Transcript Slide 1

FIRE
FUTURES
FIRE
FUTURES
Background Evidence Pack
Draft Background Work Stream Pack
2nd September 2010
DISCLAIMER
Provided for information and background only. It should be considered to be a draft and may
change with subsequent iterations.
This document does not represent the views of Communities and Local
Government.
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS –Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
2
This evidence pack is intended to add background context to
Fire Futures.
 Fire Futures is a strategic review of the FRS
led by the sector and supported by CLG
 It is an opportunity for the sector to present
options to Ministers on the future shape and
direction of the service.
 Ministers have set a broad terms of reference for
the review which the sector has shaped through
the Ministerial Workshop on 28 July and a short
consultation.
 The Fire Futures Steering Group is dominated by
the sector - four sector workstream chairs along
with CFOA, LGA, FBU and the FPA representing
industry – and will mould the issues and options
pursued by the work streams.
 The structure of this evidence pack mirrors the
work streams and includes the types of issues
they might consider.
 Please forward any comments to
[email protected]
Purpose of
this pack
Purpose of this slide pack
 This slide pack is intended to support the review by
supplying background information to the various work
streams to help them consider the questions assigned
to them
 It is a public document and and will be used in the
forthcoming workshops and work streams
 The slide pack is designed for use by all FRS partners
not just those professionals who are familiar with the
FRS
 The slide pack itself does not provide any answers to
the questions that will be posed by Fire Futures, it
simply offers some of the background evidence that
will feed in to discussions
 The pack itself is not intended to be a fully
comprehensive list of all the possible evidence and
data sources that may prove useful throughout the
review. It does however provide a useful starting
point.
 It is intended that this slide pack is a living document,
being added to by the work streams as Fire Futures
moves forward
3
Fire Futures will build on the work of previous reviews
History of fire service
reviews
1970 Holroyd Review
1971 Cunningham Inquiry
into the Work of the Fire Service.
Purpose of
this pack
Holroyd Review
• In 1970 Holroyd under took a review of the Fire Service.
• Its review focused on the efficiency and performance of the Fire service
• The out come was: “Many fire authorities areas are too small to support viable brigade units…[and]
should be based on…smaller number of units … and they should be more uniform in size”.
• The optimum size of a brigade would comprise about thirty stations, corresponding to a range of about
1,100 to 1,300 men.
1980 Home Office review of fire policy.
Bain Review
1985 Report of the Joint Committee
on Standards of Fire Cover.
1995 Audit Commission Report
In the Line of Fire. Value for Money in the
Fire Service.
2002 Independent Review of the Fire
Service (Professor Sir George Bain).
• Bain was commissioned to undertake a three month review of the FRS which reported in 2002. Its aim
was to decide how the service should meet the demands of the twenty-first century.
• It reported back on a range of issues comprising of: risk and community fire safety, role of central and local
government, implementation and management policy, pay, pensions, conditions of service, retained firefighters and implementing reform.
• Bain’s review was a base for the 2004 White paper reforming the Fire and Rescue Service
• This review led to the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and an increase in a local decision-making
environment introducing elements such as IRMP.
The Value Added by Fire Futures
• Map out the strategic options that the FRS could take in light of continuing challenges (outlined by Bain and others) as well as
current and future challenges such as the tight fiscal conditions, demands of public service reform and emerging social trends
4
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS –Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
5
The Fire and Rescue Service in England employs 51,000
staff and costs around £2.2bn a year to run
Map of Fire Authorities
FRS facts
and figures
The FRS at a glance (1,2,3)
• There are 46 different Fire and Rescue
Authorities (FRAs)
• The most densely populated FRAs are the
Metropolitans, of which there are 7 (including
London)
• There are also 24 Combined/Unitary and 15
County/Unitary FRAs
• The FRS employs over 51,000 staff and has
around 1,500 fire stations
• There are 30,088 whole time and 11,867
retained (on-call) firefighters
• There are 1,543 control room staff and a
further 8,224 other non-uniformed personnel
in support roles
• In its front line fleet the FRS has over 2,800
vehicles of various types
• Over 400 other vehicles are available in the
reserve fleet
• The FRS in England costs about £2.2 billion
per year to run, around 80% of which is
staffing
1: CLG, Fire Statistics UK 2007 (2009) 2: CLG, Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin for England 2008-09 (2009). 3: CIPFA, Fire and Rescue Statistics (2009)
6
Why do we have a Fire and Rescue Service?
The Fire and Rescue Service is a crucial frontline service
The role of the FRS
• The Fire and Rescue Service is the key emergency
service for fire and other specialised rescue services, as
well as providing an increasingly important role in
responding to incidents such flooding and terrorism
• The main activities of the FRS can be separated into
prevention, protection and response
• Prevention activities include aspects such as community
fire safety, which aims to change people’s perception and
behaviour towards fire
• Protection includes fire safety enforcement activity,
which aims to mitigate the effects of fire should one start,
and can take the form of measures in buildings such as
fire doors, through to fire breaks in forests
• Response is the operational response of the fire and
rescue service to incidents
• All Fire & Rescue Authorities (FRAs) also undertake
additional roles, providing response to incidents other
than fires, road traffic collisions and major emergencies
• Each FRA is accountable to local councillors. In county
FRAs this will normally be to a lead member within a
cabinet structure. For combined and metropolitan FRAs
elected members serve on the FRA as an outside body
The London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority
(LFEPA) is accountable to the GLA
4: CLG, The economic cost of fire: estimates for 2004 (2006)
FRS facts
and figures
The cost of fire4
• Fire continues to impose significant costs on the
economy
• In 2004, the total cost of fire to the economy was
estimated at just over £7bn, equivalent to
approximately 0.7% of the gross value added of the
economy (a measure of total national output)
• £2.8bn of these costs were incurred in anticipation of
the risk of fire
• The cost of the FRS responding to fires was
estimated in 2004 at £1.7bn
• The remaining £2.5bn attributable to the
consequences of fire, consisting of property damage,
lost business, the economic cost of injuries and
fatalities and the criminal justice service costs
associated with prosecuting deliberate fire starters.
• The cost of crime and antisocial behaviour is
significant for the FRS. The cost of FRS response to
malicious false alarms is estimated at £81m
• The total cost of arson in 2004 is estimated at
£2.4bn, which includes an allocation for the total
costs incurred in anticipation of fire
7
What's the difference between a Fire and Rescue Authority
and a Fire and Rescue Service?
What is a Fire and Rescue Authority?
• In England a fire authority or Fire and Rescue Authority
(FRA) is a statutory body made up of a committee of local
councillors which oversees the policy and service delivery
of an individual Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)
• In simple terms a local FRA is the supervisory body which
ensures that a local FRS performs efficiently and in the
best interest of the public and community it serves
• FRS are therefore answerable for its actions and
performance to the general public via its FRA
• Each FRA receives funding from each local council via a
precept (a portion of council tax allocated to the FRS)
What is a Fire and Rescue Service?
• A Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is the operational fire
fighting body, as distinct from the fire and rescue
authority which is the legislative, public and
administrative body made up of civilians and councillors
that runs the FRS
• The FRS is directly governed and funded by a fire
authority. Many FRS were previously known as brigades,
or county fire services, but legislative and administrative
changes and alterations to boundaries has led to the
almost universal incorporation of FRS into the name.
FRS facts
and figures
Different types of Fire and Rescue Authorities
• There are 46 Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) in
England, of widely differing sizes:
• 15 are county councils/unitaries providing fire and
rescue services in addition to the normal range of
public services
• 31 are provided by separate statutory bodies,
comprising:
• 24 combined fire authorities
• 6 metropolitan fire authorities
• the London Fire and Emergency Planning
Authority
• Combined and metropolitan FRAs are precepting bodies
in their own right for council tax purposes and cover a
number of local authority areas
Who are FRAs accountable to?
• Each Fire & Rescue Authority (FRA) is made up of to
local councillors who are democratically elected through
the normal process and then appointed, on a party
basis, to the fire authority
• In county FRAs this will normally be to a lead member
within a cabinet structure.
• For combined and metropolitan FRAs elected members
serve on the FRA as an outside body
• The London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority
(LFEPA) is accountable to the GLA
8
The responsibilities of the Fire and Rescue Service are
defined by legislation
FRS facts
and figures
The main piece of legislation is the Fire and Rescue
Services Act 2004
The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 was the first
significant change in the law on the operation of the Fire
and Rescue Service in over 50 years. When the previous
Act was introduced, in 1947, the Service was expected to
focus on fighting fires, and the law constrained what they
could do.
Since then the role of the Service has changed a great
deal. As a result, under the new Act fire and rescue
authorities now have a range of statutory duties to:
There are some other important pieces of legislation:
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Following the fuel crisis and the severe flooding in the
autumn and winter of 2000 and the outbreak of Foot and
Mouth Disease in 2001, a review of emergency planning
arrangements. was undertaken.
• promote fire safety; and
• to prepare for:
• fighting fires and protecting people and property from
fires;
• rescuing people from road traffic accidents; and
• dealing with other specific emergencies, such as
terrorist attack, which are set out by Statutory Order
and can be amended in line with how the role of the
Service may change in the future.
The outcome of the review was the Civil Contingencies Act
2004 which introduced a single framework for civil
protection. The Act established a clear set of roles and
responsibilities for those involved in emergency preparation
and response at the local level. The Act divided local
responders into two categories, imposing a different set of
duties on each.
Those in Category 1, which includes the Fire and Rescue
Service are organisations at the core of the response to
most emergencies (e.g. emergency services, local
authorities, NHS bodies).
9
The last decade has seen substantial efforts to modernise
the Service
FRS facts
and figures
Recent reforms to the FRS role
Increasing the role
of Prevention
The Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) put fire prevention at the heart of legislation rather
than reaction. The 1947 legislation focused on the functioning of the Fire service mainly as
an instrument to extinguish fire, although it did require provision to be made for fire safety
advice to be given. The 2004 Act specifically outlines in its core functions ‘A fire and rescue
authority must make provision for the purpose of promoting fire safety in its area.’
Devolving
Decision Making
Post April 2003 Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) devolved decision making to
local FRS level using a risk based situational approach rather than having National
Standards of fire cover, which were not always relevant to the situation or area. Therefore,
increasing efficiency and fire safety at the local level.
Improving Work
Place
Performance
The Integrated Personal Development System (IPDS) was established June 2003. IPDS
introduced a competency-based approach with development specifically targeting the needs
of individuals. This was a move away from examinations and appointments and promotions
regulations aiming to make individual development a continuous process and to fill the
specific needs of the individual FRS.
10
The Service has a mixture of wholetime and Retained Duty
System (RDS) firefighters
FRS facts
and figures
Less than five percent of firefighters are women
Diversity statistics: Gender (March 2009)5
Table 3: Number of staff in post on 31 March 2004-20095
Number of staff in post (FTE)
35000
Retained
duty system
Fire
control
Nonuniformed
Total
2004
31,826
10,853
1,435
6,220
50,334
2005
31,097
11,037
1,448
6,762
50,344
2006
30,596
11,321
1,470
7,231
50,618
2007
30,558
11,860
1,491
7,390
51,299
2008
30,580
11,744
1,522
7,800
51,646
2009
30,088
11,867
1,543
8,224
51,722
-1,738
+1,014
+108
+2,004
+1,388
-5.5
+9.3
+7.5
+32.2
+2.8
30000
25000
Number
Wholetime
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Change
2004 to
2009
Percentage
change
2004 to
2009
Wholetime
Retained duty system
Men
Fire control
Non-uniformed
Women
The percentage of ethnic minority staff is growing, but
overall numbers remain low
Diversity statistics: Ethnic background (March 2009)5
58,000
White
56,000
Minority ethnic
Not stated
54,000
• RDS are as known as “on call” firefighters
• Other staff groups employed by the Service include:
Fire control staff who take calls and mobilise
resources in emergencies and non uniformed support
