Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

Performance Committee

Meeting to be held on 14 December 2022

Performance Management Information For 2nd Quarter 2022/23

(Appendix 1 refers)

Contact for further information – Jon Charters, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO)

Tel: 01772 866801

Executive Summary

This paper provides a clear measure of our progress against the Key Performance

Indicators (KPI) detailed in the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2027.

Recommendation

The Performance Committee is asked to note and endorse the Quarter 2 Measuring Progress report, including the three negative exceptions.

Information

As set out in the report.

Business Risk

High

Environmental Impact

High – the report apprises the Committee of the Authority's progress.

Equality & Diversity Implications

High – the report apprises the Committee of the Authority's progress.

HR Implications

Medium

Financial Implications

Medium

Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985

List of background papers

Paper:         

Date:           

Contact:      

Reason for inclusion in Part 2 if appropriate: N/A

Measuring Progress

Performance Report

QUARTER 2: JULY 2022 – SEPTEMBER 2022

Introduction

The following pages set out Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s Performance Framework, an explanation of how our Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI) are measured and how we are performing.

The document illustrates our performance across all our KPI’s and where appropriate, by an analysis of the KPI’s which are classified as being in exception, along with an analysis of the cause and actions being taken to improve performance.

Contents	Page (s)
Introduction	2
Table of Contents	3
Explanation of Performance Measures	4
Performance Framework and Indicator Trends	5 – 7
Key Performance Indicators	8 – 45

Table of contents

Explanation of Performance Measures. 4

Performance Framework and indicator trends. 5

1.1 Overall Staff Engagement 8

1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT) 9

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC) 11

1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook. 12

1.3.1 Workforce Diversity. 14

1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited. 15

1.4 Staff Accidents. 16

2.1 Risk Map. 17

2.2 Overall Activity. 18

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires. 20

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties. 21

2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 22

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises) 23

2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 24

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises) 25

2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 26

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires. 27

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings. 28

2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises. 29

2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (Rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc.) 30

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC) 31

2.8 Numbers of prevention activities such as: Childsafe, wasted lives etc. 32

2.9 Fire Safety Activity (including Business Fire Safety Checks) 33

2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC) 34

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 35

3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 36

3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability. 37

3.3.1 Fire Engine Availability Wholetime Shift System.. 38

3.3.2 Fire Engine Availability On-Call Shift System.. 39

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget 42

4.2 Partnership Collaboration.. 43

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction.. 45

Explanation of Performance Measures

KPI’s are monitored either by using an XmR chart, comparing current performance against that achieved in the previous years activity, or against a pre-determined standard - for example: the response standard KPI’s are measured against a range of set times.

The set times are dependent upon the risk rating given to each Super Output Area (SOA), which is presented as a percentage of occasions where the standard is met.

XmR chart explanation (Value [X] over a moving [m] range [R]).

An XmR chart is a control chart used to highlight any significant changes in activity so that interventions can be made before an issue arises. It can also highlight where activity has decreased, potentially as a result of preventative action which could be replicated elsewhere.

Activity is deemed to be within standard if it remains within set upper and lower limits. These limits are based upon the previous three years activity and are set using a statistically derived constant, approximately equivalent to three standard deviations.

An exception report is generated if the upper, or lower, XmR rules are breached.

The following rules are applicable to the XmR charts and define when an exception has occurred:

· A single point beyond the Upper Control Limit is classified as a negative exception.

· A single point beyond the Lower Control Limit is classified as a positive exception.

Example XmR chart: In the example below, this KPI would produce a negative exception for meeting rule 1, as the activity, represented as a dark blue line, for May 2021 (    ) is above the Upper Control Limit (UCL) and a positive exception in September 2021 (    ) for meeting rule 2, being below the Lower Control Limit (LCL).

Performance Framework and indicator trends

The Combined Fire Authority sets the Service challenging targets for a range of key performance indicators (KPI) which help them to monitor and measure our performance in achieving success and meeting our priorities. Performance against these KPI’s is scrutinised every quarter at the Performance Committee.

The following graphic illustrates our priorities and how their respective KPI’s fit within the overall performance framework.

This section also provides an overview of the performance direction of the KPI’s. Each KPI is shown within its priority, with an indicator called Sparkline’s; which are the inset summary charts and indicate the relative direction of travel over the last four quarters. The last point of the chart represents the most recent quarter. Sparkline’s are simple indicative indicators and are not intended to have labelled points or axes.

1.1 Overall Staff Engagement

A written update on staff engagement will be provided on a quarterly basis.

Scope and definition:

Staff engagement is achieved through a variety of activities carried out every day across the service including station visits, digital staff sessions, appraisals, and team meetings. This includes a programme of wellbeing interactions such as workplace toolbox talks, station visits, workshops and wellbeing support dog visits. All members of staff can raise questions, ideas and improvements on the service’s intranet and staff are regularly involved in testing and trialling new equipment and ways of working. Surveys and consultations are held on specific matters when required such as proposals for new uniform and working during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A comprehensive staff survey is undertaken periodically to gain insight from all staff on a range of topics including leadership and management, training and development, and equality, diversity and inclusion. The feedback is used to shape future activity and bring about improvements and new ideas. The survey includes a staff engagement index which is a measure of overall staff engagement based on levels of pride, advocacy, attachment, inspiration and motivation. The current staff engagement index score is 79% (2021).

Measurement/update:

From July to September 2022, staff engagement centred on informing and involving people in relation to the emergency cover review consultation. An extended version of the public consultation survey was created specifically for members of staff which included more detailed questions to collect their feedback on all the proposals. The survey was available online and via paper copies. Twenty-seven staff engagement sessions with firefighters were held throughout the consultation period plus additional sessions with managers.

Sixteen stations visits were carried out by principal officers and area managers during the period, along with 33 wellbeing interactions which included wellbeing support dog interactions, health and wellbeing workshops and traumatic incident briefings. The service also engaged with staff on matters relating to vehicles and equipment including replacement of tactical PPE and breathing apparatus; road traffic collision tools and equipment; and climate change vehicles.

1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT)

Cumulative shifts lost 4.513

The cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime staff divided by the total average strength.

Annual Standard: Not more than 5 shifts lost.
(Represented on the chart as annual shifts lost ÷ 4 quarters = 1.25)

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

4.513

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being above the Service target for quarter 2.

Analysis

During quarter two July – September2022, absence statistics show Whole-time personnel absence above target for the quarter.

1,542 Wholetime absence shifts lost = 2.54 against a target of 1.25

There were two cases of long-term absence which span over the total of the 3 months.  The absence reasons being:

· Mental Health – Work Related – 1 case

· Gastro-Intestinal (abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea) – 1 case

There were 34 other cases of long-term absence which were also recorded within the 3 months:

Reason	Case/s	Reason	Case/s
Hospital/Post Operative	9	Cancer and Tumours	1
Mental Health - Other	5	Respiratory - Cold/Cough/Influenza	1
Musculo Skeletal - Back	4	Musculo Skeletal - Upper Limb	1
Mental Health - Stress	3	Musculo Skeletal - Lower Limb	1
Heart, Cardiac and Circulatory problems	2	Musculo Skeletal - Other/Unable to define	1
Covid-19 Coronavirus - Sickness	2	Skin Condition	1
Cause Known, but not Specified	1	Virus/Infectious diseases	1
Gastro-Intestinal (abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea)	1

Actions being taken to improve performance

The Service aims to continue with:

· Early intervention by Occupational Health Unit (OHU) doctor/nurse/physiotherapist.

· Human Resources (HR) supporting managers in following the Absence Management Policy managing individual long-term cases, addressing review periods/triggers in a timely manner and dealing with capability off staff due to health issues.

· To be included again within the leadership conference to assist future managers understanding and interpretation of the policy. 

· Encouraging employees to make use of our Employee Assistance Programme provider Health Assured and The Firefighters Charity.

· HR to be in attendance at Stress Risk Assessment meetings, to support managers and to offer appropriate support to the employee along with signposting.

· OHU to organise health checks for individuals on a voluntary basis.

· Support from Service Fitness Advisor/Personal Training Instructors (PTI’s).

· Promotion of health, fitness and wellbeing via the routine bulletin and Employee Assistance programme.

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC)

Cumulative Absence 1.84%

The percentage of contracted hours lost due to sickness for all On-Call contracted staff.  An individual’s sickness hours are only counted as absent where they overlap with their contracted hours.

Annual Standard: No more than 2.5% lost as a percentage of available hours of cover.

Cumulative On-Call absence, as a percentage of available hours of cover at end of the quarter, 1.84%.

Cumulative On-Call absence (as % of available hours of cover):

1.84%

1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook

Cumulative shifts lost 3.053

The cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all Greenbook support staff divided by the average strength.

Annual Standard: Not more than 5 shifts lost.
(Represented on the chart as annual shifts lost ÷ 4 quarters = 1.25)

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

3.053

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being above the Service target for quarter 2.

Analysis

During quarter two July – September 2022, absence statistics show non-uniformed personnel absence above target for the quarter.

329 non-uniformed absence shifts lost = 1.57 against a target of 1.25

There was 1 case of long-term absence which span over the total of the 3 months. The reason being:

· Cardiovascular – 1 case

There were 5 other cases of long-term absence which were also recorded within the 3 months:

Reason	Case/s	Reason	Case/s
Hospital/Post Operative	2	Cancer and Tumours	1
Heart, Cardiac & Circulatory problem	1	Covid-19 Coronavirus - Sickness	1

Actions being taken to improve performance

The Service aims to continue with:

· Early intervention by Occupational Health Unit (OHU) doctor/nurse/physiotherapist.

· Human Resources (HR) supporting managers in following the Absence Management Policy managing individual long-term cases, addressing review periods/triggers in a timely manner and dealing with capability off staff due to health issues.

· To be included again within the leadership conference to assist future managers understanding and interpretation of the policy. 

· Encouraging employees to make use of our Employee Assistance Programme provider Health Assured and The Firefighters Charity.

· HR to be in attendance at Stress Risk Assessment meetings, to support managers and to offer appropriate support to the employee along with signposting.

· OHU to organise health checks for individuals on a voluntary basis.

· Promotion of health, fitness and wellbeing via the routine bulletin and Employee Assistance programme.

1.3.1 Workforce Diversity

Diversity Percentage (Refer to charts)

Workforce diversity as a percentage: Performance measure of how representative our staff are of our communities, to monitor equality and diversity within Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

Combined diversity percentage of Grey book operational and Green book support staff.

Diversity percentage by Grey book operational staff and Green book support staff. Counts will include double counts if dual contract between Grey and Green book.

Gender	Female	Grey	8%	Green	59%
	Male		92%		41%
Ethnicity	BME	Grey	3%	Green	7%
	White		95%		87%
	Not stated		2%		6%
Sexual orientation	LGBT	Grey	3%	Green	3%
	Heterosexual		46%		50%
	Not stated		51%		47%
Disability	Disability	Grey	3%	Green	4%
	No disability		95%		89%
	Not stated		2%		7%

1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited

Diversity Percentage (Refer to charts)

Workforce diversity recruited as a percentage: Performance measure of our success in recruiting a diverse workforce to monitor equality and diversity within Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

Combined diversity percentage of Grey book operational staff and Green book support staff.

During quarter 2, there were a total of 37 new recruits.

No further breakdown is provided to prevent the possible identification of individuals due to the small numbers of recruits during certain periods.

1.4 Staff Accidents

Activity 25

This KPI details the numbers of accidents which have occurred to LFRS staff members at work within the quarter: Wholetime, On-Call and Greenbook.

As part of our Health and Safety Management System we report and investigate all accidents which occur within Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) to identify any learning opportunities which can contribute to improving our safety culture within Service.

As the body ultimately responsible for health and safety performance, this KPI enables Fire Authority members to view LFRS progress on managing health and safety risks within LFRS.

An improvement is shown if the average number of staff accidents per quarter within the control limits.

Quarterly activity increased 8.70% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Total number of staff accidents	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	33	25	44	23

2.1 Risk Map

Risk Score 31,576

This indicator measures the fire risk in each Super Output Area (SOA).  Risk is determined using fire activity over the previous three fiscal years along with a range of demographic data, such as population and deprivation.

Specifically, the risk score for each SOA is calculated using the formula shown below. Once an SOA has been assigned a score, it is then categorised by risk grade.

The County risk map score is updated annually, before the end of the first quarter. Standard: To reduce the risk in Lancashire - an annual reduction in the County risk map score. An improvement is shown by a year-on-year decreasing ‘Overall Risk Score’ value. The inset table below shows the latest count of risk areas against the previous year, along with the overall risk score compared to the previous year.

Risk Grade	Very High	High	Medium	Low	Overall Risk Score
2022 count	25	47	333	536	31,576
2021 count	21	61	338	521	31,862
Direction / % Change

2.2 Overall Activity

Quarter Activity 5,386

The number of incidents that LFRS attend with one or more pumping appliances. Includes fires, special service calls, false alarms and collaborative work undertaken with other emergency services. For example, missing person searches on behalf of the Police and gaining entry incidents at the request of the Ambulance Service.

A breakdown of incident types included within this KPI are shown on the following page.

Quarterly activity increased 8.41% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Incidents attended	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	10,286	5,386	9,853	4,968

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	1,714	1,485	1,578	1,445	1,433

2.2 Overall Activity Breakdown

Quarter Activity 5,386

Incidents attended by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service consist of a myriad of different types. The breakdown below, whilst not an exhaustive list, aims to illustrate how activity captured within KPI 2.2 Overall Activity is split by the different types of incidents.

The chart figures represent the count and percentage each activity contributes to the quarter’s activity, whilst the inset table breaks the incident types down further.

Fires yet to be classified, and chimney fires (<1%) and are not shown on the chart breakdown.

	FALSE ALARM incidents make up 45% of activity, with 61% being Fire alarm due to Apparatus incidents. On 1^st April 2022 a revised false alarm policy was introduced to help reduce the number of AFA’s. Since that time there has been a 43% reduction within property types covered by the policy change.
	FIRE PRIMARY incidents encompass Accidental Dwelling Fires at 41% and are shown later in the report within KPI 2.3. Accidental Building Fires are split between commercial (KPI 2.4) and non-commercial premises (KPI 2.5).
	FIRE SECONDARY incidents are caused by either a deliberate or accidental act, or the cause is not known. Deliberate fires mainly involve loose refuse and currently account for 47%, with accidental or not known fires accounting for 53%.
	SPECIAL SERVICE incidents are made up of a number of different activities, such as: Gaining entry to a property on behalf of the Ambulance Service accounting for 32% and Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) 22%. *Subset of critical special service incidents (KPI 3.2).

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires

Quarter Activity 203

The number of primary fires where a dwelling has been affected and the cause of fire has been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘Not known’.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 4.10% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Dwelling Fires	Year to date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	407	203	432	195

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	68	70	71	72	68

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties

Quarter Activity 10

ADF criteria as 2.3. The number of fire related fatalities, slight and serious injuries.

· A slight injury is defined as: a person attending hospital as an outpatient (not precautionary check).

· A serious injury is defined as: at least an overnight stay in hospital as an in-patient.

Quarterly activity decreased 23.08% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Casualty Status	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
Fatal	4	2	1	0
Injuries appear Serious	6	2	5	2
Injuries appear Slight	7	6	17	11
Total	17	10	23	13

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	3	4	4	3	5

2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Percentage 89%

ADF criteria as 2.3. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at accidental dwelling fires, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires is limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Combined quarterly percentage increased 2% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	22/23 Q1	22/23 Q2	22/23 Q3	22/23 Q4	Ç/ò	21/22 Q1	21/22 Q2	21/22 Q3	21/22 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	23%	25%	-	-	ò	21%	30%	21%	23%
Limited to item 1st ignited	13%	13%	-	-	ò	17%	17%	15%	16%
Limited to room of origin	47%	51%	-	-	Ç	49%	41%	50%	51%
Limited to floor of origin	10%	4%	-	-	ò	8%	9%	10%	8%
Spread beyond floor of origin	3%	6%	-	-	Ç	5%	3%	3%	2%
Whole Building	3%	1%	-	-	ó	1%	1%	0%	0%
Combined percentage	84%	89%	-	-	Ç	87%	87%	87%	90%

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises)

Quarter Activity 72

The number of primary fires where a building has been affected, which is other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling, and the cause of fire has been recorded as Accidental or Not known.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 5.88% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises)	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	140	72	142	68

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	23	20	23	17	20

2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Activity 69%

ABF criteria as 2.4. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at accidental building fires, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires is limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Quarterly activity decreased 7% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	22/23 Q1	22/23 Q2	22/23 Q3	22/23 Q4	Ç/ò	21/22 Q1	21/22 Q2	21/22 Q3	21/22 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	16%	17%			ò	19%	28%	19%	24%
Limited to item 1st ignited	21%	14%			Ç	16%	13%	15%	20%
Limited to room of origin	30%	39%			Ç	36%	35%	38%	31%
Limited to floor of origin	24%	17%			Ç	16%	13%	15%	11%
Spread beyond floor of origin	3%	6%			Ç	7%	4%	1%	6%
Whole Building	6%	8%			Ç	5%	6%	12%	8%
Combined percentage	67%	69%			ò	72%	76%	72%	75%

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)

Quarter Activity 23

The number of primary fires where a private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, private summerhouse, or other private non-residential building has been affected, and the cause of fire has been recorded as Accidental or Not known.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity remained static against the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	51	23	52	23

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	9	8	6	11	6

2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Activity 22%

ABF criteria as 2.5. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at accidental building fires, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires is limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Quarterly activity decreased 8.7% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	22/23 Q1	22/23 Q2	22/23 Q3	22/23 Q4	Ç/ò	21/22 Q1	21/22 Q2	21/22 Q3	21/22 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	4%	9%	-	-	Ç	3%	4%	8%	8%
Limited to item 1st ignited	0%	13%	-	-	ò	10%	17%	0%	17%
Limited to room of origin	16%	0%	-	-	ò	0%	9%	15%	0%
Limited to floor of origin	8%	13%	-	-	ó	0%	13%	0%	17%
Spread beyond floor of origin	0%	0%	-	-	ó	3%	0%	0%	8%
Whole Building	72%	65%	-	-	Ç	83%	57%	77%	50%
Combined percentage	20%	22%	-	-	ò	14%	30%	23%	25%

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires

Quarter Activity 737

The number of primary and secondary fires where the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

This is an overall total measure of deliberate dwelling, commercial premises, and other fires, which are further reported within their respective KPI’s.

