Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented the report.  Integrated risk management planning provided Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) with the opportunity to detail what the Service aimed to do to identify and consider the full range of fire and rescue related risks across Lancashire. This ensured that both our communities and other interested parties were provided with details of how we intend to fulfil our responsibilities in a clear, cohesive manner.

At the Planning Committee meeting on the 21 November 2016, Members endorsed the publication of the draft Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) 2017-22 for consultation over a six week period from 28 November 2016 to 8 January 2017. Following the consultation period a final version of the plan was presented to Members of the Planning Committee on 30 January 2017, with a detailed report on the consultation process, its outcomes and any resulting amendments that were recommended for incorporation within the final version of the plan.  Members of the Planning Committee agreed that the consultation undertaken was sufficient and endorsed the proposed amendments which had been incorporated into the final version as now presented.

The new Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) 2017-2022 would be the Authority’s replacement for the current IRMP 2013-2017. This plan had been developed to be an overarching, enabling document which provided hyperlinks to all of LFRS’s strategic documents, such as the Annual Service Plan and Strategic Assessment of Risk. This delivered the opportunity for the Service to remain in a progressive position over the lifespan of the IRMP as these links would provide the pathways to the most up-to-date documents. This plan did not however detail the Emergency Cover review; this would be undertaken and consulted upon separately during 2017/18.

Our Values had been brought to life with enhanced definitions of the STRIVE acronym, this provided the building blocks to support our staff to continue to develop a working environment in which everyone could feel engaged, valued and respected.

The strategic risks that had been previously documented within the IRMP had been removed as they were now referenced within the Strategic Assessment of Risk. This new publication provided a comprehensive assessment of fire and rescue related risk to facilitate an improved risk picture that was refreshed and updated on an annual basis.

The Community Safety Strategy had been encapsulated within the IRMP highlighting the importance of the inter-locking components of Start Safe, Live Safe, Age Safe and Road Safe that remained at the core of our approach to reducing risk and improving public safety. As approved by the Planning Committee, this removed the requirement for a separate Community Safety Strategy.

Significant progress had been made with Climate Change and Environment responsibilities which were now thoroughly embedded and entrenched within Service planning, policies and procedures. Therefore the Climate Change and Environment Strategy had been encompassed within this new IRMP, thus negating any further need for a separate Climate Change and Environment Strategy document.

The approved IRMP 2017-22 would be published in early April 2017 and available to access/download from the LFRS website.  The IRMP would be maintained on an annual basis to ensure that all links within the document were up-to-date and relevant.

A concern was raised by CC Oades on behalf of Treales, Roseacre and Wharles Parish Council regarding the Service’s preparedness for an incident from fracking.  Members considered the issue of fracking to be more a matter for the Lancashire County Council Development Control Committee however; reassurance was provided that the Service’s approach to risk management would ensure the development of appropriate plans in line with the identification of any potential risks.

RESOLVED – That the Authority approved the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2017-22 for publication.