Agenda Item No

Agenda Item No. 20 Humberside Fire Authority Report by the Assistant Chief Fire 23 April 2013 Officer and Director of Safety COMMUNITY SAFETY EVENTS / DEVELOPMENTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST SUMMARY 1. This report outlines details of recent events and developments relating to the safety of our communities. The performance of the Safety Directorate in respect of the targets for incident reduction has been reported separately to the Authority. RECOMMENDATIONS 2. That Members note the content of the report as an update of community safety events and developments of special interest. REPORT DETAIL COMMUNITY SAFETY 3. 3.1 Performance for the Directorate has been reported separately to the Authority. 3.2 Community Safety events of special interest are included as Appendix 1 to this paper. STRATEGIC PLAN COMPATIBILITY 4. The activities outlined contribute to the delivery of the Strategic Plan 2011-14, specifically the Strategic Objectives ‘to prevent loss of life and injuries from emergency incidents’ and ‘to reduce risk in our communities’. FINANCIAL/RESOURCES/VALUE FOR MONEY IMPLICATIONS 5. None directly arising. All activities are met within existing budgets. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 6. None directly arising. EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT/HR IMPLICATIONS 7. None directly arising. CORPORATE RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS 8. None directly arising. 181 HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPLICATIONS 9. The Health and Safety of both staff and our communities is improved by activities which reduce the number of incidents and ensure businesses comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. COMMUNICATION ACTIONS ARISING 10. None directly arising. DETAILS OF CONSULTATION 11. For HFA information and discussion only. BACKGROUND PAPERS AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS 12. Appendix 1 – Community Safety – Events of Special Interest. RECOMMENDATIONS RESTATED 13. That Members note the content of the report as an update of community safety events and developments of special interest. C BLACKSELL Officer Contact: Daryl Oprey 01482 567138 Head of Safety Humberside Fire & Rescue Service Summergroves Way Kingston upon Hull CB/KLF 11 April 2013 182 Appendix 1 Safety Event – Stakeholder Seminar to raise awareness of Modern Sprinkler Systems Date – 12 March 2013 Personnel Involved: ACO Blacksell, AM Oprey, GM Cunningham, GM Grayson Summary Following our local pioneering success at ensuring other partners realise the value of domestic sprinklers it was important to keep this momentum going. As we recognise there are on-going challenges with regards to broader awareness of the benefits of fitting sprinklers we hosted a multi-agency stakeholder awareness day at the Country Park Hotel. As well as many of our own staff attending twenty two from other agencies such as Heads of Regeneration, Senior Building Control Officers, Housing and Health and Safety Officers attended. The detailed list of attendees is available should any Members require it. After an introduction from ACO Blacksell presentations were made by the British Automatic Sprinkler Association, Lewisham Homes Fire Safety Advisor, SM Matt Sutcliffe from Hull CPU and Armstrong Priestley a sprinkler manufacturer. All presentations were interactive with valuable participation. A very strong message was given that HFRS will lobby, encourage and support all agencies who realise the benefits of installing sprinklers whether as a retro fit or on initial build. The connections made from this seminar will be followed up by our staff to ensure the tangible benefits from such installations will be realised across the Service area. 183 Safety Development – National engagement with Homes and Communities Agency Date – 19 March 2013 Personnel Involved: ACO Blacksell, AM Oprey, K Goodhand (Partnerships Officer) Summary The Homes and Communities Agency is the national housing and regeneration agency for England, with a capital investment budget of around £4bn for the period 2012-15. HFRS Partnerships Officer became aware of the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund which was announced by the Department of Health in the White paper “Caring for our future: reforming care and support”, and brought forward the potential for HFRS to influence the level of fire safety measures in successful grant bids locally. The Department of Health is making available up to £240m capital funding, through the HCA, for housing providers to develop specialist housing to meet the needs of older people and adults with disabilities outside of London. Therefore there is significant potential for housing developments in the Service area specifically for some of our most vulnerable people. HFRS have taken the lead FRS role and act as the single point of contact for the area covered by the HCA North East office. Letters have gone to all of the Local Authorities officers who deal with the HCA to encourage any successful bidders to consider bespoke fire safety measures which are suitable for