City of Toronto: Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety eLearning Program

Municipal Fire Safety eLearning for Large Public Sector Workforces

As a recognized Canadian leader in large-scale, custom eLearning programs, Media Learning Systems was engaged by the City of Toronto’s Fire and Life Safety Office to address a rapidly escalating risk: lithium-ion battery fires in municipal workplaces.

The Challenge

With more than 50,000 employees across diverse departments, the City of Toronto required a training solution that could be designed, built, and deployed end-to-end within two weeks—without compromising behavioural impact, accessibility, or interactivty.

The program needed to scale instantly, align with strict DEI and AODA requirements, and deliver consistent safety messaging across a complex municipal environment. This initiative represented the third consecutive municipal engagement between the City of Toronto and Media Learning Systems for mission-critical safety training within a two-year period.

• Massive Scale: Training required consistent delivery to 50,000+ employees.
• Modern Risk Profile: Lithium-ion batteries introduced new, poorly understood fire hazards.
• Accessibility Requirements: Training had to exceed AODA standards from day one.
• Operational Reality: In-person delivery was impractical at Toronto’s municipal scale

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The Solution: Expert-Led, Accessible Design

The program translated complex fire-safety protocols into highly engaging, scenario-driven digital learning—designed to change behaviour, not just convey information. Instructional strategy and content architecture were led by Dr. Jonathan Ross, ensuring rigorous alignment with adult-learning science while preserving technical and regulatory accuracy.

Scalable digital delivery across a massive and diverse workforce

• Scenario-Based Learning: Realistic lithium-ion storage and emergency response situations
• Scalable Deployment: Optimized for the City’s internal SCORM-Compliant LMS
• Learner Feedback 98% satisfaction rating across post-course surveys
• Expert Oversight: Instructional design led by Dr. Ross, a nationally recognized learning architect

Results & Impact

The program was successfully deployed across the City of Toronto’s workforce, significantly improving awareness of lithium-ion battery hazards, reinforcing safe charging and storage behaviours, and directly supporting the City’s fire-prevention mandate.

By replacing in-person delivery with a fully accessible digital solution, the City achieved consistent city-wide messaging, reduced delivery costs, and secured a reusable training asset aligned with ongoing regulatory and compliance requirements.

Return on Investment (ROI) for a Large Municipal Workforce

Delivering safety training at municipal scale requires disciplined alignment between effectiveness, cost control, and regulatory compliance. By moving lithium-ion battery fire safety training to a centralized, digital format, the City of Toronto achieved measurable operational and financial efficiencies.

• Reduced Delivery Costs: Eliminated the need for repeated in-person sessions, instructor time, and facility scheduling across departments
• Consistent Messaging at Scale: Ensured all 50,000+ employees received the same accurate, up-to-date fire safety guidance
• Reusable Training Asset: Created a durable module for onboarding, refresher training, and policy updates
• Risk Mitigation: Improved awareness of lithium-ion battery hazards, reducing the likelihood of costly incidents
• Accessibility Built In: Avoided retrofitting costs by exceeding AODA requirements from the outset

The result was a cost-effective, future-ready safety training asset that delivers long-term operational value while supporting the City’s accessibility, compliance, and risk-management objectives.

Interactive elements on almost every slide for maximum learner engagement

Why the City of Toronto Chose Media Learning Systems

When evaluating eLearning partners in Toronto, the City prioritized proven municipal delivery at scale, deep accessibility expertise, and absolute reliability under compressed timelines. Media Learning Systems’ repeat engagements in public-sector safety training positioned us as a trusted, low-risk partner.