Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme - ESMCP€¦ · Purpose To update the Community...

Purpose To update the Community Safety Committee on the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) that will replace the FireLink contract.

Recommendations That Members note the implications of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme.

Summary This report highlights the key points and implications of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme. The role of ESMCP is to source a viable alternative as a replacement to the Airwave network. There are significant risks to the delivery of operational services in moving Emergency Services mobile communications onto a new technology. As yet no decisions have been made on the solution, procurement method or any interim solution but the project timelines are being built around the rollout of 4G/LTE networks by commercial providers.

NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme - ESMCP Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 5 Submitted By: Director of Strategic Development

Local Government (Access to information) Act 1972

Exemption Category: None

Contact Officer: GM Richard Hagger, GM Command & Control Project T: 0113 3875747 E: [email protected]

Background papers open to inspection: None

Annexes: None

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1 Introduction 1.1 The Firelink project was set up to replace ageing radio technology used by Fire and Rescue

Services in England, Scotland and Wales. It has improved communications between a response team and the Control Room during and after an incident and also to support communications with other emergency services.

1.2 The current emergency services radio scheme is provided by Airwave and is a private network run over a dedicated radio spectrum. Although it offers high availability for voice it is expensive and does not offer a suitable data solution. This has led to users procuring a separate solution to meet their data needs.

1.3 The Firelink contract between Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Airwave was signed in 2006 and was for a period of 10 years. This contract is due for renewal at the end of 2016. The last Airwave / Police contracts end in 2020. The intention is to replace Airwave with an Emergency Services Network (ESN) which will offer both voice and data services in a more cost effective way.

2 Information

2.1 The Emergency Services Mobile Communication Programme (ESMCP), hosted by the U.K. Home Office, will replace the communication service delivered by Airwave Solutions Ltd (ASL) with a new national mobile communication service for all three emergency services and other organisations that use the Airwave TETRA service. The TETRA system offers narrow-band data and mission-critical voice services.

2.2 The new service will be called the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN will deliver the future mobile communications required by the three emergency services by taking advantage of the latest mobile technologies (fourth generation (4G) and long Term Evolution (LTE)) to deliver the functionality, coverage, security and availability required for critical voice and broadband data services needed by the U.K.’s emergency services.

2.3 The ESMCP programme is organised into four teams:-

Requirements - The requirements team has completed the development of the high-level user requirements (HLUR) in conjunction with the emergency services who provided input, assurance, and approval. The HLUR’s are now being used to inform development of the high-level business requirements, which are being developed for the market.

Commercial - The commercial team is developing the commercial case for the Outline Business Case. Their focus is to explore the range of available commercial arrangements and approaches to procure the next generation of communication service(s). The team will also support the transition team by developing an understanding of requirements to manage transition and allow migration to the new solution.

Solutions Development - The solutions team function is to analyse the technical, architectural and spectrum options for the programme. They will also contribute to the international telecommunication standard work, security and a network migration strategy. The team will also be carrying out technical and operational demonstrations to build user confidence in the capabilities available and an approach to testing during mobilisation.

Business Change and transition - The transition team are responsible for identifying options for transitioning users to the new solution(s). The team is working with the three emergency services, and interested parties, to ensure that any proposed transition options result in minimal loss of operation capability.

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2.4 The ESMCP strategic outline business case was approved in October 2012 and the programme is developing an outline business case for approval by the first quarter of 2014 to facilitate an invitation to tender in the second quarter of 2014. ESMCP is planning to appoint a delivery partner in 2015 and hopes to start transition to the new service late 2016.

2.5 The Home Office is obligated to re-compete the current first responder communication services once the Airwave contracts expire, the first in 2016 and the last in 2020. It is envisaged that ESN will be fully in place by 2020 when the final Airwave contract expires. The annual cost of providing the Airwave service is approximately £350 million, plus an additional £80 – £100 million spent by users on providing non-Airwave communication services (data). The main network operators (MNO’s) have indicated their intention to have a national 4G network deployed by 2015, with EE already having rolled out a substantial 4G network with O2 (Telefónica UK Limited) and Vodafone announcing their intention to do so.

2.6 The ESMCP project team are talking to suppliers to ensure that, whatever solution is chosen, it will integrate with existing Command & Control (C&C) systems. West Yorkshire FRS need to ensure that Systel, our new control system supplier are involved with this. The rollout of the ESN must include connection to C&C systems and not simply terminate at the edge of our premises.

2.7 The ESN cutover time line is based on contract end dates and the 4G network rollout. Organisations have been placed into a total of twelve groups. West Yorkshire are in with Yorkshire and Humber although North Yorkshire is grouped with their remote buddy Cornwall. Should we become a remote buddy to another FRS, depending on who the buddy is, there may be a significant time difference between our cut-over and theirs. The indicated dates show that Yorkshire and the Humber would be migrating in either October 2018 or February 2019. A best fit is currently being drafted.

2.8 ESMCP is working with the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) to ensure that future solutions enable interoperability. Lessons learned from high-profile incidents have continuously reinforced the need for effective interoperability and it is also recognised that the achievement of this is only partly about communications technology.

3 ESMCP Implications

3.1 The current Airwave tetra-based radio solution is a very reliable and effective means of communication for the emergency services and other agencies, albeit, it is expensive and is only really suitable for voice communications and limited data transmission. The technology and standards required to deliver a fully functional replacement for Airwave, that can meet current and future data transmission requirements, does not yet exist. Ideally, the introduction of ESMCP should run alongside Airwave until it has been demonstrated that the replacement is fit for purpose. It is not clear if Government are willing to give a commitment to continue supporting Airwave beyond current contractual obligations. Should DCLG not extend the Airwave contracts, it may be left to individual FRS’s to negotiate separate contracts with Airwave or source alternative solutions.

3.2 There will be a code of connection for ESN. The code of connection ensures our network has the necessary security features. This should fall in line with other codes of connection we already comply with i.e. Airwave, to make it less onerous, so once we have achieved Public Services Network (PSN) compliance by the end of November, this should automatically give us ESN compliance. This, however, has not been made clear by the ESMCP team.

3.3 Indications are that the ESMCP project team is trying to use lessons learnt from past projects such as FireLink and FiReControl and the communication so far would suggest that we will get a practical and suitable solution. However, the procurement and commencement of rollout by 2016 is a major challenge.

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3.4 The capacity of a commercial network, particularly if an incident occurred during a large event, is a concern and part of the ESMCP requirement is to be able to segregate and prioritise the network to reduce congestion issues for the emergency services. This represents a major challenge for the industry and question marks still exist over the technological solution for this and the commercial viability. Although there is currently a facility in place to prioritise emergency service mobile devices on commercial networks, it does not provide the necessary resilience and exclusivity necessary to carry a dedicated emergency services function.

3.5 If the new Long Term Evolution (LTE) network with public-safety requirements is not ready by the 2020 deadline, ESMCP will have options. Options being considered include a private TETRA network for critical voice service with 4G for broadband or a private LTE network. These options could be hosted on a commercial infrastructure.

3.6 The Airwave service under the Firelink contract for the FRS’s is a managed service but potentially ESN will not be. Fire & Rescue Services need to ensure they have the resources to be able to manage the service themselves. There may be scope for ESN to be managed as a national service, either by CFOA or by the formation of a dedicated central team.

3.7 The Airwave network currently has 97.8% geographical coverage of mainland UK. Mobile networks currently provide 95% coverage of the population which means large rural areas do not have any coverage. This has implications for Emergency Services that cover scarcely populated areas. It may not be commercially viable for network coverage in remote areas and alternative technology may need to be developed. It is not yet clear who will bear the additional cost of this in areas where demand will be very low. The current Airwave network is a national contract and in effect, the cost of remote coverage is subsumed (and therefore subsidised) by the more urban populated areas. If the concept of “user pays” is adopted the final solution may be unaffordable in some areas.

3.8 Consideration must be given to the possibility of installing ESN equipment prior to cutover which would mean placing new equipment next to existing in appliances, server rooms, etc. This could prove to be a challenge as it is not yet known what this equipment will be.

3.9 In order to be in a position to identify and attempt to mitigate these potential issues, the ESMCP is being closely monitored as part of the New Control Project with the Project Manager sitting on the ESMCP Technical Advisory Panel. This monitoring role will need to be passed to another officer once the New Control project is closed. The issue is also included on the project risk register with the risk scoring reflecting the impact to the project. The region’s Principal Officers and Control Project leads are also engaging with the ESMCP team through arranged meetings to pose any concerns directly to the team.

4 Financial Implications

4.1 As yet unknown but clarification needs to be sought from DCLG on who will stand any transition costs resulting from purchasing and installing additional equipment alongside our existing equipment and any building works required to make this happen.

4.2 In addition to the transition costs there is currently no indication of any potential funding models for Fire & Rescue Services to consider. This needs to be a factor in any decisions made on future provision of the ESN.

4.3 The West Yorkshire/South Yorkshire FRS Control Collaboration project has, by necessity, procured Airwave equipment and services as an integral part of its new command and control system. It is essential that DCLG acknowledge this significant investment and ensure a suitable return by delivering ESMCP over the longer term, thereby also reducing risk.

4.4 ESMCP has been recognised as a contingent liability in the Statement of Accounts with an estimated cost between £0.5m and £1m.

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5 Equality and Diversity Implications 5.1 None identified at this stage.

6 Health and Safety Implications

6.1 The provision of reliable and effective communications is an essential element of any emergency service and Airwave is fully embedded as part of single and multi-agency operations. There are significant health and safety implications if the replacement for Airwave is delivered in such a way as to compromise the current provision.

7 Service Plan Links 7.1 The ESMCP will have significant financial and operational implications for WYFRA and its Fire and

rescue service, impacting on all its key objectives; future Service Plans will therefore need to take this into account.

8 Conclusions

8.1 TETRA technology will need to be replaced within the next 10 to 15 years. The role of ESMCP is to source a viable alternative as a replacement to the Airwave network. There are significant risks to the delivery of operational services in moving Emergency Services mobile communications onto a new technology. The replacement ESN service will become increasingly relevant to future ICT planning and associated procurement.

8.2 A new service provider is expected to be appointed in 2015 and whilst 2016 is their target for new service commencement, this may need to be adjusted for programme realism. The anticipated availability dates are at best ambitious as the functionality demonstrators recently distributed by ESMCP highlighted that significant elements of the functionality cannot be demonstrated or can only be demonstrated in a test environment. This is a long way from having the functionality rolled out in a commercial environment across a network.

8.3 The concern is that, on purely economic grounds, the Government may drive this programme with such urgency that we may well end up with many elements of functionality missing and the blue light services finding compromises on their own, thereby resulting in incompatibilities. Therefore the ESMCP dates need to be realistic to allow time to enhance a commercial network, prepare FRS’s for transition to ESN and to make transition possible. The development of an appropriate model for managing any future service will also be critical to its success - delivery of a solution that simply results in lower cost for Government without fully considering the effectiveness and on-going efficiency for individual services could have significant implications for public and fire-fighter safety.

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Purpose To update the Community Safety Committee on progress with the implementation of the current New Control Programme.

Recommendations That Members note the progress of the New Control Programme.

Summary This report contains information on the current position of the New Control Programme (NCP). All three Projects within the Programme are currently progressing on time and within approved budgets. Programme Governance is carried out in accordance with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) Project Framework and progress of objectives against the programme timeline are closely monitored. Financial monitoring is in place to ensure that all costs are approved and appropriate, and records are independently audited to provide assurance to the New Control Programme Board and the Fire and Rescue Authority.


New Control Programme Update Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 6 Submitted By: Director of Strategic Development



Contact Officer: GM Richard Hagger – Operations Special Projects T: 0113 3875747 E: [email protected]


Annexes: None

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1 Introduction 1.1 The Community Safety Committee are provided with an update on progress of the WYFRS New

Control Programme (NCP) periodically. The Programme was established following the cancellation of the national FiReControl Project and subsequent award of a £3.6 million Government grant to deliver a replacement fire control and mobilising system to both West and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services. The WYFRS Programme consists of three specific and interrelated projects:

• Control Collaboration Project (CCP) – Procurement and installation of a new Command and Control system in collaboration with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR);

• NCP Premises Project – Alterations to the Service Delivery Centre, Bramley to accommodate a new WYFRS Control Suite;

• NCP Ways of Working & Duty Systems Project – Review and implementation of working practices in WYFRS to support the newly introduced ICT systems and a revised duty system.

2 Information Control Collaboration Project (CCP) Update

2.1 The relationship between WYFRS and SYFR continues to be positive and development work on the procured system between the project teams and systems provider SYSTEL (Systemes et Telecommunications SA) is producing good results.

2.2 The first staged payment to SYSTEL was dependent on completion of the required technical specification document. This was partially completed by the end of August and, with Board level approval, a proportionate payment was made to SYSTEL aligned with the percentage of development complete. The remainder of the development specification document was completed in early October allowing the balance of the first staged payment to be paid.

2.3 The Authority have approved up to seven visits by Project staff to SYSTEL’s Headquarters in La Rochelle, France, as part of the project development work and to date, five visits have been undertaken. The visits usually consist of three or four members of the Project team depending on the objectives of the visit, with similar numbers attending from SYFR. Visits have been very productive and instrumental with system development and in maintaining progress against the agreed contractual timeline for the project.

2.4 The most recent visit to La Rochelle, in late September, was for the purpose of witnessing the SYSTEL Factory Acceptance Tests (F.A.T) which is a scheduled phase of systems development. Both WYFRS and SYFR project team members attended to assure the Project Board of the systems technical functionality. The expected functionality was witnessed and all present were confident in the results of the tests.

2.5 There are various levels of resilience built in to the SYSTEL system and, along with new ways of working between WYFRS and SYFR, the question was raised as to whether a remote FRS offering additional call handling support would be required going forward. A recent paper was presented to CCP Board with a recommendation that the likelihood would be so remote of requiring a third party to assist with call handling after “go live” of the new SYSTEL system that it would not be necessary. Project Board approved this recommendation.

2.6 The next phase on the CCP timeline is the installation of equipment in the Control Rooms and fire stations. There will then be Site Acceptance Testing (S.A.T.) to ensure that system connections are operational on WYFRS and SYFR sites. Simultaneously to this, system training will commence for nominated staff in order to ensure that, once installed, the system can be tested by users during User Acceptance Testing (U.A.T.). The project is on schedule for delivery with WYFRS and SYFR going live on the new system in Spring/Summer 2014.

