Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented a detailed report to the Performance Committee.  This was the 1^st quarterly report for 2021/22 as detailed in the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2017-2022 and included an Annual Report in Road Safety Intervention Activity during 2020-21.

 

The Members were informed by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, that the KPIs would be reviewed as part of the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and a report would be brought to the Committee in due course. KPI 4 (Valuing Our People) was the main area to be strengthened as a number of indicators were reported to Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

 

This quarter’s Four KPIs were shown in red which indicated that they were in negative exception. These were 1.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF); 2.3 Fire Engine Availability – Wholetime, Day crewing and Day Crewing Plus; 2.4 Fire Engine Availability – On Call Duty System; and 4.2.1 Staff Absence – Excluding On-Call Duty System.

 

Members examined each indicator in turn as follows:

 

KPI 1 – Preventing, fires and other emergencies from happening and Protecting people and property when fires happen

 

1.1       Risk Map

 

This indicator measured the fire risk in each Super Output Area. Risk was determined using fire activity over the previous 3 fiscal years along with a range of demographic data, such as population and deprivation.

 

The standard was to reduce the risk in Lancashire – an annual reduction in the County risk map score.

 

The current score was 31,862 and the previous year’s score was 32,448 meaning that the fire risk continued to reduce.

 

1.2       Overall Activity

 

This indicator measured the number of incidents that the Service attended with one or more pumping appliances.

 

Quarter 1 activity 4,867 previous year quarter 1 activity 4,916 a decrease of 1.00% over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that it was expected the Service would respond to approximately 17,500 incidents over the year. There were also opportunities to support agencies such as the Police and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). He highlighted to Members that there had been a peak in the number of incidents in April which had been a trend for the past three years. With the number of people outdoors increasing due to the start of spring, it could be a reason for the rise in the number of anti-social fires. The mean average should plateau during the year following the rise at the beginning of the year.

 

Incidents attended consisted of a myriad of different types. The report presented a chart which represented the count and percentage that each activity had contributed to the overall quarter’s activity; most notably was that 43% were false alarms. However, pleasingly the number of false alarms had reduced compared to the last report to the Performance Committee.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer noted that the Service was currently consulting members of the public and broader stakeholders for their views on the proposed improvements to the Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) attendance policy. It was pleasing that there had been a significant number of responses. The results would be reported to Members through the relevant Committees.

 

1.3      Accidental Dwelling Fires

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected and the cause of the fire had been recorded as 'Accidental' or 'Not known'.

 

It was noted that quarter 1 activity was 236, the previous year quarter 1 activity was 225, which represented an increaseof 4.89% over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

A negative exception report was presented to Members due to the number of Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADFs) recorded during April 2021 being above the upper control limit. The report analysis explained that there were 103 ADFs during April 2021, against an upper control limit of 101. The start of April coincided with the half term school holidays and the lifting of England’s Covid response ‘stay at home’ rule. Both were factors which interrupted the daily routine and could lead to distraction.

 

Ignition sources related to cooking appliances continued to account for the largest proportion of ADF incidents. During the month of April, 48% of ADF incidents recorded a cooking appliance incident. That decreased during May and June to 38% and 40% respectively. ADF activity during the following months of May and June had since decreased; with May recording 18% fewer incidents than the five-year average and June’s activity being just 3% greater.

 

Actions were being taken to improve performance. Service and station social media accounts were actively being utilised to warn and inform / advise residents. Community Safety teams continued to ensure they deliver post incident advice to all occupiers following an accidental dwelling fire, along with targeted engagement in identified sheltered accommodation and super output areas based upon ADF activity within similar property types and areas. Operational crews had resumed face to face Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC) following a significant period of Covid-19 restrictions. Crews would provide occupiers with advice primarily focusing on cooking safety and preventing secondary fires spreading to property. The Service was continuing to undertake thorough quality assurance of the Post Incident Action Log (PIAL) to ensure internal referrals were completed, along with continued auditing of the Service’s Information recording System (IRS) to ensure incidents are correctly reported.

 

1.3.1   Accidental Dwelling Fires – Extent of Damage (Fire Severity)

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected and the cause of the fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental or Not known’ presented as a percentage extent of fire and heat damage.

 

The extent of fire and heat damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types. The report charted a rolling quarterly severity of accidental dwelling fire over the previous two years with each quarter broken down into high, medium, and low severity.  Each quarter included the percentage (out of 100%) that each severity type represented of the total, with an indicator to illustrate the direction against the same quarter of the previous year.