the people who may reside in the homes, rather than merely meeting the requirement of building regulations. The successful bidders for the first bidding round have not yet been announced, but if there are successful bids in our area we will liaise again on a local level. HFRS have also explored the potential to work proactively at National level to try and encourage the HCA to include bespoke fire safety measures in their specification, and therefore their scoring methodology for future bidding rounds. This has been raised through CFOA Regionally and presented to CFOA National Home Safety Committee. The representative from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on that committee has agreed to work with HFRS to facilitate the cross government department communication needed and to do what they can to try to influence the consideration of more bespoke fire safety measures being a feature of future bidding rounds which are specific to vulnerable people. 184 Safety Event – Combined Humberside Police/FRS Arson Seminar. ‘We are in it together’ Date – 20 March 2013 Personnel Involved: AM Oprey, GM Cunningham Summary In 2011 the first of these seminars was held with the intention of making a very strong working relationship between the local officers and staff in both Police and HFRS with the intention of sharing intelligence to help prevent arson. We also wanted to remind participants that often from small arson events patterns can emerge and unless treated seriously both organisations will be challenged over their efforts to reduce arson. Local case studies of Bruce Lee and David Burtonshaw were used to drive home the serious developments that can occur if left unchallenged. That seminar resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding being signed off between both services. It has since been reviewed and recommitted to. This year we wanted to both celebrate the positive difference we have made since 2011 and remind ourselves that we must continue the commitment we both share to reduce arson even further. With over fifty attendees from both Police and HFRS the event proved to be very effective. Following an introduction and review of the Lee and Burtonshaw cases by AM Oprey and Colin Andrews the Business Manager from the Police Criminal Justice Unit, Detective Inspector Henrickson delivered an excellent case study on an individual which due to both services working very closely together is currently remanded in custody. This case is still active and formed part of the last Community Safety brief in February. Each co-terminus table of both Police and HFRS staff were then given details of all of the deliberate fires in their specific areas since 1st January 2013. They have now identified any trends or causes for concern and jointly all drawn up action plans for those they believe need to be pursued further. Each group have agreed between themselves the most effective way to remain informed of all intelligence in the joint pursuance to reduce arson. E.g. in North Lincolnshire (Police A Division) a Fire officer attends the daily Police briefings. 185 Safety Development – Custodial sentence for arsonist due to joint working between HFRS and Humberside Police Date – 9 April 2013 Personnel Involved: Operational crews, GM Jason Kirby, AM Oprey. Summary On the 22 November 2012 HFRS attended a house fire in Chanterlands Avenue, Hull. Following extinguishing of the fire which they believed to be persons reported by the caller, HFRS officers worked with the Police to determine the cause and provided investigative evidence which led to the apprehension of the arsonist. Below is an extract from the Hull Daily Mail article featured on 9 April. Jenifer Ann Cliffe, who set fire to her estranged husband's bed after he left her has been jailed for two and a half years. She went to the home she once shared with her husband while he was working as a store manager in Withernsea. The former foster carer removed the smoke alarms in the semi-detached house in Chanterlands Avenue, west Hull, before setting fire to his bed. DC Kitching said: "Her actions put lives in danger. This sentence sends out a message that arson is always taken seriously by the courts. There is always a risk to life even if your intention was to set a small fire. It can easily get out of control. Cliffe's actions in taking out the smoke alarms was malicious. They are there to save people's lives and if they are disabled then lives are put at risk. In this case, her next door neighbour was at home and unaware of the fire. If her family had not gone to check on the house, the situation could have been a lot worse. It was only by sheer luck that the fire was burning itself out." The couple had separated after ten years of marriage although they had been together for 14 years. The mum-of-two was decorating at the house in Chanterlands Avenue and, during the course of the day, she sent her former partner a number of text messages. HFRS arrived at the house shortly after receiving calls from her mother and sister, who believed she was trapped inside.

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