The Scottish Government

Main Findings

Introduction

There has been much Ministerial discussion regarding the role of Scotland's Fire Service and, in May 2002, the Scottish Parliament committed to reform and modernise the service. The debate reiterated the key role of the Fire Service in making communities, and people within those communities, feel safer. Central to this is a shift from heavy involvement in firefighting towards fire prevention, through education and enforcement activities.

In many locations across Scotland, there is a heavy reliance on part-time non-career firefighters and Ministers are keen to ensure that any changes are inclusive to all sectors of the Fire Service.

As one element of its modernisation agenda, the Scottish Executive Justice Department (SEJD) commissioned this stage of research to identify practical and effective mechanisms through which part-time firefighters can become more effectively integrated within the structures of local authority fire brigades in Scotland.

Aims and Objectives

The aims of the broad research programme were to build upon the previous research and:

1. Identify the relationships between the functions required to be delivered by part-time firefighters

2. Identify and examine the barriers and problems that are likely to be encountered in implementing strategic change in the part-time sector and explore ways in which these barriers and problems can be overcome

3. Advise on possible solutions and provide recommendations which will focus on the move towards fire prevention

Methodology

The research methodology comprised three key elements:

1 A collation and review of the current literature relating to part-time firefighters in the UK and abroad.

2 A series of 18 in-depth face-to-face interviews with individuals in key stakeholder organisations in the Fire Service e.g. senior fire officers, key union officials, local authority officials with a Fire Service remit.

3 A series of 8 group discussions, 2 mini-group discussions and in-depth interviews, undertaken with whole-time and part-time firefighters, and 12 in-depth face-to-face interviews with senior officers involved in training and management throughout the Fire Service in Scotland.

Once the research was completed, a workshop was held at the Scottish Fire Service Training School in Gullane in order to discuss initial findings of the research. Attendees at this workshop were senior personnel from a variety of organisations including the Scottish fire brigades, local councils, trade unions, stakeholder organisations and those with an interest in the role of the retained, auxiliary and volunteer firefighter.

Training and Personal Development

Based on the research evidence, there is a need to ensure the same core competencies for both whole-time and part-time firefighters (retained, auxiliary and volunteer), and to ensure that consistent standards of training and development opportunities are provided to both. This is particularly important in the light of recent and possible future employment legislation where discrimination on the basis of part-time working may be illegal. However, given budgetary restrictions and differences in terms of needs within local communities, it might be more feasible within Scotland to maintain two distinct categories of part-time firefighter - retained who would be trained to the same level as their whole-time counterparts and volunteer, who would operate in very small and / or remote areas offering a basic fire service to the community. In the medium term, it is important that training and equipment provided to volunteer firefighters is upgraded.

There is also a need for training to be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the local community and individual firefighters operating within that community. IPDS (Integrated Personal Development System) was felt to offer the necessary flexibility to cater for different needs between brigades and stations, while still delivering the same basic training and core competencies across all brigades via training modules. It affords an opportunity to recognise an individual's competence and skills and places emphasis on the identification of development needs. Offering nationally recognised qualifications and transferable skills was viewed as a very positive aspect to IPDS and offered benefits to both firefighters and their employers.

There were a number of other initiatives being piloted in relation to the delivery of training and provision of ongoing support and learning structures. The research suggested that a best practice guide is needed in the light of practical experience and implementation of each initiative. In the longer term it is likely that each brigade or station will need to decide which training options will be most effective in optimising the level of service they can provide to their local communities.

Offering nationally recognised qualifications and transferable skills was viewed as a very positive aspect to IPDS and of benefit to firefighters. Employers of firefighters also benefit in that their employees obtain additional skills that may be of use in the workplace.

There are a number of key elements of training delivery which were considered to be good practice and these were:

If adopted, these practices were also seen to go some way to helping to break down cultural and attitudinal barriers that currently exist between whole-time and part-time firefighters.

Effective communication of benefits will be central to the successful introduction of any changes in training patterns or delivery and acceptance of those changes.

Interchangeability and flexibility

The research suggested the concept of interchangeability and flexibility was perceived to sit well with the role of part-time firefighters. In some instances, interchangeability was already in evidence, with some part-time firefighters having adopted new roles such as involvement in community safety. However, in most instances where interchangeability was in evidence, this was on an informal, rather than formal, basis. Before taking on any additional roles, there is a need for firefighters to ensure they have the appropriate training to perform their firefighting role in the community. If adopting new roles, the need to focus on appropriate training before adoption of these was recognised.

Respondents focused primarily on community-based roles that might be additionally adopted by part-time firefighters and most respondents were against the concept of part-time firefighters taking on control room duties or other duties such as paramedics. However, the concept of mixing two or three part-time roles to create a full-time job was perceived to be a means of attracting a more diverse range of individuals to the Fire Service.

A combination of IPDS and the South Wales pilot (the objectives of the South Wales project included investigating why recruits leave the service, different recruitment methodologies and retention issues; creating a more family friendly system; considering the operation of IPDS and exploring ways in which to introduce community fire safety initiatives) were seen to offer potential for the introduction of greater interchangeability, albeit tailoring appropriate elements from each in line with community and individual needs.

Recruitment and Communication

There was an acknowledgement from most respondents that recruitment was an issue for fire brigades in Scotland. Where officers had been appointed specifically to deal with recruitment and retention issues, they appeared to have been effective in raising awareness, increasing numbers of applicants and improving retention periods. There will be a need for the Fire Service to continue to introduce new and innovative solutions to deal with issues of recruitment and retention. Some respondents referred to a need to focus on the "product" rather than "marketing" and suggested that without changes to the product, recruitment and retention problems will continue.

Regarding internal communications, the research suggested that there was a lack of a two-way, formal communication structure both across the Fire Service and within brigades. The provision of information to firefighters was ad hoc, and senior officers' visits to fire stations infrequent. There were concerns from those attending the workshop session and some senior management that there were few opportunities for firefighters themselves to provide their views or engage in dialogue.

The research evidence suggests there is a need for greater liaison and collaboration across the Fire Service in Scotland. This would ensure that there is commonality in communication across all brigades.

Effective communication within the Fire Service will play an essential role in the successful integration of local authority fire brigades within Scotland. On an internal basis, there is a need to promote changes proactively and positively and counter existing tensions between whole-time and part-time firefighters.

On an external basis, there was a perception that the general public has a very low awareness of what is involved in being a part-time firefighter and there is a need to provide information to the general public on part-time firefighting in order to raise awareness and promote the benefits of part-time firefighting. There were suggestions that there was a need for a national generic advertising campaign that was backed up by other local campaigns and provision of information on a local basis.

For employers of existing and potential part-time firefighters, there were a number of key messages that should be disseminated in order to bring about a more positive attitude towards allowing staff to become part-time firefighters. Utilising endorsements from employers who currently allow staff to be part-time firefighters was seen as credible by other employers, and may at least prompt consideration by other employers in allowing their staff to become part-time firefighters.

There are various initiatives which could be undertaken in order to help market the Fire Service to a far more diverse range of individuals. In instances where initiatives have already been undertaken, the evidence suggested that these have been effective.

Defining the role of a part- time firefighter

Respondents believed the role of the part-time firefighter should be placed firmly within the context of local community planning. Any training and development provided to part-time firefighters should meet with the needs and expectations of the local community. Local risk assessments will be needed to define those needs and in turn identify the skills required by part-time firefighters.

Many respondents suggested that there should no longer be any differentiation between retained, auxiliary and volunteer firefighters and that they should all be simply referred to as "part-time firefighters". Similarly, respondents suggested that all firefighters could be referred to simply as "firefighters" regardless of whether they are whole-time or part-time.

The research findings suggest there should be a distinction between "firefighters" who are trained to deal with a wide range of incidents including structural fires, and "community emergency response teams" who are effectively technicians who contain incidents until supported.

The research indicates that in order to achieve integration, consideration will need to be given to the provision of initial training and ongoing development, equipment levels and so on. For a truly integrated Fire Service, it will not be possible to maintain differences in these service aspects.

There were signs of cultural differences and tensions between whole-time and part-time firefighters, with part-time firefighters perceived by many of their whole-time counterparts as offering a second class service. Respondents believed that the public's expectations and needs were the same from both types of firefighter and there was a need to break down differences, real or perceived, in order to provide a truly efficient service across the board. One example of different treatment of part-time and whole-time firefighters was in the amount of training delivered, and the means by which it was delivered.

The research findings suggest that a number of approaches could be adopted that will help to address cultural and attitudinal barriers and these include:

Based on the research evidence, Management within the Fire Service needs to be more strategic in its approach to the service offered to the community . The current structure is based on historical tradition, rather than community needs. There is a need to assess community risks and needs, to define the roles to meet these needs and then develop staff competency for these roles.

Conclusion

The research suggests that there is a positive acceptance from firefighters and senior personnel for the introduction of practical and effective mechanisms through which part-time firefighters can become more integrated within structures of local authority fire brigades in Scotland.

However, many of these mechanisms are not related solely to part-time firefighters in Scotland but also relate to their whole-time counterparts.

Central to this integration is the need for changes to training and personal development; greater liaison and collaboration across the Fire Service and a strategic approach to the service offered to the community.