Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Mike Pringle, for whom Councillor Malcolm Wood substituted.

None.

Of the meeting held on 27 March 2015 (for confirmation).

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2015 as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

Report of Chief Fire Officer

Wayne Bowcock, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, presented the report which updates members on the Primary Authority Scheme.

The following points were highlighted:

(a)  having taken part in the trial since January 2013, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is to continue working as a Primary Authority with Boots UK now that the scheme has been adopted within legislation and came into effect on 1 April 2014;

(b)  although legislation is clear, interpretation of that legislation by different Fire and Rescue Authorities has meant that some larger companies with multiple business sites have received inconsistent guidance and enforcement advice from the different Fire and Rescue Authorities responsible for the areas in which each premises is sited;

(c)  having linked  with Boots UK, NFRS will continue to provide advice on fire protection standards which will be applied to all Boots UK premises including those sited in other counties;

(d)  other fire and rescue services are aware that NFRS has taken responsibility for providing the core guidance and setting the standards for the company and will refer to these when inspecting premises based within their own boundaries;

(e)  if on undertaking a fire safety or enforcement check at a Boots UK premises outside of Nottinghamshire,  the attending fire and rescue service have a query or concern, this is raised directly with NFRS as the Primary Authority, which will then check that it complies to the standards agreed, or ensures the concern is addressed;

(f)  each Primary Authority is responsible for providing fire safety training to their partner business;

(g)  Boots UK have given very positive feedback on the service provided by NFRS although a broader reaching improvement has been suggested regarding communication between primary authorities. It is predicted that communications will improve once a central database is operational;

(h)  it is proposed that further business partners are engaged with NFRS, through the Primary Authority Scheme;

(i)  all costs for the Primary Authority service provided to the partner business are recovered from the business.

Councillors suggested that the Finance and Resources Committee consider undertaking a review to ensure that the Primary Authority Program is cost neutral to NFRS.

RESOLVED

(1)  to note the requirement to comply with the Primary Authority Scheme under the obligations within the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005;

(2)  to endorse Nottinghamshire Fire And Rescue Service expanding the delivery of the Primary Authority Scheme to other businesses from April 2015.

Report of Chief Fire Officer

Wayne Bowcock, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, presented the report which informs members of a trial of the Emergency First Responder Scheme (EFRS) with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) at Harworth and Newark Fire Stations.

(a)  the Service has been involved in community emergency first responding with EMAS for the past 14 years but only in a limited capacity involving four fire stations;

(b)  Under the existing scheme, a responder car is kept at the fire station and collected by retained fire staff when called to a non-fire medical emergency incident. At the same time EMAS dispatch an ambulance to provide support at the incident;

(c)  a refreshed trial scheme, which started on 1 April 2015 and will run for six months, involves two firefighters attending emergency calls in a blue light equipped response vehicle which is kept with the on-call retained firefighters, either at their home or place of business. Crews are mobilised directly by EMAS Control if the incident is within six minutes travel of the crew, who can then provide emergency medical assistance;

(d)  it is emphasised that emergency fire cover is not compromised and EMAS continue to dispatch a support crew to the incident;

(e)  EMAS provides training and overarching clinical governance, in addition to contributing to the use of the vehicle and the whole cost of one firefighter as this aligns with the EMAS lone responder policy;

(f)  not all participating Fire and Rescue Authorities choose to deploy two firefighters to an incident, but Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service have found this to be the most appropriate position;

(g)  some other Fire And Rescue Services have decided not to provide a responder car but attend incidents with a fire appliance and a full fire crew;

(h)  the University of Hull and Vanguard Consultants Ltd will evaluate the effectiveness of the trial and this will be reported back to this Committee.

Members welcomed the positive effect of the scheme during the first month of the trial, during which 23 incidents were attended, but are concerned at the financial impact on the Service of providing two firefighters when the cost of only one is covered.

RESOLVED to note the report and receive a further report on conclusion of the trial period.

Report of Chief Fire Officer

Wayne Bowcock, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, presented the report which updates members on the service delivery activity relating to ‘prevention, protection and response’ which are identified as priorities within the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2014 to 2019 and the Service Delivery Business Plan.

The following points were highlighted:

(a)  Community Safety Priorities are:

  i.  ‘Persons at Risk;

  ii.  Road Safety;

  iii.  Older Persons, and;

  iv.  Education;

(b)  the Person’s at Risk Team (PART) has been established to work with partner agencies, ensuring that information is shared, and on specific Service priority activities which are outlined within the report;

(c)  other partnership working includes engagement with the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and the City and County Safeguarding Boards;

(d)  work continues to engage and educate new and emerging communities, both with regard to domestic and business safety and enforcement. This includes a BME Support Officer and a Business Education Advocate, supported by Nottingham University foreign language Students, engaging with target groups;

(e)  inter-partner staff development on community safety awareness has resulted in members of Nottinghamshire Police taking part in a work-placement period with the PART;

(f)  the Safety Advisory Groups (SAG) consider and work in partnership (Councils, Police, and Fire and Rescue Services) to identify potential risks and agreeing measures to avoid them, at specific venues and events such as football stadia, sports grounds and large public events;

(g)  as discussed in a previous agenda item, the First Responder Scheme continues with an additional pilot testing refreshed arrangement;

(h)  crews continue to deliver a range of safety packages to school children;

(i)  the Player Street fire on 30 March 2015 lasted 12 days and at its height required approximately 20 fire crews, including crews and appliances from neighbouring Fire and Refuse Authorities under the Mutual Strategic Cover Agreement. This enabled 283 other incidents to be responded to during the Player Street fire;

(j)  there were 3 fire deaths in the past year, all of whom were vulnerable people;

(k)  506 road traffic collisions were attended and 12 people died on the roads;

(l)  road safety will continue to be a priority in the Community Safety Strategy  2016-2019.

It is noted that the Service will be attending the ‘999 Emergency Services Day’ to be held on 30 August 2015 at Clumber Park.

RESOLVED to note the report.