Introduction. Strategy and Targets. What we have done. What we are planning to do. Responding to Accidents. Useful Contacts and Links.

1. Introduction.

The following information is summarized from the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Road Safety Strategy publication. For further information and the full action plan please see the strategy document [pdf 311 KB].

Road safety directly involves all road users of all ages, whether on bike, on foot, or in a vehicle. Every year, around 3,500 people are killed on Britain's roads and 40,000 seriously injured. In total, there are over 300,000 road casualties in nearly 240,000 accidents. Human Error is a contributory factor in approximately 95% of road collisions.

Of particular concern is the fact that road accidents remain the biggest single cause of accidental death for people under the age of 24. In 2002, 800 people under the age of 24 died as a result of a road traffic accident. This figure is 300% greater than the next biggest cause. In addition, a significant number of road deaths can be attributed to an illegal action. For example, almost 16% of road deaths happened when someone was driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

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2. Strategy and Targets.

2.1 National Strategy.

In 2000, the Government published 'Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone', a national Road Safety Strategy. The Strategy encouraged a multi-disciplinary approach to reduce casualties on our roads concentrating on education, enforcement, engineering and encouragement.

The target to be achieved by the year 2010, based on the average for the years 1994/95-1998/99 are:-

• A 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.
• A 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured.
• A 10% reduction in the casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

Many local authorities, including are partners within East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Brighton & Hove City Council, have incoprated these targets into their Local Public Service Agrrements. By doing so, they have set themselves stretching targets which, if achieved, will allow additional funding to be released for continuing road safety initiatives.

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2.2. Where we are now.

The following table provides details of road traffic collisions attended by East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service. Note that not all fatal RTCs are attended by ESFRS.

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2.3 Where we want to be.

The Fire & Rescue Service does not attend all road traffic collisions. Some serious incidents including those involving pedestrians and cylists and other minor accidents are often dealt with by the Police and / or the Ambulance Service. This has led to differences in the way we, the Police and our other partners collect and measure data. It is, therefore unhelpful to apply percentage reduction targets to our incident figures as we measure different sets of data. Therefore, the aim of this strategy is to focus East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service on this important community safety issue. It will allow us to consider the targeting of our resources towards education and encouragement initiatives in such a way that we contribute to the overall Government reduction targets.

Our commitment to this strategy, and our partners objectives, will be demonstrated by the inclusion of the relevant County Council and City Council targets and performance in our annual Best Value Performance Plan. The following table reflects the current data from East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council and identifies the reduction requirements to achieve the 2010 targets.

2.3.1 East Sussex County Council Road Casualty Reduction Targets.

2.3.2 Brighton & Hove City Council Road Casualty Reduction Targets.

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3. What we have done.

In the past, our approach to road traffic collisions has largely been to make an emergency response when requested in order to release any casualties trapped as a result of the incident. This has required a sustained and measurable commitment of financial resources and training time as well as a continual process of equipment innovation and development.

With the focus changing to one of prevention, the Director of Community Protection now sits on the Sussex Strategic Road Safety Steering Group established to co-ordinate and develop road safety strategies and initiatives across the partner agencies. In addition, individual Station Managers, recognising both the increasing workload resulting from RTCs and the key role the Service plays in preventing RTCs, have developed local initiatives in an attempt to tackle the problem.

This case study and other initiatives represent examples of good work. The main purpose of this strategy is to ensure that such initiatives are fully supported and all positive outcomes shared across the Service.

As an employer, in particular, as an emergency service, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service recognises its own responsibilities to reduce risk to road users by formally assessing the risks and introducing suitable controls for relevant Service activities. These controls include providing Service vehicles incorporating appropriate safety technology and supporting maintenance regimes.

ESFRS has a team of specialist accredited driver training instructors and examiners who deliver appropriate training to all employee drivers, including emergency response drivers, in accordance with Service policies.