staff
52,000
50,000
48,000
46,000
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
5: CLG, Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin for England 2008-09 (2009).
11
The activities of the FRS reflect its multiple responsibilities:
its emergency work is divided between fire-related
activities, false alarms and special services
FRS activity: Its more than just putting out fires6
FRS facts
and figures
Types of special services (2009/10)6
Services by Type (2009/10)
Non-road Incidents 76%
Special
Services
21%
False alarms
43%
Fires
36%
• Only 36% of FRS activity is tackling fires
• False alarms are a significant problem
• Special services (which include road traffic collisions
and other forms of rescue) make up around a fifth of
FRS activity
• A quarter of special services are rescues from road
traffic incidents
• Next largest categories are lift releases and water
removal
6: CLG, Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin for England 2008-09 (2009). Special Services refer to non-fire related services.
12
The Service also works to prevent emergencies
happening in the first place
Community fire safety has become and increasingly
important part of FRS work
Community Fire Safety Personnel hours, (‘000s)7
1,200,000
Personel Hours
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
Year
• Prevention measures are known to be highly cost effective:
• Smoke alarms contributed greatly to a fall in accidental
fire deaths, accounting for 57 per cent of the fall in
accidental fire deaths between 2000-02 and 2005-07;
and
• Smoke alarm testing adverts were estimated to save
approximately 4.1 to 10.4 lives per campaign.8
FRS facts
and figures
An example of the Service promoting fire safety
• The Home Fire Risk Check (HFRC) capital fund
and Fire Prevention Grant (FPG) revenue funding
were provided to help the FRS meet the reduction
in the fire deaths in the home target
• A HFRC is a home visit from a FRS representative
which provides advice on potential fire risks and
how to prevent fire, tailored to the circumstances of
the household. In most cases, this is combined with
the installation of free smoke alarms.
• An independent evaluation of the HFRC and FPG
initiatives showed that the 2.5 million smoke alarms
installed as part of the HFRC initiative contributed
significantly to the fall in accidental fire deaths,
accounting for 57 per cent of the fall in accidental
fire deaths between 2000-02 and 2005-07.
• It also showed that it was associated with 13,670
fewer fires and 888 fewer non-fatal fire casualties
per year. Considering this and the reduction in
deaths, the valuation of benefit of the HFRCs totals
£926m to £1,943m assuming a five to ten year
alarm life. This is far greater than the capital cost
(£25m) and estimated revenue cost (about £62.5m)
of the HFRC initiative9
7: FRS Annual Returns; 8: Quantitative Exploration of the Impact of the Fire Kills Media Campaign, CLG (2009); 9: Final Evaluation of the Home
Fire Risk Check Grant and Fire Prevention Grant Programmes – CLG Fire Research 2/2009
13
The balance between the different types of activities carried
out by the FRS is changing
Incidence of fire in England is decreasing
Fires: number and type, ‘000s 10
Non-fire related activities are a growing share of
the FRS’s workload11
Non-fire related incidents compared to total fires
Fires by Type (000's)
Fires and Special Services by Year
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
700
600
500
400
300
Primary Deliberate
Primary Accidental
Secondary Fires
20
08
/0
9
20
09
/1
0(
p)
20
07
/0
8
20
06
/0
7
20
05
/0
6
20
04
/0
5
20
03
/0
4
20
02
/0
3
20
01
/0
2
200
20
00
/0
1
19
99
/0
0
FRS facts
and figures
Chimney Fires
• The number of all types of fire has been declining
steadily over the last few years: there were 366,000
fires in 1997 and less than 300,000 now
• The number of fires in England is decreasing and has
reduced by about 20% over the last decade
• In England in 2007 the FRS attended over 296,000
primary and secondary fires
• Primary fires – which are the most serious - account
for some 40% of all fires
• 43% of primary fires are deliberate arson
• Road vehicle fires account for around 36% of primary
fires
100
0
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
Special Services
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
Fires
• The number of non-fire related “special services” is
increasing as a proportion of FRS activity although the
number of incidents remains constant
• About 25% of these special services are road traffic
collisions, but lift releases, attending chemical spills and
leaks and other rescues are also important
• The FRS has also been an important player in responding to
emergencies such as the 2007 flooding, 7/ 7 and the
Buncefield fire
• FRAs are also involved in tackling wider local priorities e.g.
young arsonists, through partnerships and other activities
10. CLG, Fire Statistics UK forthcoming. 11: CLG, Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin for England 2008-09 (2009). Special Services refer to non-fire related
services
14
There has also been a fall in the number of fire related
deaths and non-fatal casualties
Fire related deaths and non-fatal casualties have
also been in decline over the last decade
Fire related deaths and non-fatal casualties12
600
Total
Dwellings
Other
Buildings
Road
Vehicles
Other
Deaths in
accidental
fires
256
209
14
21
12
Deaths in
Deliberate
fires
72
38
8
19
7
Total
deaths
328
247
22
40
19
Deliberate
as %
22
15
36
48
37
14,000
10,000
300
8,000
6,000
200
Casualties
12,000
400
Deaths
Although accidental deaths are the majority of deaths in
fires, deaths from fires started deliberately make up about
a quarter of all deaths. Location of fire deaths (2009/10)12
16,000
500
4,000
100
FRS facts
and figures
2,000
0
19
99
/0
20 0
00
/0
20 1
01
/0
20 2
02
/0
20 3
03
/0
20 4
04
/0
20 5
05
/0
20 6
06
/0
20 7
07
/0
20 8
08
/0
20
09 9
/1
0(
p)
0
Total Deaths
Total Non-fatal Casualties
• The reduction in fire deaths is a clear indication of
success for the FRS. whilst we know the impact of
media campaigns and HFRCs, we do not understand
as well the relative contribution of other factors such
as:
• Changes in building standards
• Changes in production standards e.g. furniture regs s
• Community Fire Safety education
12: CLG, Fire Statistics UK forthcoming.
• Deaths in fires can be separated in to those in accidental
and deliberate fires.
• Deaths in deliberate fires presently account for around a
quarter of fire deaths
• Accidental fire deaths have fallen at a greater rate than
deaths in deliberate fires
15
Total economic cost of fire is approximately £7 billion a
year
Costs of fire can be understood in terms of
anticipation, consequence and response
Breakdown of economic cost of fire over time
Estimating the economic cost of fire13
Total economic cost
of fire (England and
Wales 2000-04)
Total cost
(million)
(incl. cost of
anticipation
Total cost
(million)
(excl. cost
of
anticipation
Total (incl.
cost of
anticipation
as % of
GVA
2000
£6,300m
£4,072m
0.86
Property losses, lost output,
emotion and physical suffering
related to injuries and death,
loss of business
2001
£6,868m
£4,481m
0.89
2002
£7,191m
£4,668m
0.89
2003
£7,538m
£4,799m
0.88
Mainly FRS response costs
2004
£7,030m
£4,263m
0.78
% change 2000-2004
+12%
+5%
% change 2003-2004
-7%
-11%
Component
Description of costs
Anticipation
Fire protection in buildings, fire
safety equipment, fire safety
activity by FRS, insurance
administration
Consequence
Response
FRS facts
and figures
• The economic costs of fire are split between
anticipation, consequence and response
• The various elements of the economic costs of
fire are shown in the table above
• Not all elements of the costs of fire can be
monetised and are therefore not included in the
estimates, e.g. environmental costs and costs
to the community, fire protection in consumer
items, etc.
13. CLG, The economic cost of fire: estimates for 2004 (2006)
• In 2004 the cost of fire to the economy was estimated to be
approximately £7.03 billion
• The average cost per fire in 2004 was £3,268
• These figures are for England and Wales
• The economic cost of fire represented 0.78% of Gross Value
Added (GVA)
16
However the economic cost of fire is a burden affecting all
countries
FRS facts
and figures
International Fire Costs as Percentage of GDP14
1
Fire protection in buildings
0.9
Fire insurance administration
0.8
Cost of fire service
Indirect fire losses
% of GDP
0.7
0.6
0.5
There is no data for some
aspects of costs in the countries
at this end of the chart, so care
should be taken when
comparing these with others
The UK seems to spend a
little more than most on the
FRS and less on fire
protection in buildings and
fire insurance
administration
Direct fire losses
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Country
Great care should be used when comparing international data Fire and Rescue Services are organised in many different
ways and comparable data is often unobtainable making direct comparisons difficult
14: World Fire Statistics, Information Bulletin of the World Fire Statistics Centre (2009).
17
The downward trend in fires, fire deaths and casualties is
not necessarily going to continue, it depends upon those
factors that influence the fire risk
The main driver of fire risk is population size
but social and economic factors are also
important
• A lot is known about fire incidents and what drives the risk
of fire. CLG uses an extensive data collection system
recording details of every fire (and other) incident that
attended by the FRS
• Using these and other data specialist software (FSEC) can
be used by many FRSs to model fire (and other) incidents.
This is used for planning and resource allocation. This type
of work is a feature of a FRSs IRMP (Integrated Risk
Management Plan) process.
• The presence of industry or particular economic activity in
an area are potential drivers of fire risk, however depending
upon the type of building/activity they are not always the
main drivers. They may however represent a wider risk to
the community eg if a big local employer or community
resource
• While the size of the population is the biggest driver of
dwelling fire risk other social and economic factors such as
the prevalence of: lone parent with dependent child(ren);
those who have never worked; single adult households;
multiple deprivation; all affect the risk of fire in an area 15
• The characteristics of those most likely to die in an
accidental fire include: limited mobility, being very young or
very old, those persons who smoke and or use substance
legal or otherwise16
FRS facts
and figures
Fire risk trajectories and the impact on the
FRS17
Work on the trajectory of some of the known risk factors
associated with the demand on the FRS overall,
indicates a number of possible trends for example:
• Adverse economic trends such as rising unemployment,
falling scrap metal prices leading to more primary fires
• Climate change and falling scrap metal prices leading to
more deliberate secondary fires
• CFS work targeted onto Dwellings helping to further
reduce the number of accidental dwelling fire deaths
and inequality between FRSs in the rate of accidental
dwelling fire deaths
• The magnitude of these trends is uncertain and may
differ from the predictions dependent on the actual
change in factors such as unemployment.
15: CLG Analysis of fire and rescue service performance and outcomes with reference to population socio-demographics Fire Research Series 9/2008. 16: CLG, Learning Lessons from Real
Fires: Findings from Fatal Fire Investigation Reports (2006). 17: DSO 6.1, 6.2 and PSA 3 fire trajectories to March 2011, CLG (2010)
18
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS – Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
19
We know that there are trends that point to changes in the
British economy and society which could create new
challenges for the Service
Role of the
FRS
What changes will drive future challenges?
Some examples are included below:
ECONOMIC
•Unemployment is correlated
with increases in fire risk
• Addressing the economic
issues may demand cuts in
the FRS as well as increased
efficiency.
• Economic tension may
increase likelihood of arson
• Increased response times
because of rising traffic
volumes
SOCIAL
• Ageing population as baby
boomers move into retirement.
Issues with mobility for the
aged is likely to lead to
increased fire risks
• Increasing numbers of single
males living alone can lead to
increased fire risk – possibly
due to smoking in the home
• Increased areas of social
deprivation could lead to
greater fire risk
EXPECTATIONS
•There is now a drive for
“localism”
•FRAs expected to provide the
same quality of service
notwithstanding fewer
resources
• The FRS is now expected to
undertake community fire
safety work as part of its core
functions
ENVIRONMENTAL
• Increased CO2 emissions
and global warming may
increase level of extreme
weather for the FRS to deal
with
• Increase in long hot
summers may lead to
increased potential of wild
fires
•The risk of terrorist incidents
in the future is uncertain, but
the need and expectation to
be prepared remains high
20
With respect to its role, the challenges and pressures
faced by the Service raise a number of important
questions
External challenges and
pressures
Role of the
FRS
Some questions raised about
the role of the FRS include
The fiscal outlook
How will/should the FRS
respond to the substantial fiscal
deficit and expected reductions
in public spending?
Role
• Should the current statutory duties be reviewed and if so what are
the drivers for this?
• Should the core roles of the FRS stay the same?
• Can delivery models used by other emergency services or for FRS
in other countries provide better alternatives?
Remit
• Are the prevention and partnership activities undertaken by the
Service successful and appropriate? Do they represent the best value
for public money?
• Should the commissioning of services play a greater part? What
evidence is there from other public services about costs/benefits of
commissioning?
Public service reform
How does the service respond
to the drive for increased
localism?
Economic and social trends
How will the FRS be affected by
future challenges such as an
ageing population, climate
change, and other economic
and social changes?
Relations
• Does the service need to change its relationships?
• What differences are there in the way other public services function
