Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

Meeting to be held on 17 February 2025

Member Champion Activity Report

Contact for further information – Assistant Chief Fire Officer Samantha Pink

Tel: 01772 866802

Executive Summary

This paper provides a report on the work of the Member Champions for the period up to 16 February 2025.

Recommendation(s)

The Authority is requested to note and endorse the report and acknowledge the work of the respective Champions.

Information

The concept of Member Champions was introduced in December 2007 with a review of the roles in 2017.

The Authority appoints its Member Champions at its Annual Meeting in June, and the current Member Champions are:

· Community Safety – County Councillor Matthew Salter

· Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Councillor Zamir Khan.

· Health and Wellbeing – County Councillor Hasina Khan.

· Road Safety –Councillor Fred Jackson.

Reports relating to the activity of the Member Champions are provided on a regular basis to the Authority. During this period, all have undertaken their respective role in accordance with the defined terms of reference. Their activity to date is as follows:

Community Safety – County Councillor Matthew Salter

It has been another successful quarter in the delivery of prevention activities across the county, via the Community Fire Safety (CFS) Teams and Operational Crews.

In particular, during Q3 crews from Chorley supported the CFS team in the delivery of diversionary activities at West Sports Village. They played football with the children and young people who attended as well as showing them around the fire engine and provided fire safety advice to local parents and guardians.

At Edge Hill University during the January Freshers Fayre, the CFS team delivered the Road Safety Campaign ‘Wasted Lives’ to students. They also continued to deliver the initiative over the course of the month, to BAE Apprentices and pupils from Bishop Rawsthorne Academy in Croston, Up Holland High School, Lathom High School in Skelmersdale and Balshaw’s High School in Leyland.

At a multi-agency event organised by West Lancashire Borough Council, the CFS team delivered a presentation to frontline workers on the prevention of condensation and mould in properties. Since the event, a targeted approach has been established with the Council, in which if a property during a Home Fire Safety Check (HFSC) is identified as having damp or mould, the Authority will be immediately notified. This change further reflects the shared commitment to proactive measures for healthier living environments and demonstrates the importance of the Service’s collaborative work across agencies.

The Southern CFS team presented an overview of prevention activities that the Service offers, at a Primary Care Network ‘Away Day’. The presentation was well received and led to a roll-out of the same at Children and Family Wellbeing Services in West Lancashire and South Ribble, as well as the Community Hub at St Thomas the Martyr Parish Church in Up Holland.

Partnership working in Northern has seen operational crews working closely with the ‘Guiness Partnership’ housing association for ‘Westfield War Memorial Village’ in Lancaster. The team have been delivering talks to residents on Cooking Safety, Electrical Safety, Heating and Cost of Living, in addition to providing a free HFSC.

Also, over the course of quarter 3, the housing association ‘Places for People’ (PFP) requested support via the Northern CFS team in relation to carrying out HFSC’s at their residential properties in Heysham, further to a serious incident involving a basement flat occupied by rough sleepers. The partnership work with PFP has been strengthened, resulting in the Service receiving a greater number of referrals for HFSC’s.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) – County Councillor Zamir Khan MBE

Over the last quarter, representatives from the Service have been actively engaging with employees and communities in various ways. 

A leadership and development event was delivered in January 2025, which was an opportunity to celebrate the work of our employee voice groups and for participants to contribute actions which will contribute to the new People Strategy and EDI Action Plan.

Several colleagues attended the Women in the Fire Service Regional event hosted by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS). Workshops and development included Road Traffic Collision, Marauding Terrorism and Incident Command. Several colleagues also attended the Asian Fire Service Conference which provided opportunities for networking and development. 

A new translation app has been tested and rolled out. This has more languages, is more inclusive, and has now replaced the previous, more limited app.

A capital project to upgrade welfare facilities at W30 Blackpool is in progress; a contractor has been appointed, with works commencing on site and due for completion in July 2025.

The Service are also in the process of achieving a bronze level accreditation as a Dyslexia Friendly Workplace with the British Dyslexia Association.

Health, Wellbeing & Climate Change – County Councillor Hasina Khan

Climate Change and Environment

In October we promoted ‘Unblocktober’. This is a national campaign and awareness month to improve the health of our drains, sewers, watercourses and seas. Over the last few decades, people have been consistently pouring dangerous liquids and items into our drains, leading to the creation of fatbergs. Fatbergs are enormous masses of congealed fat, oil, grease, wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, bandages and much more. These huge fatbergs block drains and sewers, causing them to work less effectively than they should.