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NCP Premises Project Update

2.7 Alteration works to create the new Control Suite and other office accommodation at the Service Delivery Centre, Bramley were completed in July 2013.

2.8 The build work phase of the project presented no substantial issues and was delivered 5 weeks ahead of schedule. Snagging has been undertaken to correct minor issues however overall quality has been good and the project will be delivered within budget.

2.9 A project review process has now commenced to provide audit and assessment of the project’s success and lessons learned to be carried forward for other WYFRS projects. Findings will be presented to November’s Change Management Programme Board meeting along with a Project Closure request.

2.10 The NCP team are now working from the building to oversee installation and testing of systems, furniture, fixtures and fittings. All Fire Safety and Operations departments have now migrated to the building and the Control function is scheduled to be fully operational from the building by July 2014. An official opening of the New Control Suite is scheduled to take place in spring to align with the first phase cut over to the new system

NCP Ways of Working & Duty Systems Project (WoW/DS) Update

2.11 Collective agreement was reached with representative bodies regarding a new duty system for the Control function and changes to the Duty system and establishment reductions were approved by the Authority’s Human Resources Committee on 12 April 2013. The new duty system will be implemented from the beginning of January 2014.

2.12 Control staff have now been informed of their attachment to the new Watches and the flexi team. Planning is also underway on allocating staff to rostered leave groups.

2.13 A Joint Ways of Working Group (JWoW) has been set up with SYFR Control staff to work on the shared elements of training, policy, procedure and ways of working. This work is also informing the system development in areas such as common usage of incident types, appliance types and call signs. The collaboration has also taken the lead nationally to further develop national call signs on behalf of CFOA.

Programme Governance Update

2.14 The governance of the NCP is well established and monitored for each project through the WYFRS Project Framework.

2.15 Decisions, risks and issues are recorded and approval is sought for any change control requests at the appropriate level against an established Change Control Procedure.

2.16 Detailed financial records and monitoring continues to capture all transactions made for each project and all projected spend is currently within allocated budgets.

2.17 Contact is being maintained with the internal Auditor from Kirklees Metropolitan Council (acting on behalf of both FRA’s for the CCP and attending each CCP Board meeting and the NCP Board meetings). This input ensures continual assurance of the accounting process and overall programme governance.

2.18 The NCP timeline is continually monitored and progress against specific objectives for each project is recorded in order to identify any delays or issues at the earliest opportunity. The delivery schedule for a number of individual objectives has been revised and agreed through change control to align with SYTEL’s development and delivery methodology. The overall timeline for the Programme remains on track.

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2.19 There have been recent changes to the WYFRS project team structure due to organisational needs and personal circumstances of team members. The workload and objectives to be achieved over the coming months has been assessed and resourced appropriately to ensure that momentum and continuity is maintained.


3.1 WYFRA and SYFRA received a total grant from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) of £3.6m (£1.8m each) in March 2012 for the CCP, which is in an earmarked reserve held by WYFRA. It is currently estimated that the total cost of the CCP will be in excess of the grant although Members should note that the original grant submission by WYFRA and SYFRA was for £5.016m. A review of costs, functionality and resilience has identified some savings but there is need for an additional investment by both Authorities, with costs split in accordance with the CCP contractual agreement. Internal Audit from Kirklees Council provides independent assurance of appropriate cost apportionment as required. WYFRA has already approved a budget of £400k to cover the estimated additional expenditure over and above the grant and current estimates of final costs remain within this figure; SYFRA has also approved additional funding.

3.2 Expenditure on both schemes is monitored and reported at the New Control Project Board and at the WYFRA’s Finance and Resources Committee and, whilst accounts are still being finalised, it is anticipated the NCP Premises Project at the Service Delivery Centre will be delivered within budget.

3.3 WYFRA and SYFRA each cover their own costs for members of the project team visiting France. Provision exists within WYFRA existing budgets for its own expenditure.

4 Equality and Diversity Implications 4.1 Equality analysis was an integral part of the programme, completed at the start and throughout the

Premises and Ways of Working/Duty System Projects. This identified a number of issues relating to new duty systems, premises and reductions in staff numbers. On-going employee engagement was an integral and effective part of this process. As a result, adjustments were made to premises, the design of the new duty system, and the Flexi-Team ways of working and selection process.

4.2 The equality analysis process was formally captured in project documentation.

4.3 A full equality analysis will be undertaken post-implementation to assess the impact of the changes on Premises and Ways of Working.

4.4 These actions demonstrate Authority compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.


5.1 Within each project of the programme, the Health and Safety implications are continually monitored and assessed. The Health and Safety department are regularly consulted and involved in meetings, assessments and proposals, to ensure all aspects of Health and Safety are considered.

6 Service Plan Links

6.1 The development of a specification for the replacement of the current Communications and Mobilising system is an objective in the 2012/13 Service Action Plan and this objective was completed. The procurement and implementation of the new system, along with the construction of a new control suite is included as an objective within the 2013/14 Service Plan..

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7 Conclusions 7.1 The New Control Programme is progressing well, remains on schedule and within allocated

budgets. It is anticipated that the new Control function will be fully operational in the Service Delivery Centre by Summer 2014.

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Purpose To inform Community Safety Committee of performance against District Risk Reduction targets for 2013 / 14.

Recommendations That the Community Safety Committee note the contents of this report.

Summary This report provides information on the performance of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in each District, against the targets detailed in the District Risk Reduction Plan 2013 / 14, including a commentary from each District Commander.


District Risk Reduction Targets 2013 / 14 Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 7 Submitted By: Director of Service Delivery


Exemption Category: Nonte

Contact Officer: Ian Bitcon, Area Manager Fire Safety T: 01275 655720 E : [email protected]


Annexes: District performance figures and commentaries

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1 Introduction 1.1 The attached Performance Monitoring System (PMS) reports detail the Authority’s performance

against key performance indicators in each of the five Districts. This information allows Service Delivery Board and each District Commander to measure, monitor and evaluate performance against targets included in the District Risk Reduction Plans.

1.2 The PMS report covers April – September 2013 for all targets. It utilises a traffic light system to give a visual indication of performance against target. For comparison purposes the previous year’s performance is also included, as well as that in the benchmark year of 2009 / 10.

1.3 In addition to the PMS report, each District Commander has provided information relating to individual performance indicators by way of a commentary.

2 Information

2.1 2013 / 14 is the third year that Districts have had individual District Risk Reduction Plans. The targets set for each District are again very challenging to ensure that the risk across West Yorkshire is reduced as far as practicable.

2.2 The Service Delivery Framework and District Risk Reduction Plans have proved to be very successful in targeting resources where the risk exists in each District. The individual District appendices detail the improvements that have been made and the challenges that still exist.

2.3 The Service Delivery Framework and the subsequent local ownership of delivering the outcomes has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of incidents for all types. This is testament to the level of commitment across the organisation to truly “Make West Yorkshire Safer.”

3 Financial Implications 3.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report.

4 Equality and Diversity Implications

4.1 Prevention activities and a range of partnership working continue to target at risk communities.


5.1 Targeted risk reduction activities reduce risk to health and safety of firefighters and the community; this is supported by effective performance monitoring and management.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 The District Risk Reduction activities and performance monitoring are an example of the following

priorities;

• Delivery of a proactive fire prevention and protection programme • Delivery of a professional and resilient emergency response service

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Performance Monitoring Report - 14 Oct 2013 13:38:43 - Sourced from Performance Management Information System

WYFRS STATION DISTRICTS - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DEFINITIONS

ACTUAL DATA (Previous Years) Performance from previous years. 2009/10 is used as a baseline

TARGET (Current Year) End of year target for current year

TOTAL SO FAR (Current Year) Cumulative total for current year so far

AGAINST TARGET SO FAR (Current Year) Comparison of activity so far against the target so far - Red (outside 10% of target), Amber (within10% of target), Green (target achieved or exceeded)

END OF YEAR PROJECTION (Current Year) Projected value at the end of the financial year based on Total So Far and the number of daysremaining

ACTUALDATA

(2009/10

ACTUALDATA

(2012/13)

TARGET(2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR(2013/14)

AGAINSTTARGET SO

FAR(2013/14)

END OF YEARPROJECTION

(2013/14)

Arson 10897 4803 7863 3597 -8.8% 7174

Actual Rescues 875 756 762 365 -4.5% 728

Total Activity 34270 22234 28102 12792 -9.2% 25514

Dwelling Fires 1549 1316 1321 616 -7.0% 1229

Spread From Room of Origin 522 377 225 449

Non-Domestic Building Fires 513 415 440 202 -8.4% 403

Prevalence of False Alarms 16750 12013 13451 6144 -8.9% 12254

Fire Related Injuries and Deaths 270 214 230 88 -23.7% 176

Road Traffic Collisions 1062 682 792 286 -28.0% 570

No. of Operational Risk Visits (IN) 6180 2926 -5.3% 5852

Malicious False Alarms 713 457 518 191 -26.5% 381

No. of Home Fire Safety Check Points (IN) 261595 173255 32.1% 345563

COMMENTS RELATING TO PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

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BRADFORD DISTRICT - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DATE:

VISITING COMMANDERS:

OFFICERS PRESENT:

DEFINITIONS

ACTUAL DATA (Previous Years)

Performance from previous years. 2009/10 is used as a baseline

TARGET (Current Year)

End of year target for current year

TOTAL SO FAR (Current Year)

Cumulative total for current year so far

AGAINST TARGET SO FAR (Current Year)

Comparison of activity so far against the target so far - Red (outside 10% of target), Amber (within 10% of target), Green (target achieved or exceeded)

END OF YEAR PROJECTION (Current Year)

Projected value at the end of the financial year based on Total So Far and the number of days remaining

ACTUAL

DATA (2009/10

ACTUAL DATA

(2012/13)

TARGET (2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR

(2013/14)

AGAINST

TARGET SO FAR

(2013/14)

END OF YEAR PROJECTION

(2013/14)

Arson

2778

1514

2282

1136

-0.7%

2266

Actual Rescues

207

180

195

75

-23.3%

150

Total Activity

8956

6013

7676

3424

-11.0%

6829

Dwelling Fires

422

346

356

150

-16.0%

299

Spread From Room of Origin

155

90

69

138

Non-Domestic Building Fires

131

108

110

53

-3.9%

106

Prevalence of False Alarms

4724

3158

3702

1577

-15.0%

3145

Fire Related Injuries and Deaths

81

53

76

16

-58.0%

32

Road Traffic Collisions

237

142

176

62

-29.7%

124

No. of Operational Risk Visits (IN)

1270

641

0.9%

1282

Malicious False Alarms

227

150

178

65

-27.2%

130

No. of Home Fire Safety Check Points (IN)

73247

44755

21.9%

89265


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Bradford District Performance Monitoring Report – 1st April 2013 – 30th Sept 2013 The District performance in the following areas either meets or exceeds the set target:

• Arson Bradford district has exceeded performance against the target set for arson by 0.7%. The continued work of the Prevention Team and Operational personnel has seen the number of such incidents reduce significantly over the last five years. Close working relationships with partner agencies continues to contribute to this success.

• Actual Rescues Bradford district is below the target set for actual rescues by 23.3%. Actual rescues include those that are fire related, rescue post road traffic collision and the remainder are miscellaneous; these range from releasing children’s heads from railings, rescues from height (usually roofs or trees) to assisting YAS to gain entry to a house where someone has collapsed.

• Total Activity Bradford district has outstripped performance against the target set for total activity level by 11%. This is a result of the hard work and dedicated activity completed by Prevention staff and Operational crews. Resources are accurately targeted utilising the performance management dashboard and mapping systems.

• Dwelling Fires Bradford district has pleasingly exceeded performance against this challenging target by some 16 %. The Home Fire Safety Check strategy ensures that we put the greatest effort into those areas and groups who are the most likely to suffer a dwelling fire. This targeted approach results in reductions occurring year on year.

• Non-Domestic Building Fires The number of fires in other buildings is 3.9% below the target set for Bradford district. The high number of unoccupied buildings in Bradford means this indicator has the potential to be a significant problem, however, we are meeting our target and the results are promising given the scale of the challenge in Bradford. The work carried out by Operational crews gathering information on unoccupied and derelict buildings, and additional work with partners to secure premises, has proved successful and we will continue our efforts in relation to this.

• Prevalence of False Alarms Once again, Bradford district has exceeded performance against the target set for false alarms, in this case by 15%. Work continues with Fire Protection on identified premises where issues arise. A positive working relationship with Incommunities (Bradford’s leading housing association) has resulted in a prompt response when problems have been identified.

• Fire Related Injuries and Deaths Again Bradford district has exceeded performance against the target in this area by an impressive 58%. Of those injuries that have occurred; the vast majority have been minor. Unfortunately, there has been one fatality in a house fire earlier this year (13/06/13). This tragic event was fully investigated; the findings were that this individual was known to other agencies and had not been visited by WYFRS. As a result partnership arrangements have been improved to assist the referral process.

• Road Traffic Collisions Satisfyingly, Bradford district has surpassed performance against the target in this area by some 29.7%. Throughout the district there has been a significant drop in the number of RTCs attended. The very close working relationship with key partners continues to be effective. There have been events run throughout the year targeting those

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most at risk of being involved in road traffic collisions. Road Safety week runs from the 18th of November this year and we have a high profile event on the 21st which will target young drivers in Keighley. This is a joint campaign with Bradford Council Road Safety team, West Yorkshire Police and the BRAKE road safety charity. Road safety is also a key message within the Young Fire-fighter programmes running at both Fairweather Green and Keighley.

• Operational Risk Visits Bradford district continues to achieve its target in this area.

Operational crews have targeted the higher risk premises within Bradford district and completed 641 inspections.

• Malicious False Alarms Bradford district has beaten this target by an encouraging 27.2%.

The Prevention Team and Operational crews conduct annual Year 5 talks and more focused presentations around bonfire night where this issue continues to be addressed. Periodic spots on Bradford Community Broadcast (BCB) Radio continue to target specific themes - including malicious calls, arson and road safety. These features have contributed to this reduction. Local Registered Housing providers are being encouraged, via partnerships, to work in conjunction with occupants of high rise properties to reduce malicious false alarms. This initiative is being supported by the Local Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Bradford.

• Home Fire Safety Check Points Operational crews and Prevention staff have completed a

total of 44,755 home fire safety check points. This excellent work has seen performance against dwelling fires exceed the challenging target. The new point’s totals and effective targeting strategy has proved particularly challenging for Bradford district in 2013/14 and it is delivering success.

