Agenda item

Report of Chief Fire Officer

Prior to consideration of the item, questions from representatives of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) were posed as follows:

Question 1 Nottinghamshire FBU would like to raise their concerns at the reduction in operational establishment levels from the flexi duty officers system. With ever increasing demands placed upon the service to participate in a multiagency and partnership arena, the management of the Service and impact upon all strands of the delivery, prevention and protection are being stretched beyond capacity. Additional expectations of supervision born from previous incidents across the country should not be overlooked by the Service. Whilst we are all aware of the financial squeeze from Central Government the safety of employees and the public is our first and only priority. Bearing this in mind can you confirm that there will be no further reductions in the number of officers in Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service?

The Chair responded:

In making his recommendations the Chief Fire Officer has considered both the managerial and operational impact which these proposals may have on the ability to deliver robust and safe services. Furthermore he believes that any impact is manageable, not only through internal processes but also due to local and national agreements regarding mutual aid.

However, within the report the Chief Fire Officer also recognises that there will be very little scope for any further reductions. This does not enable the Authority to confirm that there will be no further reductions, as it is impossible to project all future scenarios, but it does demonstrate that the points raised by the FBU are very much in the forefront of the Chief Fire Officer’s and Authority’s thinking.

Question 2 Is the CFA confident that the same high level of service to the public of Nottinghamshire will remain if the Specialist Rescue Team is converted into two Technical Rescue Stations?

The Chair responded:  The proposals within the report recognise that the broader rescue competence within the Service has increased since the procurement of rescue equipment on all frontline appliances. This, together with the commitment that all current capabilities will be maintained under the new arrangements gives confidence that the high level of service delivered to the community will continue.

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer, presented the report which seeks approval to adjust operational provisions and delete 34 posts from the whole time uniformed establishment.

The Chief Fire Officer highlighted the following points in the report:

(a)  whilst the Service has implemented savings of £1.3 million there is still a shortfall against the £2.4 million savings required, but the proposed measures will address that shortfall;

(b)  enhanced crewing has been considered for whole time and retained officers, but it was not possible to reach agreements with representative bodies regarding such arrangements. Enhanced crewing is no longer considered an option;

(c)  following discussions with representative bodies is proposed to:

(i)  delete three station manager posts and convert one to a non-uniformed manager,  reduce the Station Manager operational rota from a seven week cycle to a six-week cycle;

(ii)  delete the 10 firefighter posts allocated to Worksop to enable enhanced crewing;

(iii)  reintegrate the Specialist Rescue Team onto firefighting watches and create two Technical Rescue Stations at Highfields and Newark Fire Stations;

(d)  due to the predicted turnover of staff, the proposed changes can be implemented without the need for compulsory redundancies.

RESOLVED

(1)  to approve the deletion of 34 whole time uniformed posts;

(2)  to approve the creation of a non-uniformed manager post within the Equipment Section;

(3)  to support the adjustments to the service delivery provisions as outlined within the main body of the report.