Agenda and minutes

The Chairman, County Councillor Hennessy welcomed Authority Members and members of the press and public to the virtual committee meeting of the Planning Committee.  County Councillor Hennessy advised that in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic the Government had made regulations that enabled virtual meetings.  This meeting was accessible for Committee Members via Microsoft Teams and for members of the press and pubic via a live webcast on YouTube.

The Committee Members individually confirmed their attendance at the start of the meeting.

County Councillor Hennessy welcomed Steve Healey, who had started with the Service in the role of Deputy Chief Fire Officer in January 2021.

None received.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

None received.

RESOLVED: - That the Minutes of the last meeting held on the 16 November 2020 be confirmed as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

The Head of Service Development presented the report which provided an update on the work to date on the formulation of the Strategic Assessment of Risk (SAoR) and planning for production and consultation on the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which would commence in April 2022.

In April 2022 the Service would be required to deliver the next Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) as required within the “Fire and Rescue National Framework” published in May 2018.  The guidance within this document required that the IRMP must:

1.    Reflect up to date risk analyses including an assessment of all foreseeable fire and rescue related risks that could affect the area of the authority;

2.    Demonstrate how prevention, protection and response activities will best be used to prevent fires and other incidents and mitigate the impact of identified risks on its communities, through authorities working either individually or collectively, in a way that makes best use of available resources;

3.    Outline required service delivery outcomes including the allocation of resources for the mitigation of risks;

4.    Set out its management strategy and risk-based programme for enforcing the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in accordance with the principles of better regulation set out in the Statutory Code of Compliance for Regulators, and the Enforcement Concordat;

5.    Cover at least a three-year time span and be reviewed and revised as often as it is necessary to ensure that the authority is able to deliver the requirements set out in this Framework;

6.    Reflect effective consultation throughout its development and at all review stages with the community, its workforce and representative bodies and partners; and

7.    Be easily accessible and publicly available.

In order for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) to efficiently discharge the requirement, it would be essential that suitable and sufficient resource and time be allocated to the planning and production of the IRMP and supporting documents such as the Strategic Assessment of Risk (SAoR), and associated strategic documents, policies, plans and governance statements.

Work had started on a new and revised SAoR format that would deliver prior to April 2021. This would underpin and guide the next iteration of the IRMP, based upon a robust data-led methodology which, when coupled with the new district intelligence profiles, would provide LFRS with a refreshed evidence-led direction for future Prevention, Protection and Operational Response activities over the medium term.

Through LFRS’s linkages into national workstreams running under the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the Service remained closely aligned to emerging work pertaining to Risk Management Planning and intended to evolve the IRMP, so far as was reasonably practicable, aligned to this emerging sector-led guidance as new information became available.

The Head of Service Development presented a timeline for planned work as below:

Integrated Risk Management Plan 2022 to 2027 Milestone Chart

The Head of Service Development presented the report which provided an update on the collaborative work that had been progressed by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

As reported at the previous Planning Committee, the quarterly Blue Light Collaboration meetings had largely been placed on hold due to the ongoing support being provided by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) and partners, to Lancashire Resilience Forum (LRF) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Whilst the tri-partite agreement (National Fire Chiefs Council, Employers and Fire Brigades Union) had ceased mid-January, LFRS employees had continued the outstanding work in support of the wider Covid response.

As reported previously, this had initially commenced with preparations for, or delivery of, the following:

·         Face fitting for masks to be used by frontline NHS and clinical care staff working with C-19 patients;

·         Mass casualty transportation (movement of bodies in support of Coroner functions);

·         Vulnerable person contacts and visits (delivery of essential items);

·         Delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to NHS and care facilities;

·         Lead agency for collating all PPE requirements through the Joint Intelligence and Planning Group.

The support provided by LFRS to the LRF strategy and multi-agency response had been reviewed on a regular basis and at that time there were no ongoing activities with regards to any of the tri-partite agreement related topics.