and the FRS? Eg on what basis are other no strike agreements in
place?
21
What funding and delivery models are used by other
emergency services or other countries?
Fire services tend to be publicly funded
• Around the world, typically fire services are provided
through public sector funding, although there are
occasional exceptions for example in the United States,
where some fire services may be funded through fees
for services, fundraising or charitable contributions
• The public funding of fire services is due to the nature of
fire, which imposes costs on communities other than
those in which fires start, and where it is typically
considered unacceptable to extend protection and
response services only to those who can pay
• Public funding does not mean that the service itself is
delivered by the public sector. Some operational fire
services in Denmark for example have been contracted
out for some years
• Examples do exist of the private provision of fire
services in the UK but these tend to be industry specific
eg airports and high risk industries such as oil and
chemical plants often have their own operational
response units.
Role of the
FRS
International approaches
• Internationally fire and rescue services are organised in
many different ways with different mixes of full, part
time, retained and volunteer firefighters and a variety
of both public and private sector providers
• International data particularly on outcomes is very poor
and makes direct comparisons very difficult
• Some countries combine fire services with other
emergency service provision eg ambulance
What’s possible in England? The Fire Services Act
(2004)
• Under the provisions of the Fire Services Act (2004)
Fire and Rescue Authorities employ organisations
(usually the local existing Fire and Rescue Service) to
undertake fire and rescue duties
• Organisations undertaking prevention work do not need
to employ firefighters
• Potentially any aspect of the fire service, except
perhaps enforcement, has the potential to be
contracted out to private or other companies
Some aspects of the FRS role are already carried
out by others
• A number of FRAs already work in partnership with local
organisations to undertake community fire safety
messages particularly groups who are hard to reach
groups
22
What partnership activities are the Fire and Rescue Service
engaged in?
Partnership working and ‘place’
• There has been a considerable shift in how local
government and its local partners work together to deliver
better, more responsive services to local people
• As part of this shift has been the creation of statutory Local
Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), the umbrella body which
brings together the range of local public sector
organisations in an area, plus members of the private and
voluntary sectors
• LSPs are responsible for the delivery of the local
Sustainable Community Strategy, a long-term plan for the
local area, which reflects the priorities and perspectives of
local authorities and all their delivery partners
• Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are the main way that the
long term plans of the LSPs are delivered.
• Along with other local partners, FRAs are subject to a duty
to co-operate to determine LAA targets, and a duty to have
regard for them in the course of their business
Other ways in which the FRS works with partners
• As well as working with local partners on LAAs there are
lots of other examples whereby different FRSs have worked
with local partners to deliver improved outcomes.
• See for example:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/doc/homefir
eriskcheckstudies.doc
Role of the
FRS
Co-responding with other emergency services1
• A co-responder scheme is a formal agreement
between an FRA and an ambulance service under
which suitably trained firefighters attend medical
emergencies when they can get there more quickly
• In 2007 there were 99 fire stations operating coresponding schemes in 18 FRSs in England
• There are different ways of running co-responder
schemes, and that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach
would be neither desirable nor workable.
The Local Area Agreements2
• Research revealed an encouraging level of FRA
involvement in LAAs
• There was a strong sense that the LAA process
had acted as a useful catalyst in terms of
embedding partnership working, and promoting the
FRAs role within Local Strategic partnerships
• Several FRAs had successfully accessed funding
streams as a result of working in partnership in their
local area. Area-based grants were a common
source of funding, and FRAs had secured this in a
number of ways – for example, by working with the
local authority social care team on improving home
safety for vulnerable adults
1: Current Practice and Prospects for FRS Co-responding – CLG Fire Research Series 14/2008. 2: The experience of Fire and Rescue Services in negotiating Local Area
Agreements - Fire Research 2/2010
23
PLACEHOLDER
What is the evidence that prevention and partnership activities are
successful and represent value for money, either nationally or locally?
Role of the
FRS
There is limited published information on the effectiveness of local initiatives and
partnerships such as road safety campaigns, youth engagement etc. The
workstream may wish to source this if it is considered appropriate.
24
What are the duties/functions of the Fire and Rescue
Service? Are there any drivers for reviewing them?
The functions of the FRS are
set out in the FRS National Framework3
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework is a
statutory document under the Fire and Rescue
Services Act 2004 (FRS Act 2004).
Sets out the Government's expectations for the
Service and what is required of Fire and Rescue
Authorities to meet those expectations
The National Framework describes the role played by
the Fire and Rescue Service in resilience issues. This
includes terrorist attacks, CBRN incidents, natural
disasters such as flooding, industrial accidents and
major outbreaks of disease
Under the Act, the Secretary of State must keep the
terms of the Framework under review and may from
time to time make revisions to it
Significant revisions to the Framework are subject to
statutory consultation and are to be laid before
Parliament
The existing Framework can remain in force until the
end of 2011
Role of the
FRS
There is debate about the future of the Framework
•
•
•
Previous editions of the national framework have included:
Prevention, Protection and response – covers the
core business of Fire and Rescue Authorities in
analysing risks and taking action
Resilience – covers the delivery of the key resilience
programmes and the actions authorities need to take to
ensure they are fully equipped to meet the demands of
the resilience agenda
Diversity and workforce – covers mainstreaming of
diversity in all levels of the Fire and Rescue Service and
workforce development
Governance and Improvement – covers institutions in
place to support the delivery of Fire and Rescue
Authority business
There are a some arguments for retaining the Framework
for example:
It is a useful statutory vehicle to set out Government’s
expectations
The Government is assured that the Fire and Rescue
Authorities are able and equipped to work together on
national resilience activities such as the floods in 2007
But there are also some arguments against for example:
National Framework does not fit in with the localism
agenda. That a framework from the centre is directive
rather than participative: not consistent with the goal of
empowering local organisations and people
3. The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008-11 - http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/nationalframework200811
25
How are industrial relations regulated in other public
services?
There are a number of Unions that represent the
FRS workforce
Union
What they do
Fire
Brigades
Union
(FBU)
Represent
Firefighters across
the UK
The FBU are the main union for
firefighters. Also represents a number of
retained personnel.
Retained
Firefighters
Union
(RFU)
Represent the
Retained
Firefighters
The Retained Firefighters Union
represents retained fire-fighters.
Fire
Officers
Association
(FOA)
Represent middleranking officers
within the FRS
Unison
Represent the
back-office staff
within the FRS
Unison represent non-uniformed staff.
Role of the
FRS
How do other public services manage
industrial relations?
• Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994,
made it unlawful for essential workers to
withdraw their services. This Act was
repealed and voluntary no-strike
agreements introduced
• A no-strike agreement is part of a collective
agreement between a trade union and an
employer. It is a voluntary, private contract,
which says 'in principle' that unions will not
stage industrial action
• The agreement is not legally binding unless
the employer writes a clause into the
document to make it so
• The Prison Service has such a voluntary
no-strike agreement
• However some workforces are banned by
law from striking
• Police officers across the UK are currently
banned from taking strike action under the
Police Act 1996
• There are some forms of Industrial action
police officers can legally take including a
work-to-rule, they can also withdraw from
voluntary posts, such as policing football
matches
26
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS – Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
27
The Coalition Government is paving the way for citizens to
take greater responsibility for local services
Localism and
accountability
Big Society
Structural Reform Plans (SRP) mark a radical shift of power from Whitehall to local councils and
communities that will make the “Big Society” part of every day life.
Each Central Government Department’s SRP sets out how power will moved from Whitehall and
given to people and communities through the mechanisms of local democratic accountability,
competition, choice, and social action.
Localism1
There are 5 priorities in CLG’s Structural Reform Plan,
the 3 with the most direct impact on the FRS are:
•
•
•
1.
Make localism and the Big Society part of
everyday life – by decentralising power as far
as possible
Make localism and the Big Society part of
everyday life – by increasing accountability
Make localism and the Big Society part of
everyday life – by letting people see how their
money is being spent
Decentralisation1
Power will be devolved to:
•
Individuals
•
Local Communities and Neighbourhoods
•
Front Line Professionals
•
Local Institutions
•
Local Government
CLG, Structural Reform Plan (2010): http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/16359212.pdf
28
Local accountability and involvement: current position
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Lyons Review of local government 20062 helped to build
the momentum for empowerment and devolving centralised
powers to local government and local government powers to
local communities.
Strong and Prosperous Communities – the Local Government
White Paper 20063 incentivised and presented local government
with opportunities to increase local participation. The emerging
policies included:
A duty to inform, consult and involve citizens;
Accountability via information to citizens;
Local public ownership of assets;
More citizen and user choices;
Citizen involvement in debates on local priorities, services and
budgets;
Public engagement to be a bottom up rather than a top down
process.
Some of the policy and practice drivers of
citizen participation4
•Democratic deficit
•Participatory democracy and localism
•Voice and choice in service delivery
•Individualism, consumerism and selfexpression
•Global consciousness and world Views
•Changing technologies
Localism ad
accountability
Local Government and Public Involvement in
Health Act 2007
Key elements include:
•Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP)
•Local area agreements
•Duty to Involve
Where a best value authority considers it
appropriate for representatives of local persons (or
local persons) to be involved in the exercise of any
of its functions, it must do so by:
•Providing information about the exercise of the
function, or
•Consulting about the exercise of the function, or
•Involved in another way
Communities in Control (White Paper) 2008 –
passing power to communities and giving real
control and influence to more people.
Policing (Green Paper) 2008 commitment to empowerment through the use of
participatory budgeting to allocate budgets.
2. http://www.lyonsinquiry.org.uk/index8a20.html. 3: CLG, Strong and Prosperous Communities (White Paper) (2006). 4: Involve, Understanding Participation. A literature review (2009).
29
At present only a minority of citizens get actively involved in
shaping local services
Localism and
accountability
A key form of involving communities is ‘civic engagement’, which refers to participation
focused on the relationship between citizens and the state and between public services and
their users. This participation could take place in, for example, a Local Strategic Partnership
or in a council committee.
The Citizenship Survey5 divides civic engagement into
three broad categories:
•Civic Activism: Covers involvement in decision-making
about local services or in the provision of these services
(for example being a school governor or a magistrate).
•Civic Participation: Covers engagement in democratic
processes, such as contacting an elected representative
or attending a public demonstration.
•Civic Consultation: Covers taking part in consultations
about local services such as completing questionnaires,
attending public meetings or being involved in discussion
groups.
5. CLG, Citizenship Survey: 2009-10, England (2010)
So how involved are citizens at present?
In 2009-105:
•
37% of people felt they could influence decisions
in their local area
•
•
•
10% of people had participated in civic activism
in the last year
34% of people engaged in some form of civic
participation in the last year
18% of people actively engaged in consultation
about local services or issues
30
Public participation in influencing decisions about local services is
limited to informing and consulting, but there are ways in which
local people can be more involved
Localism and
accountability
Community participation
example of participatory
budgeting7
“Participatory budgeting directly
involves local people in making
decisions on the spending and
priorities for a defined public
budget. PB processes can be
defined by geographical area