Quarterly activity increased 43.39% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	1,467	737	1,174	514

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	245	168	161	153	189

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings

Quarter Activity 20

The number of primary fires where a dwelling has been affected and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity decreased 33.33% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires - Dwellings	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	36	20	57	30

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	6	9	8	9	10

2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises

Quarter Activity 21

The number of primary fires where the property type is a building, which is other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling, and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity decreased 41.67% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires – Commercial	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	53	21	78	36

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	9	10	11	8	12

2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (Rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc.)

Quarter Activity 696

The number of primary and secondary fires where the property type is other than a building, except where the building is recorded as derelict, and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

The majority of deliberate fires are outdoor secondary fires and include grassland and refuse fires. Derelict vehicle fires are also included under secondary fires.

Primary fires are when the incident involves casualties or rescues, property loss or 5 or more pumping appliances attend the incident, and can include large scale moorland fires or vehicle fires which are not derelict.

Quarterly activity increased 55.36% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires – Other	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	1,378	696	1,039	448

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2021/22	2020/21	2019/20
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	230	149	143	136	167

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC)

Quarter Activity 59%

The percentage of completed HFSC’s, excluding refusals, carried out by LFRS personnel or partner agencies in the home, where the risk score has been determined to be high.

An improvement is shown if:

· The total number of HFSC’s completed is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year and,

· The percentage of high HFSC outcomes is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Quarterly activity increased 37.1% over the same quarter of the previous year.

High risk outcomes decreased 9.0% over the same quarter of the previous year.

	2022/23		Ç/ò	2021/22
	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes	Progress	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes
Q 1	5,024	58%	Ç/ò	3,650	66%
Q 2	5,403	59%	Ç/ò	3,940	68%
Q 3			-	5,015	62%
Q 4			-	5,033	60%

Cumulative year to date activity

2.8 Numbers of prevention activities such as: Childsafe, wasted lives etc.

Activity	Description	Targets for delivery	Data for quarter 2 22/23
ChildSafe	Fire Safety education package to Year 2 (key stage 1)	Offered to all year 2 pupils Due to Covid offer to all year 3 in 2021/22 academic year	55 sessions delivered to 1,561 attendees
RoadSense	Fire and Road Safety education package to Year 6 (key stage 2)	Offered to all year 6 pupils	26 sessions delivered to 845 attendees
SENDSafe	Fire Safety education package for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)	Offered to all SEND schools	4 sessions delivered to 79 pupils
Wasted Lives	Pre Driver information session in workshop or assembly format. Aimed at Year 10 or Year 11 in high school (key stage 4)	Increase delivery aligned to district risk in the academic year 22/23	4 sessions delivered to 176 pupils
Biker Down	3 hour course aimed at Powered 2 Wheel riders covering incident management, first aid and the science of being seen	Deliver a minimum of 12 sessions per year	3 sessions 52 attendees
FIRES	Fire setting intervention delivered to 4-17 year olds. Referrals made by anyone who might work or support the family of a child who is setting fires	Deliver an intervention to all referrals	37 completed referrals
Partner Training (including care providers)	LFRS deliver a ‘train the trainer’ package to organisations/agencies within health and social care. There are currently 190 preferred partners and 73 standard partners registered with LFRS. Partnerships are reviewed and RAG rated quarterly	Increase the number of partners rated green on the RAG report and continue to review partnerships and provide training	58 organisations/ agencies 179 people
Specific education sessions such as Water Safety & Bright Sparx	Education package delivered either virtually or in person to educate about Water Safety, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), deliberate fire setting etc. Covers key stages 2,3 and 4	Increase delivery	67 sessions delivered to 4,713 attendees. These consisted of ASB fires and Water Safety – the majority were water safety due to the time of year, risk & incidents that sadly occurred
Arson Threat Referral	Bespoke service where a threat of arson has been made. Referrals largely come from the Police.	Meet demand from LanCon	199

2.9 Fire Safety Activity (including Business Fire Safety Checks)

Quarter Activity 9%

The number of Fire Safety Enforcement inspections carried out within the period resulting in supporting businesses to improve and become compliant with fire safety regulations or to take formal action of enforcement and prosecution of those that fail to comply. Formal activity is defined as one or more of the following: enforcement notice or an action plan, alterations notice or prohibition notice.

