Fire Authority Briefing Note Black Country North Q3 2
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Fire Authority Briefing Note Making the West Midlands Black Country North Q3 1 SAFER, STRONGER, HEALTHIER FIRE AUTHORITY BRIEFING NOTE Our quarterly Fire Authority Briefing Notes Black Country North Command give us the opportunity to look back over the last three months and celebrate the hard work of our command area. It covers our priorities of response, prevention and JANUARY 2020 protection focussing on how we help people have safer, healthier lives and BRIEFING NOTE FOREWORD how we tackle emergencies assertively, JULIET MALONE effectively and safely. Black Country North (BCN) Operations Commander BLACK COUNTRY NORTH OVERVIEW Black Country North YTD Actual YTD Target Black Country North has again seen many proud moments for teams and individuals in Quarter 3 Accidental Dwelling 226 241 2019/20 which include SCDR Warren Davies receiving Accidental Non Domestic 64 52 recognition for the most inspirational in the WMFS Deliberate Dwelling 29 33 awards for his work over the last 10 years as the Deliberate Non Domestic 28 18 driving force behind WMFS boxing team, raising Deliberate Vehicle 97 99 thousands for disabled children from boxing. Aghia Deliberate Rubbish fires 257 305 Pal Singh who lives in Walsall received an MBE for his Injuries in Accidental services to Charity. 7 6 Dwelling Fires BCN has also been at the forefront of partnership Deaths in Accidental 5 working with several significant incidents which has Dwelling Fires pulled our partners together to identify learning and False Alarms 945 962 best practice. Sadly in Quarter 3 BCN has experienced Deliberate Derelict 28 20 two fire related deaths. Buildings @WestMidsFire www.wmfs.net @WestMidsFire Fire Authority Briefing Note Black Country North Q3 2 FIRE CONTROL West Midlands Fire Service is Fire Control are the resource managers for both Staffordshire Our response priorities focus on dealing excellently committed to an average risk-based and West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service and receive all the with emergency incidents: attendance time of 5 minutes. We emergency 999 calls for both services. know through academic studies • through risk management, the most serious emergency Between October and December 2019, Fire Control received a on survivability that if we can incidents in high-risk areas will be attended within five total of 15,336 emergency 999 calls; 69% of these calls were get to someone within 5 minutes minutes, to save life, protect homes and businesses, and attributed to West Midlands Fire Service and 31% attributed to the chances of them surviving a keep our transport networks moving Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Fire Control mobilised to significant incident increases. • risk to life and property will be reduced through 51% of these incidents with the other 49% being challenged as Throughout October to December our commitment to operational excellence, enabling not requiring a resource or deemed a non-emergency. we have consistently over an assertive, effective and safe emergency response A key performance measure within Fire Control is the speed in performed against our average risk- to all incidents whilst supporting firefighter safety which they mobilise a fire engine to a serious incident e.g. a based attendance time, with the house fire; impressively throughout October to December brigade average being 4 minutes • at all incidents attended, rescue operations will be led 2019, Fire Controls average time to mobilise to a house fire and 46 seconds; which is really and coordinated by WMFS whilst working collaboratively was 54 seconds. great news. with other agencies to deliver an excellent response and meet public expectations Fire Control apply dynamic intelligence led mobilisation which West Midlands Fire Service is the provides the control operators the autonomy to mobilise the only Fire & Rescue Service out • National Resilience will be enhanced through delivery appropriate number and type of resources to the incident based of all Fire and Rescue Services of a local, national and international response to major on the intelligence they receive from members of the public inspected by HMICFRS to receive incidents, new risks andhumanitarian situations through at the point of call. During this quarter, Fire Control have outstanding for the response our specialist response teams. either increased or decreased mobilisations on approximately element of the service. 