HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CABINET

MONDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2004 AT 2.00 P.M.

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE – INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2005/06

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Author: Deputy Chief Fire Officer Roy WilsherTel: 01992 507502

Executive Member:- Iris Tarry

  1. Purpose of report

To propose the second Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for Hertfordshire for consultation.

  1. Summary

The agenda for reform and modernisation in the Fire and Rescue Service is now well defined. A significant factor included in this modernisation is the Integrated Risk Management Plan.

The first IRMP was agreed by Cabinet in March 2004 and progress has been made on each of the thirteen action plans. This progress is detailed in the IRMP for 2005/06. This second IRMP builds on the work of the action plans and provides further opportunities for improving the work of the fire and rescue service in Hertfordshire.

This report also considers the consultation plan for the second IRMP. Consultation on the first plan was considered by a Topic Group of the Community Services Scrutiny Committee with a view to increasing the number of responses to this next round of consultation. The Topic Group has recommended that a measured approach to consultation on the IRMP be adopted with more focused consultation on specific proposals. The Topic Group's recommendations are being considered by the Scrutiny Committee on 2 November.

3.Conclusion

Cabinet is asked to consider approving the draft Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2005/06 so that officers can release the plan for consultation as described within the report.

4. Background

Following the first IRMP it was recognised that there were areas that required improvement such as the extent of the risk data analysis, the planning and resourcing of action plans and the consultation methodology. The time to produce IRMP2 was short following guidance from ODPM that it should be ready by the end of the summer 2004. Despite this it was clear that we had to address the improvement issues in order to develop an IRMP that met the requirements of the relevant guidance notes and the needs of the communities in Hertfordshire.

In developing this plan it was also recognised that the Fire Services Emergency Cover (FSEC) computer toolkit would not be available to model any possible changes to resource allocation until the third IRMP for 2005/06. Although IRMP2 has again been run on a project basis the data analysis and produced action plans will help move the Service forward in a measured way. The appropriate guidance issues are listed below and IRMP2 appears to meet the criteria. The challenge now is for IRMP to become fully owned by the Service and forms part of the regular planning and budget cycles.

The plan content has been developed to meet the following expectations set out in the National Framework document:

  1. An IRMP must set out an authority’s assessment of local risk to life and how it is going to deploy its resources to tackle these risks and improve the safety of all sections of society.
  1. The IRMP should identify the ways in which the authority can work in partnership with neighbouring authorities and other agencies to deliver improved public safety. It must also set out the targets an authority will set itself and the standards it will apply to meet the specific pattern of local risk.
  1. The IRMP itself should be a strategic, forward-looking document with the approach and detail of business and change management plans. Annual action plans, which may be produced separately or integrated with the main plan, will set out what the authority plans to do in the year ahead.
  1. Working with partners where appropriate, Fire and Rescue Authorities should develop a planned programme of community fire safety work, including evaluation, which responds to the needs and risks identified in their communities by the IRMP, and targets resources on vulnerable communities.
  1. Fire and Rescue Authorities should use the opportunity afforded by their membership of the Community Safety Partnerships to develop, with other agencies, local solutions to local problems (e.g.: deliberate firesetting, hoax calls and other forms of anti-social behaviour).
  1. An authority’s strategy for enforcement of fire safety legislation must form part of its overall strategy for the protection of its community, as detailed in its IRMP. Fire and Rescue Authorities should in drawing up their enforcement programmes prioritise inspection of places that, in the case of fire, pose a significant risk to life.
  1. Through Regional Management Boards, work with other emergency services, authorities and agencies in the development of response management and recovery plans, and the review of all existing operational plans and policies in accordance with the Civil Contingencies Bill.

Consultation

Consultation for the first IRMP resulted in a measured approach that received just 13 responses. The Service was able to respond to each of these on an individual basis. Both the Audit Commission and CS Scrutiny identified this as an area of possible improvement. Consequently a paper was prepared for the Members IRMP topic group on consultation. This detailed the process of consultation for the first IRMP and gave background on how this could be improved and the possible costs. The report highlighted three specific issues:

  1. The Hertfordshire Citizens Panel was unavailable to the Service for consultation as they would be concentrating on next year’s budget process.
  1. Focus groups could be employed but for the minimum recommendation of four focus groups there would be a cost of at least £8500.
  1. More specific consultation such as the letter drop for the new Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) policy had resulted in a far greater response.

Members stated that they did not support the cost of the focus groups but suggested that District Managers could be used to present the plan to Area forum.

It is therefore proposed that consultation for IRMP2 consists of:

Consultee / Method
Members / Executive Member briefing, Panel, Cabinet, Scrutiny Committee Members
Fire Services / Eastern Region, London and Buckinghamshire – copies.
Other Agencies / To include:
  • Other relevant County Council departments (Highways, Road Safety, Environment, Herts Observatory),
  • Local Strategic Partnerships,
  • Crime and Disorder Partnerships,
  • Beds and Herts Ambulance and Paramedic Service,
  • Hertfordshire Police,
  • ROSPA,
  • Environment Agency,
  • Network Rail,
  • The National Trust/English Heritage

ODPM / Support Team
Representative Bodies / Copies to trade unions on circulation to Members for Cabinet.
Public /
  • Copies in Libraries
  • Herts Direct paper.
  • County Website
  • District Mangers present to Area Forum

Media / Press releases
Business / Chamber of Commerce and 6-10 larger employers
F&R Staff /
  • Four road shows
  • Copy to each station
  • Copy to each head of department
  • Herts Connect

To assist with consultation response this time we will provide a response form within the IRMP and electronically. We will also provide a FreePost address for responses. More detailed consultation will take place over any specific issues similar to the Automatic Fire Alarm policy.

The Automatic Fire Alarm policy was included in an action plan from the first IRMP. The policy was developed in detail through the IRMP project to detail Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s response to false alarms from AFAs. In order to ensure extensive consultation on these proposals the Service wrote to every premises that had a false alarm in the last three years. This resulted in over 100 responses and showed that focused consultation on specific issues can be a much more efficient way of consulting stakeholders.

5.Financial Implications

The IRMP for 2005/06 details the costs associated with carrying out each of the action plans highlighted for next year. Following approval by Cabinet and the consultation exercise, detailed plans will be included for Cabinet approval in March 2005. It is anticipated that the work within the action plan will result in better productivity and value for money for Hertfordshire.

041108 fire and rescue service - draft intergrated risk management plan.doc

1