Select Committee on Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Written Evidence


Memorandum by Devon Fire and Rescue Authority (FRS 11)

INTRODUCTION

  The Devon Fire and Rescue Authority welcomes this opportunity to present written evidence to this Inquiry. Both the Chief Fire Officer and the Chairman of the Authority are willing to give verbal evidence to the Committee.

  The Fire and Rescue Service is going through the most radical change programme since the end of the Second World War. The change agenda is significant and is placing huge demands on all Fire and Rescue Services. Smaller Services may not have sufficient capacity to cope and the Audit Commission found this to be so in many of its recent Comprehensive Performance Assessments. At the same time the government expects efficiencies to produce significant savings. An appropriate balance needs to be struck between these, sometimes, conflicting expectations.

THE INTRODUCTION OF REGIONAL CONTROL CENTRES

  The Devon Fire and Rescue Authority took the view from the very start of this project that it would provide support, albeit somewhat reluctantly. This Authority was frustrated from the start by the lack of information available in order to comment effectively or to take decisions on matters of importance. That information shortfall remains to this day with inadequate information to inform our medium term financial planning process. Consequently, we remain concerned that the Regional Control Centre may impose additional costs on this Authority.

  The management of the project has been disappointing. An example is the decision of ODPM to give Chief Fire Officers and Fire and Rescue Authorities only 45 minutes advance notice of the publication of the location of the new Regional Control Centres. This left Chief Fire Officers in the unenviable position of having to advise affected staff having only discovered the location a few minutes earlier.

  Technically this project is ambitious but achievable but will require great technical expertise. Experience of the move to computerised Command & Control Systems in the Fire and Rescue Service showed that there were many large, experienced IT companies that were caught out by the complexities of what at first appears to be a simple application. There is concern that this could happen again particularly as the proposed systems will be that much more complex again. Given this there is concern in relation to the timescales associated with this project, particularly as Fire and Rescue Services are yet to receive key information in relation to the data structures that will be used by the proposed system. There is likely to be considerable work for Fire and Rescue Authorities to carryout before their mobilising data is in a format that is compatible with the proposed countrywide system.

  Finally, the recently announced delay in the roll out of the RCC project means that existing control rooms need to operate for longer. Here in Devon our existing equipment would have reached the end of its life at about the time of the originally planned change over date. The delay means that we cannot rely on this critical equipment for a further two years. The result is that we need to replace that equipment when we did not expect to have to do so. Unfortunately, ODPM is refusing to meet these costs and we believe that that decision should be re-considered.

THE INTRODUCTION OF AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS FOR FIRELINK RADIO SERVICES

  Devon Fire and Rescue Service currently shares a microwave system with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and Cornwall County Fire Service which we use to link our radio sites back to our respective control rooms. We own our part of the microwave system and currently pay maintenance for that. The majority of the cost and all site sharing costs currently fall on the police as the major user.

  Devon & Cornwall Constabulary has almost completed its migration to the new O2 Airwave radio system and expects to vacate the shared microwave system by June 2006. This will result in us having to pay all of the costs of any links and sites we need to retain after that date.

  This is an important matter for this authority as any slippage in the Firelink rollout would result in extra costs of £214,000 pa as well as potentially increasing disposal costs. We believe that government should meet such costs as they are entirely beyond our control and yet would impact directly upon our local council tax payers.

PROGRESS ON FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE REFORM

  The Service welcomes the increased recognition given to the Chief Fire Officers' Association in delivering the modernisation agenda in partnership with central government, the LGA and other stakeholders. From a local perspective, however, we need to ensure there is continued meaningful consultation on all major strategic change that takes account of the different environments in which Fire and Rescue Authorities operate.

  It is disappointing to note that in the draft National Framework 2006-08 no regard has been given to the  inadequacies of the constitutional arrangements of Regional Management Boards in delivering improvement to the scale and timetable suggested by central government. However, from a Devon perspective it is welcoming to note that the government has not ruled out sub regional combinations of fire and rescue services as Devon is currently undertaking a strategic Review with Somerset to see if, and how the two authorities can work more closely together. See further comment on this issue below.

  Transitional funding has been of assistance to Fire and Rescue Authorities in supporting the not insignificant increase in budget necessary to deliver the pay agreement 2003. This was particularly burdensome for rural authorities with more retained firefighters than wholetime firefighters. A fact that appeared to have been overlooked at the time. Although the ethos of the pay agreement was that management and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) would work together to deliver the required changes in return for the high settlement, as can be seen from the industrial action taking place around the country this is taking longer to deliver than anticipated. We believe that it is essential, therefore, that ODPM agrees to delay the repayment of the transitional funding for a further year.

