Agenda item

Guide time: 11.00 – 11.45am

RESOLVED that: the Panel commends the continuing progress and achievements reflected in the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner’s Fire & Rescue Statement for 2021/22.

The Chair welcomed the Chief Fire Officer to the meeting and noted that all concerned would be sorry to see him leave NFRS when he retired later in 2022.

The PFCC presented the Northamptonshire Commissioner Fire & Rescue Authority Fire & Rescue Statement for 2021/22, highlighting the following points:

·         NFRS had continued to carry out a range of significant work during the past year, whilst dealing with the highest level of staff sickness experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

·         He was proud of the further progress that had been made on recruitment, the development of the vehicle fleet and facilities.

·         The past year had been an anomalous one due to the effect of the pandemic. The overall progress made by NFRS should be reflected in the report from its second inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which was due to be published in the next week.

·         He thanked the Chief Fire Officer for his previous support and leadership of NFRS ahead of his retirement in October 2022.

The Panel considered the Fire & Rescue Statement and asked questions relating to the PFCC’s confidence in the level of assurance it set out, with particular reference to operational assurance.

A Panel member sought reassurance that home safety visits (HSVs) were targeted effectively. The Chief Fire Officer provided information to the Panel as follows:

·         The NFRS prevention strategy used a prioritised approach. HSVs were focussed on the most vulnerable people and the NFRS Prevention Team provided specialist support, including in response to referrals from partner agencies.

·         Firefighters based at fire stations carried out activity focussed on a lower level of risk. NFRS also provided advice and information to enable members of the public to help themselves.

A Panel member noted that average response times had increased in 2021/22 compared to 2020/21 and questioned the reasons for this. The Chief Fire Officer provided information to the Panel as follows:

·         The position on response times reflected the end of lockdown but also challenges relating to availability at retained fire stations.

·         Response times were better than they had been prior to the creation of the Northamptonshire Commissioner Fire & Rescue Authority.

·         The current average full response time also reflected that the average response time for fires in Northamptonshire was 9:58 seconds, but response times were higher for road traffic collisions and in rural areas. 

A Panel member questioned whether the community outcome measure for staff sickness absence included mental health conditions as well as physical health. The Chief Fire Officer provided information to the Panel as follows:

·         The community outcome measure covered all conditions. The end of year position for this measure for 2021/22 was worse than for 2020/21 due to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

·         The Chief Fire Officer considered that NFRS had some of the best wellbeing support provision for firefighters that he had seen in his professional experience and it took the wellbeing of all staff very seriously.

A Panel member raised the need for the Panel to consider the outcomes of the latest HMICFRS inspection of NFRS. The PFCC agreed that it was open to the Panel to question him on this matter, although HMICFRS would determine when the inspection report was published.

A Panel member sought confirmation of when the new Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) for Northamptonshire would be finalised and whether it had been informed by public consultation. The Chief Fire Officer provided information to the Panel as follows:

·         The new full CRMP would be published in the immediate future and had been informed by consultation both with the public and with NFRS staff.

·         The CRMP linked to the Vision 25 document that the Chief Fire Officer had published to set out his views on the priorities for NFRS and the challenges it would face up to 2025. The Vision 25 document represented the Chief Fire Officer’s professional views and so had not been subject to public consultation. 

A Panel member noted that members of the public might not be aware of the range of support that NFRS provided to the other emergency services and questioned to what extent NFRS was remunerated for this part of its role. The Chief Fire Officer provided information to the Panel as follows:

·         NFRS received regular requests from the other emergency services to gain entry to properties, as well as for more specialist responses such as support in cases involving bariatric patients.

·         Medical co-responding was carried out by retained firefighters on a voluntary basis.

·         Additional work was not done at the expense of NFRS’s core functions.

·         The future role and working arrangements of firefighters were under discussion at national level.

·         The Fire & Rescue Services Act 2004 specified the core functions of Fire & Rescue authorities and those for which they could charge. However, the 2004 Act defined core functions in relatively narrow terms. There was a view within the sector that Fire & Rescue authorities should be given a statutory role in responding to flooding and carrying out inland water rescue, with the appropriate accompanying resources.

The PFCC noted that the recent Fire & Rescue White Paper included proposals relating to the future functions of Fire & Rescue services and firefighters.

A Panel member asked the Chief Fire Officer to give a view at the end of his tenure about how community safety in Northamptonshire had improved. The Chief Fire Officer made the following points:

·         In the period 2016-2019 NFRS had a shrinking budget, fewer officers and aging equipment.

·         Since the creation of the Commissioner Fire & Rescue Authority a three-year financial stabilisation plan had been implemented and a capital programme had been developed that was delivering new appliances, which improved the safety of both Northamptonshire residents and NFRS personnel.

·         Staff numbers were increasing again and a new headquarters for NFRS had been secured.

·         The fact that NFRS had been able to improve performance whilst going through an organisational change was a testament to the work of all those involved.

·         The timing of his retirement reflected that NFRS was at the end of a phase in its continuing journey of improvement.

The PFCC endorsed the comments made and highlighted that the Chief Fire Officer was already being asked to provide advice on good practice in other areas following his retirement from NFRS.

A Panel member sought further information about whether pressures on NFRS staffing in the past year had affected the Northamptonshire Emergency Services Cadets scheme. The Chief Fire Officer advised that the scheme had moved over to on-line activity during the pandemic and had been able to do good work in supporting young people at a difficult time.

A Panel member asked the Chief Fire Officer to give a view about whether NFRS had enough effective fire appliances to meet likely future needs in the county. The Chief Fire Officer made the following points:

·         NFRS had sufficient appliances but may need to consider whether it had the right mix to meet future demands.

·         The range of incidents that Fire & Rescue services were now attending was getting broader, with the addition, for example, of incidents connected with flooding or extreme weather conditions.

·         The functions carried out  by full-time and retained firefighters in future were being considered at national level.

·         NFRS’s future planning should involve looking at how to meet changing risks not just whether it had the right number of appliances.

·         Ultra-high pressure capability was becoming increasingly available across Northamptonshire. The PFCC had provided resources to enable the specification for new appliances now being ordered for NFRS to include this capability.

The PFCC highlighted that enhancing the availability of ultra-high pressure capability was another example of action that would improve the safety of both members of the public and firefighters in Northamptonshire.

Panel members made the following additional points during the course of discussion:

·         The Fire & Rescue service wellbeing support dog introduced by NFRS was an example of the attention given to staff members’ wellbeing.

·         The Chief Fire Officer was thanked for his service and dedication to Northamptonshire.

·         NFRS had come back strongly from the previous difficult period in its history.

·         NFRS made a commendable contribution to partnership working in Northamptonshire.   

The Panel considered potential conclusions on the Fire & Rescue Statement for inclusion in its report to the PFCC.

RESOLVED that: the Panel commends the continuing progress and achievements reflected in the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner’s Fire & Rescue Statement for 2021/22.