Information Classification: PUBLIC
Key Theme Community Risk, Response Title Camborne, Pool, Redruth & Hayle Review Function/Team Service Delivery, Business Support Date June 2014 Service Priority Prevent, Protect, Respond, People, Perform
Issue/Background this programme we are able to safeguard frontline fire-fighting jobs across the whole of Our Camborne, Pool, Redruth and Hayle Cornwall. (CPRH) Emergency Cover programme is an exciting transformation programme that will Action Taken ensure that Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is well-placed to respond to the changing The CPRH programme was identified within needs within the local area while also the service’s 2010-13 Integrated Risk delivering a more resilient fire and rescue Management Plan (IRMP). Detailed risk infrastructure for the benefit of the whole analysis identified that by moving our county. This programme improves links Community Fire Stations from their existing between service delivery and support locations, in Camborne and Redruth, to two functions, and creates new opportunities for new sites in Tolvaddon, Pool and Hayle, we innovative partnership working, improves our would be able to reach an additional 13,900 emergency response in this area and delivers people within the critical 10-minute service efficiency savings in excess of £600k emergency time. This data analysis was per annum. validated by blue light runs in different conditions and at different times of day. The CPRH programme will relocate Camborne As there is currently no Community Fire and Redruth Community Fire Stations, and Station in Hayle, cover for this area is provided critical support services including Fire Control, by Camborne Fire Station. Training and Development, Engineering Workshops and Stores and Service This means that whenever the full-time crew Headquarters to two new sites in Pool and at Camborne is called out to an emergency, Hayle. Additionally, through the delivery of alternative crews or appliances are brought into cover the station in case there is an Information Classification: PUBLIC
incident in the Hayle area in a “cover move” environmental and welfare assessments have arrangement. As Camborne Community Fire highlighted the physical vulnerability of the Station is one of the busiest stations in existing facility. Cornwall, this is a regular occurrence. By moving the stations in the area, this will As part of the initiation of the programme, an improve our response to the Hayle area as equality impact assessment (EIA) was well as making more efficient use of our undertaken to ensure that issues were resources. identified and mitigating actions could be implemented to address these. One of the key It was identified further efficiencies would be findings of the EIA was the need to ensure that generated by the co-location of our critical a robust approach was taken to engage and support services in a new Service support staff and local communities with the Headquarters function. These services are programme, as this is the biggest change the currently located across a number of disparate service has undertaken in the last 30 years. sites throughout Cornwall and by bringing Moving long established community fire them together we have identified that we can stations is always an emotive subject, and improve service activity and deliver savings therefore it is critical that our communities are through more joined up and efficient ways of brought on this journey with us to make this working. This includes supporting the wider programme a success. We are also equally Cornwall Council property rationalisation plan committed to our community of staff being by relocating staff and fire control from Old actively engaged with, and involved in, County Hall. It also has enabled us to secure changes proposed to the way in which we the future of our risk critical Training and deliver our services. This is not just through Development function, removing uncertainty limited engagement or consultation activity surrounding the longer-term future of the and seeking views or comments when it seems existing Ministry of Defence site at RAF fit, but by actively involving them in the Portreath. commissioning, design, production and delivery of the programme through a range of We also provide a new Engineering, Workshop activities. To achieve this, dedicated and Stores facilities to replace the existing workstreams were initiated focusing on aging facilities at Camborne which we have People and Communications and Engagement. outgrown. The People workstream was focused on the Our new Service Headquarters facility also human resource implications of the move, enables us to provide fit for purpose along with a range of wider activities to accommodation for our Fire Control function. support the change process and new ways of Our existing control room and command working for all staff required to make the centre is not purpose built and is unable to programme a success. This workstream meet modern operational requirements in the ensured that 1:1s have been undertaken with longer term; a number of security,
Telephone: 0300 1234 232 www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire
Information Classification: PUBLIC
all staff affected by the move to identify any • Meetings and presentations to key potential impacts and enable mitigating stakeholders including local MPs, actions to be put in place. Cornwall Councillors, Community Network Panels, Parish and Town This has included the development of specific Councils and representative bodies. transition guidance for our On Call staff, to • Survey Monkey online questionnaire, support them in relocating to the new stations developed in conjunction with and not adversely impact them in terms of Corporate Communications and the their individual performance. Community Intelligence team, which This workstream is also prioritising change was accessible by staff, local management training for staff to assist them communities and key stakeholders. in supporting their teams through the change • Hard copy questionnaire sent to over process. 1000 potential respondents. • Staff briefing sessions and 1:1s. Closely linked to the People workstream, is the • Half day public consultation events. Communications and Engagement workstream • Consultation email address set up for which has responsibility for effectively people to make comments or ask managing all communication and engagement additional questions. activity related to the CPRH programme, to • 1:1 email correspondence between ensure that all stakeholder groups were aware members and Principal Officers. of and understand, appreciate and support the • Freedom of information requests. aims of the CPRH programme and make use of the feedback mechanisms offered. The consultation also engaged with hard to This commenced with a 12-week period of reach groups, including Age UK, Disability public consultation on the principles of the Cornwall and the Voluntary Sector Forum. programme (i.e. the relocation of the existing Feedback from these individuals was Camborne and Redruth Community Fire collected through the Survey Monkey Stations and service support functions to two online questionnaire. new sites), undertaken in early 2012, in line with the statutory requirements of the Overall there was overwhelming support service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan. for the proposals, with at least 80% of This information was used to inform the final respondents strongly agreeing with all the business case presented to and approved by issues raised and 96% of respondents Cornwall Council’s Cabinet in July 2012. strongly agreeing that “Crews are able to respond to fires and reach the maximum In total, 31 consultation events and a range of number of people within a 10-minute other activities were undertaken over the 12- response time”. week period, including:
