Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) presented the report to members.

The report provided an overview of a proposed pilot to change the crewing model at Fleetwood Fire Station from the current wholetime 2-2-4 duty system to a Flexible Day Crewing (FDC) system.

The proposal was informed by a detailed assessment of risk, incident demand, workforce availability and operational performance in the Fleetwood area. Analysis of incident data (2023–2025) demonstrated that Fleetwood had the lowest demand of all wholetime stations, with approximately 636 incidents annually and relatively low levels of critical fire incidents and casualties.

Risk modelling confirmed that the station met required response standards and that an FDC model would continue to achieve those standards, including during on-call hours when crews responded into station from nearby locations.

Workforce analysis indicated a viable staffing model, with a cohort of wholetime and on-call personnel living within a five-minute response radius. Travel time analysis showed that a potential FDC crew could achieve an average response-to station time of approximately 3 minutes, comparable to or better than existing on call performance in some other parts of the county. Under the current wholetime duty system 24 firefighters were required, the implementation of a FDC system would reduce this requirement to 12 firefighters temporarily for the duration of the pilot facilitating the redistribution of the remaining firefighters to fill vacant posts across the service.

The proposal also supported broader organisational objectives, including improving workforce sustainability, reducing reliance on compulsory transfers, and releasing wholetime resources to support wider service pressures. Subject to approval, the pilot would operate for 18 months, with formal reviews at 6 and 12 months to ensure service effectiveness was maintained. The Service had consulted the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and local staff on the potential pilot proposal and there was broad support to progress. In addition, the Service was currently undertaking a wider public consultation on the proposals from 1 June to 30 June 2026.

In response to a question from County Councillor A Ali in relation to other stations using the FDC system and response times, the DCFO confirmed that Bacup, Fulwood, St Annes, Leyland and Ormskirk Stations all operated on the FDC system, he confirmed that although there would be a 3 to 4 minute delay with firefighters attending from nearby locations outside of core hours, the proposed pilot at Fleetwood would still allow for target response times to continue to be achieved including to high-risk areas and these response times would be monitored through the Performance Committee. County Councillor A Ali commented that he was pleased that safe staffing levels would be maintained.

In response to a question from County Councillor J Tetlow in relation to on-call firefighters travelling to stations to attend incidents, the DCFO confirmed that firefighters did not have exemptions to pass through red lights when travelling to the station but did have exemptions when responding to emergency incidents on a fire appliance. He also explained that some on-call firefighters travelled to the station on foot or bicycle.

In response to a question from County Councillor B Langford in relation to analysing response times individually rather than as an average and ensuring that triggers were in place to reverse the pilot decision should performance drop, the DCFO confirmed that the service would set clear trigger points and would enhance the community safety practitioners offering within the area. The DCFO confirmed that the service would continue to track responses to incidents and outlined that there were no national standards in relation to response times and Lancashire’s response times were comparable to those in metropolitan fire services. He confirmed that the service would continue to consider the local impact and work with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) whilst ensuring that regular reports were taken to the Performance Committee to ensure transparency at all stages.

In response to a question from the Chair in relation to benchmarking against other services, the DCFO confirmed that the duty systems used were recognised nationally and the service sought to achieve a demonstratable balance of effective and efficient systems.

The report was proposed by County Councillor A Ali and seconded by County Councillor I Duxbury with all members voting in favour of the recommendation.

Resolved: That the authority;

1. Noted the contents of the report and the evidence supporting the proposed pilot. 2. Approved the Chair of the Authority and the Chief Fire Officer to take a final decision on the implementation of the Fleetwood Flexible Day Crewing pilot, taking account of consultation outcomes and further analysis.