Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) advised that the report updated on the Emergency Cover Review (ECR) 2022-25 implementation, outlining the work that was ongoing and had been completed to date.

With many ECR workstreams now concluded or in the final phase of implementation, all ongoing workstreams were being managed as projects through programme boards. It was proposed that any future updates on work associated with the ECR was brought through the relevant programme board or by exception to Planning Committee. Resources committee would be updated in relation to the capital programme, which would impact on some of the projects within the ECR.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) was required to review emergency response arrangements periodically to ensure that provision remained effective and consummate with the dynamic risk profile. This process was a robust assessment of historic data and emergent risk and was delivered in the format of an Emergency Cover Review (ECR).

The changes identified in the ECR 2022-25 reflected the most effective and efficient use of resources for the whole of Lancashire. Lancashire’s Combined Fire Authority (CFA) agreed the proposed changes on 19 December 2022. The changes would result in LFRS:

• Maintaining all 39 fire stations and 58 fire appliances
• Maintaining their outstanding response standards
• Creating an increase in overall firefighter jobs by eight

An ECR implementation plan was developed with five key workstreams, updates on the workstreams were as follows:

Introduce more resilient and flexible crewing arrangements

The implementation of all the proposed change of duty systems and establishment numbers, with the exception of Penwortham, took place on the 1 March 2024. The changes in duty system at Penwortham would be worked through as part of the Preston Area review project which was ongoing.

An evaluation of the implementation was underway to ensure both positive practice and areas of learning were captured to inform any future emergency cover reviews.

Optimise emergency cover through dynamic cover software

The dynamic cover software was being used widely internally to monitor coverage and plan relief strategies during incidents and on a day-to-day basis within the Command Support Room.

The project’s current focus was on the implementation and use at North West Fire Control, empowering Control Room Operators to make coverage and relief moves based on real-time risk and demand.

Extensive modelling work had been undertaken to better understand the impact and use of the software once fully implemented. Over 200 real-time activity periods had been modelled, these had included when there had been high demand on resources such as large, protracted incidents including periods when resource availability had been reduced. Analysing the predicted coverage move results, LFRS could determine that overall standby numbers would broadly remain similar, however both the deploying appliance and the standby fire station destination would likely change. This would see LFRS move away from traditional static pre-defined key stations to dynamically determining cover moves based on risk, current demand, and live resource availability. Using the dynamic cover software as intended would provide Lancashire with better emergency cover based on risk, demand and resource availability.

Extensive consultation had taken place on all aspects of the ECR which included the dynamic coverage software. Virtual engagement sessions had been held with On Call units, which included demonstrating the tool and likely impacts to cover moves, accepting that by their very nature moves are dynamic based on what is happening across the county at a point in time. Further engagement sessions were due to be scheduled with the most impacted stations and units and Trade Unions had been fully engaged. A phased implementation would commence from January 2025, aiming to have full implementation by the end of March. This moved the Service away from traditional key stations to a more intuitive, risk-based deployment of resources using the latest technology and software so that LFRS resources had the best disposition based on current risk, demand and available resource.  

Strengthen our response to climate change emergencies

Investing in four Fire Appliances with Off-Road Capabilities

With the re-baselining of the larger vehicle specification, new estimated timelines had been developed. Project groups were established with staff engagement to ensure the specifications were developed with LFRS teams to deliver the most suitable appliances to meet the changing risk profile. It was anticipated a procurement process for one large and one small climate change appliance would take place in the next quarter, with both the larger and smaller appliances due to be delivered and rolled out in early 2026.

The vehicles would be evaluated prior to the potential purchase of two further vehicles (one large and one small).

Both projects were being managed through the Service Delivery Change Programme Board and would therefore be reported through Capital Projects Programme Board.

Introduce Flood Water Incident Managers and Flood Water Tactical Advisors

Flood Water Incident Managers and a Flood Water Tactical Advisor were all now trained and in place for operational deployment.

Strengthen firefighting and rescue capabilities in high-rise and commercial buildings

Introduce a 45m Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP)

Members had previously been made aware of the delays to this project due to supply chain issues. The company who won the contract, had agreed a new delivery timeline with the Service and final delivery was expected in April 2025, with a period of training before being fully operational.

This project was being managed through the Service Delivery Change Programme Board and would therefore be reported through Capital Projects Programme Board.

Invest in two Additional Water Towers

The Water Towers were due to be rolled out in Spring 2025. They would be located at St Annes and Lancaster.

This project was also being managed through the Service Delivery Change Programme Board and would therefore be reported through Capital Projects Programme Board.

Broaden on-call firefighting capabilities to strengthen operational response

A significant amount of work continued within LFRS’s On Call improvement programme. Work was ongoing in relation to On Call staff supporting specialist appliance resilience including the two new Water Towers, and On Call unit’s in Southern area supporting the deployment of our Water Bowser.

In response to a question from County Councillor S Clarke in relation to a new Water Tower being located at St Annes Fire Station, the DCFO advised that the Service was aspiring to have a Water Tower in each of the four areas of the county and other Fylde coast stations had other specialist capabilities. County Councillor S Clarke further asked for clarification of the turn out time at St Annes during the night. The DCFO confirmed that the crew at St Anne’s operated on the Flexible Day Crewing system which provided a ‘standby’ response whereby firefighters responded to incidents from their home address during the evening. The turn out time was roughly 5 minutes and it was a countywide resource that could be deployed to a protracted incident anywhere in the county.

In response to a question from County Councillor J Shedwick in relation to how the availability of On Call fire appliances was determined by the dynamic cover software, the DCFO confirmed that the software was used by North West Fire Control (NWFC) and knew all appliances availability as the Service’s mobilising system fed into the dynamic cover software which updated in real time. The dynamic cover software knew the historical risk of all areas based on the previous 5 years of critical incident data and monitored response times, setting thresholds across different areas.

County Councillor N Hennessy joined the meeting at 10:22.

Resolved: That the Planning Committee noted and endorsed the report.