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Key challenges raised during the Rural Review consultation

Recommendation 1

Further develop the Community Safety strategy (as detailed in the Integrated Risk Management annual action plan 2006/07) and adopt a new HSV targeting.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Should not ignore the majority of the population that don't fall within our vulnerable groups and who collectively have by far the most fires. We shouldn't say no to those that request a referral.
  • Don't just rely on Home Safety Visits (HSVs) to target vulnerable
  • Can we continue to afford to carry out HSVs?
  • Should we repeat prevention advice and support and, if so, after how long?

Recommendation 2

Further enhance the ability of fire station personnel to manage and prioritise their community safety activities by developing an interactive system, based on the above methodology.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • The Service will need to ensure the current information systems allow this transfer of risk information to stations;
  • Who will be responsible for providing it, sometimes we get conflicting information from different teams?

Recommendation 3

Due to the housing developments in the Peacehaven area, the identified flood risk and local demographics, seek to relocate Newhaven community fire station taking account of the risk profile of the locality.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Need to consider where current staff live, as may no longer be able to offer cover, or could extend turn-in time which would offset any gain in potential improvements in attendance time to the North area of Peacehaven
  • Potential loss of current staff.
  • New staff would lead to additional recruitment and training costs.
  • Flooding is not a great risk
  • Does benefit outweigh the cost - could we not re-invest in the existing site?

Recommendation 4

Due to the flood risk currently identified, relocate Lewes community fire station taking account of local demographics and risk profiling

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Invest in current site placing it on stilts or reducing impact of flooding on first floor through redesign of interior (How much did it cost to recover from the floods last time?). Maybe just move the specials to a different location.
  • Need to consider where current staff live, as may no longer be able to offer cover, or could extend turn-in time which would offset any gain in potential decrease in attendance time.
  • Potential loss of current staff. New staff would lead to additional training costs.

Recommendation 5

  • a. Set a more challenging attendance standard for the first appliance to life threatening incidents
  • b. Set attendance standards for the second appliance attending life threatening incidents
  • c. Set a further attendance standard for the first appliance to all incidents attended by ESFRS within its service boundary.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments

No significant challenges

Recommendation 6

Seek to further enhance and optimise attendance times by refining the method of setting pre-determined attendances, basing them on the average turnout time associated with each specific pumping appliance and ensuring that the most timely response is made to all life threatening incidents.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Could cause pressure on crews to turn out quicker and, therefore, increase likelihood of having an accident, especially if there are financial incentives to reach incident first.
  • Why do we send echo appliances to certain types of incidents (e.g. chimney fires) - is the right appliance going to the right incident? This could result in a wholetime pump being unavailable for life-threatening calls in its own station ground while it attends a non life-threatening call in another station ground.
  • There is the potential that a retained pump will be mobilised to standby at a wholetime shift station as a result of the wholetime pump being mobilised to an incident in the retained station area (because it's the quickest).

Recommendation 7

Amend the current Day Crewed System to a Day Staffed 42-hour Duty System, removing the need for wholetime firefighters to provide the current 96 hours of duty. There is an opportunity to change the current system whilst maintaining operational performance, with no impact upon overall service delivery and attendance standards, allowing more efficient use of resources.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments

Operational
  • The stations' appliances go to more calls than stated in the station profile and page 66 of the report.
  • You would need to recruit far more retained as we haven't got enough retained to crew both appliances and the specials on some stations.
  • Most retained staff will be unable to offer the time required to maintain competence on special appliances.
  • If the houses are phased out, the cost of the new system will outweigh the savings of removing the day crewed allowances, why not keep the allowances and phase out the housing, releasing the capital, as you then use those you have already trained and do not need to train and maintain the competence of greater numbers of staff who have less time to do it.
  • How will you guarantee the availability of retained which is unpredictable and seasonal.
  • It takes at least two years to train a retained member of staff up to competent level.
  • We have recruited but not specified when we want them available, there are holes.
  • If the working time directive is implemented this will further reduce the pool of people from which to select from and reduce the amount of time retained personnel can offer.
  • If you remove wholetime you will increase response times as wholetime live closer to the station than retained
  • Current system guarantees 1st pump out of every day crewed station.
  • Just under a 1/3 of retained are under development.
  • There would be a loss of expertise at night.
  • Sociological trends (failure of businesses, ageing of rural communities) means smaller pool to recruit from.
  • Lots of retained offer availability earlier in the week so they can book off at the weekend and their contracts allow them to do this, can't therefore guarantee pump. If you set specific periods when retained staff must be available this may adversely affect recruitment and retention.
  • The alerter failures for Members of the retained staff are significantly higher than those for day crewed.
  • Do we need a second pump at day crewed stations.
  • 6 stations have been grouped together they should be considered separately.
  • We would need additional supervisors (Junior officers).
  • Cross fertilisation of experience between wholetime and retained will no longer be possible.
Staff impact
  • This change would lead to friction between wholetime and retained.
  • Day-crewed housing is not a disincentive to staff as mentioned in the review as plenty of day-crewed staff have progressed.
  • Could you rent out the house to us?
  • Could you sell houses at a discounted rate to firefighters? Some of us want to buy our house, but now we will not have the income to do so.
  • What financial support could be expected if we are expected to move out of our homes? We will need support and long term timescales to help with finances.
  • This would severely affect morale on day crewed stations with a 20% pay cut leading to broken homes, family stress and divorce. This is a huge issue for staff in Service housing, my earnings will go back to that which I earned in the year 2000.
  • I bought a house in a certain place because I had to live within a certain area, I didn't have a choice.
  • Didn't West Sussex get an allowance when they moved away from day crewed?
  • You can earn more as a day crewed retained member of staff just by turning in, than you can as a member of staff on a retained station attending less calls.
  • Pressure on people to give up more family time - perhaps more than they should.
  • If the system went ahead it would only be fair to phase it in. Natural wastage should be used where ever possible.
  • Some of us would have to move and commuting would be cost prohibitive, we would need a cost of housing allowance to remain living in the area.