 

The latest quarter recorded a combined ‘low’ and ‘medium’ severity of 96.2% which was an increase of 3.3% against the 92.9% recorded in the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Severity (Direction against the same quarter of previous year)		Previous Rolling 4 Quarters				Quarter 1 (2021/22)
		Quarter 1 (20/21)	Quarter 2 (20/21)	Quarter 3 (20/21)	Quarter 4 (20/21)
High	ò	7.1%	3.5%	3.9%	7.0%	3.8%
Medium	Ç	52.4%	43.9%	47.8%	55.1%	57.6%
Low	ò	40.4%	52.5%	48.3%	37.9%	38.6%

 

 

 

1.3.2   Accidental Dwelling Fires – Number of Incidents where occupants have received a Home Fire Safety Check

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental or Not known’ by the extent of the fire and heat damage. The HFSC must be a completed job (i.e., not a refusal) carried out by LFRS personnel or partner agency. The HFSC must have been carried out within 12 months prior to the fire occurring.

 

Over the latest quarter, Accidental Dwelling Fires with a previous HFSC decreased 3% against the total number of ADF’s over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

	2021/22		2020/21
	ADF’s with previous HFSC	% of ADF’s with previous HFSC	ADF’s with previous HFSC	% of ADF’s with previous HFSC
Q1*	21	9%	26	12%
Q2
Q3
Q4

 

*Quarter 1.  The impact of COVID19 working guidelines during the previous 15 months has led to a reduction in the number of Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC’s) delivered – KPI 1.7 page 17.  This has led to a decrease in the percentage of ADF’s with a recorded HFSC within the previous rolling 12-month period.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that where the number of reported dwellings fires was high, it could suggest that the fire alarms were functioning and effective or, conversely, it could suggest that people were having fires despite the prevention activity. This may be an area where Members require further clarity and the value of reporting these figures may not be too beneficial.

 

1.4 Accidental Dwelling Fire Casualties

 

This indicator reported the number of fire related fatalities, slight and serious injuries at primary fires where a dwelling had been affected and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental or Not known’. A slight injury was defined as; a person attending hospital as an outpatient (not precautionary check). A serious injury was defined as; at least an overnight stay in hospital as an in-patient.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer reported that sadly, there was 1 dwelling fire fatality in the last quarterly period. Three casualties were recorded as serious and 6 slight.  The same quarter of the previous year recorded no fatalities, 1 serious and 9 slight.

 

Casualty Status	2021/22 Quarter 1	2020/21 Quarter 1
Fatal	1	0
Victim went to hospital visit, injuries appeared Serious	3	1
Victim went to hospital visit, injuries appeared Slight	6	9
TOTAL	10	10

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that, sadly, the fatality in the 1^st quarter was an 89-year-old male with the cause of the fire involving smoking materials. In addition, in two separate incidents, which had serious casualties, the cause of the fires also involved smoking materials. As part of the home safety checks, advice was given around smoking cessation.

 

1.5 (a) Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises)

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘unknown’ and included property types which were regulated under the fire safety order such as: offices, retail, and hotel accommodation. Due to the nature of the construction of private garages and private sheds, there were recorded separately in KPI 1.5(b). 

 

Quarterly activity increased 40.68% over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Total number of incidents	2021/22 Quarter 1	2020/21 Quarter 1
	83	59

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer highlighted that there was a direct correlation between low levels of accidental fires during the lockdown period and the rise of incidents in April when the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted and businesses began operating again.

 

1.5 (b) Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Private Sheds)

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘unknown’ and included non-commercial building types: private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, and private summerhouse.  

 

Quarterly activity decreased 62.96% over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Following the previous meeting, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer informed that accidental building fires in non-commercial premises such as private garages and private sheds had been presented separately. This provided a more accurate performance indicator as these types of accidental building fires were often recorded as high severity due to the loss of a building, often before the Fire Service had arrived on scene. 

 

1.5.1 (a) Accidental Building Fires (Commercial Premises) – Extent of Damage (Fire Severity)

 

This indicator reported the number of primary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘unknown’ and included property types which were regulated under the fire safety order such as: offices, retail, and hotel accommodation. Due to the nature of the construction of private garages and private sheds, there were recorded separately in KPI 1.5.1 (b). 

