Memorandum by Derbyshire Fire Authority
(FRS 34)
INTRODUCTION
Derbyshire Fire Authority welcomes the inquiry
into the Fire and Rescue Service. It is hoped that the inquiry
will help to further progress the modernisation of the service.
There is no doubt that much has been achieved
in recent years through the leadership of fire authority members
and professional fire officers, against a difficult industrial
relations backdrop, which has resulted in improved services and
safer communities. We are, for instance, very proud of the reduction
in accidental fires, deaths and injuries that have been achieved
through the efforts of all our staff.
Furthermore, as the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister recently recognised in its PSA report, Fire and Rescue
Authorities are making real progress in delivering efficiencies
at the frontline, in areas such as the better allocation of resources
to risk, more efficient working practices, reducing responses
to false alarms and procurement.
Nevertheless, we recognise that there is still
scope for further improvement, particularly with regard to matters
such as civil resilience, arson reduction and equality and diversity.
We are also concerned to address matters relating to the recruitment
and retention of staff on the retained duty system.
REGIONAL CONTROL
CENTRES AND
FIRELINK
This inquiry focuses initially on the specific
issues surrounding the introduction of Regional Control Centres
and the FireLink radio project. This Authority is fully committed
to the FiReControl and FireLink projects, and continues to support
their implementation.
There is little doubt that the FiReControl and
Firelink projects have the potential to secure improvements in
levels of resilience for major incidents, terrorist attacks and
natural disasters. These projects should provide an operating
framework that will enable improvement, providing opportunities
to develop new and efficient ways of working across regional boundaries.
However, we do have a number of outstanding
concerns with regard to the Full Business Case, the discharge
of legal responsibilities, the clarification of governance arrangements
and "out of scope" implications for the Fire Authority.
We remain frustrated with the absence of a Full Business Case.
Our concerns include:
— Full acknowledgement of Fire Authority
interests and concerns by ODPM;
— Statutory duties for Fire Authorities—difficulty
in making decisions when information is not available;
— National Resilience is not an individual
fire and rescue authority responsibility. Additional costs should
be met centrally;
— Additional costs for Fire Authorities
not met in a structured way through the New Burdens process;
— Uncertainty and lack of ownership
of governance arrangements;
— Capacity issues for individual Fire
Authorities;
— Maintaining public confidence.
Our concerns with regard to Firelink include:
— The absence of a Business Case;
— The lack of information on financial
or other ongoing resource implications arising from Firelink.
Furthermore, we are concerned that Government
does not appear to want to recognise both projects as "new
burdens" and as such ensure funding for the implementation
phase is maintained. Any reduction to, or non-acknowledgement
of such costs will restrict the ability of fire and rescue authorities
to complete the projects successfully.
RESILIENCE
This Authority recognises the considerable progress
in improving civil resilience that has been achieved by the New
Dimensions programme. This has been achieved by an effective working
partnership between ODPM, individual authorities and Regional
Management Boards. The effectiveness of such arrangements were
recently confirmed by the local, regional and national response
to the major fire at Buncefield fuel supply depot, Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire. Staff from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service readily
volunteered to attend the incident, and stay away from home overnight,
with the High Volume Pumping unit that had been previously supplied
by ODPM.
Notwithstanding the good progress made so far,
there is clearly still some way to go before the New Dimensions
programme is properly completed. Work is still ongoing, for instance,
with regard to CBRN, Urban Search and Rescue, long term capabilities
management and the establishment of a National Coordination Centre.
We are therefore very concerned by ODPM's decision
to greatly reduce support for the programme from April 2006 onwards.
This poses a significant threat to the proper completion of the
programme as individual Fire Authorities who are faced with many
competing priorities may lack the resources to complete the work
within the intended timescales. National resilience should be
properly resourced and sustained, not left to the uncertainty
of local decisions. ODPM should continue to support the New Dimensions
programme until it is properly completed. Individual Fire Authorities
and Regional Management Boards will then be able to sustain their
contribution to the partnership, providing the country with the
level of local, regional and national resilience that the public
expects.
The lack of clarity with regard to water rescue
from inland waterways remains a concern and the recently published
response to consultation on the draft Emergencies Order has only
served to create further ambiguity. The Fire and Rescue Service
should have a statutory duty to respond to such incidents, as
it is the agency best placed to provide such a service, and be
properly funded to do so.
FIRE PREVENTION
The Fire and Rescue Service has made considerable
progress in reducing the risk to communities arising from fires
in the home. The new statutory duties included within the Fire
and Rescue Services Act 2004 have given further emphasis to a
broad range of education, prevention and protection activities
there were already being progressed prior to being required.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has achieved
considerable success in reducing fires, deaths and injuries in
the home. For example, no preventable fire deaths have occurred
in dwellings in our area over the past fourteen months. Whilst
we are not complacent about future risks, we believe that such
achievements have not been fully recognised by central Government.
We welcome the recent publication of a Strategy
for Children and Young People specifically designed for the fire
and rescue service. This will complement our involvement with
Local Area Agreements and other partnership working.
The Fire and Rescue Service has much to offer
in addressing community issues such as anti-social behaviour and
youth crime. This is now starting to be recognised and government
departments should work together to reinforce the role of the
service in such activities.
Many fire and rescue services are now working
with partner agencies to prevent road accidents. The value of
such work also warrants greater recognition and support.
We remain frustrated that the value of sprinkler
systems in domestic property, schools and high risk premises has
not been fully recognised by building legislation. The evidence
of their value is overwhelming and central government should make
the necessary legislative changes to ensure the wider use of sprinklers.
We also recommend that central government legislate to ensure
that all new homes built in the UK have an integral sprinkler
or stored pressure water suppression system.
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