In addition to providing personnel with the legal and core training required for Service appliance drivers, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has also adopted the ROSPA 'Safe Drivers' scheme which requires initial and periodic assessments of drivers to a nationally accredited standard.

These initiatives have often involved partners and have on occasion, been able to attract funding through organisations such as Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

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4. What we are planning to do.

We have agreed a plan of key actions which give responsibility for delivering objectives to the appropriate level within the organisation. The full Action Plan is available at the back of the East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Road Safety Strategy publication [pdf 311 KB].

At a strategic level we will:

• Recommend that the Fire Authority approve and take ownership of the Road Safety Strategy.
• Seek wider consultation with Partners / Stakeholders on our strategy.
• Agree a Road Safety Partnership Local Agreement with Sussex Police and other Partners that identifies road safety hotspots and co-ordinates the appropriate accident reduction strategy.
• Establish links with other Partners including the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership, Driving Standards Agency, RoSPA etc. in order to look at working together on mutually beneficial initiatives.

At a organisational level we will:

• Include RTC casualty reduction targets in the annual Best Value Performance Plan and ensure performance is monitored via the Quarterly Performance report.
• Where external funding can be secured, we will support the rollout across the Service of the LIFE (Local Intervention Fire Education) scheme ensuring that the content of the course reflects the consequences of dangerous/illegal driving.
• Establish a "toolkit" of RTC education, publicity and awareness initiatives, which can be utilised by the Station Managers to target high-risk groups and/or roads.
• Develop a strategy to effectively communicate both the issues involved and the developing role of ESFRS in helping to reduce RTC casualties, whilst supporting our Partners in achieving the Government targets.
• Ensure that all Emergency Fire Appliance and Response Vehicle drivers are trained and regularly refreshed to the RoSPA standard.
• All accidents and near misses involving ESFRS vehicles are investigated to identify the cause and where possible measures are put in place to reduce future occurrences.

At a local level we will:

• Ensure that ESFRS representatives on CDRP's have sufficient training and guidance to enable them to access funding streams in support of local initiatives.
• Ensure that each local Station Action Plan incorporates RTC reduction initiatives including appropriate resource allocation.
• Encourage and support inter-agency training where it fits in with our aims and objectives and those of our partner agencies.

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5. Responding to Accidents.

5.1 Response.

It is an unfortunate fact that there will always be a need for a reactive response to RTCs when they occur. Last year, the Fire Authority adopted standards through their Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP), to monitor response times to road traffic collisions, as they become a significant part of the workload for all Fire and Rescue Services. The standards are to ensure that 50% of RTCs will be attended in 8 minutes and 90% in 13 minutes.

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5.2 Intervention.

It is vital that once Fire & Rescue Service personnel respond to an RTC, they are suitably equipped and trained to deal with whatever crash rescue scenario they are faced in order that a safe, time efficient, casualty centred rescue can be achieved.

The Integrated Personnel Development System (IPDS) will support the training and development of Fire and Rescue Service personnel and will help to ensure that our personnel are competent in safety procedures, equipment use and extrication techniques relevant to their expected role at an RTC.

The training strategy for RTCs is being developed by East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service training department to reflect current training at the Fire Service College. This process will result in operational personnel undertaking a comprehensive refresher-training course. The aim is for all relevant personnel to receive this training by 2008.

The Fire Authority and ESFRS fully support the aims and objectives of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) Extrication Challenge. The Challenge provides best practice and a channel for dissemination of information on the handling of RTCs into the Fire Service. ESFRS will be hosting the July 2006 UKRO Challenge in Brighton and further details are available on the UKRO website (www.ukro.org).

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5.3 Information.

It is vital that operational crews are provided with relevant safety and technical infomation on which to base their operational plans when attending an RTC.

All front line fire appliances are fitted with the MODAS in-cab data system. This system is loaded with the latest safety information and technical data on a wide range of road vehicles. This infomation is readily available to Incident Commanders and can be used to inform their decision making process.

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6. Useful Contacts and Links.

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