 

The extent of fire and heat damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types. The report charted a rolling quarterly severity of accidental building fires over the previous two years with each quarter broken down into high, medium, and low severity.  Each quarter included the percentage (out of 100%) that each severity type represented of the total, with an indicator to illustrate the direction against the same quarter of the previous year.

 

The latest quarter recorded a combined ‘low’ and ‘medium’ severity of 75.0%.  This was an increase of 18.4% against a combined severity of 56.6% in the same quarter of the previous year.

 

1.5.1 (a) Severity (Direction against the same quarter of previous year)		Previous Rolling 4 Quarters				Quarter 1 (2021/22)
		Quarter 1 (20/21)	Quarter 2 (20/21)	Quarter 3 (20/21)	Quarter 4 (20/21)
High	ò	43.4%	37.7%	22.4%	24.0%	25.0%
Medium	Ç	46.5%	47.2%	65.7%	66.0%	65.8%
Low	ò	10.1%	15.1%	11.9%	10.0%	9.2%

 

 

1.5.1 (b) ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Private Sheds) – Extent of Damage (Fire Severity)

 

This indicator reported number of primary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘unknown’ and included non-commercial building types: private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, and private summerhouse. Due to their single room construction, any damage was often classified as ‘whole building’ which had the effect of increasing their severity category outcome. 

 

The extent of fire and heat damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types. The report charted a rolling quarterly severity of accidental building fires over the previous two years with each quarter broken down into high, medium, and low severity.  Each quarter included the percentage (out of 100%) that each severity type represented of the total, with an indicator to illustrate the direction against the same quarter of the previous year.

 

The latest quarter recorded a combined ‘low’ and ‘medium’ severity of 63.0%.  This was an increase of 5.9% against a combined severity of 57.1% in the same quarter of the previous year.

 

1.5.1 (b) Severity (Direction against the same quarter of previous year)		Previous Rolling 4 Quarters				Quarter 1 (2021/22)
		Quarter 1 (20/21)	Quarter 2 (20/21)	Quarter 3 (20/21)	Quarter 4 (20/21)
High	ò	42.9%	45.0%	30.8%	25.0%	37.0%
Medium	ò	57.1%	35.0%	61.5%	62.5%	51.9%
Low	Ç	0.0%	20.0%	7.7%	12.5%	11.1%

 

 

1.6 Deliberate Fires

 

This indicator reported the number of primary and secondary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as 'Deliberate'. Secondary fires were the majority of outdoor fires including grassland and refuse fires unless they involved casualties or rescues, property loss or 5 or more appliances attended. They included fires in single derelict buildings.

 

 

Deliberate Fire Type	2021/22 Quarter 1	2020/21 Quarter 1
1.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Anti-Social Behaviour	552	556
1.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings	28	18
1.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises	41	29

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that there was a rise in the number of deliberate fires in spring which also occurred in the previous year. The Service would continue to work closely with the Police and numbers would be monitored as it was a worrying trend.

 

1.7      Home Fire Safety Checks

 

This indicator reported the percentage of completed Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC), excluding refusals, carried out where the risk score had been determined to be high.

 

An improvement was shown if: i) the total number of HFSC’s completed was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year; and ii) the percentage of high HFSC outcomes was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer stated that it was pleasing that, since moving out of lockdown, the number of completed HFSC’s had increased 61% over the same quarter as the previous year. However, although there were still challenges presented by the pandemic, the modified HFSC engagement process had enabled the Service to deliver HFSCs to the most vulnerable.

 

	2021/22	2020/21
	% of High HFSC outcomes	% of High HFSC outcomes
Q1	66%	71%
Q2
Q3
Q4

 

To help illustrate the importance of the Home Fire Safety Check service; properties that had not accepted the offer of a HFSC, but subsequently suffered an Accidental Dwelling Fire, were monitored.  During this quarter 8 properties recorded an ADF after not accepting a HFSC during the previous rolling 12-month period.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer informed that the wording of ‘properties recorded an ADF after refusing an HFSC’ would be amended as it was not necessarily that the resident had refused but could be that they were not available. A letter from the Service would have been sent to offer the HFSC, however, the resident may not have responded.

 

1.8      Road Safety Education Evaluation

 

This indicator reported the percentage of participants of the Wasted Lives and Road Sense education packages that showed a positive change to less risky behaviour following the programme; based on comparing the overall responses to an evaluation question before and after the course.