  One of the other strands of the agreement was for recognition of other unions (The Retained Firefighters Union and the Fire Officers Association) on the National Joint Council, thereby, in a small way, recognising the legitimate desires of those unions to be able to represent significant parts of the Fire and Rescue Service workforce. Although work has started on this it has some way to go before reaching a conclusion. This is disappointing and means that although local recognition for negotiation purposes of these two unions has happened, we are still in a position where national procedures to resolve local issues preclude the involvement of these two unions.

  Fire Service Reform continues to require "pump priming" resources if it is to be delivered at the speed required. There needs to be some recognition of this fact in Revenue Support Grant settlements for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

FIRE PREVENTION

  We welcome the long overdue change to fire legislation which will enable a risk appropriate approach to enforcement, whilst supporting the Integrated Risk Management Plan. Considerable planning, training and support is taking place to ensure that the Service is fully prepared when the Order is brought into force, on 1 April 2006, to maintain public confidence and to have appropriate, embedded, robust enforcement procedures.

PROMOTING DIVERSITY

  The Devon Fire and Rescue Authority has achieved a great deal in increasing the representation of women in the uniformed workforce. The table below illustrates that increase.

    2000-01    26

2001-02    27

2002-03    35

2003-04    47

2004-05    57

2005-06    58    (current figure)

  The ODPM target is to ensure that 15% of the uniformed workforce is female by 2009. However, it is important to realise that we are working from a very low base. Only in recent years have we seen the repeal of the statutory controls on the minimum height of firefighters that excluded 80% of the female population. It is important, therefore, to recognise that Fire Authorities are not to blame for the current position. Nevertheless, more needs to be done and we are working hard to improve female representation in the workforce. However, ODPM should recognise that the target of 15% by 2009 is simply unachievable.

  The Devon Fire and Rescue Authority welcomes the proposal to open up the Fire and Rescue Service to enable high quality recruitment into all levels of the organisation. However, it should not be forgotten that experience is an important qualification for those Fire Officers that take command of complex operational incidents. It is important that any change to the recruitment policy does not adversely affect service delivery. This change needs to be handled with the utmost care.

JOINT WORKING

  It is very noticeable that the Home Office has a clear view of the need for change in the future structure of Policing in England. Similarly, the Department of Health appears to see a need to re-structure the Ambulance Service. The ODPM appears to have no such clarity of view on the future structure of the Fire and Rescue Service. The result could be regional or sub-regional Police and Ambulance Services with the Fire and Rescue Service remaining at a very local level. This lack of a joined up approach may leave absolutely no commonality of geographical boundaries between blue light services. Whilst we have serious reservations about the establishment of regional Fire and Rescue Services we are equally concerned about the apparent lack of joined up thinking across departmental boundaries in central government on this important issue.

  The recent Comprehensive Performance Assessment conducted by the Audit Commission gave this Authority a "Good" rating. Somerset was rated "Fair". Both Authorities agreed that the modernisation agenda and the need for greater efficiencies were placing unachievable demands on our respective organisations. As a result we have agreed to explore how we can work more effectively together. One option is the combination of our two organisations into a single Authority and Fire and Rescue Service.

  This work is progressing well, however, we believe that it is important that ODPM should offer financial support, in the form of grant aid to meet transitional costs, to those Authorities proposing voluntary combinations in the interests of improved efficiency and, therefore, value for money for council tax payers.

  Co-responder is a scheme were the Fire and Rescue Service responds to certain medical emergencies in support of the Ambulance Service. These responses are aimed primarily at heart attack victims and those Fire and Rescue Services that are delivering this service are already saving lives. However, whilst many Fire and Rescue Services and their local Ambulance Services are working together there is an absence of joined up thinking in central government between the ODPM and the Department of Health. That dialogue needs to take place urgently in order to establish standard protocols and financial arrangements. It should be noted that the Fire Brigades Union is opposed to this life saving work and actively resists expansion of the scheme.

CIVIL RESILIENCE

  The ODPM is to be congratulated on the development of the New Dimension programme, which is considerably enhancing the capability of the Fire and Rescue Service to respond to a major terrorist attack or other disaster. Devon Fire and Rescue Service is one of 20 strategically located Fire and Rescue Services around the country with an Urban Search and Rescue Team. The vehicles, equipment, training facilities and staffing costs are all being met by ODPM and we warmly welcome that. However, the property requirements for the establishment of the team mean that we do not have existing suitable property. Unfortunately, ODPM has taken the view that it will not meet the costs of such property needs leaving individual Fire and Rescue Authorities in the impossible position of having to meet those needs from existing resources. It is essential that the ODPM reconsiders this position to ensure that Fire and Rescue Services can meet the ODPM target date of March 2007 for full operational availability of Urban Search and Rescue Teams.





 
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