600 occasions. BCN RESPONSE UPDATE Fire AuthorityCROSS BriefingSTREET NORTHNote 3 BCN continues to demonstrate its drive and action plan included interventions, partnership BCN appliancesBlack Country were called North to a fire Q3 in Cross Street North, commitment to the evidence based 5-minute response working, CCTV and referrals to clean and green. The in Wolverhampton, at around 4.39am, “Three fire engines time. Reaction time is currently running at 52.5 impact has seen an excellent performance in year to were sent to the scene, with two from Fallings Park seconds across the 8 BCN stations and continued date with 257 incidents against a target of 305 year station and one from Wolverhampton fire station.” The performance is demonstrated across the Command to date a full evaluation will be completed against blaze had been started deliberately. area. In addition, the BCN combined (Wolverhampton success and learning at end of year report. and Walsall) attendance time is currently 280.5 In BCN the proactive work of crews and partnership seconds a total of 19.5 seconds below the 300 teams has been unable to prevent 5 deaths in total in second target set for the WMFS. Crews strive to bring the 19/20 period, in Quarter 3 BCN has experienced this down further as every second counts and the two fire deaths, one due to deliberate ignition (under introduction of the new station ICT turn-out system is police investigation) with the critically injured victim supporting this current high performance. losing life after being rescued from the fire and Quarter 3 19/20- Great news on the Deliberate one death was due to a late fire call with a full SIR Rubbish fires action plan. BCN put in place an active completed. The sensitivity of such incidents is always deliberate fires action plan following a number of in the mind of crews targeting prevention activities in issues around wheelie bins in the Walsall area. The the areas and communities of these tragic events. BILSTON COLLEGE LEAMORE LANE RTC, WALSALL Around 20 firefighters were called to the well-known red and terracotta brick building, in Mount Pleasant, shortly Vehicle road traffic collisions in Walsall test interagency after midnight. The fire involved all floors and the roof working and especially those involving heavy goods of the three-storey detached building, which was also vehicles. Crews from Walsall and Bloxwich were tested once part of Bilston Community College. Appliances during the RTC on Leamore lane where they released from Bilston, Walsall, Willenhall, Bloxwich, Tettenhall two males from the wreckage. The driver sustained and Fallings Park were called to the blaze at the derelict life changing injuries and a full police investigation building at around 12.20am. commenced due to the serious injuries received. CHRISTMAS CANNABIS FARM PREPAREDNESS Fire Authority Briefing Note 4 During the Christmas eve festive period Walsall crews West Midlands Fire Service are committed Black Country North Q3 attended a cannabis farm in a roof of a three-bedroom to undertaking 104 large exercises every semi-detached house. An investigation into the cause year, these exercises test our response and of the blaze is underway. WMFS attended the fire at procedures to a variety of complex incidents Pennyroyal Close at just before 11.30am. On arrival in some of our high risk premises. officers found a cannabis farm set-up in the loft, which had been destroyed by the fire. BCN leads the way organising their fair share of the 107 The distributed training model (DTM) encourages use medium sized exercises to test capability and operational of the WMFS training facilities and the 12-monthly skill of attending crews and incident command for competence standardised assessments are completed officers, testing the crews with realistic tests of policy daily after acquiring the skills through knowledge and and procedures. The Picture below captures local BCN understanding and then applying the skills learned. crews at the Shelley road exercise in Willenhall in Q3. The Walsall RTC Hub is instrumental in training new and exercise took part in several disused shops and flats, great current firefighters as well as our partners from WMAS. to see the BCN diversity and the effective teams in role. WMFS raises funds from training our partners and works in effective collaboration to practice joint operations. The WMAS trainee paramedics and WMFS crews from BCN share knowledge and best practice. Three full days TECH RESCUE DEPLOYED TO WRECK training took place in Quarter 3 ensuring standardisation of knowledge and understanding of techniques and Technical Rescue (TRU) and Walsall crews attended a equipment from the RTC Hub. vehicle into house, two men were cut from the wreckage and TRU shored the building to prevent from further BCN boasts some of the best training facilities in Region structural collapse. A total of 13 firefighters rushed to and this is recognised by the best in the world as Broadway North in the borough at around 1.30am. The demonstrated when the UK Special Forces dropped in to black car was left with severe front-end damage – with an have a look at the training facilities at Wolverhampton in airbag having been deployed in the front passenger’s seat. October 2019 (the real SAS in action). Fire Authority Briefing Note Black Country North Q3 5 BCN PREVENTION UPDATE Safe and Well (SAW) has continued to be a key work stream for operational crews to reduce vulnerability in the BCN conurbations with stations completing a total Our prevention work focuses on Our prevention priorities focus on making safer, 1758 safe and Well visits in Quarter 3.