 

Total participants were a combination of those engaged with at Wasted Lives and Road Sense events.

 

An improvement was shown if the percentage of positive influenceon participant’s behaviour was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year. This data was not available due to the ongoing pandemic.

 

During quarter 1, to ensure road safety messages continued to be available, the service had undertaken 3 Wasted Lives sessions involving 25 attendees, along with 2 sessions which trialled the new virtual delivery package. It was presented to 2 full year groups of 360 pupils. Five Road Sense sessions were delivered to 125 students that missed the course due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

The Service also continued to engage with people via social media platforms with road safety videos on the ‘Biker down’ page and engagement via Twitter and Facebook.

 

A new virtual delivery pack had been updated and trialled and would be offered to schools into the new academic year.

 

1.9       Fire Safety Enforcement

 

This indicator reported 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 failed to comply.

 

Formal activity was defined as one or more of the following: enforcement notice or an action plan, alterations notice or prohibition notice.

 

An improvement was shown if the percentage of adults ‘requiring formal activity’ was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year. This helped inform that the correct businesses were being identified.

 

*The ‘number of inspections’ count included business safety advice and advice to other enforcement authorities not captured within the formal/informal or satisfactory counts.

 

	2021/22					2020/21
	*No. of Inspections	Requiring		Satisfactory Audit	% requiring Formal Activity	% requiring Formal Activity
		Formal Activity	Informal Activity
Q1	344	25	211	69	7%	4%
Q2
Q3
Q4

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer was pleased to report that frontline crews (as well as carrying out Home Fire Safety Checks), were also carrying out Business Fire Safety Checks in lower risk business premises so that the specialised dedicated team could concentrate on high-risk premises. The number of Inspections and Audits would increase in the coming months.

 

KPI 2 – Responding to fire and other emergencies quickly and competently

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer wanted to reiterate the standard set in Lancashire was one of the quickest, outside metropolitan districts, that were seen anywhere in the country and to achieve a 90% 6-minute attendance (including call handling), was a fantastic achievement. 

 

2.1.1   Emergency Response Standards - Critical Fires – 1st Fire Engine Attendance

 

 

This indicator reported the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident in less than the relevant response standard.

 

The response standards included call handling and fire engine response time for the first fire engine attending a critical fire, these were as follows: -

 

·         Very high-risk area = 6 minutes

·         High risk area = 8 minutes

·         Medium risk area = 10 minutes

·         Low risk area = 12 minutes

 

The response standards were determined by the risk map score and subsequent risk grade for the location of the fire.

 

Standard: to be in attendance within response standard target on 90% of occasions.

 

Quarter 1 – 1st pump response increased 0.67% of total first fire engine attendances over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 4
89.17%	89.17%	88.50%	88.50%

 

 

2.1.2   Emergency Response Standards - Critical Fires – 2nd Fire Engine Attendance

 

This indicator reported the time taken for the second fire engine to attend a critical fire incident measured from   the time between the second fire engine arriving and the time of call. The target is determined by the risk map score and subsequent risk grade for the location of the fire.

 

The response standards included call handling and fire engine response time for the second fire engine attending a critical fire, these were as follows: -

 

·         Very high-risk area = 9 minutes

·         High risk area = 11 minutes

·         Medium risk area = 13 minutes

·         Low risk area = 15 minutes

 

Standard: to be in attendance within response standard target on 85% of occasions.

 

Quarter 1 – 2nd pump response decreased 0.17% of total second pump attendances over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 1
83.48%	83.48%	83.65%	83.65%

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that the drop in response standards in June could correlate to the availability of on-call fire fighters in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. If the on-call firefighters were furloughed from their primary employer, they could respond more quickly. However, once they returned to their primary employment, their availability declined, and back-up appliances support would have to travel from further afield.  

 

2.2.1   Emergency Response Standards - Critical Special Service – 1st Fire Engine Attendance

 

This indicator measured how long it took the first fire engine to respond to critical non-fire incidents such as road traffic collisions, rescues, and hazardous materials incidents. For those incidents there was a single response standard which measured call handling time and fire engine response time. The response standard for the first fire engine attending a critical special call was 13 minutes.

 

Standard: to be in attendance within response standard target on 90% of occasions.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer was pleased to inform that the Service had met the 1^st pump attendance standard with the standard reached being 91.53%.

 

The latest quarter 1st pump response increased 0.54% over the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 1
91.53%	91.53%	92.07%	92.07%

 

2.3       Fire Engine Availability – Wholetime, Day Crewing and Day Crewing Plus

 

This indicator measured the availability of fire engines that were crewed by wholetime, day crewing and day crewing plus shifts. It was measured as the percentage of time a fire engine was available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

 

Fire engines were designated as unavailable for the following reasons:

 

•      Mechanical	•      Lack of equipment
•      Crew deficient	•      Miscellaneous
•      Engineer working on station	•      Unavailable
•      Appliance change over	•      Welfare
•      Debrief

 

Staff sickness was also highlighted as a reason for fire engines being unavailable.

 

Standard: 99.5%

 

Year to date availability of 99.19% was a decrease of 0.09% over the same period of the previous year.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 1
99.19%	99.19%	99.28%	99.28%

 

The negative exception report was due to the percentage of wholetime (WT) pumps being available to respond to emergencies being below the lower control limit during the month of May.

 

The availability of WT pumps during May was recorded at 98.82% which was 0.05% outside of the 98.87% control limit and below the Service’s 99.5% standard. Two appliances accounted for 41% of off the run hours during May. A significant proportion of the time these two pumps had recorded as being off the run was attributed to crew welfare due to recovery following a protracted gas explosion incident at Heysham. The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) function was shared between the Chorley and Bamber Bridge stations.

 

The likelihood of the USAR function of both stations being deployed at the same incident for a prolonged period of time would be rare and the appliances being off the run due to extended welfare may rarely reoccur. The Service would continue to monitor for such occurrences in the future. During the welfare recovery periods, the On-Call pumps also based at the Chorley and Bamber Bridge stations continued to provide cover for the surrounding areas. 

 

2.4      Fire Engine Availability – On-Call Duty System

 

This indicator measured the availability of fire engines that were crewed by the on-call duty system. It was measured as the percentage of time a fire engine was available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

 

Fire engines were designated as unavailable (off the run) for the following reasons which include the percentage of off the run hours that each reason contributed to the total.   Members noted that fire engines can be off the run for more than one reason; hence the percentages were interpreted individually (rather than as a proportion of the total):

 

·         Manager deficient                      59%

·         Crew deficient                            79%

·         Not enough BA wearers           67%

·         No driver                                      36%

 

Standard: above 95%

 

Year to date availability 85.07%, an 11.18% decrease against the previous year to date total availability of 96.25%.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 1
85.07%	85.07%	96.25%	96.25%

 

The negative exception report was due to the percentage of On-Call (OC) pumps available to respond to emergencies being below the lower control limit during the month of June.

 

The availability of OC pumps during June was recorded at 82.02% which was 1.36% outside the 83.38% control limit and below the Service’s 95% aspirational standard. A contributing factor may also have been the changes due to the national lockdown ending and the effect on the OC’s crew’s primary employment.

 

Two stations within the Western area were running below their optimum function. Lytham station had seen a number of staff losses with a Firefighter transferring to another station and the resignation of a watch manager. St Annes had also lost three Firefighters during the quarter. Availability shortfalls were being managed by staff working above their contracted hours, and existing staff increasing their skill qualifications to cover vacant posts. The latest recruitment campaign had seen 22 applicants across both stations.

 

Actions being taken to improve performance were:

 

·           Continue with a driven recruitment strategy, utilising a targeted approach to stations that are in exception.

·           A focused look at existing contract alignment whilst ensuring staff are fulfilling existing contracts when under contracted hours.

·           Lack of Light Goods Vehicle (LGV) and Officers in Charge (OIC) continue to be an issue on stations.

·           On-Call Support Officer’s (OCSOs) and unit managers to support Firefighter development to assist with future OIC/LGV development.

·           Support national On-Call campaigns and utilise their recruitment literature and designs.

·           Invest in On-Call through recruitment material and resources.

·           Fill OCSO Team vacancies to ensure all units receive the support required.

 

Local action plans for stations with availability of less than 85% would continue to be produced in conjunction with Station District Managers, Unit Managers and OCSOs to tailor the support required to each unit. 

 

2.4.1   Fire Engine Availability – On-Call Duty System (without wholetime detachments)

 

Subset of KP1 2.4 and provided for information only

This indicator measured the availability of fire engines that were crewed by the on-call duty system (OC) when wholetime detachments were not used to support availability. It was measured by calculating the percentage of time a fire engine was available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

 

Fire engines were designated as unavailable (off-the-run) for the following reasons:

 

·         Manager deficient         

·         Crew deficient               

·         Not enough BA wearers

·         No driver                         

 

Standard: As a subset of KPI 2.4 there was no standard attributable to this KPI.

