“Working Together for a Safer Gloucestershire” Integrated Risk Management Plan 2015 - 2018

www.glosfire.gov.uk/irmp Contents

Introduction 1 What is an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP)? 2 What have we achieved through our last IRMP? 3 Risk in Gloucestershire 5 How we currently manage risk 8 How we can continue to improve our risk management 20 Have your say 22 Action Plan 2015-2018 23 Our Mission: Working Together for a Safer Gloucestershire “GFRS Mission statement:” Working together we will provide the highest standard of community safety and emergency “ response services to the communities of Gloucestershire ”

Introduction Welcome to the Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Since our last plan, which we published in 2012 we Service 2015-18 Integrated Risk Management have been set new challenges in reducing costs Plan (IRMP). This is my first IRMP as your Chief and becoming even more efficient. Influences such Fire Officer. I am determined that it will build as those financial demands and the conclusions on the achievements of previous IRMPs and drawn by the Peer Challenge led me to commission will make the lives of the people of a Strategic Review of the Service shortly after taking Gloucestershire safer. over my role. The review has now concluded and recommended a fresh delivery model which aims to Although we continue to face financial challenges, put greater emphasis on prevention work, helping Stewart Edgar QFSM we can continue to be proud of the Fire & Rescue people to avoid having fires and other emergencies, Chief Fire Officer Service here in Gloucestershire. The recent Peer thereby reducing costs by reducing demand on and Operations Director Challenge, during which a team of respected the Service. We are calling this fresh approach a professionals from both a Fire & Rescue Service ‘Demand Management Service Delivery Model’ and background and other walks of life took an in-depth are currently in the process of changing the Service look at the Service, described Gloucestershire Fire & structure to enable us to put the model into action. Rescue Service as ‘highly committed’, ‘proud’, ‘well regarded’ and ‘ambitious’. We continue to be one As a Service that has serving our community at its of the highest performing and lowest cost-per-head heart, we have a clear set of strategic aims: Services in the country.

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive Cabinet Member for Fire, Planning & Infrastructure

Prevention Response People Performance & Protection & Resilience

I hope that this plan gives you a clear understanding of how your Fire & Rescue Service is moving toward a future that will bring better outcomes for you, both in terms of your safety but also in terms of the pressure on your bank balance.

1 What is an Integrated Risk Management Plan? As required by the Fire & Rescue Services Act • What opportunities are there for improvement 2004 the Government outlines its expectations and setting of appropriate standards? of English Fire & Rescue Services through the • What resources are necessary to meet National Framework for Fire & Rescue Services those standards? (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ we then build a plan based on the answers to fire-and-rescue-national-framework- those questions. for-england). One of the Governments expectations is the assessment of local risks The IRMP incorporates a three-year action plan to life and how effectively those resources are to manage the changes/improvements to Service used in response to those risks, at the same provision identified through the planning process. time providing value for money to the local taxpayer – this is called an Integrated Risk Once the plan has been agreed by Cabinet the Management Plan (IRMP). All Fire & Rescue Service will consult with the community and their Services have to produce a local IRMP that representatives over the plan. sets out their plan for: The IRMP is all about giving the community a • Reducing the number and severity of fires, road ‘tailor made’ Service that best meets their needs traffic collisions and other emergency incidents but cannot do so without taking into account occurring in the area for which it is responsible; realities such as the current financial climate. • Reducing the severity of injuries due to In order to effectively manage risk in our fires, road traffic collisions and other community the Service uses a combination of emergency incidents; tactics, which compliment each-other to deliver the • Reducing the commercial, economic and social Services strategic aims. It is the ‘integrated’ nature impact of fires and other emergency incidents; of these risk management tactics in the optimum • Safeguarding the environment and heritage blend, linked with the strategic aims, that gives the (both built and natural); plan its name. • Providing value for money. The IRMP also outlines the improvements and The IRMP development process makes the changes the Service plans to make in order Service regularly consider four key questions: to manage existing and emerging risk more effectively. The route to those improvements is • What are the existing and potential risks in outlined within the associated action plan which Gloucestershire? will explain the ‘what, how and when’. • How effective are our current risk management measures? 2 the completion of four What have we achieved new fire stations in through our last IRMP? “the Gloucester and Cheltenham areas has IRMP 2012/15 Objective What we have done Replace specialist Following the introduction of the new pump/rescue improved the rescue appliance appliances the specialist rescue appliance was removed from service. The new specialist incident emergency cover support unit is now in service and supports the pump/rescue appliances when required.

we give in those areas Improve the efficiency of A review of crewing arrangements for our Aerial the crewing for our aerial Ladder Platforms was undertaken leading to a appliances revised approach which guarantees availability of at least one of these appliances whilst allowing for a ” more efficient use of staff. Improve our response The completion of the four new fire stations in the standards and coverage Gloucester and Cheltenham areas has improved the emergency cover we give in those areas and has improved the support they give to surrounding stations. As part of this project we set ourselves challenging response standards which has driven improved performance.