More recently however, LFRS had become the first Fire and Rescue Service in the country to step up support to the national vaccination programme.  LFRS staff had risen to the challenge admirably and by joining the Service’s ‘volunteer list’, had made themselves available to provide logistical support to the delivery of vaccinations initially through 21 Primary Care Network establishments and subsequently through the Mass Vaccination sites at Blackburn, Blackpool and Lancaster.

At the time of the report, this commitment had seen 163 operational and support staff support the delivery of over 65,200 vaccinations whilst also delivering crucial home fire safety advice to some of Lancashire’s most vulnerable individuals.  The Head of Service Development advised that these figures had subsequently risen to almost 290 staff supporting nearer to 85,000 vaccinations.

From mid-January the Service’s offer had increased further, and following provision of the appropriate training and guidance, LFRS had the first firefighters in the country actively administering Covid-19 vaccines at Mass Vaccination Centres at Blackpool and Blackburn with over 400 delivered in the first week alone.  An increasing number of staff had subsequently been trained as vaccinators with LFRS staff having delivered around 5,000 vaccinations to date.

Members shared their positive experiences of the support provided by LFRS staff at vaccination establishments and centres.  County Councillor O’Toole commented on the good publicity generated by the recent television news report which had featured a Firefighter from LFRS delivering vaccinations at one of the centres.  County Councillor Hennessy, who confirmed that she had also volunteered at a local vaccination centre, expressed pride in the Service and asked that the wholehearted thanks of the Members be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48/19

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer presented the report which provided an overview of the Covid Thematic report outcomes and detail of the publications that were due from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), along with an update on the second round of inspections which would commence in 2021.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) had completed the Thematic Inspection of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) in September 2020. On 22 January, the thematic report (attached as appendix 1) had been released alongside a covering national report which summarised the findings across the sector. This was the first of three reports expected from HMICFRS in the first quarter of 2021.

LFRS had received a positive inspection from HMICFRS.  The inspection, which occurred during late September 2020, had involved a data return and self-assessment survey followed by digital interviews with key staff members.  The HMICFRS Service Liaison Lead (SLL) had met, via Microsoft Teams, with the Chief Fire Officer and Chairman of the Combined Fire Authority, Director of People and Development, Director of Corporate Services, Group Manager (GM) Prevention and Protection, GM Response and Emergency Planning, GM Training and Operational Review, and Head of Safety, Health and Environment.

The inspection had been light touch and had looked at how LFRS had delivered its functions safely and how it had worked for the greater good of the community alongside partners.  The report noted how prevention and protection work had continued, albeit in a modified capacity and how LFRS had worked with its partners in the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) providing structure, support and logistics.  LFRS had successfully engaged with unions such as the Fire Brigade Union and Unison and had been able to put in place effective plans in line with requests from partners in the LRF, many of which had come under the tripartite agreement.  These activities had included antigen testing, face fitting, assisting vulnerable people and packing/repacking food.  This had differed from the HMICFRS National report which had highlighted areas of difficulty in reaching these agreements in some other Fire and Rescue Services.  The Service had also been praised for wellbeing support to staff which had been supported by all levels of management and our ability to communicate with staff at all levels using a variety of innovative methods.

LFRS had been graded ‘outstanding’ in the round 1 inspections for culture and values.  This further positive result arising from the Thematic Inspection would contribute to our grading under the round 2 inspection.

The second report to be produced would be the HMICFRS findings of the phase 1 Inquiry into Grenfell Tower.  This was expected on 10 February 2021 and would focus on the recommendations made in the Inquiry and may provide opportunities for learning within LFRS.  The third would be the annual State of Fire and Rescue report; now due in March 2021 and expected to focus upon improvement since the round 1 inspection, as well as encompassing the recently published Thematic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49/19

The next scheduled meeting of the Committee has been agreed for 10:00 hours on 12 July 2021 - venue to be agreed.

Further meetings are:          scheduled for 15 November 2021

                                                proposed for 7 February 2022

The next meeting of the Committee would be held on Monday 12 July 2021 at 1000 hours – venue to be confirmed.

Further meeting dates were noted for 15 November 2021 and agreed for 7 February 2022.