 

The percentage of time that On-Call crewed engines were available for quarter 1 was 82.95%. This excluded the wholetime detachments shown in KPI 2.4. The cost of detaching wholetime firefighters to on-call stations was significant, with not a significant impact on appliance availability across the county.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that there was software available which could actively identify any gaps in emergency cover which it would display on a map and pumps would be sent to the area requiring cover. A report to the future meeting of the Performance Committee would be provided.

 

2.5      Staff Accidents

 

This indicator measured the number of staff accidents.

The number of staff accidents during the latest quarter increased by 4 incidents against the same quarter of the previous year.

 

Year to Date	2021/22 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2020/21 Quarter 1
21	21	17	17

 

 

KPI 3 – Delivering, value for money in how we use our resources

 

3.1      Progress against Savings Programme

 

The annual budget for 2021/22 was set at £58.2m with a budget to 30 June of £15.4 million. The spend for the same period was £15.2m giving an underspend of £0.2m.

 

3.2      Overall User Satisfaction

 

Since April 2012, 2,726 people had been surveyed and the number satisfied with the service was 2,696; %, satisfied was 98.90% against a standard of 97.50%; a variance of 1.44%.

 

During the latest quarter, 52 people were surveyed and 51 responded that they were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘fairly satisfied’ with the service they received.

 

 

 

KPI 4 – Valuing, our people so that they can focus on making Lancashire safer

 

4.2.1 Staff Absence – Excluding on-Call Duty System

 

This indicator measured the cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime, day crewing plus, day crewing and support staff divided by the total number of staff.

 

Annual Standard: Not more than 5 shifts lost.

Cumulative total number of monthly shifts lost 1.809.

 

The negative exception report was due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being above the Service target for each month during quarter 1.

 

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented Members with the analysis, that during quarter 1, April 2021 – June 2021, absence statistics showed above target for all three months for both Whole-time personnel and Non-uniformed personnel during May and June.  There were 2 cases of long-term absence which spanned over the total of the 3 months with the reason being:

 

Grey Book
Reason	Case/s
Cancer	1*

Green Book
Reason	Case/s
Mental Health	1

 

                                                                                 *This employee has now retired on the ground of ill-health.

There were 28 further cases of long-term absence which were also recorded within the 3 months:

 

 

Grey Book
Reason	Case/s
Muscular skeletal	8
Mental Health	7
Hospital/post-operative	5
Coronavirus	3
Blood Disorder	1
Cardiac	1
Neurological	1

Green Book
Reason	Case/s
Mental Health	1
Neurological	1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the quarter, 18 of the 30 employees returned to duty. At the end of June 2021, the cumulative totals showed that non-uniformed staff absence was above target at 0.526 shifts lost per employee, for whole-time uniformed staff absence was also above target at 1.88 shifts lost per employee.

 

Overall absence for all staff (except On Call staff) was 1.809 shifts lost which was above the Service target of 1.25 shifts lost for the quarter.

 

The cumulative figures in the period included employees absent due to coronavirus but did not include those required to self-isolate as a result of coronavirus.

 

Members also considered the actions undertaken to improve performance which included that the Service aimed to continue with:

 

·         Early intervention by Occupational Health Unit (OHU) doctor / nurse / physiotherapist;

·         Human Resources supported managers in following the Absence Management Policy, ensuring the appropriate management of individual long-term cases, addressing review periods/triggers in a timely manner and dealing with capability of staff due to health issues;

·         To be included again within the leadership conference to assist future manager’s understanding and interpretation of the policy;

·         Encouraging employees to make use of the Employee Assistance Programme provider Health Assured and The Firefighter’s Charity;

·         HR to be in attendance at Stress Risk Assessment meetings to support managers and to offer support to the employee along with signposting;

·         OHU to organise health checks for individuals on a voluntary basis;

·         Support from Service Fitness Advisor/Personal Training Instructors (PTIs);

·         Promotion of health, fitness and wellbeing via the routine bulletin and Employee Assistance programme. 

 

4.2.2   Staff Absence – On-Call Duty System

 

This indicator measured the percentage of contracted hours lost due to sickness for all on-call contracted staff.