3 IRMP 2012/15 Objective What we have done partnership working Improve how we carry out The traditional approach to large animal rescue animal rescues has been questioned and a new ‘safe system of with the Severn Area work’ adopted using a range of new equipment and techniques. All firefighters have been given Rescue Association basic training and specialist teams established who “ have had level 2 training and will lead a rescue. In support of the firefighters partnerships have been has led to the formed with vets. establishment of a joint Improve our water rescue The Service now provides a national response to response water emergencies and a more extensive response Water Rescue Centre within Gloucestershire with additional water rescue teams at Moreton In Marsh and Fairford. at the fire station in Significant investment in equipment has lead to the replacement of boats and ground-breaking Tewkesbury partnership working with the Severn Area Rescue Association has led to the establishment of a joint Water Rescue Centre at the fire station in Tewkesbury.

Review the availability of Historically each retained fire station has had a firefighters at each retained specified number of staff as an ‘establishment’ ” station linked to the number of fire engines based there i.e. 1 fire engine - 12 Firefighters, 2 fire engines - 20 Firefighters. The review has lead to a complete change of approach now leading to a variable ‘establishment’ driven by the patterns of cover provided by individual Firefighters. This approach is more testing managerially but is also more efficient in terms of resources.

4 Risk in Gloucestershire Our existing and potential risks

Our risk information comes from various sources. in Cheltenham and Gloucester. The remainder are It informs our professional judgments when we spread over a number of market towns, as well decide on the most suitable protection, prevention as many small villages and hamlets. Population and emergency response arrangements to put in growth is steady and is predicted to rise by place, to maintain that risk at an acceptable level. another 11% by 2025. However, Gloucestershire is predicted to have a higher than average number of What are the risks? over 65 year olds rising by 55,000 to reach 158,000 • Injury or death to residents and visitors by 2025. This increase in a higher risk group, coupled with the government desire to deliver • Damage to property ‘personalised’ services to the elderly will have a • Impact on the economy of Gloucestershire and direct impact on the County’s ability to support and disruption to business deliver services, such as nursing and social care, • Loss of built and natural heritage that support safe and independent living. • Social impact on communities While the County has areas of affluence, there • Firefighter safety are some pockets of significant deprivation in • Loss of infrastructure Cheltenham and Gloucester with some rural deprivation in the Forest of Dean. There is a About our County proven link between social deprivation and Gloucestershire is a county of contrasts. Covering incidence of fire. 2,653 square km and with a population of In the last 10 years population growth has been approximately 597,000. concentrated in the urban areas. However, Gloucestershire is an attractive place to live, there is now a developing tendency towards work and invest, the rural and urban mix featuring dispersed residential development, which will carry excellent transport links, historic heritage and implications for service delivery in that it takes leisure opportunities attracts people to the area. longer to reach dispersed communities. Significant numbers of people settle into Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service provide retirement in Gloucestershire, many young people twenty two fire stations staffed by a total of 152 leaving higher education choose to remain in the Wholetime and 260 Retained Firefighters. The County and employment opportunities attract organisation is mobilised and administered from economic migrants. its Headquarters in the County town Gloucester, Currently, the County has a population of a facility that is shared with the Police and approximately 597,000 people, half of whom live Ambulance NHS Trust. 5 Factors contributing to the County’s risk profile In order to produce the Community Risk Register, the LRF use a combination of local knowledge National Risk Assessment County’s Risk Profile about each risk, as well as guidance provided by The National Risk Assessment is intended to central government drawn from the National National Risk Assessment capture the range of emergencies that might have a Risk Assessment. major impact on all, or significant parts of, the UK. It Local Community Risk Register provides a national picture of the risks we face, and Critical National Infrastructure is designed to complement our local Community With its national resilience capability, the Service Critical National Infrastructure Risk Register. The driver for this work is the Civil is part of the response to maintain critical Climatic Event Contingencies Act 2004, which defines what is infrastructure in the event of any of the identified meant by emergencies, and what responsibilities risks becoming a reality. There is work with utilities are placed on us so that we can prepare for them. and private businesses through the LRF and fire Risks covered in the assessment include – severe safety enforcement work to increase the business weather, pandemics, animal disease, major continuity resilience. accidents and malicious attacks including cyber attack and acts of terrorism. Severe Weather As the devastating floods of 2007 demonstrated, Local Community Risk Register communities in Gloucestershire are at risk from the Our Local Community Risk Register looks at on-going effects of the climate. the likelihood and potential impact of a range of hazards occurring in specific areas. It is approved and published by our Local Resilience Forum (LRF) which includes representatives from local emergency services, and public, private and voluntary organisations.

