, a safety officer, a technical rescue team) into the same agreement. A contractor at a volunteer hall can be oriented by the facilities contact by phone, with the form left at the hall for signature.

> **Information: Delivery note**
>
> Locate the mutual aid agreements first; most departments find them older than anyone remembers. The interim letter of understanding can be signed in a month while counsel reviews the full agreement. The service level agreement conversation with corporate fleet and facilities is the hardest part, and the fire chief must lead it.

**Disclaimer.** This model policy is general information for the use of {{Department}} in building its own policy. It is not legal advice. The applicable statute, regulation, contract and collective agreement govern on any conflict. Confirm every cited clause and section with counsel before adoption.

*End of model policy.*

## Jurisdiction requirements

This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.

| Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors | The duties of employers, contractors, constructors and owners toward people at or near a workplace who are not their employees, and who carries them on a municipal site | [J02 Duties of Employers, Supervisors, Workers and Contractors](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j02-duties-of-employers-supervisors-workers-and-contractors) |
| Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative | Whether a joint committee or representative is required, and its role in reviewing contractor procedures and agreement safety clauses | [J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j05-joint-committee-and-health-and-safety-representative) |
| Written Procedures and Committee Consultation | Whether the committee must be consulted when the contractor procedure, permits and agreement safety clauses are made or reviewed | [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation) |
| Incident Reporting and Investigation | Which injuries and incidents involving contractors or partner crews must be reported to the regulator, by whom and how quickly | [J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j08-incident-reporting-and-investigation) |
| Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | The firefighter PPE rules a partner’s protective equipment must meet for equivalence | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) |
| Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air | The respirator program standard and the fit-test frequency and method a partner’s SCBA users must meet | [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air) |
| Fall Protection and Rope Access | The height at which contractor work needs fall protection, and when a written plan is required | [J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j16-fall-protection-and-rope-access) |
| Confined Space | The confined space rules that bind contractors entering spaces in department workplaces | [J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space) |
| Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety | The lockout, electrical and gas code rules that bind contractors on department sites | [J19 Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j19-lockout-machine-guarding-and-electrical-safety) |
| WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos | The asbestos rules: the inventory, disclosure to contractors, and who may disturb or remove asbestos | [J21 WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j21-whmis-hazardous-materials-and-asbestos) |
| Workers’ Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions | Contractor registration with the workers’ compensation board and the clearance needed before work starts and before final payment | [J32 Workers' Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j32-workers-compensation-and-firefighter-presumptions) |
| External Verification and Funding | Which external safety certification programs, such as a certificate of recognition, are open to contractors | [J36 External Verification and Funding](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j36-external-verification-and-funding) |

## References

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Conklin, T. (2012). *Pre-accident investigations: An introduction to organizational safety*. Ashgate.

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CSA Group. (2019). *CSA Z180.1:19, Compressed breathing air and systems* (6th ed.). <https://www.csagroup.org/store/product/CSA%20Z180.1:19/>

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Dekker, S. (2016). *Just culture: Restoring trust and accountability in your organization* (3rd ed.). CRC Press.

Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. *Administrative Science Quarterly, 44*(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Hollnagel, E. (2014). *Safety-I and Safety-II: The past and future of safety management*. Ashgate.

International Organization for Standardization. (2018). *ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use*. <https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html>

National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety* (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1550-standard-development/1550>

National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1910, Standard for the inspection, maintenance, refurbishment, testing, and retirement of in-service emergency vehicles and marine firefighting vessels* (consolidates NFPA 1071, 1911, 1912 and 1925). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1910-standard-development/1910>

National Fire Protection Association. (2026). *NFPA 1750, Standard for the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations, emergency medical services, special operations, and fire prevention activities* (consolidates NFPA 1201, 1710, 1720 and 1730). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1750-standard-development/1750>

National Fire Protection Association. (2026). *NFPA 1850, Standard on selection, care, and maintenance of protective ensembles for structural and proximity firefighting and open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)* (consolidates NFPA 1851 and 1852). <https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-1850-standard-development/1850>

The Human Factor. (2026a). *After the Call, Manual 02: The three tiers and event triage* \[Unpublished manuscript\].