Fire & Rescue Community Safety Topic Group

Schedule of Recommendations

Resources / Replication / Targeting / Communications & Co-ordination
Co-ordination of HFRS Community Safety Initiatives
There should be improved co-ordination of HCC’s overall community safety initiatives to maximise the use of HCC’s resources. / Corporate internal communications needs to be strengthened. / The successful community safety initiatives within the Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service which make a positive contribution to fire prevention and the building of safer communities could be more effectively co-ordinated with those of HCC’s partner agencies
HFRS’s current structure should be reviewed to consider whether it is best suited to delivering the most effective and co-ordinated community safety program / Joint training should be introduced for HFRS, ACS and CSF on topics, e.g. how to reduce crime showing links with the corporate plan / There should be a greater use of specialist appointments (including secondments) such as teachers, police officers etc to posts within the HFRS Community safety dept / There should be a clear Golden Thread of community safety coming from a Community Strategy through the Corporate Plan into Policy
There should be better branding of HCC’s and HFRS’s community safety initiatives / The Director of Communications and chief Fire Officer should review the various in-house newsletters (such as the Fire services ‘In Focus’)to see if they could be brought together into one regular publication. / HFRS should pilot the use of video clips on HCC’s hertsdirect website
The value of having one telephone number through which Hertfordshire’s residents could report any concerns in respect of community safety issues should be examined.
Sustainability
Consideration should be given to providing a more stable financial basis for HFRS’ community safety initiatives that enables long term planning, whilst allowing the Authority to maximise income from national grants and funding streams such a LAA rewards
Home Fire Safety Checks
Operational staff need to deliver a large increased number of Home Fire Safety Checks and a performance indicator approach be adopted to monitor and encourage this / Home fire safety checks should be more focused on vulnerable people / In addition to blanket media campaigns, consideration should be given to targeting communications towards vulnerable groups (e.g door to door leafleting)
Performance measurement
Schools
The system of allocating insurance costs to schools should be reconsidered with the aim of providing a fire safety driver for schools. / Schools insurance may be improved with targeted fire prevention approach. / Schools should be encouraged to report all fire incidents to HFRS, including those managed “in-house”
There should be a targeted approach to involve and inform school Governors of the need for improved fire safety within their school and school grounds. / HFRS and CSF should re-examine their working arrangements to engage all schoolsin a programme of security surveys and/or fire assessments
The cost benefit analysis of installing sprinkler systems in existing school buildings, extensions and mobile classrooms focusing on the most at-risk schools should be re-examined
Children & Young people
The outcomes for Community Safety need to be re-defined by HCC to help avoid each department doing or being perceived to be doing its own thing. / Consideration should be given to making a similar provision to the St Albans “Danger Den” at appropriate Fire Stations across the county or to the need for a single countywide provision either separate from or incorporated into a “Hazards Alley” type facility. / Cadet scheme very good but Life programme more targeted to meet focused challenge.
There is a need to examine the benefits and costs of a number of different crucial crew operations against those of a single “hazards alley” facility for the whole of Hertfordshire / HFRS’ priority for working with schools should include working with high risk secondary schools as well as easy to reach primary schools.
There is a need for HFRS to improve links with F.E and H.E colleges to reach HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) and young people who are living independent from home life for the first time.
Elderly
Multi-agency referral protocols should be developed with statutory and. voluntary sector services embracing situations such as Hospital discharges / There is a need to improve the communication pathways between HFRS and ACS so that duplication is avoided and target groups are identified and reached – particularly with adults with learning disabilities – but all links need improving
Arrangements should be developed to maximise the potential for sharing information on vulnerable people held on various databases such as IRIS & MIDAS .

2nd draft table of recommendations 1