6 Location Critical Economic Social & Environmental Infrastructure

Gloucester City Centre, Industrial Cathedral, Docks, Quays Development. River Severn. Council Infrastructure, Walham Electrical Sub- Areas, Commercial Centre. station, Royal Hospital, M5, Mainline Rail Network.

Cheltenham GCHQ, Industrial Areas, Racecourse, Regency Town Centre. General Hospital, M5, Mainline Rail Network. Commercial Centres. Forest of Dean Industrial Areas. Forest Leisure Areas (Climbing, Walking, Cycling,) Wigpool Water Treatment Works. Severn Cable Littledean Hall. Tunnel, Mainline Rail Routes (Including Tunnels).

Cotswolds Commercial Centres. Kelmscott Manor Sezincote House, Snowshill Manor, RAF Fairford, A417/A419, Mainline Rail Network Cotswold Water Park. (Including Tunnels).

Stroud Industrial Areas and Berkeley Castle, Woollen Mills, Canals, Woodchester Sapperton Railway Tunnel, M5, Berkeley Power Commercial centres. Mansion, Newark Park. Station, Royal Residences. Tewkesbury Imjin Barracks, Industrial Abbey, Town Centre (including Merchant’s House), Mythe Water Treatment Works, M5, Areas, Commercial Areas. Stanway Estate, Sudeley Castle, River Severn. Gloucestershire Airport.

7 How we currently manage risk To enable the Service to keep a very clear perspective on what exactly we are aiming to achieve we have set ourselves a clear Mission, Mission Statement and very clear Strategic Aims:

8 Work with our local communities to reduce risks safety issues. Stations also regularly hold ‘Open to life, property and the environment from fire and Days’, where Community Fire Stations open their other emergencies. doors to the local community. These have traditionally been fun days out for the family, but they are also an

opportunity for the Service to deliver important The traditional view of the function of the Fire & safety messages. Rescue Service is one of an organisation that responds to an emergency, saving life and preventing further damage. We firmly believe that ‘Skillzone’ is the Service’s life skills education centre. by far the best way of protecting those we serve Located in Gloucester, Skillzone is a facility that is from fire and other emergency is to prevent that equipped to simulate safety situations with the degree emergency before it happens, therefore this is our Prevention of realism that only a purpose-built facility can offer. priority. Not only does prevention avoid suffering Skillzone offers safety educational experiences and and harm but it also reduces demand on our & Protection advice for a range of age groups and has a major part services which saves the community money, while to play in our prevention strategy, operating both on- still providing an emergency response. site and out in the community.

The majority of emergencies are avoidable and involve the actions or inaction of people. If we can help people change their behaviour or become more aware of the likely implications of a situation they create or are involved in, we can prevent disaster.

Our prevention work is aimed at people of all ages and backgrounds but targets those most at risk. Sadly, despite our efforts, emergencies do still happen. When they do, we learn as much as we can from them thereby guiding our prevention work.