As part of this promotion, we distributed spatulas to all stations to encourage staff to move leftovers to a container and save them in the fridge, and to make sure all food is removed to the bin before washing up or putting in the dishwasher – by using the spatula to clear out the container. A version of ‘snakes and ladders’ called ‘pipes and drains’ was created and shared across stations, to promote the potential issues from putting waste down drains.

In December, we promoted ‘No Waste Christmas’, as during the festive period around 30% more waste is generated. Each year this includes over 1 billion Christmas cards thrown away, as well as an estimated 50,000 trees cut down to make paper to wrap presents, and around 12 million tonnes of plastic entering our environment. That’s equivalent to a bin lorry load every minute! As part of this promotion, we shared 24 ways in which people could reduce their waste over the festive period in a Routine Bulletin article.

Health and Wellbeing

In October, we promoted awareness about the impact of arthritis in support of National Arthritis Week. Around 1 in 6 people in the UK are thought to have arthritis, so raising awareness of the most common types, such as Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid, is important for all staff – operational and non-operational. A Routine Bulletin article was written to provide basic information about the signs and symptoms of arthritis, along with simple coping strategies, like low impact exercise such as yoga, or a daily stroll to help reduce symptoms. The article also contained details to signpost to further specialist information and was accompanied by a wellness workshop from the Fire Fighters Charity about Understanding and Managing Back Pain.

In December we held our annual Christmas quiz, incorporating a ‘Best Christmas Jumper’ competition, judged by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer. As always, the event was well supported, with extra tables and chairs having to be brought into the room to accommodate everyone.

We will continue to host a quarterly wellbeing/fitness event at Headquarters, with the next event being a yoga session, scheduled for the end of February 2025.

Road Safety –Councillor Fred Jackson

On Friday, 13 December 2024, an impactful event took place outside of Jamia Ghausia Mosque on Abel Street, Burnley, aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of speeding and reckless driving. The event featured a crash car demonstration and was organised in partnership with key local and regional partners, including Burnley Council, the Lancashire Council of Mosques, Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC), Lancashire County Council, Neighbourhood Policing Team along with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) staff from Prevention Support and the Community Safety team.

The event was supported by Burnley Council Leader, Councillor Afrasiab Anwar, and Combined Fire Authority (CFA) member County Councillor Usman Arif, who both addressed the crowd, emphasising the importance of responsible driving. Councillor Anwar shared key messages about the dangers of speeding, especially amongst young drivers, and the vital role community collaboration plays in improving road safety. The Imam from the local mosque also took the opportunity to speak, highlighting the importance of driving safely and respecting road laws to protect both oneself and others.

Faz Patel and Kelly McHugh from the Central Area team, also discussed the emotional and psychological impact of speeding, not just on the drivers, but on victims, passengers, families, and the wider community. Their poignant message about the far-reaching effects of road traffic accidents resonated deeply with attendees, reinforcing the importance of safe driving.

Following the success of this event, LFRS are continuing to work with our partners to replicate the session in other identified risk areas, communicating this powerful message to their audiences. This will ensure that the conversation about road safety continues to be spread across all communities in Lancashire.

In addition, a Christmas Road Safety Campaign also took place at Halton Barracks focussed on raising awareness of the Lancashire ‘Fatal 5’ (Speeding, Drugs, Alcohol, Mobile Phones and Seatbelts).

Over 70 soldiers attended the half day workshop. Kirsty McLoughlin, from the Prevention Support Team, delivered a presentation which included a video clip about a young girl who tragically died when her cousin drove under the influence and whilst on his mobile phone. The footage was very emotive and following this, the soldiers watched a clip from the Master Driver, which complemented the ‘Fatal 5’ and went on to focus about the dangers of driving whilst fatigued.

The workshop was extremely well received and provided another great example of our partnership work with Lancashire County Council, who kindly provided the interactive virtual headsets for the day, and our continued involvement in the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership.

Business risk

Whilst no formal obligation is placed on the Authority to have Champions, effective utilisation of such roles offers a number of benefits.

Sustainability or Environmental Impact

The Member Champion role provides leadership on environmental issues and assists in engaging Authority members in strategic objectives relating to protecting the environment.

Equality and Diversity Implications

The Member Champion role provides leadership on equality and diversity issues and assists in engaging Authority members in strategic objectives relating to equality and diversity.

Data Protection (GDPR)

Will the proposal(s) involve the processing of personal data?  N

If the answer is yes, please contact a member of the Democratic Services Team to assist with the appropriate exemption clause for confidential consideration under part 2 of the agenda.

HR implications

Some Member and Officer time commitments.

Financial implications

Activities are within budget.

Legal implications

None identified.

Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985

List of background papers

Paper:

Date:

Contact: ACFO Samantha Pink

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