An improvement is shown if the percentage of audits ‘Requiring formal activity’ is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year. This helps inform that the correct businesses are being identified.

Quarter 2 recorded an increase of 3% against the same quarter of the previous year.

	2022/23							Ç/ò	2021/22
Quarter	Fire Safety Enforcement Inspections	Formal Activity	Informal Activity	Satisfactory Audit	Business Safety Advice	% Formal Activity	% Informal Activity	Progress	% Formal Activity	% Informal Activity
1	504	28	333	95	48	6%	66%	ò	7%	63%
2	576	52	402	82	40	9%	68%	Ç	6%	63%
3									6%	54%
4									7%	70%

2022/23

Cumulative Business Fire Safety Checks

819

2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC)

Building Regulations: If a business intends to carry out building work it must do so in accordance with the requirements of current Building Regulations.

There are two building control bodies that can used, the Local Authority or an Approved Inspector.

These bodies are then responsible for ensuring compliance with building regulations which generally apply when:

· Erecting a new building

· Extending or altering an existing building

· Providing services and/or fittings in a building

· Altering the use of a building

Purpose of the consultation process: If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) applies to the premises, or will apply following the work, the building control body must consult with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS). LFRS then comments on Fire Safety Order requirements, and may also provide additional advice relevant to the building type which may exceed minimum requirements but, if adopted, would further enhance safety or resilience (e.g. use of sprinklers).

LFRS cannot enforce building regulations but can offer observations to the building control body regarding compliance if it is felt the proposals may not comply. In addition to securing a safe premises, an important outcome of the process is to ensure that the completed building meets the requirements of the FSO once occupied, so that no additional works are necessary. Reference: LABC - Building Regulations And Fire Safety Procedural Guidance.

Building Regulation Consultations	22/23 Q1	22/23 Q2	22/23 Q3	22/23 Q4
Received	183^[1]	233
Completed within timeframe^[2]	103	170

^[1] Twenty two of these are still showing as incoming/pending awaiting further information.

^[2] LFRS should make comments in writing within 15 working days of receiving a BRC.

Actions to Improve

To comply with the NFCC Competency Framework for Fire Safety Regulators these consultations must be completed by Level 4 qualified Fire Safety Inspectors. It is the same inspectors who are required to complete the more complex audits required by the risk-based inspection program, consequently use of finite resources must be fully co-ordinated and balanced. Toachieve this and ensure consultation timelines are achieved:

· Development work continues to qualify more of the existing staff to L4 standard

· Recruitment will be undertaken in Q3 to increase establishment in the function

· Improved administration and consultation monitoring arrangements will be implemented

· The newly formed Built Environment and Ops Liaison team will take an increasing role in co-ordinatingthe receipt and completion of consultations within timescales

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance

Quarter Response 80.54%

Critical fire incidents are defined as incidents that are likely to involve a significant threat to life, structures or the environment. Our response standards, in respect of critical fires, are variable and are determined by the risk map (KPI 2.1) and subsequent risk grade of the Super Output Area (SOA) in which the fire occurred.

The response standards include call handling and fire engine response time for the first fire engine attending a critical fire, and are as follows:

· Very high risk area = 6 minutes	· Medium risk area = 10 minutes
· High risk area = 8 minutes	· Low risk area = 12 minutes

We have achieved our 90% standard when the time between the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident is less than the relevant response standard.

Quarterly response decreased 6.85% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Critical Fire Response	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	84.74%	80.54%	88.36%	87.39%

3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance

Quarter Response 87.85%

Critical special service incidents are non-fire incidents where there is a risk to life, for example, road traffic collisions, rescues and hazardous materials incidents.  For these incidents there is a single response standard which measures call handling time and fire engine response time.

The response standard for the first fire engine attending a critical special service call = 13 minutes.

We have achieved our 90% standard when the time between the ‘‘Time of Call’ and ‘Time in Attendance’ of first fire engine arriving at the incident is less than the response standard.

Quarterly response decreased 0.11% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Critical Special Service Response	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	90.10%	87.85%	89.66%	87.96%

3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability

Quarter Availability 83.78%

This indicator measures the availability of fire engines by all crewing types.  It is measured as the percentage of time a fire engine is available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

Refer to KPI 3.3.1 and 3.3.2 for breaches of control limits and reasons fire engines are designated as unavailable.