 

Annual Standard: Not more than 2.5% lost as % of available hours of cover.

 

Cumulative on-call absence (as % of available hours cover) at the end of the quarter, 0.99%.

 

The Chairman thanked the Deputy Fire Officer for a comprehensive report. He was pleased that performance had improved. The standard for response times was very high and the Service achievement was excellent. He noted that the public were very satisfied and congratulated the Service on their performance. He also asked that his congratulations were passed onto the Firefighters.

 

In response to Councillor Singleton’s question regarding whether a target should be placed on accidental fires as this was out of the Service’s remit, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that the Service was able to have a positive impact on accidental fires through the provision of advice on commercial buildings in terms of alarms, fire doors etc. The target was to reduce the severity of an incident and if those measures were working, they should have a positive effect. The Service also provided fire safety advice in the home, smoking cessation advice and support for those who were most vulnerable. The Prevent and Protection teams were also utilised to give advice. Councillor Singleton stated that the response times were excellent and congratulated all involved in responding to incidents.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Singleton concerning the reason for the information on page 40 being provided in percentages and the information on pager 41 being provided in numbers, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that the percentages related to the severity of incidents and the numbers on page 41 was the number of deliberate fires. He added, in response to an additional question from Councillor Singleton in relation to the percentage of fires being a result of arson on page 40, that the information displayed the severity of fires in non-commercial premises and therefore, did not correlate with deliberate fires on page 41. The Chairman informed that he and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer had been in discussion regarding how to improve the presentation of the information to the Committee in future.

 

Councillor Beavers raised the issue of retaining on-call firefighters due to the number of hours of cover expected and the level of training required. She asked if resources would be better spent recruiting full time firefighters and reducing the number of on-call firefighters. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that part of his role on the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) focused on the on-call firefighter role. He advised that there was some research being done by NFCC looking at other countries to see how they managed to keep crews available and looking at how firefighters were remunerated. He confirmed that in Lancashire, on-call firefighters were paid more than the national terms and conditions and a lot of work was being done to attract and retain them. This included looking at whether the 5-minute area catchment could be extended to 6 or 7 minutes. It was noted that an Emergency Cover Review (ECR) would be considered on a refreshed Community Risk Management Plan to look at how many and what types of appliances would be needed and the associated crewing arrangements. The ECR would be considered by the Authority early next year once the Government financial settlement was known. The NFCC was also looking at lessons that could be learned from other organisations and whether something could be done with primary employers.

 

In response to a question raised by Councillor Smith regarding cross-border support, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer confirmed that the whole sector was doing as much as it could to improve the availability of on-call firefighters to ensure the duty system was sustainable now and in the future. He confirmed the nearest engine would be sent to an incident and cross-border support was provided. It was noted that this was high on the agenda of the Inspectorate.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Singleton regarding whether there were any instances where an appliance was not available, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that this report tracked engine availability for wholetime, day crewing and day crewing plus and the on-call duty system. He advised that there were occasions when an appliance was off the run for staff welfare or vehicle defects. Across the country, there were occasions where engines were not available, but the Service always responded.

 

 

ANNUAL REPORT ON ROAD SAFETY INTERVENTION ACTIVITY 2020/21

 

Members noted that, through the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2017-2022 (IRMP), prevention and protection services and the structure for delivery were reviewed to ensure that the Service was delivering appropriate services in line with the changing operating environment. As a result, working practices had changed with a strategic focus on the quality of the services that continued to be delivered. The services were delivered around four key themes: helping people to start safe, live safe, age safe and be safe on our roads with a focus on working collaboratively with other organisations. To ensure constant improvement in all parts of the prevention priority, the Service had dedicated thematic groups which reviewed current practice and results.

 

Members were provided with an annual overview of road safety intervention activities being delivered by the Lancashire Fire and Rescue to the Service to the communities of Lancashire on a daily basis.

 

 

Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service Prevention Support – Road Safety

 

Clare Burscough, Prevention Support Officer (LFRS), provided the meeting with a presentation regarding Road Safety which explained the Service’s

 core prevention offer and also the issues on Lancashire’s roads.

 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue has a statutory duty to attend Road Traffic Collisions (RTC), however, not to deliver road safety education. She informed the meeting that, in 2019, sadly, 46 people lost their lives and unfortunately, 1011 were injured on Lancashire’s roads with 14% being children up to the age of 15 years old. Nationally, the number of people killed or seriously injured on UK roads was rising each year. The Service had a wide role in community safety issues risk management and play an active role in preventing road safety concerns.