(e.g. neighbourhood) or by
theme. This means engaging
residents and community groups
representative of all parts of the
community to discuss and vote
on spending priorities, make
spending proposals, and vote on
them, as well giving local people
a role in the scrutiny and
monitoring of the process and
results to inform subsequent PB
decisions.”
The International Association for Public Participation spectrum of public participation provides an
understanding of the differing levels of participation and how much influence the public are given in
decision making6.
There is an opportunity to provide the public with greater powers to improve service delivery.
Harrow Open Budget:
The Harrow Open Budget
initiative was initiated by key
officials in the London Borough
of Harrow to open up the
process of developing the
2006/7 Council budget.
6: Involve, Understanding participation: A literature review. Pathways through participation (2009); 7: http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk/about
31
An emphasis on localism and accountability raises a
number of important questions
Reforms affecting Fire and
Rescue Services
Some questions raised about the localism
and accountability
Increasing accountability
How can the Fire and Rescue
Service ensure it is responsive
to the needs and wishes of
citizens/local public service
providers?
Influence of
citizens
Decentralising Power
How will the Fire and Rescue
Service be affected by the
radical shift of power to local
councils and communities?
Localism and
accountability
IRMP and
National
Framework
• How much interest in and influence on shaping local fire and
rescue services do local citizens currently have?
• How directly accountable are FRAs?
• What are local authorities doing to engage citizens?
• What are other public services doing to engage citizens?
• How do other services overseas engage citizens?
• Is having a National Framework consistent with localism? If so in
what form?
• Can and should IRMP be developed further to better support
localism and performance of the Service?
32
How do Fire and Rescue Services currently engage
communities?
Localism and
accountability
We don’t know how much interest local people have in shaping their local FRSs.
At present local people have limited opportunities to influence decision making. For example, unlike some
other public services there are no direct appointments to FRA boards or citizen role in governance. The main
ways in which local citizens are included in decision making by fire and rescue authorities are as follows:
Partnerships
Consultations on
IRMPs
Attendance at Fire
Authority meetings
Local Strategic Partnerships provide a forum for setting the
strategic vision for a local area. Local communities are consulted
by statutory partners (of which the FRA is one) about the priorities
identified.
IRMPs are subject to a 12 week consultation period. FRAs
decide who they will consult and how they will consult,
following good practice guidance issued by Communities and
Local Government8. FRAs use a variety of methods including
partner forums, meetings with community groups, online
questionnaires, scrutiny panels, etc.
People are able to voice their opinion about decisions taken at a
public meeting.
8. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/developingfuture/integratedriskmanagement/guidancenote2/
33
What is the current governance model of the Fire and
Rescue Service?
•
Each FRA is accountable to local councillors. In
county FRAs this will normally be to a lead member
within a cabinet structure. For combined and
metropolitan FRAs elected members serve on the
FRA as a separate outside body.
•
The London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority
(LFEPA) is accountable to the GLA.
•
FRAs are made up of elected councillors from each
upper tier local authority in the FRA area. The
authority members work closely with the Chief Fire
Officer to ensure the FRA provides appropriate
services for the local community. The FRA is the
ultimate decision making body, but day-to-day
management functions are undertaken by the CFO
and senior officers.
Localism and
accountability
The LFEPA9 states that it is committed to
engaging with local people/stakeholders to
ensure robust public accountability through:
•A community safety strategy and action
plan (IRMP)
•Partnerships with agencies (e.g. CDRPs)
•Consultations on plans, policies and
proposals
•Conducting formal business in public, which
allows members of the public to raise
concerns at Members meetings
•Acknowledging the scrutiny role of the
London Assembly.
East Sussex FRA state10:
•Good corporate governance principles
require FRAs to undertake their functions in
a way that is open and inclusive of all
sectors of the community and to be fully
accountable to the public.
9. http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/HowWeMakeDecisions.asp; 10. http://www.esfrs.org/fa/governance.shtml
34
Some Local Authorities have been proactive to encourage
community engagement
Localism and
accountability
The Local Government Information
Unit and Involve suggest11:
•Devolving control over decisions down to
citizens and communities can make local
labour markets more resilient and local
people more able to meet the challenges
of recession. Giving power to citizens can
also build the ‘internal’ capacity of councils
to work more effectively.
There are some examples where Local Authorities have
been proactive to encourage community engagement and
accountability11.
•Devon County Council illustrates how service cuts in Post Offices
can stimulate citizen action and how this can be harnessed for greater
collaboration between citizens and the local authority
•Essex County Council show how innovative local approaches to
finance could be used to benefit local people
•Empowerment should not be a bundle of
new measures and initiatives or something
additional to the work councils already do.
Good public engagement can be part of a
way of working that helps councils to take
tough decisions, find efficiency savings,
and innovate through the economic down
turn.
•Salford District Council established ways o working like
Neighbourhood Management are already effective in connecting with
local people and are complementary to new processes like participatory
budgeting
•The States of Jersey show how involving local people at an early
stage can bring difficult long term problems to life and help build
support for difficult decisions
11: Citizen power in recession? The case for public engagement in local government. LGiU and Involve (2009)
35
What are other public services doing to engage citizens?
Localism and
accountability
The police and ambulance service provide examples of how to involve local people in decision making –
their governance arrangements are outlined below.
The Police12
•The Home Office recently announced that
Police Authorities would be replaced by elected
Police and Crime Commissioners, to ensure
the police respond to local priorities and are
directly accountable to the public for delivering
safer communities and cutting crime and ASB. In
the future the public will vote for an individual to
represent their communities policing needs.
•This individual has several responsibilities
including:
•Setting priorities which meet locally
identified needs;
•Holding the Chief Constable to account
for achieving priorities;
•Setting the force budget and setting the
precept.
•In addition there will be a new Police and
Crime Panel, drawn from locally elected
councillors from constituent wards and
independent lay members.
Ambulance Service13
Governance is through:
•
Council of Governors – 13 public
governors elected from public
constituencies, 3 elected staff governors
and 7 nominated partner governors from
voluntary organisations;
•
Board of Directors – made up of nonexecutive and executive directors – they
exercise all the powers of the Service as
an NHS Foundation Trust;
•
Members – able to elect people within
their constituencies to represent them as
governors on the Council of Governors.
Can be anybody over 16 in the local
area and anybody who has worked for
the ambulance service for a year.
12. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/ 13. http://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk/getting_involved/our_plans_to_become_a_foundati/frequently_asked_questions/
governors_and_governance_arran.aspx
36
PLACEHOLDER
What are other public services doing to engage citizens?
Localism and
accountability
There is limited published information on the ways in which other services are
engaging their citizens and what success they have. The workstream may wish to
source this if it is considered appropriate.
37
Strategic Review of the ambulance service – seeking to
involve the public and patients more
Localism and
accountability
In 2005 the Department of Health published a report called Taking Healthcare to the patient – transforming
NHS Ambulance Services14. This outlined the national strategic vision for the ambulance service based on a
strategic review. The aims were to make the service more proactive, efficient and dynamic and to deliver high
quality care to meet patients needs by involving the public and patients more and working more closely with
partners.
The focus of the transformation of the ambulance service was on five key areas:
•Improving leadership to deliver cultural and clinical change,
•improving the quality and consistency of care for patients,
•improving efficiency and effectiveness of the organisations and systems,
•supporting performance improvement, and
•developing an empowered professional workforce.
They reduced the number of ambulance services from 31 to 12 (in line with Strategic Health Authority
boundaries) to reduce duplication of resources and increase management capacity.
The introduction of payment by results and contracted services would mean services having to achieve greater
value for money and cost efficiencies. The DH report stated ‘There should be further work to ensure that the
financial incentives introduced by Payment by Results help as far as possible to support the improvements
recommended by this review and to appropriately incentivise the development of integrated urgent care
provision.’
In addition the DH was keen to develop further the National workforce competency framework to ensure
consistency of care/treatment, to increase the range of competencies/skills of clinicians and to make them more
consistent with colleagues in the wider NHS.
14: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20061023110946/dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4114269
38
How do services overseas involve citizens in governance?
The New York City Fire Commissioner model looks similar
to the Police Commissioner model recently announced by
the Home Office
The New York City Fire Department has a responsibility
for protecting the citizens and property of New York City
from fire and fire hazards, providing emergency medical
services, technical rescue as well as providing first
response to biological, chemical and radioactive hazards.
The FDNY has approximately 11,600 uniformed officers
and firefighters and over 3,200 uniformed EMTs and
paramedics.
The Department’s executive staff is divided into two areas
including a civilian fire commissioner who is in charge of
the department and a fire chief who is the operational lead.
The executive staff includes the civilian fire commissioners
who are responsible for the bureaus within the
Department, along with the Chief of Department, Chief of
Fire Operations, Chief of EMS, the Chief Fire Marshal and
the staff chiefs. Staff Chiefs include the seven citywide
tour commanders, the Chief of Safety, the Chief of Fire
Prevention and the Chief of Training.
The New York City Fire Commissioner is the civilian
administrator of the New York City Fire Department,
appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York15.
Localism and
accountability
Other European countries have similar engagement
systems to England16
Czech Republic – in addition to the regional
professional units they have voluntary squads at
a local level which local citizens can join.
Citizens are also entitled to influence planning of
Fire and Rescue Services by means of local
elected bodies, either in positions of local elected
representatives or as “ordinary” municipal
inhabitants – by taking part in sessions of local
councils or public meetings, expressing their
opinions, submitting proposals of solutions and
specific suggestions, organising public initiatives
etc.
In Finland citizens contribute to governance
indirectly on a regional basis. Decisions about
regional services are made by a political board or
committee, appointed by the municipalities of
each region. This political board/committee
approves the proposals made by the rescue
services. The political body also prepares and
approves the budget and other major
administrative decisions.
15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Fire_Department 16. information provided by countries via personal correspondence
39
PLACEHOLDER
What do services overseas do to engage citizens and what models of governance do
they use? What are the benefits or disadvantages of other systems of governance?
Localism and
accountability
There is limited published information on what services overseas do to engage
citizens and what models of governance they use, as well as the benefits or
disadvantages of other systems of governance. The workstream may wish to
source this if it is considered appropriate.
40
What is the current experience of the FRS of joint service
delivery?
•
Some FRAs are most commonly already involved in
co-response activity, but there have been some
examples of sharing premises
•
A co-responder scheme is a formal agreement
between an FRA and an ambulance service under
which suitably trained firefighters attend medical
emergencies when they can get there more quickly.
•
In 2007 there were 99 fire stations (out of
approximately 1700) operating co-responding
schemes in 18 (out of 46) FRSs in England.
•
Co-responding activities tend to be used most in rural
areas where FRAs are often able to respond more
quickly than the ambulance service
•
Research in 2009 concluded that a co-responding
protocol may be useful but the decision to introduce a
scheme should be for individual FRAs and Ambulance
Trusts17.
Staffordshire FRS shared services18
The West Midlands Ambulance Service signed a joint
partnership agreement with Staffordshire FRS in 2009 to