Recommendation 8

Amend the existing Retained Duty System at Burwash, Mayfield and Herstmonceux fire.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments

Operational
  • You haven't recruited enough in these areas and recruitment is the answer. Undertake targeted recruitment from 12-24 months and re-evaluate afterwards. Use best practice that's out there.
  • What about the effect of pulling other appliances out of higher risk areas to cover incidents during the day.
  • Why are we keeping the stations if there is so little risk, you should just close them. Move the pumps elsewhere where they would better address the risk.
  • Nucleus crewing should be considered. Use wholetime and retained staff from other stations to address retained crewing deficiencies.
  • It's often because of JO cover that we are off the run, not due to crewing levels.
  • Would potentially lose existing staff if we reduce their hours to night only as they are shift workers and they will not be able to offer minimum hours.
  • If all 3 are closed this leaves a big hole in the County (Collective effect)
  • Will you reconsider if we get more trainees?
  • Will all this be superceded by inevitable budget cuts?
  • The recruitment process isn't fit for purpose; we have had so many fail.
  • There is no saving on this why do it?
  • Major incidents still occur during the day - resilience is also an issue during the day.
  • Long term sickness is not covered on retained as it is on wholetime system.
  • Staff at the station will attend even less calls impacting on competence.
  • A system of booking off would help with retention.
  • You should enforce contractual changes.
  • Why don't we scrap the retainer and only pay a turnout fee.
  • When day crewed specials are out retained pumps standby.
  • Lag times will increase (time between 1ST appliance & 2ND appliance arriving).
Staff impact
  • This is cutting hours and wages of those who have been full unit for over 20 years.
  • You are making people do hours they don't want to work.
  • If we don't go to an incident in a village what will our community think.
  • We would feel like a third rate station.
  • Mayfield have only 50% strength but have been available 70% of the time.

Recommendation 9

Monitor the specific impact of the Arson and Incident Reduction team and AFA Manager on the number of automatic false alarms in the rural communities ensuring the targeting of persistent offenders.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments

We should charge for Automatic False Alarms

Recommendation 10

Following confirmation of the development of the Bexhill and Hastings Link Road a further review should be undertaken that considers the current resource allocation against the potential changes in community risk profiles across the Bexhill, Battle and Hastings area.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments

No significant challenges

Recommendation 11

Consider the introduction of a further response vehicle at Hailsham fire station, which will attend small fires, AFAs and other designated special services. This will require capital investment in the fire station to provide an additional appliance bay and potential improvements in the station facilities.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Would need to be very sure as to the type of incidents it would attend, what its capability was and ensure a safe system of work.
  • You would need to selectively alert to ensure first pump availability wasn't adversely affected.
  • Couldn't this vehicle be placed at Herstmonceux, is this the best place to trial such a vehicle?
  • Why just Hailsham, could it not attend incidents further a field?
  • The cost of another appliance bay seems a lot for the limited gain. Would you roll this out to other stations further along the line or would this cost too much?

Recommendation 12

If the decision is taken to change from a Day Crewed System to a Day Staffing System, consideration should be given to an increase in training hours to ensure competence in the use of special appliances.

Consultation: Key challenges/comments
  • Why spend additional money training staff to provide skills that exist already within the wholetime crews?
  • The retained crew the specials on some stations already.
  • The maintenance of competence would be a massive issue for the retained due to time available.
  • Some retained feel they don't have enough time to train on core competencies and would not be able to offer additional time.
  • Consider training specific teams therefore you will not have to train everyone.
  • This recommendation could be divisive.
This page was last updated on Monday, 26-Mar-2012 16:33:01 BST
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