 

Statistics for those killed or seriously injured were split into age groups which enabled people to be educated collectively and in a similar way as the Service had to consider how to best use resources. Statistics were also available for each district so local issues could be discussed with crews and community safety staff. Trends could help identify if current Road Safety Prevention measures were working or if the focus needed to shift. As part of the Road Safety Partnership, the emphasis was on the core prevention offer.

 

The cost of road fatalities to society was £2.3 million with serious injuries costing £189,000 and slight injuries costing £18,000. The Service was an active member of the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP). The aims of the partnership were: to reduce the number and rate of road traffic fatalities across Lancashire; to reduce the number and rate of road traffic injuries across Lancashire; to reduce the fatalities and injuries rate across road user and age group; to adapt and change the attitude and perception of road safety across the population; and to improve the community response to road safety. The Service aimed towards a figure of zero for road traffic accidents as it was felt that no number of casualties was an acceptable figure. A large number of collisions were preventable and so they were investigating the reason for those and how to tackle the issues.

 

In terms of engagement, Lancashire Fire and Rescue was a trusted brand seen as an educator and not an enforcer. The Service provided good role models for young people (the 16-24 hard to reach) and communities. They were tied in with schools to deliver ‘safety’ messages through the national curriculum which was a relationship they could then build on. This year, Road Safety Week (15^th – 21^st November) would be hosted by Brake (the road safety charity). Staff from the Service had carried out a lot of prevention work as it was an easier year in respect of engagement, however, they were not good at celebrating success.

 

Some key partners were not able to deliver their road safety engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic, however, Lancashire Fire and Rescue continued to successfully deliver Road Sense. Road Sense was delivered to Year 6 children in primary school as at age 10 – 11, they become at risk as pedestrians, cyclists, and bus users. The Year 6 delivery was revisited and it now included fire plans in the home, deliberate fire setting and the road safety offer. Road Sense was delivered to 6,000 children across Lancashire using MS Teams and the chat facility which enabled feedback. It was noted that the behaviour of the children changed when they were able to feedback.

 

An updated suite of packages was available for Wasted Lives in 2021. Sessions could now be delivered in person or virtually and either in an assembly format which would accommodate a full year group, or in a class with up to 35 students. These sessions explored Lancashire’s fatal five which included: drink and drug driving; speeding; mobile phone use; seat belts; and distractions. The sessions helped young people to explore issues and with coping strategies. There was a successful delivery of Wasted Lives throughout Covid-19 and it would be relaunched for Road Safety Week in November.

 

Motorbike users accounted for less than 1% of the road user population, although they accounted for 50% of Lancashire’s fatalities in the last 12 months. Biker Down sessions could not be run throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to restrictions. Short video clips were created for social media which were successful in obtaining 30,000 interactions from the public. Biker Down was a free three-hour course which was offered to members of the public which offered them practical skills in incident management, first aid, and the science of being seen. The first course would take place on 27^th September 2021.

 

The Chairman thanked the Prevention Support Officer for her presentation which was excellent. He had been the Lead Member for Highways and took Road Safety Prevention very seriously. It was pleasing that education was being delivered to schools and the issues facing bikers was being tackled. 

 

In response to a question from Councillor Woollam in relation to what age group of people riding motorbikes were involved in fatal road traffic accidents, the Prevention Support Officer explained that there was an increase in ‘born again bikers’. These were people over 40 years old who were now financially stable and had returned to biking. It was this group that the Service should focus resources on. 17-Year-olds were more likely to use a 125cc bike and wear unsuitable clothing. If they wore suitable clothing, their injuries would be less severe. Different age groups would be educated using different methods. Over 40s used social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and young used platforms such as Snapchat and Tiktok. Prior to Covid-19, the Service was working with colleges to attempt to obtain a mannequin which would provide a visual demonstration of injuries to young people.

 

Councillor Singleton questioned how the cost for road traffic collision fatalities came to £2.3 million. The Prevention Support Officer informed that the information was provided by the Department for Transport which was collected nationally and included costs for closing a motorway or carriageway for 5-9 hours, costs of people missing work, the cost of people missing appointments and the cost of resources such as the police and repairing the road etc.

 

RESOLVED: - That the Committee endorsed the Quarter 1 Measuring Progress report and noted the content of the 4 negative exception reports.