Quarterly availability decreased 2.45% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire engine availability – WT, FDC, DCP & OC	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	84.31%	83.78%	88.75%	86.23%

Key periods of Covid 19 pandemic restrictions/lockdowns:

· 23^rd March to 10^th May 2020. The first national lockdown is announced.

· 22^nd September 2020. New restrictions announced, including working from home.

· 5^th November 2020 to 2^nd December 2020. Second lockdown in England.

· 6^th January 2021 to 29^th March 2021. Third national lockdown/stay at home order.

3.3.1 Fire Engine Availability Wholetime Shift System

Quarter Availability 99.04%

This indicator measures the availability of fire engines that are crewed by wholetime, flexible day crewing and day crewing plus shifts.  It is measured as the percentage of time a fire engine is available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

Fire engines are designated as unavailable for the following reasons:

· Mechanical	· Lack of equipment	· Appliance change over
· Crew deficient	· Miscellaneous	· Debrief
· Engineer working on station	· Unavailable	· Welfare

Standard: 99.5%

Quarterly availability decreased 0.30% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire engine availability – WT, FDC and DCP	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	99.18%	99.04%	99.26%	99.34%

3.3.2 Fire Engine Availability On-Call Shift System

Quarter Availability 71.38%

This indicator measures the availability of fire engines that are crewed by the On-Call duty system.  It is measured by calculating the percentage of time a fire engine is available to respond compared against the total time in the period.

Fire engines are designated as unavailable (off-the-run) for the following reasons. This is further broken down by the percentage of off-the-run (OTR) hours that each reason contributes to the total.

A Fire engine can be OTR for more than one reason; hence the percentages are interpreted individually, rather than as a proportion of the total:

· Manager deficient		· Not enough BA wearers
· Crew deficient		· No driver

Aspirational standard: 95%

Quarterly availability decreased 4.19% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire engine availability – OC	Year to Date	2022/23 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 2
	72.23%	71.38%	80.21%	75.57%

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the percentage of On-Call (OC) pumps available to respond to emergencies being below the lower control limit during quarter two.

Analysis

Availability of OC pumps during the quarter was recorded at 71.38%, with each month being below both the 79.43% control limit, and the Service’s 95% aspirational standard.

An On-Call review is to be undertaken this year to look at fundamental elements of the On-Call system with the ultimate goal of improving appliance availability.  The Service has also invested in additional On Call Support Officer (OCSO) posts to further strengthen the support to On-Call units and help implement changes arising from the review.  Five additional OCSO’s were appointed in September 2022, increasing the total to 8.

Actions being taken to improve performance

· The Service appointed 35 successful applicants from the latest recruitment campaign.

· The Service will continue to deliver a recruitment strategy, that incorporates a targeted approach to stations that are in exception, whilst utilising data to identify the specific contractual/availability needs of those stations.

· The Service will continue to review On-Call contracts to ensure they are effective in improving appliance availability, whilst also ensuring contractual performance of staff is maintained.

· Recent recruitment of On-Call staff into WT posts (e.g., LFRS, Greater Manchester FRS, and Lancashire Constabulary) has impacted units through several On-Call staff leaving, not being available during training or reducing their hours due to shift patterns.

· Challenges around Light Goods Vehicle (LGV) and Officer in Charge (OIC) skills continue to be an issue across the Service. To remedy this, Firefighters in development can be nominated for LGV courses, following discussion with Station and Group managers.

· High levels of sickness on some stations continues to be an issue, with Covid continuing to be a contributor during the quarter.

· OCSO’s will continue to support On-Call units through the delivery of area-based training, primarily targeted at FF’s in development. This support will aid progression through the FF development programme, subsequently increasing opportunities for FF’s to progress to more specialist skills such as LGV driving or Incident Command.

· OCSO’s are working with the incident command team to develop workshops that will resume in the spring. Local ad hoc sessions have been delivered, post incident command assessment, to support and develop OIC’s with their command skills.

· Support national On-Call campaigns and utilise their recruitment literature and designs. Align recruitment campaigns with NFCC On-Call Firefighter Days  and raise the profile of the occasion during national volunteers week.

· Invest in On-Call using relevant recruitment material and effective allocation of internal resources. Additional resources for the recruitment vehicle have been identified and requested which include, new banners, QR code cards for each station, and new On-Call staff for advertisement.

· Quarter 2 saw the expansion of the OCSO team following the appointment of new staff in September. The ambition will be to fill the remaining OCSO Team vacancies to ensure all units receive support as required.