Work with our local Prevention is a big part of the day-to-day work of communities to reduce our firefighters who are in the ideal position to talk to risks to life, property and people about safety having witnessed the devastation the environment from fire of fire, road traffic collisions and other catastrophes and other emergencies first-hand. Working from our Community Fire Stations, they deliver Home Fire Safety checks giving advice and fitting life-saving smoke alarms for those who need them. Firefighters regularly attend community events to raise awareness and educate about fire 9 Educational prevention programmes Community Safety Advisers (CSAs) Under 5’s Community Safety Advisers are part of the Community Safety Team based at the Fire Service HQ in Early years settings are visited at least once. We use Quedgeley. They carry out Home Fire Safety checks ELFS, (Early Learning Fire Safety) as a new delivery to householders in the County. tool for our work with pre-school and reception classes. ‘Colin the Collie’, a hand puppet is also They visit homes and deliver Home Fire Safety used to engage children to deliver effective fire Checks to individuals within the home environment. safety messages. During a Home Fire Safety Check, staff identify risk specific to a household and provide advice and Firesetting (arson) interventions to reduce those risks and improve fire Prevention One to one work addressing firesetting issues safety awareness. In some cases, including where (children who have a fascination with or a history a person is at increased risk of fire, free smoke & Protection demonstrating inappropriate behaviours with fire). It is detection is fitted. becoming clear that reported cases of firesetting are This work is targeted to people at risk within the dropping with the increased educational input from community and is often in conjunction with agencies pre-school upwards. Unfortunately there are still a that are engaged with the most vulnerable people in small number of cases of older firesetters with more our communities. complex issues. Education programmes will continue to prevent this difficult issue. Residents targeted by the team include: Firescape • People over 65 years of age A programme designed to offer Key Stage 3 and 4 • People living alone students an opportunity to take part in a learning • People with disabilities experience outside the school environment. To be • Smokers seen as part of the alternative curriculum. Students are encouraged to develop a sense of pride and • Those without existing smoke alarms diligence in their approach to work and to acquire • Individuals with drink or drug dependency greater self-esteem. The course also aims to provide If individuals are identified who are at risk, they are vital life skills e.g. communications, teamwork and referred through a ‘safeguarding process’ to ensure self-confidence. During courses, students take part that appropriate agencies are informed and any issues in activities aimed at improving self-esteem, self- Educational prevention identified receive appropriate support or intervention. programmes discipline and responsibility. This is achieved by employing fundamental Fire Service principles of Community Safety leadership, teamwork and discipline. Advisers (CSAs)