Performance in the following areas are outside of the target set:

• None Summary

Overall the performance of Bradford district has been high, particularly in light of the challenging targets that continue to be set and significant changes to the ways we work. The current economic climate and reduced resources provide a continuous challenge to all Bradford district staff, however, we are not complacent; a great deal of work is being delivered to improve performance across all areas. The key to success continues to be the work carried out with partners.

32


CALDERDALE DISTRICT - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DATE:


OFFICERS PRESENT:

DEFINITIONS











ACTUAL

DATA (2009/10

ACTUAL DATA

(2012/13)

TARGET (2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR

(2013/14)

AGAINST

TARGET SO FAR

(2013/14)


(2013/14)

Arson

830

409

685

365

6.3%

728

Actual Rescues

82

106

85

25

-41.3%

50

Total Activity

2772

2000

2455

1182

-4.0%

2358

Dwelling Fires

150

112

118

57

-3.7%

114


41

37

20

40


40

34

40

13

-35.2%

26


1296

965

1094

489

-10.8%

975


22

20

16

9

12.2%

18


127

76

83

26

-37.5%

52


840

380

-9.5%

760


64

45

46

21

-8.9%

42


26160

17544

33.8%

34992


33

Calderdale District Performance Monitoring Report – 1st March 2013 – 30th

September 2013 District performance in the following areas either meets or exceeds the required target:

• Actual Rescues. Actual rescues are expected to exceed performance against the target by 41.3%. This is mainly due to the significant reduction in road traffic collisions during the last 6 months which has subsequently led to fewer people trapped.

• Total Activity. Calderdale District are currently on target to exceed this target for 2013 -2014 by 4%. District and station personnel continue to carry out school talks, site visits and work with our partners to reduce overall activity. Operational crews now use the performance management dashboard and mapping system to help identify high risk areas and target resources.

• Dwelling Fires. Calderdale District are on target to exceed performance against this indicator by 3.7%. This is due to operational crews and prevention staff targeting specific areas and vulnerable individuals. We are now working closely with the Vulnerability Panel and Anti-Social Behaviour teams to target those most at risk. We have regular updates from these groups and coordinate a multi partnership approach to deal with any safety concerns.

• Non-Domestic Building Fires. During the last six months Calderdale District performance has exceeded the target for non-domestic building fires by 35.2%.

• Prevalence of False Alarms. The number of false alarms is 10.8% below target. Close partnership work with Pennine Housing has resulted in a reduction in “false alarm good intent” incidents. This is an on-going project for all Station Commanders.

• Road Traffic Collisions. The number of RTCs is currently 37.5% below target, which demonstrates how effective the district’s education programmes have been. The partnerships with Bikeability, Halifax Boxing Club and Calderdale Safer Roads Partnership have given us the opportunity to deliver safety advice and identify at-risk individuals within the community.

• Malicious False Alarms. The number of malicious false alarms is 8.9% below target. Calderdale personnel are currently undertaking educational initiatives, such as school talks, which should result in a further reduction in the number of incidents.

• Home Fire Safety Checks. Calderdale District has accrued 17544 points whilst carrying out HFSC at some of the most vulnerable households in the district. This is currently 33.8% above target.

Performance in the following areas fall outside the required target:

• Arson. Calderdale District is above target for arson by 6.3%. We continue to work with Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Forums and Calderdale Council

35

to reduce the incidents of arson. Crews have identified premises which require securing and working with our partners these premises have been secured, resulting in a reduction in fires and other incidents. Operational crews have carried out Operational Risk Visits to ensure that all information is available should there be another incident. They have, also, identified similar properties in their station areas and carried out inspections of these.

• Fire Related Injuries and Deaths. Calderdale District is 12.2% above target. These injuries occurred as a result of seven incidents. Whilst the injuries were minor in nature they resulted in the casualty attending hospital.

• Operational Risk Visits. Calderdale crews have completed 380 Operational Risk Visits and are 9.5% below target. These inspections and the data collected continue to ensure the safety of personnel when dealing with incidents at these premises. This is planned work and the target will be met by the end of the year, but had a slow start due to the introduction of a new set of processes.

Summary

Operational and prevention teams in Calderdale District have once again responded to the challenge to meet the targets. Their efforts and commitment to reducing the risks within Calderdale has enabled them to utilise a variety of initiatives either devised by themselves or with partners. The challenges that are faced, not only by Calderdale, but the rest of WYFRS, do not allow us to rest on our laurels and we must develop alternative ways to meet the targets set for this year.

36


KIRKLEES DISTRICT - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DATE:


OFFICERS PRESENT:

DEFINITIONS











ACTUAL

DATA (2009/10

ACTUAL DATA

(2012/13)

TARGET (2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR

(2013/14)

AGAINST

TARGET SO FAR

(2013/14)


(2013/14)

Arson

1765

663

1239

429

-30.9%

856

Actual Rescues

150

105

130

61

-6.4%

122

Total Activity

5590

3472

4563

1898

-17.0%

3786

Dwelling Fires

265

226

223

102

-8.8%

203


89

69

39

78


91

78

83

34

-18.3%

68


2641

1910

2276

939

-17.7%

1873


45

33

45

14

-37.9%

28


193

135

160

46

-42.7%

92


960

452

-5.8%

904


123

68

85

24

-43.7%

48


34007

26174

53.5%

52205


37

Kirklees District Performance Monitoring Report April 2013 – Sept 2013. The District performance in the following areas either meets or exceeds the required target: • Arson The number of arson incidents is 30.9% below the expected level after the first six months. We continue to work with Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing and Local Authority departments to identify and remove combustible waste from the streets. When incident trends are identified, we have developed action plans, often with support from Neighbourhood Management Groups, where some joint agency involvement has seen success in addressing deliberate fires. • Actual Rescues The number of rescues carried out is 6.4% below the expected level after the first six months. However, May and July were above the district monthly target mainly due to rescues carried out at special service calls. • Total Activity The total number of incidents is 17% below the target set for the first six months. Whilst there is a slight increase when compared to the same time period in 2012, there is a general decline in total activity over the last 5 years. The reason for the 2012 figures being so low was due to the effect of the wet summer on secondary fires. • Dwelling Fires The number of dwelling fires is 8.8% better than the expected level after the first six months, although 4 out of 9 stations are slightly over their expected target. We continue to raise awareness and educate people about home fire safety. A more targeted approach to home fire safety visits has been introduced this year which will concentrate resources in the areas of greatest risk. • Non-Domestic Building Fires The current performance for this indicator exceeds the expected level after the first six months by 18.3%. We continue to identify insecure and empty premises and prompt business owners and support agencies where improvements can be made. The Operational Risk Visit programme allows arson reduction advice and education to be provided in addition to improving the knowledge of the local fire crews. This reduces the chances of fires starting and also improves the response to any fires which do occur. • False Alarms The number of false alarms is currently 17.7% below the expected level after the first six months. Local Retained Support Officers have carried out work with schools and businesses and this work has meant that there has been a marked reduction in calls for specific premises where previously a problem existed. Work continues with Fire Protection to identify ‘repeat offenders’. The consultation on charging for false alarms has now completed and progress with this scheme may result in further improvements. • Fire Related Injuries and Deaths The figure for injuries and deaths is 37.9% below the expected level after the first six months with the majority of reports indicating that injuries were sustained from smoke inhalation or minor burns and appeared to be ‘slight’. No fire related deaths were reported in Kirklees during the first six months.

39

• Road Traffic Collisions The number of RTCs is 42.7% below the target after the first six months. The focus of Road Safety Week in 2013 will be to target young, inexperienced drivers. This work will involve the Local Authority Road Safety Team and the road safety charity, Brake. We will be delivering presentations at a number of educational establishments throughout the district in November. • Malicious False Alarms The performance against the number of malicious false alarms has exceeded the target by 43.7% for the first six months of the year. Improved call challenging from Control in addition to the work carried out by local staff and Retained Support Officers, who visit premises where repeat malicious calls have been received, has resulted in the numbers of such incidents showing significant reductions. • Number of Home Fire Safety Check Points The number of HFSC points is currently 53.5% above the target level expected after the first six months. The target for HFSC changed in April 2013, when a point based system was introduced. Points are generated from risk factors that are identified and reduced during the visit. The objective of the new strategy is to target our prevention efforts into the highest risk areas. The annual target for Kirklees is 34007 points and it is expected that the actual total will far exceed this number. The District performance in the following area does not meet the expected performance: • Number of Operational Risk Visits (IN) The number of operational risk visits is currently 5.8% outside the expected level after the first six months. Amendments to the operational risk visit programme were introduced in April 2013 following new national guidance and this resulted in a slow start as staff developed awareness of the new process. The inspections are a vital part of WYFRS’ strategy to enhance fire fighter safety, and although we are not yet achieving the required performance, we fully expect that the annual target will be achieved. Summary It is pleasing to note that in general, the number of incidents is still reducing. District staff will continue to work with partners to target the areas where there is greatest risk. There is scope for improved partnership activity and the District Commander is involved with the Police and other Local Authority partners to develop joint objectives and improve efficiency from the resources we all have. New methods have been introduced for both Prevention (Home Fire Safety Checks) and Protection (Operational Risk Visits) and these processes will continue to be our main focus to further improve safety across Kirklees.

40


LEEDS DISTRICT - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DATE:


OFFICERS PRESENT:

DEFINITIONS











ACTUAL

DATA (2009/10

ACTUAL DATA

(2012/13)

TARGET (2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR

(2013/14)

AGAINST

TARGET SO FAR

(2013/14)


(2013/14)

Arson

3879

1658

2359

1198

1.3%

2389

Actual Rescues

304

248

257

139

7.9%

277

Total Activity

12175

8107

9356

4581

-2.3%

9137

Dwelling Fires

535

514

475

230

-3.4%

459


161

125

63

126


176

141

143

72

0.4%

144


6043

4677

4850

2388

-1.8%

4763


85

84

70

34

-3.1%

68


355

225

257

106

-17.7%

211


2090

1007

-3.6%

2014


256

156

162

68

-16.3%

136


94174

60212

27.5%

120095


41

Leeds District Performance Monitoring Report April 2013 – September 2013 The District performance in the following areas either meets or exceeds the required target:

• Total Activity There have been 4581 incidents in Leeds district during the first six months of the year. This is 2.3% lower than the expected level. The prevention work undertaken by the district team has contributed to the lower number of incidents. November tends to see an increase in activity however significant prevention actions are in place for the upcoming bonfire period in order to maintain the downward trend.

• Dwelling Fires The overall number of dwelling fires is 3.4 % below the expected target after the first six months. Current data highlights a consistent level of reduced dwelling fire activity with five out of the last six months below the set target. Focussed prevention work in the higher risk areas of the district is contributing to the reduction in dwelling fires and this work will be on-going.

• False Alarms On-going monitoring by Station Commanders has supported the reduction in the prevalence of false alarms. They are working closely with Fire Protection to identify and reduce these incidents. The number of false alarms has continued to reduce and we are currently 1.8% below the expected level.

• Fire Related Injuries and Deaths Current data shows that the overall number of fire related injuries and deaths are 3.1% below the expected level. The majority of injuries sustained have been from smoke inhalation or minor burns, reports have indicated that these are mostly of a minor nature. There have been 6 deaths at fire related incidents in the first six months of this financial year. 3 of the deaths were attributed to smoking related materials. A focussed strategy dealing with smoking risks has been implemented involving the specialist ‘Stop Smoking Service’ through NHS England. Prevention interventions have also been undertaken in the residential areas around the incidents in order to further reduce the overall number of fire related injuries and deaths.

• Road Traffic Collisions There has been a significant reduction in the attendance of road traffic collisions for the first six months of the year. There have been a total of 106 incidents attended, this is 17.7% below the expected target. Road safety is a key message within the YFF programmes, further intervention and education will be delivered to targeted members of the community during Road Safety week in November 2013.

• Malicious False Alarms The number of malicious false alarms is 16.3% below the expected level after the first six months. On-going education through the year 5 school talks and the challenging of calls by Control staff has impacted significantly on attendance figures for these incidents.

43

• Home Fire Safety Checks Strategic targeting of HFSC has seen a significant positive return against the set target. The current number of points achieved by Leeds district is 27.5% above the target for the first six months. Prevention of fires in the home continues to be our focus and the education delivered via the HFSC assists greatly in the prevention of accidental fires.

Partnerships with the local authority and voluntary groups are proving to be very successful; linking with other agencies complements our district plan by enabling us to direct our resources to the areas of highest risk. New partnerships are being targeted that reflect the risk and demographic profile presented through historical data analysis.

The District performance in the following areas does not meet the expected target set:

• Arson The number of arson related incidents is currently 1.3% over the expected target. This equates to 15 extra incidents above the set target. The majority of incidents involves combustible waste / bins on streets. Intervention strategies in collaboration with partner agencies are in place to combat this small rise in arson occurrences. The strategies include improved reporting procedures for fly tipping, street rubbish, overloaded skips etc. Trends have been identified and local crews are actively targeting problem areas and undertaking environmental audits. Partners are informed of issues resulting in the removal of combustible waste from these areas.

• Actual Rescues The number of rescues carried out is 7.9% above the expected

target for the first six months. A proactive response plan has been formulated to impact / reduce the number of rescues required from incidents. Analysis of serious incidents has focused our current intervention strategy towards particular vulnerability profiles.

• Non-Domestic Building Fires The first two months of the financial year saw a slight increase in the number of non-domestic building fires. The fire safety and risk information inspection programme has increased in commercial premises. This increased activity has reduced the upward trend in incidents with the most recent months delivering figures below the expected level. The current number of Non-domestic building fires is only 0.4% above the expected target, the current trend indicates a steady reduction that should see us meet the set target by year end.

• Number of Operational Risk Visits (IN) The number of operational risk visits is currently 3.6% below the expected target for the first six months. New guidance issued in April resulted in a period of training for crews and a slower start to the program. Delivery of the visits is now well under way and projections indicate that the target will be met by year end.

Summary Leeds District continues to perform very well across all service delivery indicators. The areas that have not met requirements only fall outside of the targets by small margins. The recruitment of a new district prevention manager along with focussed interventions should assist in the delivery of all required targets.