be based at Leek Fire Station including having access to
all their facilities.
The rationale was to speed up response times to
incidents in the town, by enabling the paramedics and
fire service to respond at the same time to emergencies
and to train together (first aid and road traffic collision.
Localism and
accountability
Hampshire FRS co-responding scheme19
•
Hampshire FRS started a coresponding scheme with South Central
Ambulance Service in 2004 and have
since established 18 so-responder
schemes.
•
The scheme provides more than 6% of
SCAS performance in Hampshire.
•
It uses volunteer retained Firefighters
(FFs) who respond from home/work in
small vehicles supplied by SCAS (with a
defibrillator).
•
Co-responders are mobilised by SCAS
and backed up by ambulance staff.
•
The scheme uses retained FFs, and as
such all costs are recovered from
SCAS, including contribution towards
their retaining fee.
•
Adequate support was needed for the
new schemes – personnel needed time
to become used to extended duties and
organisations needed to put in place
logistical support.
17: Current Practice and Prospects for FRS Co-responding – CLG Fire Research Series 14/2008; 18: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/article-945041-detail/article.html
19: Information provided by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
41
PLACEHOLDER
What evidence is there on the scope for joint service delivery, management or
commissioning with other emergency services? What would the costs and benefits
be?
Localism and
accountability
There is limited published information on what scope there may be for joint service
delivery, management or commissioning with other emergency services, as well as
what would the costs and benefits would be. The workstream may wish to source
this if it is considered appropriate.
42
What evidence is there on improved efficiency and
effectiveness from re-structuring, e.g. voluntary mergers?
•
There is the a potential for voluntary mergers
at the operational level.
•
Mergers would take time to instigate and the
research below suggests the savings would
only be realised in the medium term with
significant up-front costs.
•
The level of saving would also be impacted by
the type of authority which chose to merge –
the merger of two combined FRAs (each with
a full range of support services) would offer
greater potential for cashable savings than if a
county and combined authority merged (given
that county and unitary FRAs often rely on
local authority corporate support services).
•
A significant potential barrier to mergers is
council tax harmonisation.
Localism and
accountability
Potential efficiencies which might be achievable through voluntary
mergers, using the Devon and Somerset merger as a case
study20.
The results of assessing CIPFA data indicated potential efficiencies
for example in areas such as senior staff rationalisation. The data
suggests a common position for County and Combined FRAs:
•1 Chief Officer; 3 to 4 brigade commanders; 6 or 7 area
commanders; 10 to 20 group commanders
•The average budget per county or combined FRS was £40m in
2007/08. Therefore if 2 FRAs combine and maintain the common
level of staffing (a 50% reduction in senior management of the 2
FRAs) the savings could be as shown in the table on the right.
•An additional 30% was included for National Insurance, pension
and other direct costs.
•This equated to an efficiency of £1.7m per combination, equivalent
to 2.1% of a combined £80m budget.
•The analysis ignores the possibility of reducing administration staff
due to the reduction in senior management.
•It is uncertain whether the efficiency would remain the same
regardless of the number of FRSs that merge.
•Other areas for potential efficiency savings include administration,
IT and back room support as well as rationalisation of
accommodation, front line and support services, e.g. fire
investigation.
20: A study of Fire and Rescue Authority Mergers: Scale of potential efficiencies. Briefing note for CLG. GSB Ref: CL2123-8
43
PLACEHOLDER
Are there any national performance expectations frameworks for
other decentralised public services, e.g. schools, social services?
Localism and
accountability
There is limited published information on what national performance expectation
frameworks there are in other sectors or how they have been agreed. The workstream
may wish to source this if it is considered appropriate.
21. Lord Laming report, March 2009: The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report
44
Are IRMPs currently devised in a way that is accountable to
citizens? Are they consistent across FRSs?
•Post April 2003 Integrated Risk Management Planning
(IRMP) devolved decision making to local (individual) FRSs.
•IRMPs employ a risk based situational approach instead of
National Standards of fire cover.
•IRMP is an area where localism is the key consideration, by
requiring the identification, assessment and mitigation of risks
to be determined and decided upon at the local level by local
practitioners and elected members, in consultation with the
local community.
•There may be scope for further development of IRMP to
better support localism objectives and the performance of the
service locally.
•Proper engagement with local communities in preparing
IRMPs may result in better decision making by the FRS.
•It could also result in less resistance to changes in fire cover
if the case is truly explained and the communities are fully
engaged in the decision making process.
•This would in turn strengthen the IRMP process driving
service improvement and provide the possibility to drive out
more efficiencies.
Localism and
accountability
A Review of the Adequacy and Impact of IRMP22 in the
FRS identified some gaps in the risk-based framework as
originally envisaged. The authors suggested:
•A Tolerability of Risk approach, to set national benchmark
for boundaries of risk to reduce inequality of service
provision; and
•Better use of evidence at a national level for the ‘weight of
attack’ for Worst Case Planning Scenario ,rather than
professional judgement and local knowledge.
Other suggestions included:
•Regional/national level IRMPs to help improve efficiency
and effectiveness, through the realisation of economies of
scale and effective risk management.
•A single body at a national or regional level for sharing
good practice.
•Greater consistency in the presentation and naming of
published IRMPs to make them more accessible to the
public and for comparing service level commitments. This
could be achieved through producing:
• an internal document for detailed management
planning and accountability; and
• an external facing document presented as a local
service level agreement to the public and other
beneficiaries.
22: Review of the Adequacy and Impact of IRMP in the Fire and Rescue Service. Mott MacDonald 2009.
45
Conceptualising IRMP: being clear about who is responsible
for what (1)
Life
Risk
Contribution of the FRS
2ndary
Risk
RESPONSE
Risk-based Fire
& Rescue
Emergency
Cover
2ndary
Risk
PROTECTION
Installation of
smoke alarms
and sprinklers
Life
Risk
Mott McDonald Model
Community
Fire Safety
Campaigns
Enforcement of
RRO 2005
Home Fire
Safety Risk
Checks
2ndary
Risk
Localism and
accountability
One of the key FRS management
challenges of implementing
Integrated Risk Management
Planning (IRMP) effectively is
deciding how to balance the
investment in resources, capability
and activities across prevention,
protection and response.
The aim of reaching the correct
balance is to increase the chances
of achieving the best possible
improvement to community
Life
outcome whilst delivering value-forRisk
money within economic, social, and
physical constraints (budget, scale,
crime and deprivation, geographical
PREVENTION
topology, and transport
infrastructure).
The conceptual model on the left
developed by Mott McDonald21
illustrates the balancing act of the
three pillars of the IRMP
framework: prevention, protection
and response and how they are
used to mitigate risk to life and
secondary risk.
Review of the Adequacy and Impact of IRMP in the Fire and Rescue Service. Mott McDonald (2009).
46
Conceptualising IRMP: being clear about who is responsible
for what (2)
Life
Risk
Contribution of the FRS
RESPONSE
2ndary
Risk
Contribution of Strategic
Partnerships and ICS
Local Strategic
Partnerships for
IRMP and resilience
New Dimension
capability
Regional
Leadership
FiReControl
2ndary
Risk
Life
Risk
PROTECTION
PREVENTION
Compliance with
Civil Contingencies
Act 2004
Life
Risk
2ndary
Risk
Mott McDonald Model
Review of the Adequacy and Impact of IRMP in the Fire and Rescue Service. Mott McDonald (2009).
Localism and
accountability
In view of the current economic climate,
it is foreseeable that the FRS will be
expected to ‘achieve more with less’
through more effective partnership
working and local innovation.
The term ‘strategic partnerships and the
Incident Command System (ICS)’ has
been added to the conceptual model,
suggesting their notional contributions in
addition to the FRS’s exclusive
contribution, towards achieving better
community outcomes.
The ICS for national resilience is
supported by New Dimension and
FiReControl and provides the capability
and preparedness for responding to and
recovering from major incidents on all
possible scales of complexity and risk.
Hence, IRMP’s role should not be seen
as being separate to these elements, but
fully integrated with strategic risk-based
planning at local, regional, and national
levels.
47
Conceptualising IRMP: being clear about who is responsible
for what (3)
The burden of better managing risks to
achieve improved outcomes for
communities should not be born by
public service providers alone.
The Regulatory Reform Order 2005
makes all ‘responsible persons’
accountable for assessing risks and
taking actions to reduce their likelihood
and impact where reasonably practical.
Contribution of the FRS
Contribution of Strategic
Partnerships and ICS
Life
Risk
RESPONSE
2ndary
Risk
Contribution of Private
Sector & Individuals
Manufacturer compliance
with Furniture Regs
2ndary
Risk
Life
Risk
Contractor compliance
with Building Regs
PROTECTION
PREVENTION
Private Sector Installation of
Sprinkler Systems
Mott McDonald Model
Individual Actions for
Managing Risk
Life
Risk
Insurance
Industry?
Localism and
accountability
2ndary
Risk
Review of the Adequacy and Impact of IRMP in the Fire and Rescue Service. Mott McDonald (2009).
The conceptual model demonstrates
that to fully mitigate risk a variety of
agencies, partnerships and the citizenry
all have their part to play to different
degrees across the three pillars of
prevention, protection and response.
IRMP as it currently stands is a
mechanism for the FRS itself to
decide where its balance lies.
IRMP in the future could be used to
make explicit the responsibility of
others and to highlight those areas
whereby localism could take root and
or be promoted.
48
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS – Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
49
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
FRS expenditure has risen in the last decade
Over the past decades, the nature of the service has changed. Whilst the
focus of the service remains on firefighting, its other traditional roles such
as responding to 'humanitarian' rescues are increasing and it has new
responsibilities around fire prevention, road traffic collisions and the
response to terrorism and flooding, where it provides a crucial frontline
response. These trends look set to continue.
To respond to these new challenges, the FRS in England has seen its
expenditure rise
Net expenditure excluding capital charges (£m) in England 1999/00 to 2008/9
2,500
Fire and Rescue Service expenditure
has risen from £1.5 billion to £2.2
billion in the last decade1. This is a
combination of council tax (49%), and
Government grant funding and specific
grants for a variety of functions and
purposes (51%).
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1999/00
00/01
2001/02
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
1. Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Fire and Rescue Service Statistics 2008-09
50
Annual efficiency savings vary widely between FRAs
There are wide variations in the efficiencies that FRAs
have reported:
Efficiency savings as a proportion of net expenditure2, 3
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
• Fire and Rescue services have achieved £291 million
in annual efficiency savings since 2005.
• Most of the savings have come from making changes
to crewing and shift arrangements.
• These efficiencies are not evenly spread across all
FRSs however.
• For example, in 2008/09 three fire services
accounted for nearly two fifths (39%) of all the
efficiency savings achieved.
Annual efficiency savings for 2008-9 and estimates for
2009-10 suggest that the largest proportion of efficiencies
will be found through:
• changing shift patterns (34%),
• followed by corporate services (18%) and
• other HR (13%),
2. Audit Commission, Rising to the challenge (2009)
3. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/xls/1469651.xls
51
Current fiscal pressures raise some important questions
for the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the
service
Resources
and staff
• How does the FRS currently use its
resources?
• What do we know about different staff
structures?
• What do we know about working patterns?
• How could working patterns be made more
efficient?
Alternative
models
• What alternative models are used to provide
FRS in other countries – and what lessons
might these have for the UK?
• Is it possible to expand the share of the RDS
and maintain current effectiveness?
• What information do we have on part-time and
other alternative models?
Funding
• What impact would alternative funding
systems have, e.g. payment by results?
• What are the alternative means of raising
funds and what are the potential outcomes?
• Incentives for change – examples and possible
applications
Key question
Are there changes in the delivery
model which would provide
improvements in cost effectiveness
in the provision of Fire and Rescue
Services in England?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
52
How does the FRS currently use its resources?
Costs from CIPFA4 Fire and Rescue Service
Statistics 2008-09
CIPFA produces a report showing details of authorities
expenditure. This is based on returns from all FRAs in
England, Scotland and Wales.
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity

Staff costs are 80% of the total (£2.2bn) – see
chart 1 for breakdown

Non-staff costs 20% of the total (£2.2bn) – see
chart 2 for breakdown
4. Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Fire and Rescue Service Statistics 2008-09
53
What do we know about different FRA staff structures?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
From the Operational Statistics for England5 on 31 March 2009 :
Role
Wholetime
Retained
duty System
Total
Brigade
Manager
162
162
Area
Manager
208
208
Group
Manager
673
1
674
Station
Manager
1,577
71
1,648
Watch
Manager
4,604
1,002
5,606
Crew
Manager
4,012
2,077
6,089
Firefighter
18,852
8,716
27,568
All
Firefighters
30,088
11,867
41,955
5. CLG, Fire and Rescue Operational Statistics Bulletin for England 2008-09 (2009).
Fire and Rescue Service
operational statistics.
This annual bulletin
contains statistics relating
to the operational issues
affecting fire and rescue
services in England and
Wales. It includes
information on personnel,
equality and diversity,
health and safety, and
operational activities.
54
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
What do we know about working patterns?
Wholetime Firefighters:
• increasing variations in the working patterns of
wholetime personnel.
• standard shift pattern 2 day shifts, 2 night shifts and
have 4 days off.
• some wholetime firefighters are solely day crew staff.
• traditionally the day shift was 9 hours and the night
shift 15 hours, however some are moving towards
12hrs/12hrs split or some other variation, e.g.
11hrs/13hrs split.
RDS/other personnel:
• RDS personnel work varying contracts.
• From the recent RDS survey, which was carried out
in 2010, most were available to respond to
emergencies 120 hours of the week.
• 76% of respondents available weekdays
• 94% available evenings
• 91% available weekend days
• 90% available weekend nights
RDS contracts worked 6:
Contract type
All
Eng
Scot
NI
100% (120 hours per week) contract
49%
40%
73%
91%
75% (90 hours per week) contract
41%
47%
26%
8%
Other contracts
10%
13%
1%
1%
6. Survey of RDS Firefighters and Leavers in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, ERC 2010. Base: All respondents, 7,359
55
How have the FRS made efficiency gains through changes to
working patterns?
Some FRAs have made efficiency savings through
greater use of RDS, flexible crewing, and the use of
volunteers7.
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
New shift patterns for RDS: (see also South
Wales case study)
Devon: salary based duty system
Shift pattern change for wholetime staff
Cheshire: Optimum crewing
A move from ridership calculation to optimum
staffing, through the introduction of rostered leave
and the move to ‘restful watch’ with staff available
for immediate response.
Salary package based on a maximum availability of
84 hours per week.- availability is over a rolling 8
week period (previously had a pay as you go
scheme). RDS staff to contribute to CFS work.
Should reduce RDS staff needed and improve
work/life balance and retention/recruitment
problems.
Efficiencies – around £470k over 3 years to 200708.
No efficiencies reported
West Yorkshire: Flexi System
Pre paid for a set number of hours and RDS staff to
undertake additional duties (CFS, training).
Introduction of ten day fortnight system for grey
book and day duty system staff, (from 9 day
fortnight) resulting in an increase in hours from 32.5
to 37. In addition a non-standard day crewing
arrangement for the staff of USAR vehicles to
provide 24/7 cover with minimal personnel.
Surrey: RDS based on a prepaid hours contract
Efficiencies not known
Efficiencies - £2,768,000 in 2005/06.
Some initial issues with Union, but resolved.
7. Making Efficiency Gains: Case Studies from the Fire and Rescue Service (ODPM 2006).
56
Possible efficiency savings through the use of volunteers
Volunteers in the FRS
• Volunteers are less often used by the FRS than by other
rescue organisations. This may be because of the need
for very rapid response times to fire incidents and the
training required.
• However, there are arguments for a greater use of
volunteers within the fire service for non-operational
duties, such as community fire safety education.
• London Fire Brigade – Fire Community Safety Officers.
FCSOs are community engagement specialists, targeting
diverse communities in London on how they can protect
themselves from fire
• Cheshire8: Volunteers for CFS provide a focal point of
contact between local community and FRS, visit
households to give safety advice and undertake HFRCs,
support community events promoting safety awareness,
provide admin/IT support.
8. www.cheshirefire.gov.uk 9. www.communityhelpers.co.uk
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
Other rescue organisations – use of volunteers
9
Mountain rescue/lifeboats and coastguard/Fire and
Emergency Support Service
Local people volunteer to help the work of mountain
rescue. The mountain rescue teams are charitable
organisations which do not receive any government
funding – they rely on volunteers to sustain the service.
Volunteers can take an active role in rescuing or
support the service. Training is provided for those on
mountain rescue teams. Volunteers are provided with a
pager and may be called out at any time – they have to
seek permission from their employer if necessary.
Police - special constables – work includes patrolling
on foot, assisting at emergencies such as fires and road
accidents, tackling brawls, helping out with road safety
initiatives, giving crime prevention talks to schools or
businesses, undertaking house to house enquiries and
participating in operations to target a particular problem
such as underage drinking.
57
What is the evidence from overseas FRS models in terms
costs and local accountability?
Across the world there are a variety of differing models of
Fire and Rescue Service. Many countries with large rural
areas and remote communities have significantly higher
numbers of part-time or volunteer staff than in England,
although everywhere towns are generally covered by
professional staff. Around the world, typically fire services
are provided through public sector funding.
Examples of private funding10, 11:
Chile - the Fire and Rescue Service is manned solely by
volunteers, who fund the service and equipment
themselves;
United States - some fire services may be funded
through fees for services, fundraising or charitable
contributions. (Cost of fire service is 0.25% of GDP).
Private provision of fire services:
Denmark - the fire departments are public bodies, but
they are able to choose on a local level whether the fire
service is run on a voluntary basis or outsourced and
provided by a private company. Falck (private company)
currently provides a large proportion of emergency
services. (Cost of fire service is 0.08% of GDP).
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
Use of volunteer firefighters and/or more use of
retained:
France which is largely rural. Volunteers comprise
75% of the firefighter workforce. They are on standby
from work and outside of working hours and paid by
the session;
Republic of Ireland’s fire stations are mostly manned
by retained personnel and make up two thirds of the
total workforce, mainly in rural areas. Firefighters in
Dublin also operate an ambulance service and
operate a regional control centre to manage calls;
The Netherlands have a combined control room for
emergency services. Seventy five per cent of
firefighters are volunteers (Cost of fire service is
0.18% of GDP);
Germany organises fire Brigades on a town/village
basis with 24,000 volunteer fire brigades, 800 private
fire brigades and 100 public fire brigades
In the UK, the cost of the Fire and Rescue
Service is 0.22% of GDP11.
10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighting_worldwide 11. World Fire Statistics, The Geneva Association (2009)
58
PLACEHOLDER
What is the evidence from overseas FRS models in terms
of outcomes, costs and local accountability?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
There is limited published information on overseas models specifically in terms of
outcomes, costs and local accountability. The workstream may wish to source this
if it is considered appropriate.
59
Is it possible/appropriate to expand the share of the RDS?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity

The example from South Wales (see next
slide) suggests that changing the conditions
under which RDS staff are employed may
make recruitment of RDS personnel easier.

