Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillor Lorraine Beavers, County Councillor Loraine Cox, and County Councillor Hasina Khan.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary/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 18 June 2023 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chair welcomed new Member, Matthew Salter to the meeting and gave County Councillor Andrea Kay his best wishes.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer explained that, due to the devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco, the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and government ministers, along with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), had agreed a UK response to help assist with the rescue effort. Wayne Ward, Rick Cutler, Ian McGee, and Lindsey Sielski (plus Search Dog Davey) were deployed from Lancashire Fire and Rescue (LFRS) to Morocco to assist with the effort for an expected 7-10 days. Attendees of the meeting wished them well and a safe return.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer presented a comprehensive report to the Performance Committee. This was the 1^st quarterly report for 2023/24 as detailed in the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2027.

Members were informed that the proposed alterations to some KPIs had been agreed at Planning Committee and implemented within the report from the current quarter. The changes to KPIs included the removal of KPIs 3.3.1 (Fire Engine Availability – Wholetime Shift System) and 3.3.2 (Fire Engine Availability – On-Call Shift System). The data would be reported within KPI 3.3 (Total Fire Engine Availability), for first pump availability of wholetime and on-call fire engines across the 39 stations in Lancashire with a revised overall availability target of 90%, which would be reviewed annually. The addition of a new Key Performance Indicator for Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSC) (2.9) had also been applied.

This quarter, one Key Performance Indicator (KPI), 2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks, was shown in positive exception and four Key Performance Indicators were shown in negative exception. These were 1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT), 1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook, 2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises, and 3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability.

Members examined each indicator in turn focusing on those KPIs in exception as follows:

KPI 1 – Valuing our people so that they can focus on making Lancashire safer

1.1          Overall Staff Engagement

Members received an update on how staff were engaged during the period.

From April to June 2023, five station visits were carried out by principal officers and area managers as part of the service-wide station visits programme. Nine station visits involving Corporate Planning and Human Resources (HR) departments were undertaken to engage with members of staff affected by duty system changes as part of the emergency cover review. Seventeen wellbeing interactions were undertaken ranging from wellbeing sessions with crews to support dog interactions.

The Service engaged staff in several trials relating to the fleet and equipment including rope rescue equipment and wildfire welfare bags. Three staff engagement sessions were held with On-Call firefighters over policy changes relating to operational response. A briefing event for flexi duty officers was held and six service delivery briefings for operational managers were held: one in each area of the county.

1.2.1   Staff Absence Wholetime

This indicator measured the cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12/23

The next scheduled meeting of the Committee has been agreed for 10:00 hours on 13 December 2023 in the Main Conference Room, at Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters, Fulwood.

Further meetings are:    scheduled for 6 March 2024 and 26 June 2024

                                           proposed for 4 September 2024

The next meeting of the Committee would be held on 13 December 2023 at 10:00 hours in the Main Conference Room at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Fulwood.

Further meeting dates were noted for 6 March 2024 and 26 June 2024 and agreed for 4 September 2024.