44


WAKEFIELD DISTRICT - PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEM

DATE:


OFFICERS PRESENT:

DEFINITIONS











ACTUAL

DATA (2009/10

ACTUAL DATA

(2012/13)

TARGET (2013/14)

[values to 30 Sep 2013 23:59:59]

TOTAL SO FAR

(2013/14)

AGAINST

TARGET SO FAR

(2013/14)


(2013/14)

Arson

1645

559

1298

469

-27.9%

935

Actual Rescues

132

117

95

65

36.5%

130

Total Activity

4777

2642

4052

1707

-16.0%

3405

Dwelling Fires

177

118

149

77

3.1%

154


76

56

34

68


75

54

64

30

-6.5%

60


2046

1303

1529

751

-2.0%

1498


37

24

23

15

30.1%

30


150

104

116

46

-20.9%

92


1020

446

-12.5%

892


43

38

47

13

-44.8%

26


34007

24570

44.1%

49006


45

Wakefield District Performance Report from 1st April 2013 - 30th September 2013

The District performance in the following areas either meets or exceeds the target:

Arson

Wakefield District is currently outstripping its target for arson by 27.9%. The majority of these fires have been recorded as secondary fires involving rubbish including wheelie bins, with loose refuse/garden having the highest count. The drier weather this year can be seen as a contributory factor to the number of incidents being higher than last year, but the overall trend is that the number of arson incidents is significantly lower than those recorded in the years before last year.

In conjunction with the partners, intensive work is regularly taking place within the identified hotspot areas. Working alongside the crews 27 Potential Arson Targets (PATs) have been identified within the district and adequate steps including monitoring have been put in place to ensure these premises are not targeted for arson. Proactive work with the partners is already under way to help mitigate potential incidents over the Bonfire period.

Total Activity

Wakefield District’s total activity is currently performing better than the target by 16.0%. A total of 1707 incidents were recorded for the first six months. Proactive measures contributing to the reduction in incident activity include school talks, fire fighter risk and fire safety inspections, changes to internal procedures (call challenging), together with partnership initiatives with the Police and other agencies.

Non-domestic Building Fires

Wakefield District is currently outperforming its target for non-domestic building fires by 6.5%, with 30 incidents recorded up to date. The early identification and regular monitoring of the identified PATs have prevented unoccupied premises becoming targets of arson. The success of this has involved close working relationships with the Police, Wakefield Council, Building Control and the co-operation of the owners.


Wakefield District is currently doing better than its target for false alarms by 2.0%, with 751 incidents recorded for the first six months. Many of these incidents are attributed to sheltered housing, hospital and entertainment establishments within the district. Station Commanders are actively monitoring their targets and working closely with Fire Protection Officers to drive down unwanted fire signals and target premises with a high number of calls resulting in false alarms. The change in mobilisation procedures has helped reduce the reoccurrence of false alarms. Further reductions should be visible if the new AFA charging policy is introduced.

Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs)

Wakefield District is currently below its target for RTCs by 20.9%, with 46 incidents recorded to date. Targeted partnership work is carried out continually across the district throughout the year. Hot spots within the district have been identified and through continued work with the

47

Police and the Council Road Safety Team we will continue to reduce the number of RTCs across the district.

A joint ‘Stay Safe on the Roads’ leaflet has also been produced in Wakefield in partnership with the Police, Highways Agency and Wakefield Road Safety Team. This aims to target drivers caught in traffic following an RTC. The leaflet offers general safety advice as well as information about what to do in the event of a collision. The leaflet incorporates telephone numbers for assistance including the non-emergency number. All partners involved are using this leaflet as part of road safety advice strategy.

As part of the national road safety week in November, a number of initiatives in conjunction with the partners have been arranged within the district, with several stations already trained to deliver an interactive Prezi road safety package, aimed at College students.


The reduction in malicious false alarm calls within the district is very pleasing with the district 44.8% below the set target. The current trend averages around 2 incidents per month across the district.

The main contributors to the success to date has been the schools programme and elements of the YFF programme.

Number of Home Fire Safety Check Points

Wakefield District is currently exceeding its points based target by 44.1%, achieving 24570 points, in the last six months. Prevention of fires in the home continues to be our focus and both the operational crews and Prevention team continue to work collaboratively to help achieve this.

Use of Mosaic mapping and high risk output areas assist the team in reaching the high risk and vulnerable individuals living within the district. Risk Reduction work also continues in the South East area of the district supporting the IRMP proposals. Alongside this, the on-going development of partnerships with key agencies is helping assist and direct our reduced resources to the areas of highest risk.

The District performance is outside the target set in the following areas:

Actual Rescues

Actual rescues are 36.5% above the target, with 65 rescues recorded for the first six months of the year. One incident of note required 14 rescues and was the result of a collision between a mini-bus and a HGV, this single incident has had a dramatic effect on the number recorded against this indicator. The majority of the remaining incidents have been Special Service Calls (SSC), with one dwelling fire. Some of the SSC calls attended have required the crews to release a child’s head stuck in a gate, rescue a child to safety stuck on a single storey outbuilding roof, to assisting the Ambulance in rescuing a collapsed person in their home. 55% of the incidents involved RTCs, which were spread across the district.

48

Dwelling Fires

Wakefield District is 3.1% above the target for dwelling fires, with 77 incidents recorded over the last six months. A large number of accidental dwelling fires have been cooking related, with a few caused whilst the occupier was under the influence of alcohol. In most cases the cause had been the grill or the chip pan that had been left unattended. Kitchen safety is reinforced during home fire safety checks and a kitchen safety leaflet is available for use by both the operational crews and Prevention staff. Partnership with agencies such as the Wakefield Community Drug Team and Drugs Intervention Programme and Spectrum Community Health has been set up to help reach these individuals at the earliest opportunity to offer the advice and interventions as appropriate to their needs.

Fire prevention campaigns are continually being delivered to raise awareness of fire safety in the home. These are achieved through home fire safety checks, working alongside partner agencies, press releases and school / community talks.


Wakefield District is 30.1% above the target for fire related injuries and deaths, with 15 incidents attended over the last six months. Approximately half the incidents have been deliberate, with four incidents involving the police due to other factors. Work is continuing in raising awareness of fire safety in the home and partners are actively involved and educated in recognising potential risks, identifying vulnerable people and reinforcing the safety messages.

Number of Operational Risk Visits (ORVs)

Wakefield District is currently 12.5% below the SDB target, with 446 inspections completed. This results from the introduction of new processes this year that took a little time to bed in, however, the target will be met by the end of the financial year.

Summary

Overall, given the challenging targets set by SDB and the changes outlined in the IRMP proposals, Wakefield District continues to perform well. The operational crews and the Prevention team are working hard to further improve performance across all areas. The key challenge is to maintain and build on the good working relationships already established with our partners.

49

Purpose To inform Members of the feedback from the annual Quality of Service, School Fire Safety Visit and Home Fire Safety Check Surveys 2012 / 13

Recommendations That Members note the content of the report

Summary The report provides Members with feedback from consultation on service delivery carried out during 2012 / 13.


Quality of Service Surveys 2012 / 13 Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 8 Submitted By: Director of Corporate Resources



Contact Officer: Alison Davey – Corporate Services Manager T: 01274 655801 E: [email protected]

Background papers open to inspection: After the Incident (domestic and non-domestic) Quarters 1 – 4 2012 / 13, School Fire Safety Visits (Terms 1 – 3) and Home Fire Safety Check Quarters 1 – 4 2012 / 13, Final Benchmarking reports (May 2013)

Annexes: After the Incident Satisfaction survey 2012 / 13 School Fire Safety Visits Satisfaction survey 2012 / 13 Home Fire Safety Check Satisfaction survey 2012 / 13

51

mailto:[email protected]

1 Introduction 1.1 In order to monitor performance, a Quality of Service survey is undertaken on a monthly basis.

Each month, a questionnaire is sent to a 10% random selection of the locations of incidents attended the previous month by fire stations throughout West Yorkshire. The questionnaire covers areas such as: • Satisfaction with the initial contact with the Fire Service • Service provided at the scene • Information and advice given • Follow-up contact from the Fire Service after the incident • Overall satisfaction with the service

1.2 A School Fire Safety Visit survey is also undertaken by leaving a survey form with the teacher after

carrying out the School Fire Safety Visit. The questionnaire covers the following areas:

• Age group • Planning and Visual Aids • The Presenters • Pupils • Overall Satisfaction • Appointment • Follow Up

1.3 A Home Fire Safety Check Follow-up survey is undertaken on a monthly basis. Each month, a

questionnaire is sent to approximately 60-70 randomly selected residents who have had a Home Fire Safety Check.

The questionnaire covers the following topics:

• Initial contact • The Home Fire Safety Check visit • Fire safety measures • Overall Service • About You

1.4 The questionnaires are sent by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) and in the

case of the School Fire Safety Visit they are handed out when at the school and returned directly to an independent research company via a freepost envelope. The returned questionnaires are analysed and a feedback report is sent to WYFRS.

2 Information Quality of Service Survey 2012/13 2.1 During 2012/13, 137 completed questionnaires were returned from domestic properties and 97

from non-domestic properties. 836 questionnaires were sent out, 538 to domestic and 298 to commercial giving a response rate of 25% and 33% respectively.

2.2 Overall, the feedback is positive with 98% of respondents completing the domestic (incidents in

the home) questionnaire expressing satisfaction with the service they received and 99% of respondents to the non-domestic questionnaire expressing satisfaction with the service they received.

52

School Fire Safety Visit Survey 2012/13

2.3 During 2012/13 173 completed questionnaires were returned. 2.4 Overall the feedback is positive with 99% of respondents satisfied with the overall School Fire

Safety Visit. Home Fire Safety Check Survey 2012/13 2.5 During 2012/13 1500 questionnaires were sent out, of which 481 were completed and returned.

This is a response rate of 32% which is good for the type of consultation. 2.6 Overall, the feedback is positive with 99% of respondents satisfied with the Home Fire Safety

Check, of whom, 95% were very satisfied. 2.7 A summary of each survey results is attached which also details a comparison with the results

from the previous year’s feedback. 2.8 These survey results will be used to address any areas for improvement in order to continue

positive satisfaction levels in the 2013/14 consultation exercise. 2.9 Other fire and rescue authorities use the same surveys. In order to benchmark the WYFRS’

performance with that of other fire and rescue services, Opinion Research Services provide a benchmarking report of the comparisons of the other fire and rescue services performance with WYFRS. Details of this benchmarking are included within the attached reports as appropriate.

3 Financial implications

3.1 The costs of carrying out these surveys is £2,500 to £3,000 for the full year including printing questionnaires, freepost charges and analysis.

4 Equality and Diversity implications 4.1 Equality data is collected as part of this survey.

5 Health and Safety implications

5.1 There are no health and safety implications associated with this report.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 This report links to all of the Service Plan 2011-2015 priorities.

7 Recommendation 7.1 That Members note the contents of the report.

53

Issue Date: 13/08/2013 Quality of Service Survey (After the Incident)

Page 1 of 12

Quality of Service Survey

2012-2013 (After the Incident)

Ownership: Corporate Services Date Issued: 13/08/2013

55


Page 2 of 12

Document Properties

Item Details

Document Title Quality of Service Survey (After the Incident)

Author Pam Imeson

Creation Date 13 August 2013

Last Updated 13 August 2013

Table of Contents

1 After the Incident Survey 2012/13 ....................................................................................... 3

2 Summary – Domestic Incidents (in the Home) ................................................................... 3

3 Summary – Non Domestic Incidents .................................................................................. 4

4 Interpretation of data ........................................................................................................... 4

5 Domestic Incidents Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 4

5.1 Initial Contact ......................................................................................................................... 4

5.2 At the Scene .......................................................................................................................... 5

5.3 Information and Advice Given ................................................................................................ 6

5.4 Overall Service ....................................................................................................................... 7

5.5 Possible Improvements for Consideration .............................................................................. 7

6 Non-domestic Incidents Questionnaire .............................................................................. 7

6.1 Initial Contact ......................................................................................................................... 8

6.2 At the Scene .......................................................................................................................... 8

6.3 Information and Advice Given ................................................................................................ 9

6.4 Overall Service ....................................................................................................................... 9

6.5 Possible Improvements for Consideration ............................................................................ 10

7 Benchmarking .................................................................................................................... 10

7.1 Incidents in the home ........................................................................................................... 11

7.2 Non-Domestic Incidents ....................................................................................................... 12

56


Page 3 of 12

1 After the Incident Survey 2012/13

In order to monitor performance, a Quality of Service survey is undertaken on a monthly basis. Each month, a questionnaire is sent to a 10% random selection of the locations of incidents attended the previous month by fire stations throughout West Yorkshire.

The questionnaire is sent out by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), and is returned directly to an independent research company via a freepost envelope. The returned questionnaires are processed and the information obtained is analysed and a feedback report is sent to WYFRS.

137 completed questionnaires were returned from domestic properties and 97 from non-domestic properties. 836 questionnaires were sent out, 538 to domestic and 298 to commercial giving a response rate of 25% and 33% respectively.

The questions in the survey cover such areas as:

Satisfaction with the initial contact made with the Fire Service

Service provided at the scene

Information and advice given

Follow-up contacts from the Fire Service after the incident

Overall satisfaction with the service

2 Summary – Domestic Incidents (in the Home)

137 completed questionnaires were returned to the independent research company out of the 538 sent out (25% return), 6 less than in 2011/12.

2012/13 2011/12

Completed questionnaires 137 143

99% of respondents said that they were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their initial contact on the telephone with the Fire Service.

57% said that the Fire Service arrived at the incident quicker than expected and 37% said that the arrival time was as expected.

99% of respondents said that they were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the service provided at the scene.

100% of respondents felt that WYFRS kept the effects of the incident to a minimum.

96% of respondents received fire safety information at the scene, 68% were offered a Home Fire Safety Check and 49% received an advice booklet.

Overall 98% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service they received from WYFRS, of whom 95% said they were very satisfied.

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3 Summary – Non Domestic Incidents

97 completed questionnaires were returned out of the 298 sent out (33% return), 2 more than in 2011/12.

2012/13 2011/12


98% of respondents said that they were satisfied or fairly satisfied with their initial contact on the telephone with the Fire Service.

30% said that the Fire Service arrived at the incident quicker than expected and 63% said that the arrival time was as expected.

99% of respondents felt WYFRS kept the effects of the incident to a minimum.

99% of respondents said that they were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the service provided at the scene.

84% of respondents received fire safety information at the scene and 26% received an advice booklet.

