Agenda item

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) was required to test Business Continuity Plans (BCP) annually. The Service test was usually scheduled towards the end of the year once all plans had been updated and reviewed.

The 2019/20 test (Exercise Raven) had been planned in detail and was programmed to be held in March 2020.  It involved a simulated pandemic influenza event combined with a fuel shortage.  Planning and preparation for the impending arrival of Covid-19 within Service replaced delivery of the ‘test’ exercise with actual instigation of business continuity plans.

Meanwhile a significant flooding event also occurred on Sunday 9 February 2020 which triggered the LFRS BCP and led to non-essential headquarters-based staff being prevented from entering the building for the subsequent 2 days.

Members considered the scale of both events was significant enough to qualify as live tests of the business continuity plans.

The Chairman asked how the Service was preparing itself for any potential second wave of the pandemic in the winter months particularly the level of physical and mental wellbeing support provided to operational and non-operational staff.

In response, the Assistant Chief Fire Officer advised that Chief Fire Officer was the national lead for fitness standards and that the Service had a comprehensive fitness and wellbeing programme with a commitment to Oscar Kilo (which was a wellbeing programme that the National Fire Chiefs Council had signed up to that shared learning and best practice across blue light emergency services).  He advised that there had been an increase in the staff use of the support mechanisms which included the Service Employee Assistance Scheme and efforts had intensified to signpost staff for wider support as required.

In terms of a potential spike, the Service was linked into the Local Resilience Forum which prompted the consideration for the potential of a localised spike, pan-county or larger footprint.  The current classification was Phase 2 where the emergency phase was ongoing but resources were being dedicated also to the recovery phase.  Currently the Service was planning to be in the emergency phase for quite some time which might intensify during the winter months where some of the earlier intelligence was that the threat from Covid-19 might increase.  The Service was also planning to resume prevention and protection services which had been adapted or ceased during the pandemic but was cognisant of the need for a quick and effective response as required.

The Chief Fire Officer added that the Service had recently surveyed staff to ensure all the learning was captured and that the Service took any advantages that had arisen during the pandemic ie: enabling more flexible working in general was something being considered now.  The Service was aware of the potential mental health effects.  One of the observations from discussions with staff was that operational personnel were used to going into an emergency phase which could last a few days at most (with Winter Hill the exception) however, this was the biggest business continuity change event.  Therefore, people were being encouraged to take leave, downtime and be aware of the potential for burn out particularly for some Officers.

RESOLVED: -

(i)    to accept the basement flooding event in February 2020 and subsequent debrief as the annual Business Continuity Plan test for the financial year 2019/20 and;

(ii)  to accept the arrangements implemented in response to the Covid?19 pandemic as the annual Business Continuity Plan test for the financial year 2020/21.