10 Partnerships To be effective in preventing fire and accidents involving vulnerable people within the community, we need to work closely with agencies that have day to day contact with individuals who are at risk. The Community Safety Team has established close working relationships with numerous agencies that refer individuals to us who are at risk from fire, or who carry out joint visits with our The Road Safety Partnership Community Safety Advisers (CSAs). The Service attends over 400 road traffic collisions These agencies include: every year. Crews are highly skilled in dealing with the Prevention aftermath of these incidents, but prevention remains a paramount priority. The Gloucestershire Road Safety & Protection Age UK Social Care Health Services Partnership, hosted by the Service, ensures there is a Services co-ordinated and joined up approach to Road Safety prevention activity. With a pooling of expertise and a 2gether Trust Safeguarding Police range of activities, they target reducing the number of Teams deaths and injuries resulting from road traffic collisions. GPs Fostering The Red Cross Enforcement Services Despite our best efforts to prevent emergencies they Housing Sanctuary Gloucestershire will still occasionally happen. We need to control the Associations Schemes Deaf Association potential harm to people by protecting them from the consequent harm e.g. ensuring that people can escape safely from a building in which a fire has started. These visits are delivered by the CSAs or by Firefighters operating from our Community Fire Stations The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 located throughout the County. CSAs will also refer gives GFRS a statutory duty to ensure that people are vulnerable adults to other Gloucestershire County protected from fire in a range of places other than their Council agencies, with their permission, to ensure they home, such as where they work, where they spend Partnerships access the full range of services and support available. leisure time and where they buy goods etc. We have a highly experienced team of officers working across the The Road Safety Partnership County, delivering advice and guidance to the business people as well as enforcing fire safety law and bringing prosecutions when employers commit serious breaches of fire safety legislation. This combined approach which uses a customer focused service to advise and guide when appropriate, along with the knowledge and expertise to enforce law through prosecution if necessary, is key to our success in driving down the number of fires in commercial premises. 11 False Alarms The results of a Fire Investigation may also be valuable to the wider Fire Safety Community or It is essential that fire crews across the County remain research establishments to assist in developing future available to deal with true emergency situations and prevention safeguards. do not spend time responding to calls that turn out to be false alarms. This not only makes sound financial Environmental Protection sense, but even more importantly ensures firefighters As well as protecting the people of Gloucestershire remain available to respond to real incidents in their from harm, we have a legal obligation, to protect the community. GFRS has been successful in driving environment in which they live. Living in a County down the number of false alarms we attend through with extensive areas of outstanding natural beauty, two key strategies. These include: presents significant additional challenges for Prevention • Automatic Fire Alarms Policy (AFA) the Service. & Protection Our AFA policy has seen a significant reduction Many of the emergency incidents we attend have the in the number of fire engines we send to AFAs in potential to cause extensive and long term harm to our commercial premises. However, to ensure safety is environment. This can be through air pollution from not compromised, a full emergency response is still the smoke produced by a large fire, pollution from sent to premises where people sleep. Where we firefighting water entering streams and rivers, or the attend AFAs on more than one occasion we work presence of a hazardous substance that has been with the premises occupiers to remove the source of involved in an incident. the false alarms. We have a team of specialist Hazardous Material • Malicious Calls and Environmental Protection Officers providing full Occasionally we receive hoax 999 calls from time cover to respond immediately to such incidents individuals falsely claiming there is a fire. Our throughout the County. The officers are trained to deal Operations Control Team, who handle all 999 calls with chemical, biological and radiological incidents to the Service, have developed robust methods and work with appliances and equipment that is used to challenge the caller wherever possible, if it is locally and nationally. suspected that it is a hoax. In this way we prevent The Service has established a partnership with the crew being turned out, not only saving money, the Environment Agency (EA), where early contact but also keeping the crew available to protect their is made with them when there is potential for the community should a real incident occur. We work environment to be harmed as the result of an incident. False Alarms closely with the Police to prosecute hoax callers. The EA will provide us with advice over the phone or attend the scene if necessary. Fire Investigations Fire Investigations Front line appliances carry equipment supplied by Fire investigation is a statutory duty and it is an Environmental Protection the EA for first aid environmental protection and the essential part of our role to identify the causes of Service has a dedicated vehicle, the Environmental fire to inform future prevention activity. Evidence Protection Unit, based at Stroud. This carries large uncovered by our investigation can assist the Police scale environmental protection equipment supplied bringing about prosecutions where arson is suspected, by the EA and a firefighting crew who have received or be required for a Coroner’s Inquest. specialist training. 12 Respond promptly and effectively to deal with fires Road Rescue and other emergencies when they occur Over the past 18 months we have made major The Service has 22 Community Fire Stations providing changes to the way we respond to Road Traffic a highly effective emergency response County-wide. Collisions (RTCs) and how we use our specialist rescue appliances. The number of firefighters with specialist skills and vehicles at each station reflects the existing risks within We have increased the RTC equipment on some of the area, giving an efficient and effective emergency our fire engines by making them into a pump rescue response to the local community, as well as vehicle (a fire engine that can attend both fires and County-wide resilience for larger scale incidents. RTCs). We now have seven pump rescue vehicles located at different fire stations around the County as Of the 22 stations, five are staffed permanently well as specialist rescue appliances. The pump rescue Response 24 hours a day and one is staffed during the day vehicles allow us to get to the scene of a collision with retained firefighters at night. The other sixteen quicker, with the right equipment and 10 firefighters & Resilience stations, located in the smaller towns are staffed by instead of the seven we had before. retained firefighters only (where firefighters respond to emergencies from their main jobs or from home as and We have a Special Incident Support Unit which when required). provides specialist equipment when required at incidents such as at rail accidents, RTCs involving The Service has stations which are located in towns large goods vehicles or animal rescues. across the County and together they provide an emergency response to any incident. Some of these Water Rescue/Flood Response stations have one fire engine, others have two or more. Because of where our fire stations are situated The River Severn presents a particular risk for they provide support and assistance to each other GFRS and we have historically had a boat rescue when required. It also allows the Service to manage capability. The floods of 2007 brought into focus the larger scale incidents by giving the right number of fire need to develop our capabilities for water rescue and engines immediately along with the right number of particularly flood rescue, with the likelihood that this firefighters to tackle the incident safely. type of call would increase due to climate change. With new national standards now agreed there will be a Specialist Capabilities need to review what we currently provide to ensure the Respond promptly and best response to incidents while managing the safety effectively to deal with fires The type of rescue incidents we attend vary with the of our firefighters. geography of the County as well as the commercial and other emergencies and recreational activities undertaken in those areas. We currently have river boats at Gloucester and when they occur GFRS has developed specialist skills and provided Tewkesbury stations, enjoying a very productive equipment that reflect the particular risks present partnership with the Severn Area Rescue Association Specialist Capabilities within the County and the nature of emergency calls operating from Tewkesbury Fire Station. We also use Road Rescue we receive. We will respond to any call for help and do six flood boats which were donated by the Rotary Club. what we can to safely deal with the situation, although Water Rescue/Flood we have developed particular skills in a number of key We have firefighters trained in wading, for wide area Response areas dictated by the calls we receive. flooding in Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Lydney, Newent, Dursley, Moreton in Marsh and Fairford stations. 13 Rope Rescue National Resilience The Forest of Dean is popular with climbers and Within Gloucestershire, we have a range of vehicles pot-holers alike, but occasionally such recreational and equipment that form part of a national framework activities don’t go as planned and we are called to of assets. These assets are positioned within Fire perform a rescue from a cliff face or assist with a cave Services across the country to provide emergency rescue deep underground. We have teams at both response and have the capability to deal with large Lydney and Coleford stations that have expertise and scale and widespread incidents. They are mobilised as equipment to perform these challenging and highly part of a national structure and each type of vehicle is skilled rescues. identical to others held in other Services so that they can be staffed by any crew who have received the Large Animal Rescue appropriate training. These vehicles and the associated Gloucestershire has a predominantly rural community equipment, can also be used locally for incidents when Response and consequently firefighters regularly turn their skills appropriate and provide a valuable additional resource & Resilience to an array of different rescues involving pets, livestock for the County. and wild animals. The larger animals more commonly We have two Incident Response Units for rescued are horses, cattle, pigs and sheep that find decontamination of large numbers of casualties and a themselves trapped in machinery, bogs, slurry pits, High Volume Pump that can be used for widespread rivers, pools, ditches or victims of road traffic collisions. flooding incidents where greater pumping capacity Every animal rescue is unique, which means the is required. We also have a Mass Decontamination procedure and type of equipment used depends on Disrobe Unit which provides a shelter and disrobing kits the animal and where they need rescuing from. For to support incidents where large numbers of casualties many years we have responded to these incidents may be involved. using ingenuity and traditional methods. Large animal Cheltenham is home to the Enhanced Logistical rescues however are recognised as one of the most Support Vehicle, which provides support for the dangerous activities a firefighter will undertake and Command and Control functions at larger incidents so to protect firefighters and members of the public, locally and nationally. specialist training and equipment is essential. Crews within Gloucestershire have received extensive In recent years we have invested in large animal training in the use of this equipment and are highly rescue equipment and currently respond with five skilled in their specialist role. Regular refresh training firefighters from the local station plus support takes place within the Service to ensure crews are from our Special Incident Support Unit carrying ready to respond should they be called upon. Rope Rescue specialist equipment. Large Animal Rescue National Resilience

14 Ensure our services are delivered by a sure that all Firefighters and Commanders are safe. professional, well equipped, highly skilled, The Service has clear procedures based on nationally motivated and well developed workforce recognised best practice to ensure that this is the which is able to work safely and whose case. We put great emphasis on training our staff and composition reflects our diverse community. have developed a proactive safety culture, although in this ever-changing world and with an in-exhaustible Training & Development range of challenges that can be thrown at us, we also make a point of learning from every emergency To deliver the best outcomes for our community and incident we attend. protect themselves, our staff must have the right skills knowledge and understanding. This enables them We have a performance assessment process People to meet changing demands by solving problems, which ensures that what we learn through training providing guidance and leadership. is put into practice at incidents. Where accidents or situations that have the potential to do harm occur As well as vital operational skills, firefighters need to we investigate fully so that we learn the lessons from have a range of skills such as communication and them, and avoid them happening in future by changing empathy to help them persuade members of the our practices and procedures accordingly. public that they need to protect themselves, their possessions and those around them from fire. Where we need specialist help and advice this is available to us through the Safety, Health and It is also important to focus on developing highly Environment Team of Gloucestershire County Council. skilled logistic support staff. They are an important part of the team and are vital to delivering the best Equipment outcomes and our strategic aims. Vehicles and equipment are the tools that help All of these skills are gained through carefully firefighters to operate safely and effectively. This designed and delivered training, in line with the extends from the protective clothing that firefighters Services Training Strategy within which there wear to the fire engines they use to transport them are clearly defined policies on initial learning and to and deal with emergency incidents. The reliability maintenance of skills. Our training centre Severn Park, and quality of this range of equipment can literally which is shared with Avon and Devon & Somerset mean the difference between life and death for Ensure our services are delivered by Fire & Rescue services has a key role in delivering both the firefighter and those at risk. The Service’s a professional, well equipped, highly quality training. A large proportion of courses are fully Equipment Team continually monitors technological skilled, motivated and well developed accredited and robust quality assurance processes advancement, although there must be a sound workforce which is able to work safely are included. and whose composition reflects our business case that carefully considers necessity, cost diverse community For those who want to progress within the Service and benefit before any change of equipment is made. there is a clear development process which ensures Training & Development The equipment must all be carefully maintained that anyone being promoted has the potential to and tested to avoid failure when it is most needed. Health & Safety undertake that role and is already equipped with the The specialist nature of that equipment means that Equipment basic skills to build upon. it is most effective for the service to have an in- Health & Safety house equipment and vehicle services team. Where equipment is of a more general nature it is serviced The Service has both a legal and moral duty to make by an external servicing agent to reduce costs. 15 Monitor our performance to ensure we continually improve and deliver value for money