Overall 99% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the service received from WYFRS, of whom 86% were very satisfied.

4 Interpretation of data

In an ideal world, respondents to the questionnaires would answer every question, but in practice they do not, answering some questions with a “don‟t know”, overlooking questions, or simply declining to answer. For this reason, the data considered here is the „valid data‟ i.e. the views of those respondents that expressed an actual opinion on a question.

As a result of the above, the number of respondents for individual questions can fall below the total of completed questionnaires. Where this fall is significant, an appropriate comment is made in the text.

Finally in this section, it is worth noting that the percentage for the different replies to a question might add up to a figure other than 100%. This is because the percentages have been rounded to whole numbers and have not been presented as their exact figures.

5 Domestic Incidents Questionnaire

The questionnaire was sent out to a random 10% selection of incidents, covering a range of incident types. Although over three quarters of the questionnaires returned related to internal or building fires (77%), the remainder represented a wide range of other incidents, including flooding, external fires, and the rescue of animals.

5.1 Initial Contact

The number of valid responses is smaller for these questions, as only 101 respondents contacted the emergency services themselves.

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The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the FRS staff in the initial contact, with the following results and 2011/12 results included for comparison:

(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the FRS personnel on the telephone displayed these qualities).

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 99% 98%

Helpful 97% 99%

Efficient 100% 99%

Reassuring 95% 92%

Informative 96% 92%

The 2012/13 results are similar when compared to those received in 2011/12.

Overall, 99% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their initial telephone contact with the Fire Service of whom, 91% said that they were very satisfied.

This reflects a slight increase in satisfaction since 2011/12, when 97% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their initial telephone contact with the Fire Service.

5.2 At the Scene

The number of valid responses is slightly smaller for these questions, as only 124 respondents were present at the scene at the time of the incident.

57% of these respondents felt that the Fire Service arrived at the incident quicker than expected and 37% said that the arrival time was as expected.

These results are only slightly better than those of 2011/12 when 57% of respondents felt that the Fire Service arrived at the incident quicker than expected and 33% said that the arrival time was as expected.

The questionnaire provides space for comments regarding the arrival time and the following provides a representative sample:

Examples of positive comments:

“Arrived within three minutes, excellent thank you.”

“Given time of incident was 5pm rush hour, response was excellent.”

“I must say they were superior in every way, did a very good job. I'm very pleased how they dealt with it, thanks.”

“They were very friendly and polite.”

96% of the respondents said that they were kept informed of what was happening during the incident, with just 4% (5 respondents) saying that they were not kept informed.

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This is slightly lower compared to that of 2011/12 when 98% of respondents said they were kept informed of what was happening during the incident, with just 2% (3 respondents) saying that they were not kept informed.

The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the firefighters at the scene, with the following results and 2011/12 results included for comparison:

(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the firefighters at the scene displayed these qualities.)

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 99% 100%

Helpful 99% 100%

Informative 97% 99%

Efficient 100% 100%

Sensitive 99% 100%

The 2012/13 results are slightly lower when compared to those received in 2011/12.

100% of respondents felt that WYFRS kept the effects of the incident to a minimum. This is slightly higher than last year, when 98% of respondents felt that the Fire Service kept the effects to a minimum.

Overall, 99% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the service provided at the scene.

This is only a slight different to last year where 100% of respondents said they were satisfied with the service provided at the scene.

5.3 Information and Advice Given

96% of respondents received information at the scene, in the form of general safety advice. Of these 116 respondents, just 2 of them did not find the advice useful.

This is similar to the 2011/12 results where 93% of respondents received general safety advice at the scene, and just 2 of them did not find the advice useful.

68% of respondents (91) had been offered a Home Fire Safety Check after the incident. Most accepted the offer, but 9% (12 respondents) of these declined it, largely because they had already received one, as illustrated in the following examples:

“Had fire one year previously, had advice and safety check then.”

“Had safety check a year ago.”

“One had been done previously when new smoke alarms fitted.”

“Was given advice on fire safety previously.”

This is a slight decline on the 2011/12 results, when 70% of respondents were offered a Home Fire Safety Check, although 8 of these respondents declined the check.

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74% of respondents had acted upon the advice given at the scene and/or in the Home Fire Safety Check, with just 2% (3 respondents) not acting upon it, for the following reasons:

“Because the advice would only be adopted in another fire.”

“House is still being repaired, I will once I've moved in.”

49% of the respondents received a FRS advice booklet after the incident. All of these agreed that the information contained in the booklet was easy to understand and relevant. 98% felt it was helpful and informative.

This is a slight decrease upon the 2011/12 results where 52% of respondents received a booklet after the incident.

5.4 Overall Service

Overall, taking everything into account, 98% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service they received from WYFRS, of whom 95% said that they were very satisfied.

This is the same when compared with satisfaction reported in the 2011/12 results where 98% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service received. However, a slight increase on the 94% who said that they were very satisfied.

The questionnaire asks for comments where householders were dissatisfied with any part of the service (even if satisfied overall) but only one comment was made to this effect:

“I did ask for advice regarding switching the electricity off until checked by an electrician. I was surprised I had to ask the question rather them providing the advice.”

5.5 Possible Improvements for Consideration

There were a few comments regarding being kept informed at the incident. It might be worthwhile for these to be followed up:

“During the 10-15 minute incident, we were not informed what was happening, but then the fire fighters need to get their job done. Afterwards, we were very well informed.”

“Keep occupants informed regarding what's going on.”

There is a need to give out more general safety advice and fire safety leaflets at the scene. The information and advice appeared to be well received from those who were given it, but only half the respondents received leaflets.

The Home Fire Safety Check might be offered to more as results showed that it was offered to just two thirds of respondents.

6 Non-domestic Incidents Questionnaire

97 completed questionnaires were returned from the 298 sent out (33% return), only 2 more than in 2011/12.

2012/13 2011/12


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The responses received covered a cross-section of commercial and industrial premises, together with a number of schools, retail outlets and care homes. Consequently, the number of people on site at the time of the incident covered a broad range, from 1 to 1,000.

Although 75% of the questionnaires returned related to internal or building fires (71), the remainder represented a wide range of other incidents, including chemical incidents, external fires and the rescue of persons.

6.1 Initial Contact

The number of valid responses is smaller for these questions, as in 17% of the incidents; the emergency services were contacted through an automatic fire alarm system.

The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the FRS staff in the initial contact, with the following results and 2011/12 results included for comparison:

(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the FRS personnel on the telephone displayed these qualities).

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 100% 100%

Helpful 98% 100%

Efficient 99% 100%

Reassuring 90% 96%

Informative 94% 90%

These results compare similarly with the 2011/12 results with a slight drop in reassuring, where there is a 6% decrease.

Overall, 98% of respondents were satisfied with their initial contact with the Fire Service, of whom 84% said they were very satisfied.

This is slightly lower in satisfaction compared with 2011/12 performance where 100% of respondents were satisfied with their initial contact with the Fire Service.

6.2 At the Scene

The number of valid responses is fairly high for these questions, as either the respondent or a colleague was present at the scene in 80 of the incidents.

30% of respondents felt that WYFRS arrived at the incident quicker than expected and 63% said that the arrival time was as expected.

These results compare slightly differently from the 2011/12 results where 38% of respondents felt that WYFRS arrived quicker than expected and 57% said the arrival time was as expected.

98% of respondents said that they were kept informed of what was happening during the incident, with just 2% (2 respondents) saying that they were not kept informed.

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This is a slight difference on the 2011/12 results, when 96% of respondents said they were kept informed of what was happening during the incident.

The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the firefighters at the scene, giving the following results and 2011/12 results included for comparison:

(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the firefighters at the scene displayed these qualities).

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 98% 100%

Helpful 96% 99%

Informative 95% 98%

Efficient 98% 100%

Sensitive 93% 92%

The 2012/13 results demonstrate a slight decrease in nearly all areas when compared with the 2011/12 results.

99% of respondents felt that WYFRS kept the effects of the incident to a minimum. This is a slight decrease on last year where 100% of respondents felt that WYFRS kept the effects of the incident to a minimum.

Overall, 99% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the service provided at the scene, of which 89% said they were very satisfied.

This is a similar to the 2011/12 results where 100% of respondents said they were satisfied with the service provided at the scene, and again 89% said they were very satisfied.

6.3 Information and Advice Given

84% of the respondents received information at the scene, in the form of general safety advice. All of these found the advice helpful. 87% adopted the advice given whilst 12% (8 people) said the advice given was already in place.

This shows an increase upon 2011/12 where 74% of respondents had received general safety advice at the scene.

Only 26% (24 respondents) received a FRS advice booklet after the incident. However, all of these agreed that the information contained in the booklet was easy to understand and informative, whilst 99% agreed it was helpful and relevant.

This is a slight decrease upon the 2011/12 figures where 29% of respondents received a FRS advice booklet after the incident.

6.4 Overall Service

Overall, taking everything into account, 99% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service they received from WYFRS, of whom 86% said that they were very satisfied.

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This result is similar to the 2011/12 survey where 100% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the service they received from WYFRS.

The questionnaire asks for comments where users were dissatisfied with any part of the service (even if satisfied overall). Four comments were made to this effect and are perhaps worthy of follow up:

“I called 999 and was told they would not accept my call during flood. I called again next day and was told we would be added to a list of premises to attend. We did not go on any list. We approached the firefighters on the street to get attendance.”

“The level of call out was not required, 3 full engines doing nothing is a waste of money.”

“The service at the site was excellent. The letter from the unwanted signals team was pointless as the reason was obviously caused by flood damage to the alarm system.”

“We had to call them back due to miscommunication with site contractors, two sections of cladding were smoking but only one section was spotted at the start. FRS asked what were they doing at the time the alarm went off, but didn't ask if any other area had been worked on, but the contractor didn't offer this info either so was fault on both parts.”

6.5 Possible Improvements for Consideration

There were no suitable suggestions for improvements to be considered.

There is some concern regarding non-domestic premises since 35% of respondents said they have previously had an incident within the last three years (including 10 of false alarms). Further investigation into re-occurrences should be carried out due to these high figures.

7 Benchmarking

A total of 20 Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) commissioned Opinion Research Services to monitor the views of their users who experienced Domestic Incidents in 2012/13 attended by the FRS.

Of these, 19 also commissioned ORS to monitor Non-Domestic Incidents. The same questionnaire used by West Yorkshire was used by these other FRS.

The questions which were benchmarked are as follows:

Initial contact with the FRS: Five questions plus overall satisfaction for incidents in the home and non-domestic incidents.

Service provided at the scene: Eight questions plus overall satisfaction for incidents in the home and non-domestic incidents.

Information and advice: Eight questions for incidents in the home and three questions for non-domestic incidents.

Overall Satisfaction for Incidents in the Home and for Non-domestic Incidents

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West Yorkshire‟s comparative performance against these questions is as follows:

7.1 Incidents in the home

For Incidents in the Home, West Yorkshire scored top on 3 questions, jointly in 1 instance:

Received safety advice at the scene

Advice at the scene useful

Effects of incident kept to a minimum (joint top)

West Yorkshire was ranked in the top five for 10 of the 24 questions:

Speed of response

Firefighters efficient

Firefighters sensitive

Effects of incident kept to a minimum

Satisfaction with service at the scene


Advice at the scene useful

Offered a Home Fire Safety Check

Offered a booklet

Satisfaction with overall service

West Yorkshire scored significantly above average for 9 of the 24 questions:

Speed of response

Firefighter‟s efficiency

Effects of incident kept to a minimum

Satisfaction with service at the scene


Advice at the scene was useful

Offered a Home Fire Safety Check

Offered a booklet

Satisfaction with overall service

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West Yorkshire scored significantly below average for 4 of the 24 questions:

Initial contact polite

Initial contact reassuring

Initial contact informative

Booklet was informative

However it should be noted that WYFRS scored 95%, 91%, 92% and 92% for these questions respectively and with the national averages being 97%, 94%,94% and 95% it would suggest that scores across all FRS have been consistently high (with the exception of „speed of response‟, „offered a HFSC‟ and „offered a booklet‟) all of which West Yorkshire was in the top 10.

7.2 Non-Domestic Incidents

For Non-Domestic incidents West Yorkshire was ranked in the top three for 2 of the 19 questions:


Offered information booklet

West Yorkshire was ranked in the bottom three for 7 of the 19 questions:

Initial contact helpful

Initial contact efficient

Speed of response

Firefighters helpful

Firefighters informative

Firefighters efficient

Advice at the scene helpful

West Yorkshire scored significantly below average for 1 of the 19 questions.

Advice at the scene helpful

However it should be noted that WYFRS scored 98% for this question and with the national averages being 100% it would suggest that scores across all FRS have been consistently high.

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Issue Date: 30/08/2013

Quality of Service Survey 2012/13 (Schools Fire Safety Talks)

Page 1 of 4

Quality of Service Survey

2012/13 (Schools Fire Safety

Talks)


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Document Properties

Item Details

Document Title Quality of Service Survey 2012/13 (Schools Fire Safety Talks)

Author Pam Imeson



Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3

Age Group ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Planning and Visual Aids ....................................................................................................................... 3

The Presenters ....................................................................................................................................... 4

Pupils………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...4

Length of visit ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Overall Satisfaction ................................................................................................................................ 4

Appointment ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Follow up……………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

Comments ............................................................................................................................................... 5

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Introduction In order to monitor performance, after completion of a school fire safety visit, a questionnaire is distributed to teachers. The questionnaire is handed out by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), and is returned directly to an independent research company via a freepost envelope. The returned questionnaires are processed and the information obtained is analysed and a feedback report is sent to WYFRS. 173 completed questions were returned during terms 1-3, 2012/13. This is slightly lower than the 210 returned during 2011/12. Age Group 99% of visits were given to key stage two year groups. Of the respondents 100% felt the information was very well communicated. The comparison with 2011/12 results is detailed in the table below. 2012/13 2011/12 Percentage visits given to key stage 2 age group 99% 100% Level of communication very good or fairly good? 100% 100% Planning and Visual Aids 95% of respondents agreed that the arrangements for the visit were easy to make (82% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that the overall lesson was appropriate for the age of the class (89% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that the visual aid and support material were appropriate to the age of the class (90% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that the visual aids and support material used were appropriate to the lesson (90% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that the visual aids and support material were helpful (90% strongly agreed). The comparison with 2011/12 results is detailed in the table below. 2012/13 2011/12 Agree Strongly

Agree Agree Strongly

Agree Arrangements easy to make 95% 82% 100% 81% Overall lesson appropriate 100% 89% 100% 86% Visual aids and support material appropriate to age 100% 90% 100% 86% Visual aids and support material appropriate to lesson 100% 90% 100% 88% Visual aids and support material helpful 100% 90% 100% 89% The next question asks if there are any suggestions for teaching resources/materials that would be beneficial to support the delivery of fire safety education. The following statements are suggestions which could be considered:

An activity for the children to complete at home afterwards e.g. word search, crosswords etc. Extra smoke detectors for children to touch and recognise. Demonstrate the sound of the

alarm as children thought they would sleep through it. More interactive involvement by children e.g. get a group to role play escaping from house

following home plan. Film relating to car safety, wearing of seat belts and behaviour in the car. A little bit more time needed at the end for children to ask questions.

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Possibly some child sized protective gear? Items to show „before‟ and „after‟ fire to illustrate damage.

The Presenters 100% of respondents agreed that the presenters engaged with the group (89% strongly agreed), 98% agreed that the presenters were approachable (91% strongly agreed),99% agreed that the presenters were professional (94% strongly agreed), 99% agreed that the presenters were well informed (92% strongly agreed). The comparison with 2011/12 results is detailed in the table below. 2012/13 2011/12 Agree Strongly

Agree Agree Strongly

Agree Presenters engaged with the group 100% 89% 100% 86% Presenters approachable 98% 91% 100% 94% Presenters professional 99% 94% 100% 96% Presenters well informed 99% 92% 100% 94%

Pupils 100% of respondents agreed that the pupils were interested (87% strongly agreed), 100% agreed the pupils understood what they were being taught (79% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that after the visit, the pupils could remember what they had been taught (67% strongly agreed), 100% agreed that the message was communicated well to all pupils in the class (81% strongly agreed). The comparison with 2011/12 results is detailed in the table below. 2012/13 2011/12 Agree Strongly

Agree Agree Strongly Agree

Pupils interested 100% 87% 100% 87% Pupils understood 100% 79% 100% 81% Pupils remembered what was taught 100% 67% 100% 70% Message communicated well to all pupils in the class 100% 81% 100% 78%

Length of visit 95% of respondents felt the length of the visit was “about right”, whilst 5% thought it was “too short”.

Overall Satisfaction 99% of respondents were satisfied with the overall School Fire Safety visit, of whom, 85% were very satisfied. The comparison with 2011/12 results is detailed in the table below. 2012/13 2011/12 Satisfied Very Satisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied Overall Satisfaction 99% 85% 100% 89%

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Appointment 87% of respondents answered that the original appointment was kept. 13% (21) of respondents answered that the original appointment for the school fire safety visit was not kept by the Fire and Rescue Service. Of the 21 appointments not kept, nine were not kept because the Fire Service was called out to an emergency. Two were changed due to the schools having other commitments. One appointment was changed due to the school being closed because of the snow. One appointment was cancelled owing to the Firefighter due to deliver the talk being on annual leave. One cancelled due to a double booking. The remaining seven stated that the reasons are „not known‟. These results are slightly lower when compared with the 2011/12 results where 94% of respondents answered that the original appointment was kept. Follow up 85% of respondents answered that they would carry out follow up activities with their class. Most follow up activities involved discussions around what they have learnt, drawing up fire plans, completing booklets and creating posters. This result is slightly less when compared with the 2011/12 result where 94% of respondents answered that they would carry out follow up activities with their class.

Comments The majority of comments were positive. Most of them complimented how informative the session was, how approachable the firefighters were and how well they engaged with the children. A sample of comments giving particular praise for the visit was: “A good visit, enough details without being too scary, thank you”. “A great and interesting presentation, that brought awareness of fire safety”. “We appreciate this service provided by the fire service and feel it is important for the children's safety and education”. “A very positive experience and extremely beneficial for the children. Thank you”. “All staff and children enjoyed the talk and found it interesting and engaging”. A couple of comments suggesting areas for improvement are: “Before recordings are watched, maybe children could be asked to 'look out' for certain things not just be asked questions afterwards”. “It might be useful to start the session by setting out the aims”.

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Issue Date: 13/08/2013 Home Fire Safety Check Follow-Up Survey 2012-13 Page 1 of 7

Home Fire Safety Check

Follow-Up Survey 2012-13


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Item Details

Document Title Home Fire Safety Check Follow-Up Survey 2012-13

Author Pam Imeson



Table of Contents

1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3

2 Initial Contact ....................................................................................................................... 3

3 The Home Fire Safety Check Visit ....................................................................................... 4

4 Fire Safety Measures ........................................................................................................... 5

5 Overall Service ..................................................................................................................... 6

6 Interpretation of data ........................................................................................................... 6

7 Benchmarking ...................................................................................................................... 6

8 Areas for improvement ........................................................................................................ 7

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1 Introduction

In order to monitor performance, a follow up survey is sent out to a sample of residents who have had a Home Fire Safety Check (HFSC).

The questionnaire is sent out by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), and is returned directly to an independent research company via a freepost envelope. The returned questionnaires are processed and the information obtained is analysed and a feedback report is sent to WYFRS.

1,500 questionnaires were sent out during 2012/13 of which 481 were returned giving a response rate of 32%.

2012/13 2011/12


The questionnaire covered the following topics:

Initial Contact

The Home Fire Safety Check Visit

Fire Safety Measures

Overall Service

About You

2 Initial Contact

The majority of HFSCs completed were at the request of the resident (35%). 43% were carried out following an unscheduled visit by the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and 13% were requested by an external authority (e.g. Age Concern).

Only 10% were completed following an incident/fire. This suggests HFSCs are being used in a proactive way.

The majority of people found out about the HFSC from a member of the FRS coming to their door (43%).

Comparing these with the 2011/12 results, the percentage carried out at the request of the resident has decreased from 48% to 35%, the percentage carried out at the request of a partner agency has increased from 10% to 13% and the percentage carried out following an incident/fire has increased from 7% to 10%.

Following initial contact the majority of respondents had their HFSC within 1 week (74%). Only 2% (8) had to wait 5 weeks or more for their HFSC following initial contact.

Comparing these with the 2011/12 results, the percentage carried out within 1 week has remained about the same at 74%. The percentage that had to wait 5 weeks or more has also remained the same at 2%.

The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the FRS in the initial contact, with the following results along with the 2011/12 results included for comparison:

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(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the FRS personnel displayed these qualities).

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 100% 100%

Helpful 100% 100%

Efficient 99% 99%

Informative 98% 98%

Overall, 99% of respondents were satisfied with the service received during initial contact, of whom, 94% were very satisfied.

This represents the same response rate as the 2011/12 figures where 99% of respondents were also satisfied with the service received during initial contact.

3 The Home Fire Safety Check Visit

WYFRS managed to keep 99% of its appointments made for a HFSC. Out of the three respondents whose HFSC was not kept two were given an advanced warning and a reasonable explanation. All three respondents were given an apology.

The questionnaire asks a number of specific questions about the qualities displayed by the FRS staff who visited the home, with the following results and 2011/12 results included for comparison:

(Results are based on the number of respondents who strongly agreed or tended to agree that the FRS personnel displayed these qualities). Results are similar across both years.

Qualities 2012/13 2011/12

Polite 100% 100%

Helpful 100% 99%

Efficient 99% 99%

Informative 100% 100%

In the main, WYFRS personnel spent between 16 and 45 minutes inside a resident‟s home (64% of visits). This demonstrates efficient time being spent on HFSCs.

The HFSCs carried out to the 75 or over age group generally took longer than 15 minutes (only 27% took less). This is good to note as it would be more appropriate to spend more time with this vulnerable age group, particularly as they have a poor rate of implementing fire safety measures (implementation of fire safety measures covered later in the report).

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Thinking about the advice given by WYFRS to residents, 100% of respondents agreed it was useful and 100% of respondents agreed it was easy to understand.

These represent similar results to 2011/12 when thinking about the advice given by WYFRS to residents, 100% of respondents agreed it was useful and 99% of respondents agreed it was easy to understand.

In 71% of visits, new smoke alarms were fitted into the resident‟s home. This is a decrease on 2011/12 where new smoke alarms were fitted into the resident‟s home in 81% of visits.

In 97% of visits, advice was given about smoke alarms fitted in the home. This advice was mainly about how to test the unit(s) (90%) but there was also a large amount regarding the 10 year battery life (82%) and how often to test the units (74%). The advice was understood by 100% of the respondents. In 80% of visits a safety leaflet was left with the resident.

Thinking about the HFSC visit itself, 99% of respondents were satisfied with the service received, of whom, 94% were very satisfied.

This represents a slight decrease on the 2011/12 results where 100% of respondents were satisfied with the service received, of whom, 95% were very satisfied.

There was only one respondent who was dissatisfied. This was due to the first visit to fit a vibrating alarm could not be done as some testing equipment was faulty. On the return visit, they were unable to wall mount a strobe light alarm and told the occupant that they would come back, but have not done so to date.

4 Fire Safety Measures

84% of respondents said they check their smoke alarms at least once every six months.

The next question asks “which fire safety measures do you currently have/do you take in your home?” responses are as follows:

Close internal doors at night/when out 83%

A planned escape route 71%

A fire extinguisher 11%

Turn off/remove plugs at night 60%

Stopped using a chip-pan 43%

Fire blanket 6%

Only 52% of respondents said they have adopted some of the „new‟ fire safety measures in their home, although 89% of those have not done so because their current fire safety measures are sufficient. Alarmingly, 90% of respondents aged 75 and over have not adopted any of the new fire safety measures and a high percentage of these (12%) have not done so because they do not feel at risk from fire.

Of those who have adopted measures, the majority of the responses were closing the internal doors at night and when out (39%), check/test alarm regularly (23%), door and window keys placed where easily accessible (13%), planned escape route (13%) and switching off electricity at the plug and/or remove when not in use and at night (8%).

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5 Overall Service

Taking everything into account, 99% of respondents were satisfied with the Home Fire Safety Check Service, of whom, 95% were very satisfied.

These results are slightly lower than those obtained during 2011/12 when taking everything into account, 100% of respondents were satisfied with the Home Fire Safety Check Service, of whom, 96% were very satisfied.

The demographic profile of the responses is as follows:

66% female, 34% male

52% respondents were aged 60 or above

27% smokers, 73% non-smoker

35% have a long standing illness, disability or infirmity

72% own the property themselves

89% White British, 11% Other Ethnic Group

6 Interpretation of data

In an ideal world, respondents to the questionnaires would answer every question, but in practice they do not, answering some questions with a “don‟t know”, overlooking questions, or simply declining to answer. For this reason, the data considered here is the „valid data‟ i.e. the views of those respondents that expressed an actual opinion on a question.

7 Benchmarking

A total of 6 Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) commissioned Opinion Research Services to monitor the views of their users who have received a Home Fire Safety Check from the FRS. The same questionnaire used by West Yorkshire was used by the other FRSs.

Twenty questions in total were benchmarked and they were broken down as follows:

Initial Contact – five questions

The Home Fire Safety Check Visit – eight questions

Fire Safety Measures and Overall – seven questions

West Yorkshire‟s comparative performance against these questions is as follows:

West Yorkshire FRS scored best on 1 question, was ranked in the top three for 10 questions and scored significantly above average for 1 of the 20 questions:

Thinking about your initial contact with the FRS, do you agree or disagree that they were polite? Ranked 3rd

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Thinking about your initial contact with the FRS, do you agree or disagree that they were efficient? Ranked 3rd

Thinking about your initial contact with the FRS, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the service you received? Ranked 3rd

During their visit, do you agree or disagree that the advice given by the FRS personnel was easy to understand? Ranked 2nd

Thinking about the Home Fire Safety Check visit itself how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the service you received? Ranked 3rd

Which of the following fire safety measures do you currently have/do you take in your home?

A planned escape route - Ranked 2nd

Closing internal doors - Ranked 2nd

Turn off/remove plugs at night - Ranked 3rd

Stopped using a chip pan - Ranked 1st

Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the Home Fire Safety Check Service? Ranked 2nd

West Yorkshire FRS scored bottom for 2 of the 20 questions:

Do you have a fire extinguisher in your home?

Do you have a fire blanket in your home?

The poor rankings attained by WYFRS for the 2 questions in the Home Fire Safety Check visit were 11% and 6% respectively and with the national averages being 15% and 11%, it would suggest that all FRS scored low in these questions.

Community fire safety initiatives of WYFRS are based upon a risk assessment basis; it is the highest risk factors and the persons most at risk where resources are focused in an attempt to reduce injuries and death. Therefore, the message we issue is „Get Out, Stay Out‟. Giving people advice on the use of fire blankets or extinguishers contradicts the aforementioned strap line therefore WYFRS does not promote the usage of them.

8 Areas for improvement

It may be useful to consider the following areas for improvement within the Home Fire Safety Check Strategy.

Ensure no-one has to wait more than 5 weeks for the HFSC following initial contact.

During visits, promote the importance of adopting fire safety measures, particularly with the over 60 age group.

An increase in the percentage of residents who have been left a fire safety advice leaflet.

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Purpose To provide an update on completed successful prosecutions.

Recommendations That Members of the Community Safety Committee note the contents of this report.

Summary This report provides a summary of the outcomes of a number of investigations and prosecutions which have been carried out by Fire Protection and Fire Investigation and includes brief details of the incidents, the charges brought by the Crown Prosecution Service and the subsequent sentences.


Prosecutions Update Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 9 Submitted By: Director Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Chris Kemp Fire Protection Manager T : 0113 3874355 E: [email protected]


Annexes: Appendix 1 – JTF Wholesale Ltd

Appendix 2 – Fire Investigation Convictions

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1 Introduction 1.1 This report replaces and brings together the previous information submitted on a quarterly basis

by Fire Investigation together with information on successful prosecutions that have been brought by Fire Protection.

2 Information

2.1 Appendix 1 provides information on the successful prosecution of JTF Wholesale Ltd. The Fire Authority brought 5 charges, - 3 under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 (MSER) and 2 under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). Fines totalling £19,000 plus costs of £3,898.62 were awarded.

2.2 Appendix 2 provides a summary breakdown of the criminal investigations in which the Fire Investigation (FI) team have been involved and which have been resolved at the time of this report. There are a number of other investigations that are at differing stages and will be reported on at a later date.


3.1 For the case taken under MSER and RRO against JTF Wholesale Ltd the Authority received costs of £3,898.62 and JTF received fines totalling £19000.


4.1 The enforcement activity carried out by Fire Protection is done so in line with the published Enforcement Policy and furthermore the overarching Fire Safety Strategy. These documents incorporate the process of audit and inspection and a separate equality analysis has been carried out for each.

4.2 An equality analysis has also been carried out on the Fire Protection Prosecution Policy and the Petroleum & Explosives Policy.

4.3 The purpose of these analyses is to ensure that our activity within Fire Protection does not have a negative impact on any of the protected characteristics. The enforcement activity carried out is not directed at any individual characteristic, however it is directed at areas identified as being of a higher risk to occupant’s safety. This inevitably includes areas of the commercial sector that may impact upon certain characteristics, such as those who provide care for people with disabilities or within the petroleum industry where approximately 75% of licensees are from an ethnic minority group.

4.4 Prosecution procedures apply to premises where there has been a failure to comply with the law, irrespective of who occupies the premises. Prior to the commencement of the prosecution the case must meet the evidential test and public interest test before it is progressed, all the cases within this report have been as a result of a failure to comply with the law.


5.1 The statistical results suggest that detection and conviction reduce deliberate fire setting behaviour and, in doing so, improve public safety. The health and safety of relevant persons frequenting JTF Wholesale Store at 94 Gelderd Road, Leeds has significantly increased following our intervention.

5.2 There is evidence both nationally and locally, that those giving evidence in criminal cases, that attract high sentence tariffs, can be subject to reprisal by those sentenced or their relatives. Many of those convicted of arson have attacked people who were unknown to them and had done them harm; it is unknown what revenge they may take on someone who has been instrumental in convicting them.

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5.3 The FI role can be high profile and is used, with some success, when promoting fire safety following incidents that attract the public and media’s attention. However, a policy of anonymity is followed in the criminal justice cases, whereby only professional addresses and contacts are provided in correspondence.

5.4 The prosecution against JTF Wholesale Ltd is unique in that it is believed to be the first time a Responsible Person has been charged with offences under Article 16 2(a) of the RRO. The safety of fire-fighters is paramount and this case will highlight not only the implications for those who put members of the public at danger, but who also fail to take appropriate measures that allows FRS’s to plan and take precautionary measures in such circumstances.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 Detection and conviction can assist us in not only delivering a proactive fire protection programme

but also in delivering an on-going reduction in:

• Dwelling fires

• Deaths & injuries from dwelling fires

• Non domestic fires

• Secondary fires

• Anti-social behaviour

6.2 The follow up by fire protection inspectors at premises where there has been a fire enables us to identify deficiencies in fire safety compliance, allowing us to utilise our powers to enforce the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This assists us in prioritising our enforcement activities - ensuring the Authority’s statutory fire protection duties are discharged efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the incidence of fire and the effects of fire should it occur.

7 Conclusions

7.1 The summary at appendix 2 shows a breakdown of the criminal investigations in which the FI team have been involved and which have been resolved at the time of this report. There are a number of other investigations that are at differing stages and will be updated periodically, since last reporting, the following number of successful prosecutions have been made:

20 people were convicted of offences involving arson

1 conviction in relation to offences for the illegal storage of fireworks

These convictions have led to:

Prison sentences totalling 24 Years 1 month

Community orders totalling 6 Years 6 months

Fines totalling £19000 plus costs of £3,898.62

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Appendix 1

Fire Protection Prosecution – JTF Wholesale Ltd

On 1 November 2012 Officers form the Fire Protection Team visited the JTF store at 94 Gelderd Road Leeds for a routine inspection. During the visit they found the company to be storing more than seven times the amount of fireworks allowed under their registration, the maximum being 250 Kilograms of hazard type 4 explosives.

The following investigation culminated in JTF being prosecuted for various offences under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 (MSER) and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

The case was heard at Leeds Magistrates Court on 24 September 2013 where the court heard that JTF failed to take appropriate measures to limit the risk of fire and explosion, and in the event of a fire had no fire safety measures in place to stop a fire spreading.

The offences, to which JTF pleaded guilty, and the fines imposed were:

Regulation 11 (8) MSER

JTF were found guilty of storing in excess 1.5 tonnes over their registration - £5000 fine.

Regulation 4 (1) (a) MSER

Failure to take appropriate measures to prevent fire/explosion by storing 21 pallets of fireworks within the main warehouse - £5000 fine.

Regulation 5(1) MSER

Failure to apply appropriate separation distances, £5000 fine.

Article 16 2(a) RRO

Failure to provide information to allow WYFRS to plan and prepare response procedures and precautionary measures. £2000 fine

Article 9(1) RRO

Failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment £2000 fine

The fines totalled £19000.

The Authority received costs of £3898.62

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Appendix 2

Convictions For Arson Offences 2013 Update

DATE LOCATION DETAILS SENTENCE CONVICTEE

(Including age where available)

PRISON (Months)

COMMUNITY ORDER

(Months)

Nov 2011 Kirklees Set fire to cloth through letterbox.

Found guilty after trial of arson and other offences. 53 months imprisonment.

Male 53

Dec 2011 Kirklees Deliberate Ignition - multiple seats within property.

Pleaded guilty to simple arson and sentenced to 24 months community order, 6 months alcohol treatment and tagging.

Male (40) 24

Dec 2011 Bradford Deliberate Ignition - 2 seats of fire

Pleaded guilty to simple arson. 12 months community order. 6 months alcohol treatment order. Judge commended the witnesses.

Male (21) 12

Mar 2012 Bradford Drugs related bedroom Fire

Not charged with actual fire offence but was charged with drugs related offences - 12 months community order, 120 hours unpaid work.

Male 12

May 2012 Leeds Fire in open which then spread to house.

9 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. Male 9

Jun 2012 Kirklees Deliberate arson - accelerants used to club above restaurant

Pleaded guilty to simple arson. 16 months imprisonment. Male (21) 16

Jun 2012 Leeds Fire in open spread to house.

Intimidation of witness. 6 months conditional discharge and a 6 month restraining order.

Male 6

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Jun 2012 Leeds Deliberate fire in lounge/kitchen

Pleaded guilty to reckless arson. 30 months imprisonment. Female 30

Jul 2012 Leeds Deliberate ignition of bedroom, drugs involvement.

Charged with Arson with intent. Convicted of reckless arson and drugs offences. 20 months imprisonment.

Male 20

Aug 2012 Leeds Accidental fire through the misuse of candles

Child neglect - defendant received a caution on advice of CPS Female N/A N/A

Sep 2012 Leeds Deliberate fire by rescued 6 year old boy

Cruelty / neglect. Parent sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

Male 12

Sep 2012 Bradford Deliberate - Smashed window and ignited curtains

Pleaded guilty. 24 months community order, curfew and 150 hours unpaid work

Female 24

Sep 2012 Bradford Deliberate - Smashed window and ignited curtains

Pleaded guilty. 2 years imprisonment suspended. Curfew & supervision order.

Female 24

Nov 2012 Leeds Electrical fire fault (meter by-pass)

Fire started as a result of abstracting electricity illegally through bypassing the meter. Convicted of abstraction of electricity and drugs offences.

Male

Dec 2012 Leeds Car fire - accelerants used. Suspect received an adult caution. Male N/A N/A

Dec 2012 Calderdale Deliberate ignition following break-in

Convicted and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. Male 48

Dec 2012 Leeds Deliberate ignition of toilet roll in own flat.

Pleaded guilty to reckless arson - 22 months imp. Male 22

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Feb 2013 Bradford Deliberate – placed a firework through letterbox.

Pleaded guilty to Arson with intent. 2 years 4 months imprisonment. Male (41) 28

Mar 2013 Leeds

High rise property - set fire to her bed after spending the day drinking alcohol

Pleaded guilty before trial to reckless arson. 18 months imprisonment. Female (54) 18

Apr 2013 Leeds Deliberate ignition of hallway - accelerant used

Pleaded guilty to reckless arson. 9 months imprisonment, suspended for 18. Plus 18 months supervision order.

Male (56) 9

May 2013 Leeds

Deliberate fire by daughter in bedroom Caution given to parent. Male N/A N/A

Total 289 Months 78 Months

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Purpose To gain approval from Members of the Community Safety Committee for the introduction of a charging process for persistent false alarms from Automatic Fire Alarm systems.

Recommendations That Community Safety Committee approves the introduction of a pilot charging scheme for persistent false alarms as detailed within the report.

Summary At the meeting held on 26 April 2013 the Community Safety Committee approved the proposal for a consultation exercise covering a charging policy for persistent false alarms. Following the 3 month consultation, businesses, organisations and the general public have provided us with their valuable feedback in respect of this proposal - the largest amount of feedback being from members of the public. The majority of respondents replied to the consultation utilising the online questionnaire, a handful replied by means of a formal response and a summary of these are included within this report. The feedback demonstrates a range of opinions from consultee’s and this paper seeks to identify a positive course of action that will support the reduction of future false alarms and unwanted fire signals.


Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) Charging Policy - outcome of consultation Community Safety Committee Date: 8 November 2013 Agenda Item: 10 Submitted By: Director Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Chris Kemp Fire Protection Manager T: 0113 3874355 E: [email protected]


Annexes: Appendix 1 – Consultation results

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1 Introduction 1.1 Over the last 2 years work on the introduction of the new Automatic Fire Alarm policy culminated

in its full publication and implementation on 1 June 2012. Since the commencement of its trial in December 2011 there has been a reduction in attendances by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) to Unwanted Fire Signals (UwFS) by over 42%. However we currently still attend over 3600 false calls from automatic fire alarms per year as a result of faulty apparatus or poor management, this accounts for 16% of all fire calls.

1.2 As part of the process for the introduction of the policy it was agreed by Management Team that once the Localism Act 2011 had received Royal Assent, the possibility of introducing a charging scheme would be reviewed.

1.3 The Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) fast tracked the commencement of the general power of competence under the Localism Act 2011. These powers came into effect on 18 February 2012 for all principal local authorities and fire and rescue authorities in England. As a result, the Authority can now, under Section 18 of The Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004, charge for attending AFA’s where the following criteria are met:-

(a) The report is of fire at premises that are not domestic premises, and;

(b) The report is false, and;

(c) The report is made as a direct or indirect result of warning equipment having malfunctioned or been mis-installed, and;

(d) There is a persistent problem with false reports of fire at the premises that are made as a direct or indirect result of warning equipment under common control having malfunctioned or been mis-installed.

1.4 Whilst the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) enables the use of enforcement powers to tackle mis-management in non-domestic premises, there is an incremental process that needs to be followed before this action can be taken. The power to charge for false alarms can be used independently to recover the costs incurred by the authority for attending false alarms, however, this would inevitably be before any enforcement action is taken but would not preclude the provision of appropriate advice to the Responsible Person.

1.5 On 6 November 2012 the Management Team decided to progress with a charging policy that would be submitted through the Community Safety Committee. It was agreed that the current policy for the reduction of False Alarms & UwFS would need to be reviewed but the attendance levels introduced as part of that policy in December 2011 would be maintained as follows:

Between 08:00hrs and 19:00hrs – Unconfirmed AFA call received – No attendance.

Between 19:00hrs and 08:00hrs – Unconfirmed AFA call received - 1 pump attendance. This will applies to all commercial premises with the exception of: • Sleeping Premises (including such premises as hospitals, care homes hotels etc.) • Educational Premises • COMAH Sites • Heritage Sites • Specific risk premises as authorised by the Senior Operations Response Manager

1.6 At the meeting on 26 April 2013 the Community Safety Committee gave approval for a consultation exercise on the introduction of a charging scheme for persistent false alarms.

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2 Information 2.1 The consultation commenced on 1 June 2013 and ran until 31 August 2013. Initially the

consultation was due to run for 2 months however, in July a request from the Wakefield Council Communities and Safety Committee was received to extend the consultation to include Town and Parish Councils. Having reviewed the timescales for reporting the consultation it was agreed at the Community Safety Committee on 19 July 2013 that the consultation would be extended by 1 month. This would facilitate additional responses from this group of consultee's and letters were sent out to all Town and Parish Councils.

2.2 Letter invitations to take part in the consultation were issued to over 1,357 local and national business addresses operating across the county. These incorporated 200 businesses that currently generate a large number of false alarms and 200 businesses that have not generated false alarms in the last 5 years. In addition to this, specific organisations were also invited to take part in the consultation, including:

Local Chambers of Commerce Fire Industry Association NHS Trusts

Local Scrutiny Boards Local Town and Parish Councils Chief Fire Officers’ Association West Yorkshire Fire Prevention Panel members Chief Executives of Local Authorities Local Education Authorities Academy schools Relevant trade associations Regional Fire and Rescue Services National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers 2.3 The consultation received a high level of publicity. Two news releases were produced and

distributed to all West Yorkshire media (print and broadcast). One was at the start of the consultation followed by a second revised release mid-point.

2.4 Within the first 2 weeks of the consultation, extensive media coverage allowed Officers of WYFRS to provide clarity and answer questions on the proposals by conducting radio interviews and providing statements for the printed media for the following organisations:

Television - BBC Breakfast (local news) Radio - BBC Radio Leeds - Real Radio - Radio Aire - Pulse Radio - BCB Radio - Sunrise Radio - Stray FM

Local Press - Telegraph & Argus - Wakefield Express - Halifax Courier - Huddersfield Examiner - Spenborourgh Guardian - Yorkshire Post

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2.5 Social media was utilised to ensure full coverage with regular tweets signposting the consultation address via Twitter. The consultation was the main feature on WYFRS’ website for the period of the consultation and both news releases were posted on the website with links directly to the consultation.

2.6 A leaflet was produced which was handed out to all businesses visited by Fire Protection Inspectors during the consultation inviting them to take part in the consultation.

2.7 The consultation closed on 31 August 2013, at which point 192 responses had been received through the online survey and 9 responses had been received via letter. Those who submitted their comments via letter did not supply a copy of the online form, therefore a summary of those comments are provided separately to the survey data within appendix 1.

2.8 The majority of those who responded to the consultation process do not think the introduction of a charging policy will benefit businesses or occupant’s safety. Details of the full responses can be found in appendix 1 of this report.

2.9 The Fire Industry Association (FIA) have previously announced their concerns over fire authorities utilising different methods for dealing with the reduction of false alarms such as reduced response, enforcement and charging. This led the FIA in to announcing that they have set aside funding to support the first business that receives a charge to assist them in challenging it through the courts. This is still the position of the FIA and to date no business has received a charge.


3.1 The purpose of the charge is to recover the costs incurred in attending the call and this should reflect the actual costs, therefore the current special service charges will be used (£350 / hour).

3.2 The Authority already has invoicing income collection systems in place and consequently there will be little or no additional administrative burden as a result of the implementation of the charging.

3.3 It is likely that the amount of income generated will follow the pattern of income generated following the introduction of charges for lift rescues where the Authority saw significant income following implementation which has reduced along with the number of call outs.

3.4 The Authority still has to make significant savings over the next few years to balance its revenue budget which is likely to result in further reductions in the number of fire appliances. The implementation of this policy will not only generate some additional income in the early years but should in the long term lead to a reduction in activity.


4.1 All premises selected to receive an invite to the consultation have been done so based on the risk profile for the type of premises in question and the number of false alarms generated.

4.2 Media coverage was carried out in various formats including printed media and radio. Radio stations selected ensured coverage to the wider audience of West Yorkshire.

Stray FM is the only radio station available in certain rural areas and some of the region’s ethnic minority communities are represented in the audience for Sunrise Radio.

4.3 Any charging policy produced using the findings of this report needs to be informed by an equality analysis, carried out at an early stage. Of particular concern are potential adverse impacts upon at risk, vulnerable groups with protected characteristics that could result from a charging policy i.e. if “inadvisably and inappropriately (certain establishments) consider turning off their fire alarm system during the working day in order to avoid incurring a fine.”

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5 Health and Safety Implications 5.1 Prior to the consultation, concerns had been raised nationally over the actions that responsible

persons will take to reduce the likelihood of receiving a charge if a scheme was introduced. It is now clear following the consultation that this is a potential risk and therefore the introduction of a charging policy should be fully supported by the Media and PR team to ensure that business owners and those responsible for premises are fully aware of the benefits in proactively managing their fire alarm systems and the risks of taking systems “off line”.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 The focus of the consultation has been the driving down of false alarms. By doing this we will

provide an effective system of control which will ensure the service operates efficiently enabling us to achieve value for money through better management of resources.

7 Conclusions

7.1 False alarm calls as a result of Automatic Fire Alarms have a significant impact on the Authority’s activity and despite other initiatives still account for around 3600 calls per year.

7.2 The introduction of the Localism Act 2011 and the facility to charge for persistent false alarms was done so due to the significant number of attendances the UK Fire & Rescue Services make to false alarms generated by AFA systems. It was not introduced as a means for generating income for the FRS’s but to support businesses by assisting them to reduce their false alarms thus creating a safer working environment and better business stability.

7.3 Whilst the survey provides us with a picture, it does not identify or show the true benefits the introduction of such a scheme can bring. Those who responded to the survey are likely to automatically have a negative approach to the outcome due to negative media coverage or due to their own specific circumstances. Those people who are likely to be more affected by a charging scheme (those who generate more than 3 false alarms per year) are considered more likely to voice their concerns through the survey compared to those who currently manage their systems appropriately who were less likely to respond.

7.4 The survey results should not be read in isolation but together with other evidence which looks at this bigger picture and the significant potential to improve occupant safety by reducing the number of false alarms and unwanted fire signals. It is a known fact that frequent false alarms in a building can cause people to become complacent and less willing to react when the fire alarm actuates. Any initiative which seeks to encourage better management of fire alarm systems should be seen as a positive and proactive approach towards making West Yorkshire safer.

7.5 In addition to the existing fire safety support already provided to businesses by the fire protection team, the introduction of a charging policy would further support them by focusing their attention on the disruption caused by persistent false alarms.

7.6 Government statistics show that the cost to a business as a result of a false alarm is on average £1900 taking in to account down time in production/trading or customer service. This then has a significant impact and can cause a major disruption to business effectiveness, efficiency, profitability and services.

7.7 The financial impact the introduction of a charge will have on business is significantly lower than the governments calculated cost of a false alarm and therefore businesses already have a financial incentive to reduce the number of false alarms. However, the £1900 cost to business does not apply to those premises that generate the largest number of false alarms within West Yorkshire as they are not specific businesses but other government departments or local authority functions. These premises do not have the same financial incentive to reduce the number of false alarms as private businesses do and therefore whilst the main view from the consultation stated that a charge should not be introduced, the greatest incentive for these premises to reduce their false alarms is to introduce a charge.

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7.8 The introduction of any scheme is limited to the scope contained within the Localism Act and subsequently the amendment of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, being: “There is a persistent problem with false reports of fire at the premises that are made as a direct or indirect result of warning equipment under common control having malfunctioned or been mis-installed”.

7.9 Therefore where a system has operated correctly but due to the poor management of the premises it has resulted in actuation of the fire alarm and the Fire & Rescue Service has subsequently attended then a charge will be made.

8 Recommendations

8.1 A cost recovery policy should be introduced from 1 April 2014 that places a charge against those businesses that generate more than 3 false alarms in a 12 month period where WYFRS have made an attendance. This policy will be delivered on a ‘pilot’ basis over 18 months with built in reviews as detailed in 8.2. Upon completion of this pilot Members will be presented with a further paper recording the outcomes of the pilot and review, with a further decision being required to endorse the policy and process or otherwise on a permanent basis.

8.2 The schedule for reporting of the pilot will be as follows:

April 2014 – Pilot Introduced

November 2014 – Update on pilot to be submitted to Community Safety Committee

April 2015 - Update on pilot to be submitted to Community Safety Committee

November 2015 – Full update and review to be submitted to Community Safety Committee with decision required for endorsement of policy and process on a permanent basis.

8.3 Whilst the pilot will run for 18 months, it is recommended that once introduced it does not cease whilst awaiting decision at the November 2015 Community Safety Committee but continues to run until a decision has been made to endorse the policy in full or otherwise.

8.4 The policy will commence on 1 April 2014 which will be the first date of recording for the number of false alarms.

8.5 The cost recovery will be based on a set charge per qualifying actuation in line with the special service call rate, currently £350. This fee will be levied against the Responsible Person for the premises and not the Alarm Receiving Centre.

8.6 Development of the policy will include a process to allow those who receive a charge to appeal if they feel it has been issued in error.

8.7 The process for cost recovery will follow the same principles as the regime first introduced for lift rescue incidents. The fourth AFA incident in a 12 month period will trigger a charge to the responsible person for the premises. Once a premises has become chargeable all subsequent attendances will generate a charge until the number of attendances to the premises reduces to three or less within a 12 month period.

8.8 Charging will be administered by station personnel. The invoicing process will be aligned in a similar format to that for lift rescues. The current process for issuing a charge using the 701A form will be utilised.

8.9 The following chart details how the process will flow for qualifying premises:

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Appendix 1 Results of the consultation.

In a perfect world, respondents to the questionnaire would answer every question however, in practice this is not the case as some respondents may overlook some questions, decline to answer or say that they have “no view”. When analysing the responses to the survey the data primarily to consider is the ‘valid data’, that is, the views of respondents who expressed an opinion to the specific question.

Therefore the information provided within this paper is based on the valid data; this may appear to vary from the data provided for the full responses as those questions which have not been answered have been eliminated for the purpose of this report.

Question 1 - Within which business sector category does your organisation sit?

This question was answered by all participants with the main respondents being general public, patient care and ‘other’ as detailed below:

Sector Percentage Number Retail 8.33% 16 Manufacturing 7.81% 15 Education 8.33% 16 Hotel and Leisure 3.13% 6 Care Home 3.65% 7 Trade association 0.52% 1 Patient care 13.54% 26 Office 8.33% 16 Alarm Receiving centre (ARC) 9.38% 18 General public 19.79% 38 Other 17.19% 33

The fact that ‘other’ comes out significantly high is likely to be due to the fact that during the consultation invites were sent to Town and Parish Councils and Local Authorities which may not fit specifically in one category or another.

Question 2 - If West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) introduces a charge for

attending repeat false alarms, do you think the cost to business will be offset by the benefit to society?

This question surprisingly showed a significant split in the two answers despite focus throughout the consultation process being on the reduction of false alarms and safety of occupants. Two replies from the 9 additional letter respondents would suggest that they would have answered ‘yes’ to this question, the remaining 7 would have likely answered ‘no’ based on the comments contained within the letters.

Question 3 - At present WYFRS incur the cost for attending false alarms, if a policy is introduced to make a charge, who should receive the charge?

YES 36.1% 65 Respondents

NO 63.9% 115 Respondents

The Alarm Receiving Centre 13.3% 23 Respondents

The Organisation Responsible 86.7% 149 Respondents

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The response to this question was conclusive, highlighting that the vast majority of respondents believed the organisation responsible for the property should receive the charge. This is significant as at least 63% of respondents were from the business sector (excluding Alarm Receiving Centres & Other). It clearly shows that those businesses recognise they are responsible for the effects and impact false alarms have.

Question 4 - Do you think the introduction of a charging policy will improve the safety of occupants by ensuring systems are managed appropriately?

Had this question been based purely around occupants being safe if systems were managed appropriately then the likelihood is that the majority of replies would have been ‘yes’. Therefore the factor affecting the answers to this question relates specifically to the introduction of a charging scheme. The responses given to question 9 and 10 have a direct correlation to this question, those stating fire alarms will be taken off-line are not likely to answer ‘yes’ to this question.

Question 5 - How many calls would you consider to be persistent in a 12 month period?

This question was always going to provide large variations on opinion. This is mainly due to those businesses that are likely to manage their systems appropriately, would do so in accordance to British Standard 5839-1. This standard provides a target number of false alarms based on the number of detector heads installed. Therefore there is a direct link to the size of the property and it would be assumed that those larger premises that generate a higher number of false alarms would have selected a higher number of calls to be considered as persistent. Additionally businesses that do not generate many false alarms or those with smaller premises are likely to have selected a lower figure for this question.

Question 6 - If charging is introduced how many months’ notice should businesses receive prior to its implementation?

3 Months 16.1% 31 Respondents




>12 Months 25% 48 Respondents

The majority of respondents stated that 12 months would be an appropriate period of notice prior to the introduction of a charging scheme. Any charging scheme introduced would be based on a 12 month period.

Yes 38.2% 71 Respondents

No 61.8% 115 Respondents

3 Calls 21.9% 42 Respondents




>12 Calls 22.4% 43 Respondents

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Question 7 - The current hourly charge for a fire appliance is £350 excluding VAT, should a charge be made for each appliance that attends or should there be a set charge per false alarm?

Whilst the focus of the consultation concentrated on reducing false alarms and in turn ensuring the safety of occupants, the fact remains that a charging scheme provides the opportunity to recover costs. A significant percentage of respondents believe that if a charge is introduced, it should be a set charge per false alarm. Whilst this would be an easier process to follow it would not fall under the scope of cost recovery as we would not be charging for the resources utilised on each occasion. In order to ensure adequate costs are recovered under a set charge scheme, a set charge higher than the current hourly rate for an appliance would need to be introduced based an average cost.

Question 8 - Do you think we should introduce, as part of a charging policy, a process that allows those who receive a charge to make an appeal against it, if they believe it has been issued incorrectly?

This question provided the smallest variance in opinion with 94.4% of respondents agreeing that any policy introduced should include an appeals process. The introduction of an appeals process would bring additional work and it is likely that current resources would not be sufficient to manage this process.

Question 9 - Is it likely that businesses will remove the link from the fire alarm to the Alarm Receiving Centre by taking their alarms “off line” in order to avoid calling out the Fire Service and receiving a charge?

This question was asked during the survey in a hope that businesses would provide an honest answer regarding this concern. During radio interviews carried out it was stressed that the survey was anonymous and people were encouraged to be as open and honest as possible. From the figures provided it appears that businesses took this advice, providing us with valuable reliable data that can be used to provide the bigger picture when assessing the likely impact a charging scheme would have.

Question 10 - Do you think employees or members of the public will be put at risk due to actions which may be taken to avoid a charge?

Again, as 63% of respondents were from the business sector the replies to this question show the true picture and potential impact the introduction would have. Additional comments provided did

Set charge 70.3% 116 Respondents

Charge per appliance 29.7% 49 Respondents







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not give any further indication on what actions may be taken however, it is reasonable to determine (given that 83.6% stated), that one of those actions would be to take the fire alarm off-line.

Of the 9 formal responses received the following breakdown identifies the business sectors to which they belong:

One formal response supported the introduction of a charging scheme stating:

“We believe that all non-domestic business rated organisations should be charged for the second subsequent fire attendance service call out in any financial year provided that they are allowed 3 months grace to provide a reasonable and justifiable reason that the charge be dismissed.”

Significant opposition was provided within the other formal responses, particularly from the Local Authority and NHS Trusts. A brief summary of their key concerns are detailed below:

“With regard to school premises it is possible that schools may well inadvisably and inappropriately consider turning off their fire alarm system during the working day in order to avoid incurring a fine. On the basis of a financial impact assessment the value of imposing a fine on local authority schools will be counterproductive.”

“The Trust feels that should a charging regime be implemented this would lead to charges being made against the Trust despite the best efforts of all concerned to minimise the number of false alarm calls. This will inevitably mean that resources will be used to pay for these charges where they should be utilised for the care of the Trust’s patients.

“BS 5839-1-2013 accepts that false alarms are inevitable, especially on large more complex systems. Hospitals have multiple systems with between 100 – 6000 devices on a system with multiple systems on a site. These systems are constantly being added to, and upgraded with the goal of full L1 provision. This can increase false alarms, but more critically it increases protection to life and property. To penalise organisations increasing protection afforded to the public could have a counterproductive approach”

“Whilst I accept that there is an unnecessary cost burden to WYFRS from false alarms, I cannot ignore the potential cost implications this would have on the NHS Trust.”

The number of respondents totalled 201. This is approximately 15% of the total number of formal invites sent out and provides adequate data analysis based on guidance from the Office for National Statistics.

Given a margin of error of 7.4% based on a confidence level of 95% the statistics provided still show a clear distinction of the views of those who took part in the survey. The only questions that may alter if the margin of error is applied would be Questions 1, 5, and 6. These questions do not specifically give a view on the introduction of a charging scheme but focus on how it would be introduced.

NHS Trust 4 Respondents

Local Authority 1 Respondent

Alarm Receiving Centre 1 Respondent

Property Management 1 Respondent

HM Prison Service 1 Respondent

Parish Council 1 Respondent

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