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SECTION 4 - DELIVERING THE VISION - INTERVENTION
"Assists promptly and effectively when fire and other emergencies occur."
Current Arrangements
38. Across Scotland the fire service is shaped by national standards for attendance at fire incidents. The standards specify the number of pumping appliances that should arrive at the locus within prescribed time limits. These current standards are given below.
Risk Category | Number of Pumps for First Attendance | Time Limits for Attendance (in minutes) |
1st | 2nd | 3rd |
A | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
B | 2 | 5 | 8 | - |
C | 1 | 8-10 | - | - |
D | 1 | 20 | - | - |
Table 1: Standards of Fire Cover Attendance Times
39. The risk category is assessed by the brigade and allocated to a given geographical area within the Fire Authority. For example, Risk Category A applies to central areas of large cities, Risk Category B to central areas of towns, Risk Category C applies to urban residential areas and Risk Category D to rural areas. In addition, areas can be categorised as Remote Rural - isolated from centres of population with few buildings.
40. The existing approach is property-based and its main weakness is that it does not take into account the presence of people and/or their activities. Research undertaken in 1998 6 suggested that fire cover should be provided according to the risk of fire and that the nature of the response provided should be reviewed. Further related research was undertaken in a small number of brigades and it was concluded that risk-based fire cover incorporating a flexible response was a viable alternative.
Managing the Risk
41. The public expects the fire service to respond quickly and make their lives safer. To do this the fire service will have to become risk managers. The common thread to delivering a balanced prevention and intervention service is an integrated risk management approach. The future role of the fire service will be to manage the fire risk in the community it serves, on behalf of that community. Information, which is accurate and up to date, is a critical requirement of sound risk assessment. This information needs to be gathered, analysed, and presented in such a way as to positively impact upon the entire operational approach. Under the auspices of the CFBAC and SCFBAC a new joint Risk Management Working Group has been established to co-ordinate the development of processes, language, data and recording systems necessary to ensure an integrated approach to risk assessment and risk management in the fire service.
42. Through this approach it should be possible for the fire service to assess the risk in communities and drive it down through community fire safety initiatives and the enforcement of modern fire safety legislation. Each facet of the principles of fire prevention, fire protection and fire cover/firefighting would be entirely complementary as connections were made between the level of existing risk, what could be done to reduce that risk and the level of fire cover provided.
43. It will be important that the risk management system adopted has the strength to ensure minimum standards and the flexibility to reflect local issues. In addition, it needs to reflect the important social and heritage issues within Scotland. For example, there is a need for awareness about industrial property, the predominance of tenement properties within Scottish towns and cities, and our unique heritage sites. Important decisions will have to be made about the balancing of costs against successful delivery. Determining, measuring and managing fire risk will be an integral function of the Scottish Fire Service in contributing to a safer Scotland. The Executive would want to be assured that any changes support the new aim of the Scottish Fire Service detailed in paragraph 23 above.
Future Intervention Arrangements
44. The emphasis of the fire service has been on the primary aim of successful rescue. A change in the basis for determining fire cover from standards of response time and appliance availability to risk management would bring with it a need to provide public reassurance. As discussed in the paragraphs above, the current arrangements in respect of the standards of fire cover are not as effective as we would like. The current approach is seen as property-based and the main weakness is that it does not take account of the presence of people and/or their activities. A risk assessment approach, as described in paragraphs 41 to 43, explicitly addresses the risk to life but may in turn require resources to be allocated differently.
45. Two Scottish brigades - Strathclyde and Lothian and Borders - are involved in ongoing Pathfinder trials in moving away from the national standards of fire cover towards a risk management approach. This flexible risk-based approach to fire is applied in stages. Stage 1 uses a range of toolkits to assess the actual risk, Stage 2 deals with the response to the risk. This is a two-fold approach with, firstly, the application of appropriate safety measures to drive down that risk and then agreement on what the operational response will be. The final stage involves a review of the process to ensure that standards are maintained and risks continue to be driven down.
46. The outcome of these trials will be reported in the near future although implementation across brigades may take longer. Planning to allow these changes to go ahead will continue during 2002. However, it is worth recording that any change will represent a significant shift from the existing methodology. Given the nature of the possible changes and the need to maintain public confidence in the service's capability to respond to emergencies, it has always been the intention to increase public awareness to ensure acceptance of any new approach. Only once the details have been agreed can the awareness campaign begin.
The Executive recommends a public awareness campaign on the risk management approach to intervention once the Pathfinder trials have concluded. |
47. Current local decisions on resource allocation reflect a fire service based, resourced and organised around the current standards of fire cover. Any move to a risk management approach, based on tested and evaluated pilots, would therefore necessitate the creation of a more accountable and flexible framework for fire brigades and fire authorities. The Fire Authority itself would remain accountable to its local community for those decisions but this would require changes to the Fire Service Act 1947.
The Executive recommends that the Fire Services Act 1947 be amended to reflect changes arising from the risk management approach. |
48. Earlier reports 7 recognised that the issue of fire cover in sparsely populated areas was not fully addressed. In Scotland, the Executive recognises the value and importance of the contribution of retained and volunteers and acknowledges that they have a unique position and insight to their community through their other work or interests. Currently, HM Inspectorate of fire services is undertaking a thematic inspection in relation to rural and retained firefighters.
The emerging recommendations of the thematic inspection on rural and retained firefighters should be considered by the Executive, particularly in relation to the need to introduce any legislative changes. |
Other Services
49. The fire service in Scotland is highly regarded by the public. It is, however, a developing service which must take into account environmental and other changes. The fire service already undertakes rescues from floods, buildings, high structures, collapsed trenches, chemical spillages, etc. The fire service response to road accidents is recognised and long established. The impact of environmental and other changes have resulted in a higher degree of involvement by individual fire brigades in these non-fire incidents. Special services were provided by the fire service in Scotland on 10,794 occasions during 2000-2001.
50. There is no statutory requirement for fire brigades to provide "special services" such as attending non-fire-related incidents, but individual fire authorities can and do exercise discretion in this area. The recent Structure Review 8 of the Scottish Fire Service identified that:
"All brigades respond to road traffic accidents, lift rescues from silos and sewers and provide attendance to animals in distress. Similarly they will attend incidents involving hazardous materials or presenting a risk of harm to the environment, such as flooding. Beyond that there is considerable variation between brigades as to what special services they will undertake...."
51. If the Scottish Fire Service is to respond to future trends it needs to establish consistent national standards for the delivery of "special services". Any change in role might require new legislation and a redirection of resources. The same review working group commissioned an independent survey of the public's expectations of the fire service and those respondents identified a requirement for "clear national standards of service" which would be complementary to the local autonomy of the Firemaster.
How best to incorporate the existing special service activities undertaken by the fire service and take forward any new role in the non-firefighting arena will be given careful consideration. This will explore the importance of distinguishing between duties and powers.
"Has a well equipped, skilful and highly-motivated workforce, able to work safely and whose composition reflects the diverse communities it serves."
The Executive recommends that views be sought from stakeholders and the wider community on what the fire service should be doing in the area of "special services" and, if required, the Executive will ensure that the appropriate legislative changes are made. |
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