Monitoring of the organisation’s performance is carried Annual performance targets are set with the aim of out by the Strategic Leadership Team. In addition, achieving continuous improvement to achieve the quarterly reports of a core data set are monitored best outcomes for our communities. The trend analysis by Gloucestershire County Council’s Chief Officer shown here is based on both ten and four years data Management Team, Cabinet and the Environment and and illustrates the impact over time of our efforts to Communities Scrutiny Committee. A mix of nationally drive down the numbers of incidents, fires, deaths accepted fire and rescue service performance and casualties. indicators with local targets are used to track progress and monitor trends. Performance Incidents 2003-13

Monitor our performance to ensure we continually improve and deliver value for money 72,493 incidents over 10 year period Incidents 2003-13 Over a 10 year period we have seen an overall decline in incidents. The decline corresponds with an increase in focus on prevention work and is a good example of demand management in action. The new Demand Management Service Delivery Model which has been developed through the recent strategic review will build upon this to make further reductions. The pattern of this decline clearly shows the impact of the flooding of 2007.

16 Incident types 2003/04 to 2012/13 (Excludes co-responders) 3000

2500

2000 E FAFA 1500 FAGI FDR1 1000 FDR3

Number of incidents C Performance 500 Other

0 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Financial year

KEY: E=Emergency Special Service FAFA=False Alarm from Automatic Fire Alarm System FDR1=Fire in Property of Value e.g. Building or Vehicle Fire FAGI= False Alarm with Good Intent FDR3=Fire in Material of No Value e.g. Rubbish C=Chimney The above chart demonstrates the general pattern of decline across a range of incident types. All types show a general decline other than emergency special services which clearly illustrates the impact of flooding in 2007 and more recent years.

Overall numbers of fires Recorded primary fires - those involving property such as homes, businesses, cars, injuries and incidents where 5 or more fire engines attended are 58 % lower than ten years ago.

Incident Types Overall Numbers of Fires

17 The Service is maintaining the overall downward trend in the number of fire incidents. Therefore continuing that improvement is important and we need to be increasingly sophisticated in both our approach to targeting our safety work with communities and businesses, as well as setting realistic performance goals. Alongside this reduction in primary fires, the number of deaths and those injured by fire have also reduced.

Performance

Due to targeted community engagement, 2012-13 recorded the smallest volume of deliberate fires ever in Gloucestershire and nationally. As such a slight increase was understandably projected for 2013/14.

Casualties Arson

18 Accidental house fires Amongst the range of emergencies the Service attends, accidental house fires account for approximately 5%. This however is the category of fire in which people are most likely to die or be injured. Although the 10 year figures shows a reduction in the overall number of fires, 2013/14 data suggests that accidental fires in the home rose last year. These final figures may be a short-term statistical variation rather than a complete change of direction, but they reinforce the need to put even greater emphasis on local prevention work, something that the new Demand Management Service Delivery model will deliver.