Other countries, such as Northern Ireland and
France have a larger role for the retained personnel,
although the information suggests that retained
personnel still tend to be concentrated in rural areas.

The best solution to this may be much greater
flexibility on the part of individual FRAs around
hours, terms and conditions etc.


The need to increase staff on the RDS offers a
positive opportunity to target recruitment
material on under-represented groups. Sharing
of notable practice amongst FRSs may provide
a useful avenue for achieving this.
It might be an issue to expand their role in busier
urban areas/stations because of the volume of calls
they would be expected to respond to from their
primary employment.

Also increasing levels of commitment are required to
meet training and health and safety combined with
the shift from an intervention culture to a prevention
culture puts significant demands on the part time
workforce who already have existing work
commitments.

A recent survey12 of existing retained personnel found
that although 70% stated they would be able to
provide more time to the FRS, the majority were
already working full time for their primary employer
and providing the FRS with an additional average of
18 hours per week.
12. Survey of RDS Firefighters and Leavers in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, ERC (2010).
60
What information do we have on part-time and salary models ?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
South Wales case study – RDS salary scheme13
South Wales FRS introduced a salary scheme for RDS
staff to replace payment per call-out.
Proposal
The proposed solution was for payment consistent with
commitment to being on call. A salary estimated based
on call volume for the 6 busiest RDS stations over the
previous 3 years and assuming a 1-hour call duration for
each. This gave 38 hours pay per month for fire calls. To
this was added 8 hours drill activity and 4 hours
community safety giving a total of 50 hours. A further
25% was added for being on call.
Part of the initial brief to the project team was to reduce
the number of hours required by RDS personnel to be on
call, therefore it was decided that in an ideal theoretical
situation two crews/watches would be required over the
week to provide 100% cover, each crew being on call for
84 hours. (24 hours x 7 days ÷ 2)
This gives a regular monthly income in excess of £9,000
per year.
13. Information provided by South Wales FRS
Benefits of salary scheme
• Establishment level has increased. Majority of stations
have waiting lists.
• Increase numbers of female applicants
• Reduced staff turnover
• Maintenance of operational experience and competency
as all station personnel now regularly attend operational
incidents
• Budgetary planning – ability to accurately forecast RDS
costs
• Improved availability of appliances, increasing from an
average of 83% before the salary scheme was introduced
to over 96% in 2008
• RDS stations now proactively involved in community
safety due to removal of payment only by number of
incidents attended
• Reduction in number of emergency calls due to more
community safety activity
• Personnel co-operate to fill in the gaps in appliance cover
rather than relying on those who first respond as they are
nearest to the station.
61
What information do we have on part-time and salary models ?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
Kent and Medway FRA case study - retained to part-time workers14
Kent have recently proposed to create a part time
workforce with full contractual rights to replace
RDS personnel. If agreed it will be implemented
from April 2011.
Background
In 2001 the FBU took two test cases to court under
the Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less
Favourable Treatment) Regulations on behalf of
retained staff. In 2007 that Tribunal found that
retained firefighters were engaged in broadly similar
work to Wholetime firefighters and they had been
treated less favourably in terms of pension rights
and sick pay. On this basis the Tribunal asked the
National Joint Council (the national negotiating body
for fire and rescue services) to reach a negotiated
agreement with the FBU.
Kent FRS Proposal
To agree a conversion date to full part-time
contracts.
Pilots are underway in Thanet and Medway.
“Clusters” of stations will be created to work together
to provide community safety activity and fire cover.
Opportunities
•Recruitment of staff from a wider base and increase in diversity.
•Part time staff could be offered the same training and
performance management arrangements as wholetime staff,
lessening the current cultural and reducing performance
management issues.
•Planning for training arrangements will be easier and training
itself less costly.
•Managers will be recruited from a wider base as all staff would
be able to move across the organisation.
•The additional hours worked by part timers could be used for CS
or to meet their training requirements.
•Mixed crewing and flexible deployment systems are being
explored to get the best from the resource.
Impact Assessment
There is likely to be considerable impact on retained staff who
cannot stay with the Service. Kent aim to develop a
communication strategy based on fire fighting in rural areas
and devote resources to helping staff understand the
changes.
Kent are also exploring other contractual options
such as annualised hours and pre-determined oncall hours.
14. Information provided by Kent and Medway FRS
62
PLACEHOLDER
What evidence is there of the impact of alternative (central)
funding systems on outcomes, e.g. payment by results?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
There is limited published information on the impact of alternative (central) funding
systems on outcomes, e.g. payment by results. The workstream may wish to
source this if it is considered appropriate.
63
What can Fire and Rescue Services currently charge for?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
Some of the actions which FRAs can charge for are listed
below15:
Possible further developments
Action
Person who may be charged
Hiring out or provision of
equipment, vehicles, premises or
employees
The person who requests the
service
Inspection, testing, maintenance
and repair of equipment and
vehicles
The person who requests the
service
Containment and clearance of
debris, spillages, discharges or
leaks
The owner, occupier or operator
of any premises or vehicle
Provision or removal of water
The owner, occupier or operator
of any premises
Effecting entry to, or egress from,
premises
The owner, occupier or operator
of the premises
Rescuing persons from lift cabins
The owner or operator of the lift
Repeat false alarms (RFAs) – A legal case in 1990 found
that the FRS had no right to charge for RFAs. However,
this may now be permissible under the 2004 Act as no
firefighting is involved.
Rescuing animals
The owner or keeper of the
animal
Sports events – e.g. football and rugby matches,
dangerous sports such as hang-gliding involving rescues
Provision of training
The person who requests the
service
Removal of dangerous structures
The owner, occupier or operator
of the structure or premises
A consultation of FRAs in 2003 found that all respondents
charged for some special service incidents but there is no
uniformity between FRAs over the incidents that were charged for.
The 2004 FRS Act is more specific about what services FRAs
cannot charge for, referring to “fighting fires”.
Possible areas of charging which are being considered are:
RTCs – The NHS and Ambulance service have charging
powers for attending RTCs. However, there are extensive
costs in managing the scheme. Another possible
objection is that most services covered by the Statutuory
Instrument are for discretionary services whereas
attending an RTC is a statutory duty.
When and how much to charge is a decision for FRA’s. Guidance
could be given on this which may help promote further use of
charging.
15. Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and Statutory Instruments (SI 2004 no 3205 and SI 2007 no 2784)
64
PLACEHOLDER
What are the costs and benefits of an expanded charging
regime?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
There is limited published information on the costs and benefits of an expanded
charging regime. The workstream may wish to source this if it is considered
appropriate.
65
PLACEHOLDER
Are there any examples of more efficient models of working? Is there any
evidence of what might provide an incentive for change in the FRS?
Efficiency,
Effectiveness
and Productivity
There is limited published information on examples of more efficient working and
specifically what might provide an incentive for change. The workstream may wish
to source this if it is considered appropriate.
66
Contents
Purpose of this pack
FRS Facts and Figures
Work stream: Role of the FRS – Delivery Models
Work stream: Localism and Accountability
Work stream: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity
Work stream: National Interests
67
A shift of power to local areas raises a number of
important questions for national interests and resilience
Key questions
Some questions raised about national
interests and resilience
National versus local
interests
Which of the current functions of
the FRS are in the national
interest?
The role of
Central
Government
Resilience
How does the FRS ensure it is
prepared in the future for large
scale incidents and terrorist
attacks?
National
Interests
Other models
and public
services
• What are the areas of national interest in the functions performed
by the FRS in which Central Government should play a direct
role?
• What role should the National Framework have?
• What can the FRS learn about national performance expectations
from other decentralised public services?
• What other models of funding/governance are there to underpin
national resilience?
68
What are the current areas of national interest?
National
Interests
The National Framework (1)
Fire & Rescue National Framework 2008 - 111
The National Framework describes the role played by
the Fire and Rescue Service in resilience issues. This
includes terrorist attacks, CBRN incidents, natural
disasters such as flooding, industrial accidents and
major outbreaks of disease.
The Fire and Resilience Programme
The Fire and Resilience Programme is an integrated set of
projects to enhance the nation’s ability to handle
emergencies and crises – for instance natural disasters or
industrial accidents. It consists of three key delivery
projects:
Current expectations of the Fire & Rescue Service
include:
Prevention, Protection and response – covers the
core business of Fire and Rescue Authorities in
analysing risks and taking action.
Resilience – covers the delivery of the key resilience
programmes and the actions authorities need to take
to ensure they are fully equipped to meet the
demands of the resilience agenda.
Diversity and workforce – covers mainstreaming of
diversity in all levels of the Fire and Rescue Service
and workforce development.
Governance and Improvement – covers institutions
in place to support the delivery of Fire and Rescue
Authority business.
New Dimension provides the FRS with new kit to deal with
mass decontamination; urban search and rescue; and high
volume pumps to deal with floods and pump large volume
of water where required;
Firelink the provision of a resilient, digital, wide-area, radiocommunications system on one network for England,
Scotland and Wales. Firelink will enable both command
level communication within the service and with the police
and ambulance services;
FiReControl is intended to provide a new highly resilient,
call handling and mobilising network. Currently, all 46 Fire
and Rescue Authorities have their own standalone systems.
Under FiReControl there will be nine Regional Control
Centres (one for each English region) which will be able to
back each other up if another is overwhelmed.
1: The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008/11 http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/nationalframework200811
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What are the current areas of national interest?
National
Interests
The National Framework (2)
Previous editions of the national framework have included:
• Prevention, Protection and response – covers the core business of Fire and
Rescue Authorities in analysing risks and taking action
• Resilience – covers the delivery of the key resilience programmes and the
actions authorities need to take to ensure they are fully equipped to meet the
demands of the resilience agenda
• Diversity and workforce – covers mainstreaming of diversity in all levels of
the Fire and Rescue Service and workforce development
• Governance and Improvement – covers institutions in place to support the
delivery of Fire and Rescue Authority business
But are these current national interests?
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What is the current role of central government?
National
Interests
National Framework (3)
Performance assessment2
The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Unit.

