Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

Performance Committee

Meeting to be held on 04 December 2024

Performance Management Information For 2nd Quarter 2024/25

(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 one positive and one negative exception.

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

Legal Implications

None

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 2024 – September 2024

Introduction

The following pages set out Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s (LFRS) 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 – 43

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) 10

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC) 11

1.2.3 Staff Absence Green Book. 12

1.3.1 Workforce Diversity. 13

1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited. 14

1.4 Staff Accidents. 15

2.1 Risk Map. 16

2.2 Overall Activity. 17

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF) 19

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties. 20

2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 21

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (ABF) - Commercial Premises. 22

2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 23

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises) 24

2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 25

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires. 26

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings. 27

2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises. 28

2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (Rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc.) 29

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC) 30

2.8 Prevention activities delivered. 31

2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks. 32

2.9.1 Fire Safety Activity. 34

2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC) 35

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 36

3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 37

3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability. 38

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget 40

4.2 Partnership Collaboration.. 41

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction.. 43

Explanation of Performance Measures

KPI’s are monitored either by using an XmR chart, comparing current performance against that achieved in the previous year’s 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 emergency cover reviews and working the on-call duty system.

Measurement/update:

From July to September 2024, 26 station visits were carried out by principal officers and area managers as part of our service-wide engagement programme. 

Fifty-three wellbeing interactions were undertaken ranging from workshops with crews to wellbeing support dog interactions. 

The views of staff were sought by survey on how useful people find the appraisal conversation in order to improve the quality of appraisals. 

The Service engaged with staff over several topics relating to our fleet and equipment including two items designed to enhance firefighter protection from harmful particulates found in soot and smoke: particulate flash hoods and particulate filters for face masks. A wildfire team along with learning and development centre trainers are trialling devices to monitor heat stress in firefighters, and new hose reel is also being trialled.

Improvement works at Blackpool Fire Station and plans for new training props at the Learning and Development Centre have been the subject of staff engagement relating to property projects.

As previously reported: A comprehensive staff survey is undertaken periodically to gain insight from all staff on a range of topics including leadership, training and development, health and wellbeing, 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 74% (2023).

An engagement index is calculated based on five questions measuring pride, advocacy, attachment, inspiration and motivation; factors that are understood to be important features shared by staff who are engaged with the organisation.

For each respondent an engagement score is calculated as the average score across the five questions where strongly disagree is equivalent to 0, disagree is equivalent to 25, neither agree nor disagree is equivalent to 50, agree is equivalent to 75 and strongly agree is equivalent to 100. The engagement index is then calculated as the average engagement score in the organisation. This approach means that a score of 100 is equivalent to all respondents saying strongly agree to all five engagement questions, while a score of 0 is equivalent to all respondents saying strongly disagree to all five engagement questions.

During the survey period, the corporate communications department visited wholetime and on-call crews on 51 occasions to encourage participation in the survey. Five focus groups were held with on-call units by the Service’s independent researcher to obtain qualitative feedback on on-call specific matters, to complement the survey data.

1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT)

Cumulative shifts lost 3.200

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 8 shifts lost.
(Represented on the chart as annual shifts lost ÷ 4 quarters = 2)

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

3.200

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC)

Cumulative Absence 1.18%

The percentage of contracted hours lost due to sickness for all OC 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, 1.18%.

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

1.18%

1.2.3 Staff Absence Green Book

Cumulative shifts lost 2.928

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

Annual Standard: Not more than 8 shifts lost.
(Represented on the chart as annual shifts lost ÷ 4 quarters = 2)

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

2.928

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 LFRS.

Combined diversity percentage of Grey Book and Green Book staff. Outer circle represents the current quarter, with the inner circle illustrating the same quarter of the previous year.

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

Characteristic	Diversity	Grey Book	%	Green Book	%
Gender	Female	Grey	11%	Green	62%
	Male		89%		38%
Ethnicity	Other than white	Grey	3%	Green	5%
	White		94%		86%
	Not stated		3%		9%
Sexual orientation	LGBT	Grey	4%	Green	3%
	Heterosexual		58%		63%
	Not stated		38%		34%
Disability	Disability	Grey	3%	Green	4%
	No disability		95%		90%
	Not stated		2%		6%

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 LFRS.

Combined cumulative diversity percentage of Grey Book staff and Green Book staff. Outer circle represents the current quarter, with the inner circle illustrating the same quarter of the previous year.

During quarter 2, there were a total of 24 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 10

This KPI details the numbers of accidents which have involved LFRS staff members at work within the quarter.

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

Quarterly activity decreased 44.44% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Total number of staff accidents	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	30	10	34	18

2.1 Risk Map

Risk Score 30,750

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
2024 count	11	54	340	536	30,750
2023 count	15	59	331	536	31,170
Direction / % Change

2.2 Overall Activity

Quarter Activity 4,396

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 Lancashire Constabulary (LanCon) and gaining entry incidents at the request of the North west Ambulance Service (NWAS).

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

Quarterly activity decreased 0.54% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Incidents attended	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	8,669	4,396	9,525	4,420

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	1,445	1,532	1,449	1,570	1,578

2.2 Overall Activity Breakdown

Quarter Activity 4,396

Incidents attended by LFRS 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.

	FALSE ALARM incidents make up 46% of activity, with 64% being Fire alarm due to Apparatus incidents, 33% good intent false alarm and malicious false alarms accounting for 3%.
	FIRE PRIMARY incidents encompass Accidental Dwelling Fires, which account for 38% of primary fires and are shown in KPI 2.3.
	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 55% of secondary fires, with 45% being an accidental or not known cause.
	SPECIAL SERVICE incidents are made up of many different activities, so only a selection of types, such as Gaining entry to a domestic property on behalf of NWAS and Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) can be shown, with the remainder being recorded under ‘other types’. These can range from trapped animals or hazardous materials incidents, to spill and leaks or advice only.

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF)

Quarter Activity 161

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 decreased 5.85% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Dwelling Fires	Year to date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	327	161	374	171

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/21	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	55	65	59	64	71

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties

Quarter Activity 11

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 increased 22.22% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Casualty Status	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
Fatal	5	3	1	1
Injuries appear Serious	2	2	7	4
Injuries appear Slight	16	6	12	4
Total	23	11	20	9

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	4	4	3	4	4

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

Quarter Percentage 85%

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 ADF’s, 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 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 decreased 1.36% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	24/25 Q1	24/25 Q2	24/25 Q3	24/25 Q4	Ç/ò	23/24 Q1	23/24 Q2	23/24 Q3	23/24 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	24%	22%			ò	23%	26%	23%	32%
Limited to item 1st ignited	13%	16%			ò	15%	18%	15%	16%
Limited to room of origin	50%	47%			Ç	46%	42%	52%	45%
Limited to floor of origin	7%	7%			ò	8%	10%	5%	5%
Spread beyond floor of origin	5%	6%			Ç	6%	2%	2%	1%
Whole Building	1%	2%			ó	2%	2%	3%	1%
Combined percentage	87%	85%			ò	84%	86%	90%	93%

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (ABF) - Commercial Premises

Quarter Activity 60

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 5.26% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises)	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	132	60	127	57

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	22	21	20	21	23

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

Quarter Percentage 82%

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 ABF’s, 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 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 10.7% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	24/25 Q1	24/25 Q2	24/25 Q3	24/25 Q4	Ç/ò	23/24 Q1	23/24 Q2	23/24 Q3	23/24 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	15%	27%			Ç	16%	12%	20%	14%
Limited to item 1st ignited	19%	17%			ò	14%	26%	21%	14%
Limited to room of origin	44%	38%			Ç	36%	33%	38%	40%
Limited to floor of origin	13%	13%			Ç	15%	10%	8%	18%
Spread beyond floor of origin	1%	2%			Ç	6%	0%	4%	2%
Whole Building	8%	3%			ò	13%	19%	9%	12%
Combined percentage	78%	82%			Ç	66%	71%	79%	68%

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)

Quarter Activity 21

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 increased 133.33% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	42	21	49	9