Performance

Accidental House Fires

19 How we continue to improve our risk management The Service is continually evolving as the risk and financial situation changes. We have recently undertaken a complete review of our current strategy and listened very carefully to the views of key stakeholders. We have designed a ‘fresh’ service delivery model which focuses on prevention work, ensuring that all areas of the Service support a service delivery model that reduces incidence of fire and other emergency by stopping them happening. In doing so we will be helping people remain independent, reducing demand on our services and the services provided by other County Council teams. Station activity and associated costs are not linear. The cost of running a station is fundamentally linked to the duty system operating on that station.

20 The overall number of mobilisations from stations over an extended period gives a perspective on how much some of our stations are being called-upon by their communities. It is reasonable to expect that when those levels of activity are cross-referenced with the cost of running the station some interesting contrasts may be noted. Most of the large variances in cost when compared with operational activity levels relate to the use of different staffing models and shift systems.

Similarly activity across a typical 24 hour day is not constant. Predictably, the Service attends fewer emergencies between midnight and 6 am, activity levels build to a peak at around 6 pm then reduce again to night-time levels. Despite these variations the Service currently aims to provide the same level of cover regardless of known variations in operational activity throughout the day. Performance in these areas is where the Service is likely to undertake a review in order to achieve the efficiencies necessary to meet our current challenges.

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22 Integrated Risk Management Plan Action Plan 2015 - 2018

23 Year 1

This year will be focussed on development to ensure planning and resources are based on risk.

• Fundamental review of operational response We will undertake a fundamental review of the operational response we provide. The review will challenge the way we deliver services and ask searching questions about things we take for granted. The outcome will be an integrated approach to operational response in which resource matches risk. We will include in our review the SkillZONE facility, our joint training arrangements, how we co-respond with the South West Ambulance Service Trust and our policy on automatic fire alarms.

• Development of risk based response standards We will develop a new approach to setting attendance standards. The new approach will be driven by actual risk to people in our communities rather than our current approach or one focused on the built environment. It will have in-built flexibility making sure that we can vary our response according to need.

• Development of the Demand Management Service Delivery Model During this year the new Demand Management Service Delivery Model will become embedded. The way in which the Service manages risk in our communities will change. Local risk management plans will be devised and delivered featuring locally focussed proactive prevention & protection initiatives to drive down risk and demand. The fundamental review of operational response will support local risk management.

Whilst we continually review and strive to improve efficiencies across the Service, the in-depth review of operational response and the on-going development of local risk management will be supported by the Gloucestershire County Council Strategic Needs Analysis Team who have a wealth of data at their disposal. Data that not only relates to fire but the community as a whole and many of the social issues that make people vulnerable to fire. This will further develop our focus on Prevention and Protection work. The review will not view the Fire & Rescue Service in isolation but recognise the value of current and new partnerships.

24 Year 2 Year 3

The priority for this year will be the implementation of the outcomes Continue to implement outcomes of comprehensive review. from review and analysis work undertaken in year 1. The implementation of many of the projects in years 1 & 2 will extend into • Implementation of the outcomes of the comprehensive review of this year due to the size and significance of the project. As a consequence operational response by the end of year 3 we anticipate bringing the Service into a position in The outcomes from the comprehensive review are as yet unknown, there which outcomes from these major projects have become embedded within will be further consultation on any changes proposed that significantly our normal business. impact on local communities. This will take place once the fundamental review of operational response has been completed. This will provide an ideal foundation and starting point for the development of the 2019 – 2022 IRMP. • A more risk based response The updated approach to response standards will require a pilot scheme and development work within our mobilisation process. The lessons from the pilot scheme will inform the new approach in its final form.

• Technological solutions Technology can be a very powerful tool, we already utilise it to make all areas of the Service operate more efficiently. Technology also carries risks in terms of not delivering the gains that it promised to. In this year we will look for further opportunity to achieve efficiency using technology, giving the research process enough resource to make a thorough evaluation of cost versus benefit, e.g. Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) to ensure the nearest available appliance attends the incident.

• Greater use of retained and community firefighters to build resilience Our retained staff, are a highly efficient staff group who form a hugely flexible workforce that offer a huge range of skills and expertise. Historically their role has been focussed on providing an emergency response from their ‘home’ fire stations. Recently we have seen examples of retained firefighters, with appropriate training, supporting the Service beyond their usual role. We will explore how we can utilise that flexibility and efficiency further to improve outcomes for our community for example, involving retained firefighters more in prevention work. 25 Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Waterwells Drive Quedgeley Gloucestershire GL2 2AX

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