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget

Quarter variance 0.48%

The total cumulative value of the savings delivered to date compared to the year’s standard and the total.

As a public service we are committed to providing a value for money service to the community and it is important that once a budget has been agreed and set, our spending remains within this.

The annual budget for 2022/23 was set at £63.0 million. The spend at the end of 30 September was £23.5 million, £0.3 million more than budget, the majority of which is attributable to inflation and particularly, increases in fuel and energy prices.

Variance:

0.48%

4.2 Partnership Collaboration

A written update on partnership collaboration will be provided on a quarterly basis.

Scope and definition:

The Police Force, Fire & Rescue Service and Emergency Ambulance Service are under a formal duty to collaborate under the Policing and Crime Act 2017. The objectives are to improve efficiency, effectiveness and deliver improved outcomes.

To meet the requirements of this duty, the respective blue light services, Lancashire Fire and Rescue (LFRS), Lancashire Constabulary (LanCon), and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), have met at both tactical and strategic levels. Through these meetings the collaboration board have agreed and signed a strategic statement of intent. This contains the following aims:

· Improved Outcomes – The collaboration maintains or improves the service we provide to local people and local communities.

· Reduced demand – The collaboration should contribute towards our longer-term strategic objective of decreasing risk in communities and reducing demand on services.

· Better Value for Money – The collaboration produces quantifiable efficiencies either on implementation or in the longer term.

· Reduced inequalities within our communities –The collaboration contributes towards reducing inequalities wherever possible.

Measurement/update:

The Blue Light Collaboration board met on the 30^th of September 2022 where a presentation on the initial five projects were delivered to the strategic leads. This presentation incorporated the Project Initiation Documents (PID) and Highlight Reports for each project. Progress for the planning of each project is as follows:

Estates and Co-location

This project aims to understand the partnership footprint in terms of what is on offer; space, capacity, what would be required as a minimum, with consideration to Health & Safety and legal requirement and terms & conditions and regulations.

This project will be considering the following opportunities:

· LanCon Headquarters regeneration,

· Review of the LanCon Estate arising from Target Operating Model (TOM) and Estates Roadmap.

· The environmental shift in fleet to electric vehicles and the Sustainability and Environmental Strategy.

The project is currently in scoping phase and the PID is in production.

Leadership Development

This project aims to map out the current offer by all partners and understand what is already underway and planned, develop a joint MOU, and hold a roundtable discussion between partners and explore mechanisms in relation to how this can practically work (cost, booking on staff, which systems are used, evaluation, familiarisation with terminology).

This project will be considering the following opportunities:

· The ‘Outside In’ programme

· The ‘Leading the Way’ course days 1,2 and 3

· Recruitment and selection training

· CPD development days with quality speakers and the Durham University leadership programme.

It may also consider learning from other organisations such as away days for new recruits. 

Command Units

The aim of this project is to establish and deliver additional collaborative uses of the command units in LFRS in line with JESIP principles. The key objectives are to improve operational effectiveness and in line with LFRS mission; ‘Making Lancashire Safer’.

Missing Persons (MisPer)

This project aims to improve the existing collaborative approach to identification of the location of missing persons. The existing offer has been evaluated and learning and improvement have been made. The existing training for the Missing from Home (MFH) manager training for LanCon staff will continued to be supported by LFRS in terms of assets available.

Initially, two personnel across the USAR team and Drone team to undertake the Missing From Home manager course. Additional crews in LFRS have been identified as specialist teams and will receive a bespoke training programme which is currently being mapped out. These teams will develop an increased knowledge of managing a missing person within the context of potential crime scene management. All LFRS assets will remain available regardless of the additional skills imparted to the specialist teams.

First Responder

The final project is between LFRS and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). The aim of the project is to train a small initial team of five Community Safety Staff to participate in NWAS First Responder scheme. They will respond from the workplace to a restricted call set that revolves primarily around defibrillator use and cardiac arrest. Once proof of concept is ascertained, the plan is for the scheme to be broadened.

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction

Percentage satisfied 98.83%

The percentage of people who were satisfied with the service received as a percentage of the total number of people surveyed.

People surveyed include those who have experienced an accidental dwelling fire, a commercial fire, or a special service incident that we attended.

The standard is achieved if the percentage of satisfied responses is greater than the 97.50% standard.

54 people were surveyed; 53 responded that they were very or fairly satisfied.

Question	Running Total	Number Satisfied	% Satisfied	% Standard	% Variance
Taking everthing in to account, are you satisfied, dissatistfied, or neither with the service you received from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service?	3,087	3,051	98.83%	97.50%	1.37%