The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser and his team work in a
strategic and advisory capacity:
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Chief Fire and Rescue Advisers Unit providing advice
on “Operational Assessment of Service Delivery“
National indicators collected and monitored centrally
through collection of FRS incident data (IRS)
CLG support for local authorities on new performance
framework
CLG working with CFOA, GOs and the LGA/IDeA to
build sectoral challenge including peer-review of
improvement strategies
CLG to support the improvement of Fire and Rescue
Authorities where performance or other risks to
outcomes raise cause for concern
Government has retained its intervention powers for
instances of serious underperformance.
Finance
Central Government currently determines a significant
proportion of the funding level for all Fire and Rescue
Authorities through the Comprehensive Spending
Review and the Fire and Rescue Relative Needs
Formula

providing fire and rescue-related advice and guidance
to Communities and Local Government, the Fire and
Rescue Service in England and other stakeholders.

auditing of the fire safety arrangements in Crown
Premises.
Debate about the National Framework
Arguments for retaining the Framework include:
•It being a useful statutory vehicle to set out
Government’s
Expectations.
•The Government being assured that the Fire and
Rescue
Authorities are able and equipped to work together on
national resilience activities such as the floods in 2007.
Arguments against include:
•National Framework does not fit with the localism
agenda - a framework from the centre is directive
rather than participative and not consistent with the
goal of empowering local organisations and citizens.
2: The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008/11 http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/nationalframework200811
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What are the benefits of central coordination?
Some benefits of central coordination are for
example to ensure appropriate levels of service to
all communities, to maintain firefighter safety and to
ensure resilience. But it does not exist in all
countries.
Responsibility for fire is devolved completely to the
local level in Germany and the USA for example,
although resilience aspects of fire and rescue
service activity are almost universally led centrally3.
Central government has already devolved some
responsibilities to local FRAs in England other than
that required for accountability and National Audit
Office purposes, through Long Term Capability
Management for New Dimension and devolution of
responsibility for Integrated Risk Management
Planning to FRAs.
The growth of the resilience agenda in recent years
has meant so far Central Government has
maintained a key role in assuring the delivery of
national functions.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighting_worldwide
National
Interests
An example of the need for national procedures
is 'Breathing Apparatus entry control'.
These procedures ensure safety when
firefighters enter a building wearing breathing
apparatus. The procedure includes the
requirement that someone outside the building
is responsible for ensuring their safety by
logging who has entered the building,
maintaining an awareness of the length of time
they have been in the building (in case they run
out of air) and then logging them out of the
building when they leave. Where an incident
occurs that means firefighters from
neighbouring FRSs attend an incident, it is
crucial for firefighter safety that a common
method of BA entry control is used - otherwise
it may be possible for firefighters to be trapped
in a burning building without their colleagues
knowing the danger. This requirement for
simple, consistent procedures which ensure
safety at incidents means that all neighbours
need to have standard procedures, which in
practice means there needs to be a national
approach.
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Are there any national performance expectations frameworks
for other public services
Performance and Measurement in the Police4
Analysis of Policing and Community Safety (APACS)
The Analysis of Policing and Community Safety
(APACS) framework is a performance measurement
framework. It was introduced in April 2008 as
Assessments of Policing and Community Safety but was
subsequently renamed to reflect changes outlined in the
Policing Green Paper. It applies to all police forces in
England and Wales, covering key services delivered by
the police working on their own or in partnership with
others.
APACS was designed to be closely aligned with crossgovernment strategic priorities and external frameworks,
in particular: the new Public Service Agreements (PSAs)
and Community and Local Government’s development of
performance indicators for the national indicator set in
England.
Performance indicators form a key part of APACS,
measuring outcomes, perceptions, and activities, which
reflect the impact of community safety and policing
services in local communities. E.g. NI 21 “Dealing with
local concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime by
the local council and police”.
National
Interests
Railways5
Railways in Great Britain are in the private sector. As
such, they are not controlled by central government,
although they are subject to economic and safety
regulation by arms of government.
Using its powers under the Railways Act 2005, the
Department for Transport runs competitions for the
award of passenger rail franchises, and, once awarded,
monitors and enforces the contracts with the private
sector franchisees. Franchises specify the passenger
rail services which are to be run and the quality and
other conditions (for example, the cleanliness of trains,
station facilities and opening hours, the punctuality and
reliability of trains) which the operators have to meet.
Some franchises receive subsidy from the DfT for doing
so, and some are cash-positive, which means that the
franchisee pays the DfT for the contract. Some
franchises start life as subsidised and, over their life,
move to being cash-positive.
Network Rail6 collects the data on Public Performance
Measure, which combines figures for punctuality and
reliability into a single performance measure. It covers
all scheduled services, seven days a week, all year
round, and measures the performance of individual
trains against their planned timetable.
4.http://tna.europarchive.org/20100419081706/http:/www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-measurement/assess-policing-community-safety/index.html
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Great_Britain#Statutory_framework 6. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/travel-transport/other-modes-of-transport/rail/index.html
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What is the current structure which enables, supports and
manages delivery of an appropriate national/regional
resilience?
The current structure is shown below. This structure and
in particular the role of the Regional Resilience Teams are
currently under review by CLG Emergency Management
Division
IRMP Steering
group
National
Framework
Cabinet Office
Civil Contingencies
Secretariate
National
Interests
Civil
Contingencies
Act
IRMP Guidance
Regional Resilience
Teams
FRS
IRMPs
Performance
Assessment?6
Operational
Assessment of
Service Delivery
Local Resilience
Forum
LRAG guide
Cat 1 and cat 2
responders
Risk Assessment
Working Group
Community Risk
Registers
6. Until May 2010 performance was assessed by the Audit Commission through Comprehensive Area Assessment
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Civil protection and risk assessment by the Fire and Rescue
Service
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Civil Contingencies Act 20047 was introduced to provide a
framework for civil protection and defines organisations into
Category 1 (such as fire, police and ambulance) and Category 2
responders such as the Health and Safety Executive.
Category 1 responders “assess the risk of emergencies occurring
and use this to inform contingency planning”.
Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) were created to bring together all
the Category 1 and 2 organisations who have a duty to co-operate
under the Civil Contingencies Act.
There are 43 LRFs within England. Amongst other tasks, LRFs
complete risk assessment of civil contingencies within their areas,
produce Community Risk Registers and ensure multi-agency
plans, procedures, training and exercises exist.
The UK Resilience website8, developed by the Cabinet Office’s
Civil Contingencies Secretariat, provides a standard approach to
Local Responder risk assessment, as carried out by Category 1
responders within LRFs. It also provides the national risk register
which updates the public on the Government’s most current
assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of
different risks (both natural hazards and malicious threats). Most
scenarios included in the risk register would require support from
the FRS. The latest risk register can be found at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/intelligence-security-resilience/civil-contingencies-ukresilience/national_risk_register.aspx
Integrated Risk Management Plans (IRMPs) were introduced in
2004/05 for every Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) as part of the
FRS modernisation process. The Audit Commission’s Operational
Assessment of Service Delivery (OASD) guide lays out short
statements that encapsulate expectations of FRSs, including on
risk analysis. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and IRMPs are
both focused on integrated emergency management, which require
effective risk analysis.
National
Interests
Research looking at the Risk Assessment
Tools and Techniques used by the FRS (2008)9
found that FRSs already provide useful input to
LRFs and that LRFs are already useful forums
for identifying and sharing data and information.
The researchers suggested that FRSs may
benefit from further developing similar structures
to review IRMPs at a regional and national level
to plan for large scale events and assess risk.
For example the FRS could develop a set of
regional/national IRMPs, perhaps with
regional/national IRMP forums, to mirror the
LRFs. A regional IRMP forum could address
issues such as:
• Liaison with LRFs, RRFs and RRTs
• Planning for regional scale events
• Agreeing ‘over the border’ co-operation for
major events
• Co-ordinating the retention and use of ‘reserve’
resources.
Implicit in these suggestions is the principle that
FRSs should consider regional and national
scale risks when making decisions about their
own ‘reserve’ resources and resilience. This
would require liaison between national, regional
and FRS specific IRMPs.
7. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/preparedness/ccact.aspx 8. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience.aspx
9. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/Riskassessmenttools.pdf
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Current issues for the FRS and resilience - working
alongside other fire and rescue services and emergency
services
The capacity of the FRS in its resilience role

Extreme events in recent years, such as the floods in
Boscastle, Carlisle and the Midlands/Yorkshire
highlighted the key resilience role of the FRS alongside
other emergency services and drew attention to
potential gaps in their capacity and capability.

There is a need for the FRS to work across borders, to
deal with large or concurrent emergencies. To, for
instance, ensure deployment of New Dimension
equipment on a regional or multi-regional basis.

Current systems are based on single FRS/LRF areas
where risk assessments and IRMPs are undertaken better cross border IRMP planning and exercising
needs to be done at a regional or even national level.
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National
Interests
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The Summer floods raised questions about the need
for additional boats to be supplied to the FRS for them
to be able to respond to wide scale floods.
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The 7/7 bombings in London highlighted the need for
enhanced cross-service communications. The report
into the 7th July bombings concluded:
"The plans, systems and processes intended to
provide a framework for the response to major
incidents in London must be revised and improved.
Communications within and between the emergency
services did not stand up on July 7."
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The Buncefield incident identified the need for a coordinated approach to planning and response across
administrative boundaries.
Firelink (an enhanced communications system) is the replacement of each Fire Authority's legacy radio system with
a resilient national wide-area digital radio system in England, Scotland and Wales.
The Firelink system is now providing operational voice communications to all Fire and Rescue Services in England,
enabling a more effective response to emergency calls.
Firelink has also introduced national roaming for all FRS appliances and vehicles to allow resources to work
effectively beyond Brigade boundaries.
Police and ambulance services also operate on the same network which supports tri-service communication
interoperability. Timely sharing of critical information about hazards and other dangers reduces the risk of harm to the
public, FRS personnel and other emergency responders.
Police, CLG and the Department of Health have established an interoperability programme to develop a framework of
policies and procedures to assist in the delivery of an efficient tri-service response to incidents; an efficient voice and
data communication is critical to this.
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PLACEHOLDER
Areas of National Interest to be looked into further
National
Interests
Suggestions include the Olympics and mass decontamination.
The workstream may wish to source these or other areas if considered appropriate.
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