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	7	7	6	7	7

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

Quarter Percentage 10%

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 ABF’s, 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 decreased 1.6% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	24/25 Q1	24/25 Q2	24/25 Q3	24/25 Q4	Ç/ò	23/24 Q1	23/24 Q2	23/24 Q3	23/24 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	14%	0%			ó	5%	0%	0%	0%
Limited to item 1st ignited	10%	5%			Ç	23%	0%	0%	0%
Limited to room of origin	14%	5%			ò	10%	11%	0%	20%
Limited to floor of origin	14%	19%			Ç	5%	0%	31%	10%
Spread beyond floor of origin	0%	0%			ó	0%	0%	0%	0%
Whole Building	48%	71%			ò	57%	89%	69%	70%
Combined percentage	38%	10%			ò	38%	11%	0%	20%

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires

Quarter Activity 543

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 17.79% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	1,038	543	1,145	461

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	173	168	151	191	162

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings

Quarter Activity 17

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 32.00% against the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires - Dwellings	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	42	17	49	25

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	7	7	7	7	8

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 second incident activity line is shown which excludes Crown premises which fall outside of our legislative jurisdiction.

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 30.00% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires – Commercial	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	70	21	72	30

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	12	11	12	10	11

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

Quarter Activity 505

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 24.38% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires – Other	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	926	505	1,024	406

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2023/24	2022/23	2021/22
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	154	150	132	175	143

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC)

Quarter Activity 52%

The percentage of completed HFSC’s, excluding refusals, carried out by LFRS personnel 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 6.4% against the same quarter of the previous year.

High risk outcomes remained static against the same quarter of the previous year.

	2024/25		Ç/ò	2023/24
	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes	Progress	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes
Q 1	5,830	53%	ó/ò	5,807	54%
Q 2	6,308	52%	Ç/ó	5,930	52%
Q 3				5,728	54%
Q 4				5,835	54%

Cumulative year to date activity

2.8 Prevention activities delivered

Activity	Description	Targets for delivery	Data for quarter 2 2024/25
ChildSafe	Fire Safety education package to Year 2 (key stage 1)	Offered to all year 2 pupils	6 sessions delivered to 170 students
RoadSense	Fire and Road Safety education package to Year 6 (key stage 2)	Offered to all year 6 pupils	25 sessions delivered to 895 students
SENDSafe	Fire Safety education package for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)	Offered to all SEND schools	1 session delivered to 80 students
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 24/25	5 sessions delivered to 205 students.
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 51 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	45 referrals opened prior to Q2 and carried over. 42 referrals received in Q2. 43 referrals closed in Q2. 44 referrals carried to 2024-25, Q3
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	22 sessions delivered to 4 different partners, with 231 delegates receiving training
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	46 in school water safety sessions, delivered to 4,755 students. 6 virtual sessions to 7,600 pupils
Arson Threat Referral	Bespoke service where a threat of arson has been made. Referrals largely come from the Police.	Meet demand from LanCon	233 completed

2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks

Quarter Activity 943

Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSC) are interventions which look at different aspects of fire safety compliance, including risk assessments, fire alarms, escape routes and fire doors. If the result of a BFSC is unsatisfactory, fire safety advice will be provided to help the business comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. If critical fire safety issues are identified, then a business safety advisor will conduct a follow-up intervention.

· The pro rata BFSC target is delivered through each quarter.

A +/-10% tolerance is applied to the completed BFSC’s and the year to date (YTD) BFSC’s, against both the quarterly and YTD targets. When both counts are outside of the 10% tolerance they will be deemed in exception. This enables local delivery to flex with the needs of their district plan over the quarters.

	2024/25				Ç/ò	2023/24
	BFSC completed	Quarter Target	BFSC Cumulative	YTD Target	Progress	BFSC completed	Quarter Target
Q 1	924	625	924	625	Ç	826	625
Q 2	943	625	1,867	1,250	Ç	893	625
Q 3		625		1,875		862	625
Q 4		625		2,500		791	625

Cumulative year to date activity

Top five completed BFSC’s: satisfactory and unsatisfactory premise types.

*Workplaces undefined.

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a positive exception due to the number of completed Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSC) being greater than 10% of the quarterly target, and the cumulative year to date target.

Current Focus

The BFSC intervention is now well embedded into Service Delivery. The first of two Built Environment virtual training (BEVT) sessions was delivered in 2023 and the second phase of BEVT roll out due to begin in 2025. Protection Grey book staff have commenced Strengthening Operational Awareness days in Q2 which has seen them begin to quality assure the BFSC delivery and support the transition of crews starting to undertake BFSCs in more high-risk sleeping risk premises types.

2.9.1 Fire Safety Activity

Quarter Activity 6%

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.

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

	2024/25										2023/24
Quarter	Fire Safety Enforcement Inspections	Formal Activity	% Formal Activity	Informal Activity	% Informal Activity	Satisfactory Audit	% Satisfactory Audit	Business Safety Advice	% Business Safety Advice	Progress	% Formal Activity	% Informal Activity
1	530	31	6%	426	80%	64	12%	9	2%	ò	7%	78%
2	524	32	6%	382	73%	73	14%	37	7%	ó	6%	80%
3											5%	82%
4											7%	78%

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 be 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 LFRS. LFRS then comments on FSO 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.

Building Regulation Consultations	24/25 Q1	24/25 Q2	24/25 Q3	24/25 Q4
Received	208	226
Completed within timeframe^[1]	207	220

^[1] LFRS should make comments in writing within 15 working days of receiving a BRC.

Current focus

To comply with the National Fire Chiefs Council (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 intervention work in high risk, complex premises identified by the risk-based intervention program. Consequently, the use of finite resources must be fully co-ordinated and balanced to achieve this and ensure consultation timelines are achieved:

· The implementation of centralising building regulations onto CFRMIS and assigning dedicated resource to consistently inputting new applications continues to improve our efficiency at responding to the majority within their statutory timescales.

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance

Quarter Response 07:42

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 standards when the time between the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident, averaged over the quarter, is less than the relevant response standard. Expressed in minutes & seconds.

Critical Fire Response	Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4	Year to Date	Previous Year to Date
Very High (6 min)	[06:02]	05:55			05:59	05:41
High (8 min)	07:12	06:35			06:53	05:50
Medium (10 min)	07:00	06:51			06:56	06:42
Low (12 min)	08:51	09:05			08:58	08:57
Overall	07:40	07:42			07:41	07:24

[Failures are expressed within square brackets]

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

Quarter Response 08:36

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 standards when the time between the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident, averaged over the quarter, is less than the response standard. Expressed in minutes & seconds.

Critical Special Service Response	Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4	Year to Date	Previous Year to Date
(13 min)	08:22	08:36			08:29	08:34

[Failures are expressed within square brackets]

3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability

Quarter Availability 86.18%

This indicator measures the total availability of the 1^st fire engine at each of the 39 fire stations. It is measured as the percentage of time the 1^st fire engine is available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

Standard: 90%

Quarterly availability decreased 1.66% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire engine availability – WT, FDC, DCP & OC	Year to Date	2024/25 Quarter 2	Previous year to Date	2023/24 Quarter 2
	86.54%	86.18%	88.66%	87.84%

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the 1^st fire appliance availability percentage, being below the lower control limit during quarter two.

Analysis

Overall availability across all stations for the quarter recorded 86.18%, which is 3.82% below the 90% standard. However, only the months of July and August recorded availability below the lower control limit of 86.80%.

The following table shows the availability by each of the stations designated first pump crewing type during quarter 2.

Crewing	WT	DCP	FDC	OC	Total
Availability	99.20%	99.00%	99.17%	69.41%	86.18%

Whilst all of the Wholetime (WT) appliances achieved exceptional availability, the 1^st appliance at our wholly On-Call stations contributed to the availability falling below the 90% standard.

On-Call recruitment, development, and retention is a national challenge which has seen a downward trend in availability over several years.

A shortage of staff with the Officer in Charge (OIC) skill is a significant contributing factor to low On-Call availability. On-Call Support Officers (OCSOs) are working with station-based staff and management, together with our Training Centre, to support those in development and identify opportunities for staff to acquire additional skills earlier in their career.

Actions being taken to improve performance

· The On-Call Improvement Programme (OCIP) is driving transformation across the Service with several workstreams to improve recruitment, development, and retention.

· Incident Command trainers have reviewed the process for On-Call Incident Command Courses, which has resulted in 10 Courses and 58 staff being trained as OICs in 2024. This is a significant increase in course delivery from previous years.

· On-Call Performance Management training for Station Managers and Unit Managers was completed in Q2, which included the roll-out of sector-leading innovative software for On-Call Availability, Recruitment and Skills (OARS). The software has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of workforce planning, development, and performance. OARS is the first of its kind nationally, and the Service demonstrated the project and software as best practice at the NFCC On-Call Conference in September.

• On-Call recognition events will commence in Q3, to acknowledge the dedication and efforts of our On-Call firefighters, their families, and their employers.

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget

Quarter variance -0.13%*

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 2024/25 was set at £75.1 million.

The annual revenue budget for 2024/25 was set at £75.1 million and spend at the end of September was £34.5 million. The annual forecast is £75m, which is a small underspend of (£0.1) million.

The revised capital budget for 2024/25 is £12 million and spend at the end of September was £1.7 million. The total annual spend forecast is £5.8 million, and £0.3 million savings have been identified predominantly in Information Technology (IT). It is also anticipated £5.9 million expenditure will slip into 2025/26. Extended lead times and resourcing shortfall ensued the slippage.

*Revenue budget variance:

-0.13%

4.2 Partnership Collaboration

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

Scope and definition:

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

This paper provides an update on the progress against key workstreams being progressed under the Blue Light Collaboration Board (BLCB). The workstreams are effectively managed through the Strategic and Tactical level meeting structures and are contributing towards improving outcomes, providing better value for money, reducing demand, and reducing inequalities within communities.

Leadership Development

Partners have scoped collaboration opportunities for leadership development. Each Service agreed to host a leadership development event for senior leaders from all three organisations. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) hosted the first event in October, which focussed on ‘Leadership (and well-being)’ and explored cross-coaching. The event was a success with over 60 people attending from across all three services and the partners will meet again in November to develop cross-coaching opportunities.

The Services are planning the next session which will be hosted by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) in early February 2025, where the focus for this event will be on ‘Media’.

The final session will be hosted by Lancashire Police in Spring 2025. The group are considering an interesting area around ‘Generational Differences’ with a view to potentially exploring this as the final topic.

Estates and Co-location

This is a long-term workstream which may deliver significant efficiencies and effectiveness where co-location sites are identified.

In October the project objectives were reviewed and affirmed, aligned to the Strategic Board objectives. The Estates and Co-location workstream focus on four key areas: Sharing knowledge and information, estates and asset integration, resilience and shared opportunities in support functions, and financial opportunities.

Blue Light partners are reviewing property asset management strategies to identify potential areas for co-ordinating future development plans over the next 5-10 years and discussions are continuing in relation to future opportunities. All current locations for each organisation have been mapped, with the focus now on understanding of longer-term plans for each service. The LFRS ‘Preston Area Review’ continues to be discussed and considered with Blue light partners regarding collaboration opportunities.

Community First Responders

This workstream involves LFRS staff volunteering as Community First Responders (CFR) to support NWAS. LFRS staff volunteers undertake an initial CFR training programme at LFRS Training Centre. Once qualified, they can shadow existing CFR practitioners to develop their clinical abilities and build confidence in their newly acquired skills.

The Service now have 13 LFRS staff volunteers responding to life threatening emergencies in Lancashire from the workplace and administering life-saving interventions in the initial vital minutes before NWAS colleagues arrive. Since the workstream commenced in 2023, LFRS has responded to more than 180 CFR incidents including unresponsive/ collapsed, not breathing, cardiac arrests, seizures, strokes, and choking. This has resulted in many successful outcomes.

The Service is now scoping ‘phase 3’ of the workstream which will involve On-Call staff volunteers becoming CFRs within more remote parts of the county, where NWAS resources and response times can be more challenging. This will further improve outcomes for medical emergencies within those communities.

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction

Percentage satisfied 98.71%

The percentage of people who were satisfied with the service received from 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.

77 people were surveyed; 75 responded that they were very or fairly satisfied.

Question	Running Total	Number Satisfied	% Satisfied	% Standard	% Variance
Taking everything in to account, are you satisfied, dissatisfied, or neither with the service you received from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service?	3,720	3,672	98.71%	97.50%	1.24%