Information Classification: PUBLIC
Following the approval of the business in accordance with their needs. case, we have undertaken further Additionally, it was recognised that the engagement on an ongoing basis with local local community in Tolvaddon use the site communities, elected members, staff and to access local walks and recreational representative bodies to develop the final facilities, and so we have ensured that a plans for the scheme. footpath across the site is a feature of our plans. Our Programme Director, Paul Walker, Deputy Chief Fire Officer has had an open- We also engaged with Disability Cornwall, door policy to our elected members and who reviewed the plans for the new provided regular updates to ensure that facilities and carried out an assessment of they were appraised of progress with the them to ensure that they are fit for scheme. We also appointed an elected purpose and will promote accessibility for member representative on our dedicated our staff and the members of our CPRH Programme Board, who ensured that communities who will be using these new community needs were represented at this facilities. meeting. Additionally, we held face to face engagement sessions to provide regular All CFRS staff have received regular updates as our plans evolved. We attended updates on key milestones through our community forums, for example weekly Burning Issues bulletin, as well as Community Network meetings and Town dedicated articles in our newsletter and Parish Council meetings and held Beyond Cover. We have also hosted Community Engagement drop in sessions meetings with all staff groups affected by with residents local to our Hayle and the programme to provide them with the Tolvaddon sites. The CPRH programme is opportunity to shape and influence the also a standing agenda item at meetings designs for our new facilities. All of the with representative bodies. This approach comments and suggestions made at these has enabled us to have open and honest sessions were recorded and put forward to discussions about the draft designs being our Project Design team for further presented, identify any potential consideration and inclusion, where challenges and issues with the design from practical and affordable, as well as where a community/user view point and to suggestions could not be included and the provide the opportunity to make reasons for this. suggestions on any changes or ways in which the designs could be improved. For Outcomes for Communities & Staff example, we worked closely with Hayle Town Council, to ensure that the The programme delivers three main strategic amendments to the car park site required benefits: to accommodate the new Fire Station are • Service improvement
Telephone: 0300 1234 232 www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire
Information Classification: PUBLIC
• Revenue efficiency savings inevitable smaller capital projects to • Future proof modern shared facilities maximise the benefits and efficiencies Firstly and most importantly it achievable from shared facilities and joined significantly improves the fire, rescue up working. and community safety service that we deliver to the people of Cornwall. Finally, the programme will provide the Within the Camborne, Pool, Redruth service with modern facilities in the right and Hayle area, our analysis has location to replace existing community fire demonstrated we can reach an stations that are over 50 years old. In order additional 13,900 people within the for us to achieve these benefits, it was ten-minute emergency response essential that our communities and staff standard. came on this journey with us. As a service we are committed to Community Additionally, through the delivery of this Engagement, Equality and Diversity (CEED) programme we are able to safeguard and this has underpinned our approach to frontline firefighting jobs across the whole our engagement activity, with a clear focus of Cornwall. that our facilities need to be right for the staff who will use them and the Secondly, we are in the unique position of communities they will be serving. Through using capital expenditure to deliver effective two-way engagement we have £600,000 year on year revenue efficiencies been able to demonstrate time and time whilst improving the service we deliver to again our commitment to “You said, we the people of Cornwall. This will be listened, we did” by incorporating ideas achieved through the relocation of the suggested by our communities and staff existing community fire stations in within our plans as they have evolved. Camborne and Redruth to new locations in Pool and Hayle, with new operating Our emphasis on targeted and face to face arrangements in place that will reduce engagement has proved an effective latent crewing costs. The Hayle station will approach. We deployed our crew from be the first tri-service shared facility in Camborne Community Fire Station to do a Cornwall, with facilities for Cornwall Fire targeted letter drop to local residents in and Rescue Service, South West both the Hayle and Tolvaddon areas, Ambulance Service and Devon and inviting them to meet with us to discuss Cornwall Police. the plans. We ensured these sessions were The co-location of our support services at a held within walking distance of our sites, so new Service Headquarters facility (to be they were really focused on those located on the same site as the new communities most affected by the plans. Camborne, Pool and Redruth Community Whilst the majority of those who met with Fire Station) will rationalise a number of us were overwhelmingly in support of our Information Classification: PUBLIC
plans, this also provided an opportunity to address any concerns directly. Contact
By utilising existing community forums we If you require any further details about the have strengthened our working points raised in this case study, please contact: relationships and profile in our communities, as well as garnering local Name: Service Business Team support for our plans. For example, we now have a regular article in the local Email: [email protected] Parish Council newsletter to provide our communities with an update on how the scheme is progressing. It also enabled us to identify advocates for our plans in the local communities, for example the owner of the local shop at Tolvaddon and Chairman of Hayle Day Care Centre, which neighbours our Hayle Community Fire Station. We will continue this work to the completion of the programme, ensuring we have a process in place that allows for continual discussion, feedback, input and support.
Lessons learned from this programme are already being used to inform our approach to staff and community engagement on future programmes/projects.
Telephone: 0300 1234 232 www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire