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CONTENTS

A Report by HM Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland, St Andrew's House, Edinburgh February 2005

Executive Summary
Recommendations
Section 1 The Strategic Management of the Service
Section 2 Integrated Risk Management Planning
Section 3 Integrated Personal Development System
Section 4 Community Fire Safety and Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003
Section 5 Fire Safety Issues
Section 6 Heads of Agreement
Section 7 Diversity and Equality Issues
Section 8 Health and Safety
Section 9 Information/Communications
Section 10 Personnel Attendance Levels
Section 11 Freedom of Information Act
Section 12 IT and Data/Information Capture
Section 13 Duties under the Civil Contingencies Bill
Section 14 Funding

STRATHCLYDE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE PERFORMANCE INSPECTION - 21, 22 and 23 FEBRUARY 2005

Background

As Fire and Rescue Services across Scotland move towards implementation of The Modernising Agenda, the Inspectorate will inspect the Services between October 2004 and March 2005. The findings of the inspection will be reported to Ministers, the relevant Fire Authority, the Firemaster and will be available to the public.

Aims and Objectives of the Inspection

The aim of the inspection is to support, assist and, where appropriate or necessary, challenge the Fire Authority and the Service's progress towards modernisation in accordance with National Guidance and within Best Value.

The objectives of the inspection are -

To assess:

• The overall strategic management of the Service;
• Progress on the Fire Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan ( IRMP), including compliance with National Guidelines and timetables;
• Progress on the introduction of Integrated Personnel Development System ( IPDS), including Rank to Role and the opportunities this presents particularly for retained/
  part-time and support staff;
• The Fire Authority's preparedness for the new Statutory Duty (Fire Service Bill) of Community Fire Safety and the duties contained within The Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003;
• The Fire Authority's plans to become the enforcing authority for all fire safety issues (Fire Service Bill);
• The degree to which the Fire Authority is utilising the service delivery flexibilities arising from The Heads of Agreement signed between The Employers and the Fire Brigades' Union in 2004;
• The Fire Authority's and the Service's progress on Diversity, Equality of Opportunity and Cultural Change and compliance with all relevant legislation;
• The Fire Authority's performance on Health and Safety at Work in accordance with relevant legislation and guidance;
• The Fire Authority and the Service's information flow, staff communications and general consultation arrangements across all groups of staff;
• The Fire Authority's performance in terms of staff attendance levels;
• The Fire Authority's performance and compliance with The Freedom of Information Act and general handling of complaints, etc;
• The Service's ability to maximise Information Technology ( IT) and central data capture;
• The Fire Authority's progress on identifying realistic efficiencies to enable the transitional funding for whole-time operational staff (provided by the Scottish Executive) to be absorbed over the Spending Review 2004 period; and
• The opportunities taken by the Service and/or the Fire Authority to review the uniformed Service establishment (Section 19 of The Fire Services Act 1947).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It is evident that the Service and the Fire Authority are in the "Improving" category. In several areas, e.g. diversity, single status review for support staff, etc. the Service is in the "Achieving" category. The competency of the recently appointed Firemaster and his relatively new Management Team, coupled with the excellent support from the Fire Authority, promotes confidence that in the near future the Service should become a "highly achieving" organisation.

Firemaster Brian Sweeney was appointed in March 2004 and in this short time the challenges that the Service has faced have been quite remarkable, many of them over and above those faced by the majority of Fire and Rescue Services in the same period. It is commendable that the Firemaster, staff and the Fire Authority have continued to provide an excellent service throughout this period and are now well positioned to reach all the milestones of the modernising agenda over the forthcoming year.

I am pleased to report that the Service and the Fire Authority are effectively discharging their duties in accordance with the Fire Services Act 1947 within an environment of continuously improving staff and public safety whilst striving to achieve Best Value.

The Fire Authority are invited to accept the recommendations in this report and incorporate them into the relevant action plans for the Service.

JEFF ORD
HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services
March 2005

Note: For further information relating to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service visit their website: www.strathclydefire.org

RECOMMENDATIONS

Section 1 - The Strategic Management of the Service

1. The restructure of the Service, which aims to produce major improvements at a local level, should have a comprehensive review of the overall effectiveness planned within the implementation programme. (Para 1.7)

Section 2 - Integrated Risk Management Planning

2. The Service should continue to liaise with other Fire and Rescue Services with a view to sharing good practice on emergency call management techniques and, where appropriate, the use of fire appliance strategic standby. (Para 2.2)

Section 3 - Integrated Personal Development System ( IPDS)

3. It is recommended that the Service carries out, on a regular basis,
multi-pump exercises embracing the use of guidelines. (Para 3.8)

Section 4 - Community Fire Safety and the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003

4. The Service has wholly embraced its role in community safety and works closely with all of its partners. However at operational level, much of this work is still managed by the CFS department staff. To encourage greater ownership and to reduce the dependency on the finite resources of the CFS department, operational staff should be more directly involved in the development and management of CFS for their local area. (Para 4.9)

5. The availability of validated data on operational activity and risk through the FSEC toolkit should, where possible, be used to enhance and inform better targeting of resources against initiatives in the development of Community Fire Safety campaigns. (Para 4.4)

Section 5 - Fire Safety Issues

6. In light of the considerable expertise and experience held by the existing staff, some of whom could be in a position to retire in the near future, the Service may need to further consider in its future planning, the possible impact of losing a number of existing experienced staff over a short period. (Para 5.5)

7. Given the new emphasis on Community Safety and the impending changes to the legislative framework the need for additional training in these areas is becoming of critical importance. The Service requires to conduct a training needs analysis in support of these areas and to further develop the ongoing review of the staff complement at the Service's Training Centre. (Para 5.7)

Section 6 - Heads of Agreement

8. A needs analysis of appliance availability should be undertaken to ensure the efficient use of overtime arrangements. (Para 6.2)

9. Before utilising the voluntary overtime facility available to staff, their suitability in terms of health, fitness and attendance record should be considered. (Para 6.3)

10. The Service should liaise with other Fire Services to ensure that its policy on wholetime/retained working becomes practice as soon as possible. (Para 6.5)

Section 7 - Diversity and Equality Issues

11. The Service is a high achiever in the equality agenda. However, it must look at the duty to train staff in race and cultural awareness as well as generic equality training. It is imperative that a comprehensive training plan is developed and actioned. (Para 7.4)

12. All managers who have responsibility for staff should undertake not only equality training but conflict resolution training and/or training in mediation, in order to develop the capacity of the organisation to deal with complaints of an equality or fairness nature at a management level. (Para 7.6)

Section 10 - Personnel Attendance Levels

13. The Service should consider reviewing current procedures in line with recent legislative changes and contract arrangements to prevent a conflict of employment interests. (Para 10.7)

14. The Service may wish to consider potential opportunities to further maximise the wider role of retained staff. (Para 10.9)

15. Where difficulties persist, the Service may wish to consider more flexible arrangements to attract retained staff that may be deterred by the potential commitment required. (Para 10.10)

Section 12 - Information Technology and Data/Information Capture

16. The development of a Service-wide IT facility is a priority for an organisation as geographically diverse as Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service. However, at the time of inspection, the component parts of a Service-wide system were not yet in place. It is imperative that the timescales for implementation, supported by a strategic lead from senior managers and the Authority are given the highest priority. (Para 12.4)

17. There is also a need to provide limited amounts of data from the FSEC model, which are already being gathered, to stations and departments. This would allow staff to analyse the data and the running of planning scenarios which in turn would build up confidence in the use of the FSEC model at both strategic and practitioner level. (Para 12.7)

Section 13 - Duties under the Civil Contingencies Bill

18. It is recommended that the Service examine the opportunity to further develop its existing training and exercise programme within the SECG, and on a multi-region basis with other Scottish Major Incident Unit Services, to fully test mutual aid arrangements and further validate planning assumptions. (Para 13.7)

19. In light of the type of catastrophic scenarios envisaged in the planning and resilience developed under New Dimensions, the Service should further review site specific risks to encapsulate, where possible, the type and scale of events that would previously have been considered unimaginable. (Para 13.14)

Section 14 - Funding

20. The absorption of the transitional funding provided by the Scottish Executive will need to be factored into the Fire Authority's future budget plans. (Para 14.1)

SECTION 1

1. The Strategic Management of the Service

1.1 The Service was last inspected in 2002-03 and several recommendations were made at that time. Many of these have either been addressed or overtaken by the Modernising Agenda. However, one area in particular has not yet been fully addressed. This is the provision of a Service-wide information technology infrastructure, the absence of which is now beginning to disadvantage the Service in comparison with other Fire and Rescue Services in Scotland.

1.2 Whilst this absence is a cause of concern, the Fire Authority and the Service are taking all possible steps to make its rectification a high priority. Indeed, the most recent delay in providing the infrastructure, whilst frustrating for everyone concerned, was beyond the influence of the Service. The Firemaster is confident that the infrastructure, including software and hardware, will be in place by summer 2005. This vital area will be addressed further later in this report.

1.3 Several members of the Senior Management Team, including the Firemaster, have only recently been appointed. However, the competency and quality of this team is evident and already producing good results. The support the team receive from the Fire Authority is outstanding and is conducted with clarity, in that the Fire Authority approve policy and allow the Firemaster to deliver the service whilst monitoring overall performance.

1.4 The recent changes in the Senior Management Team have also improved the diversity of this group. The newly appointed Assistant Chief Officer for Personnel and Development is a support member of staff who has brought with him a significant level of knowledge and experience in this field. This valuable appointment is totally in accordance with the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Fire and Rescue Services undertaken by Sir George Bain, and has allowed the uniformed members of the team to further concentrate on the strategic challenges facing the Service and improving service delivery. The Fire Authority are to be commended for establishing and supporting this position.

1.5 The challenges and issues the Fire Authority and the Service have faced in the last twelve months have, perhaps, been unique and are most certainly beyond the national issues which have challenged all Fire Authorities. It is a credit to all those involved that all these challenges have been addressed. These include, for example, preparing for several fatal accident inquiries, discharging an improvement notice served on the Fire Authority by the Health and Safety Executive, and a host of other major issues.

1.6 Whilst addressing all these challenges, the vital work arising from the Modernising Agenda and the necessity to restructure the Service, to better serve the communities and visitors to Strathclyde, has also been progressing. The restructure of the Service is a major task and is estimated to be completed by late autumn 2005. It is a complex exercise in an organisation as large as Strathclyde and is interdependent with issues such as rank to role changes, IRMP, community planning groups, etc.

1.7 Whilst there will inevitably be a "bedding in" process with the restructure, it will be necessary to plan reviews of its effectiveness at regular intervals. During the inspection, discussions took place between the Chief Inspector and the Firemaster in which it was clearly demonstrated that the restructure will improve service delivery and should allow staff to better focus on local solutions for local issues whilst operating within a corporate framework.

1.8 Following his appointment, the Firemaster has undertaken a series of open forums with all staff throughout the organisation. Whilst this has generated a considerable workload, the benefits have been substantial with staff feeling well informed on issues and having the opportunity to state their opinions. This, in turn, has generally improved morale. Consideration will need to be given as to the future of this vital area of staff communications which will soon be complemented by IT systems and the Service restructure. However, these forums have been particularly successful at a time when the Service was coming out of a prolonged period of industrial dispute and is now entering the most major reform agenda in the history of the Fire Service.

1.9 Overall, the public can have confidence in the strategic ability of the Service and the support it receives from the Fire Authority, which show every sign of leading to even safer communities.

RECOMMENDATION

1. The restructure of the Service, which aims to produce major improvements at a local level, should have a comprehensive review of the overall effectiveness planned within the implementation programme.

SECTION 2

2. Integrated Risk Management Planning ( IRMP)

2.1 The Fire Authority and the Service are on course to achieve all the milestones and guidance compliance as determined by the Scottish Executive, and are in a sound position to implement their IRMP in April 2005.

2.2 The extensive consultation exercise undertaken by the Fire Authority has highlighted two areas where stakeholders have expressed a desire for further consideration before implementation. The Fire Authority have agreed to this, and have commissioned further work in the areas of fire appliance "strategic standby" and further emergency call management techniques utilised by control room staff. Whilst reflection following the consultation period is commendable, it will nevertheless be essential that the Service liaise with other Fire and Rescue Services in order to learn from their experiences.

2.3 In some areas the Fire Authority's IRMP has broken new ground for the Service, particularly the effective use of dual crewing arrangements for water response units and the introduction of a new duty system for command and control room staff. Whilst the latter initiative has involved increasing the establishment by three posts, it may nevertheless prove to be a case of "pump priming" as it may lead to more staff moving to alternative duty systems. The effectiveness of both of these initiatives will need to be monitored and, where appropriate, reviewed.

2.4 The Service is utilising the Fire Service Emergency Cover ( FSEC) computer software provided by the Scottish Executive. This will enable them to collect extensive data and help support the Firemaster in exercising professional judgement when prioritising resources. The initial issue of this software was affected by minor problems and by uncertainty surrounding its long-term future, as the maintenance of the software was dependent upon an ongoing resource commitment from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This uncertainty has now been removed and it is clear that FSEC will continue to be a major tool in the progress and reviews of IRMPs. It is vital that full resourcing and commitment to the data team and FSEC are achieved, in order for the Fire Authority to take advantage of the flexibility afforded by IRMPs and reduce wastage of resources which can be better focussed upon community fire safety delivery.

2.5 The IRMP team are in the process of gathering statistics and evidence on all risks. However, they do now have sufficient historical evidence on house fire and road traffic accidents to enable them to present intervention options to the Firemaster and his team whilst still gathering evidence on other risks, such as commercial buildings.

2.6 The small team who undertake this area of work are to be congratulated on their efforts to date.

2.7 Once again, as mentioned elsewhere in this report, the lack of an IT infrastructure throughout the Service is preventing fire crews and other departments, e.g. community fire safety, from receiving the most up to date information on fire trends in their areas in a dynamic manner. Whilst the Service attempts to overcome this by the use of less dynamic systems, it is essential that the IT infrastructure is provided by summer 2005, in accordance with planned timescales.

2.8 The Fire Authority is about to take delivery of a new-style fire appliance, known as an aerial rescue pump, which combines the roles of traditional rescue pumps and dedicated height vehicles. The benefits of this type of appliance will be significant in terms of improved service delivery and staff safety. It will create efficiencies across the Service. This initiative is being monitored by the UK Fire and Rescue Services generally, as it has considerable potential.

2.9 The IRMP action plan includes reviews of many of the traditional duty systems used throughout the Service and, as in many areas of the IRMP, the proposal is to implement these alternative systems in an incremental manner following consultation and pilot projects.

2.10 The working routines affecting wholetime uniformed staff have been altered to enable greater productivity and more flexible working. Whilst there is little evidence of this policy change on the ground at this time, the Service is nevertheless making good overall progress on the Modernising Agenda within the Fire Authority's IRMP. The challenge for the Fire Authority and the Service is to utilise these policy changes in a sensible and effective manner which then produces real improvements in service delivery and community safety.

RECOMMENDATION

2. The Service should continue to liaise with other Fire and Rescue Services with a view to sharing good practice on emergency call management techniques and, where appropriate, the use of fire appliance strategic standby.

SECTION 3

3. Integrated Personal Development System ( IPDS)

3.1 It was apparent that the Service has addressed the issue of IPDS in a commendable manner, developing its own internal IPDS Hub crewed by enthusiastic staff. Given the level of evidence required by the system, and the associated administrative burden, it is perhaps understandable that the Service has shown some frustration with this ahead of the introduction of the updated Personal Development Record ( PDR) system, PDR pro. The Service currently has 170 staff portfolios to manage. However, the Inspectorate was fully satisfied with the Service's commitment to IPDS.

3.2 During the inspection the Inspectorate were able to witness assessor and verifier training being delivered by the external trainer, the Rewards Group. The difficulties and inflexibilities associated with external provision for a large organisation have been recognised by the Service, which is currently examining the potential for developing its own internal provision by employing a suitably qualified specialist. The Service currently has 100 qualified assessors with a further 127 trainee assessors progressing through to qualification.

3.3 The Service is seeking to develop a cadre of assessors to take forward the assessment of development needs under IPDS. It intends to re-deploy those assessors used under the previous statutory examinations system to fulfil this role.

3.4 The training reference has seen a change at principal officer level, with the appointment of a non-uniformed Assistant Chief Officer. This Officer's previous experience, together with an experienced Senior Divisional Officer and other uniformed personnel, has brought a fresh and modernising approach to the management of training and personal development.

3.5 The reference is in the process of being completely restructured with a clear focus on departmental staff being deployed within the most appropriate field, based on their experience and qualifications. This approach is to be commended as it eliminates the issues previously associated with role crossover that can affect performance and morale, both of which appear now to be in very good order. This restructuring exercise is clearly designed to enable the department to deliver the Service's modernising agenda in this very important area.

3.6 All staff within the reference are clearly working very hard, dealing with an unusually wide and demanding range of issues, and it can be seen that these efforts are beginning to bear fruit.

3.7 Of the wide range of training issues being tackled, one of the most prominent is consideration being given to the use of operational audits, realistic community-based training, and the use of assessors previously experienced in the statutory examination system for role development assessment.

3.8 On the specific issue of multi-pump exercises utilising guidelines, the Service should, on a regular basis, carry out such exercises. It is recommended that the Service examine this issue as soon as possible.

3.9 The Service has been working for some time to implement the national incident command system, and the system will be operational by late spring of this year.

3.10 Initial realistic fire training has been completed for all operational personnel, and a large degree of refresher training has been completed. This has been accomplished using the Service's mobile and fixed simulation units. However, the Service has identified difficulties with skills maintenance in this subject. The use of all training units has undergone a complete review to ensure that refresher training for all personnel is managed in the best possible manner. The Service is considering the construction of a second fixed unit to assist in this process.

RECOMMENDATION

3. It is recommended that the Service carries out, on a regular basis, multi-pump exercises embracing the use of guidelines.

SECTION 4

4. Community Fire Safety and The Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003

4.1 The Service conducted a review of its Community Fire Safety ( CFS) resources in 2004. This review identified the need for further resources to support the Service's role. The additional resources identified to support this important area of work have now been progressed. The review encompassed both current and future work commitments, in regard to Community Planning and Community Fire Safety. Subject to Management Team approval, it will be presented to the Fire Authority to seek support for the provision of additional resources.

4.2 The Service is an established partner within each of the twelve council area community planning forums, and they continue to develop innovative partnership arrangements to drive down incidents and enhance community safety. Where possible, good use has been made of partnership funding award schemes to support these initiatives. Current activities include Hot Strike campaigns, Fire Cadet Schemes, Crucial Crew and Young Fire Setters programmes. The Service continues to identify and work with new partners.

4.3 The Service's priorities for prevention form part of the Fire Authority's published Community Fire Safety Strategy, and are an integral part of the Service's IRMP.

4.4 The existing databases utilised by the Service are primarily an information gathering system, used to maintain records of activities. They are not an interactive measurement tool capable of validating the results of the initiatives and general CFS actions undertaken by the Service. The application of the Fire Service Emergency Cover ( FSEC) toolkit is at an early stage, and FSEC has yet to be fully utilised to enhance, inform and more accurately measure results, which will further assist in the targeting of resources.

4.5 A pilot programme for carrying out Home Risk Assessments is currently running within the Service, and full implementation will roll out in Summer 2005 to support proactive prevention measures for those at risk in the community.

4.6 The Service works closely with various council departments, Police, community wardens and other partners in delivering many elements of its Community and Fire Safety initiatives. It also utilises non-uniformed Community Fire Safety Coordinators to support the delivery of community fire safety work.

4.7 The Service employs a non-uniformed Youth Development Coordinator and is in the process of advertising for the post of a Community Planning Support Coordinator. The work currently being produced by the Youth Development Coordinator is strategically excellent. This position is unique within the Scottish Fire Services and, as such, the Coordinator is heavily consulted by other Services.

4.8 Stations have been provided with the Community Fire Safety toolkit and it is utilised where appropriate. It has also been used locally by some stations to develop CFS press releases and other media initiatives.

4.9 In general, wholetime personnel have embraced Community Fire Safety and a number of examples were provided where station personnel had initiated CFS work in the local community.

RECOMMENDATIONS

4. The Service has wholly embraced its role in community safety and works closely with all of its partners. However at operational level, much of this work is still managed by the CFS department staff. To encourage greater ownership and to reduce the dependency on the finite resources of the CFS department, operational staff should be more directly involved in the development and management of CFS for their local area.

5. The availability of validated data on operational activity and risk through the FSEC toolkit should, where possible, be used to enhance and inform better targeting of resources against initiatives in the development of Community Fire Safety campaigns.

SECTION 5

5. Fire Safety Issues

5.1 The Service is well-placed to accommodate the forthcoming statutory duty of becoming the enforcing authority for fire safety. The sustained capacity and competency of staff in this specialist area is commendable.

5.2 The Service has in place a robust, risk-based approach to all of its legislative enforcement work. This work is graded and whilst priority is given to those premises assessed as high risk, the Services policy remains flexible to change, subject to new information or reassessment of existing priorities. During 2004, a further review of the risk classification of premises was commenced utilising the FSEC toolkit to further validate the current inspection regime.

5.3 The Service has, in regard to licensing of houses in multiple occupancy, assigned a dedicated team within the City of Glasgow to better manage this expanding area of work.

5.4 Currently the profile of staff within the legislative section is balanced between very experienced and long-established department Station Officers, and supporting Sub-Officers. This provides a cadre of trained staff available to support the Service's longer term staffing arrangements, and for temporary shortages etc.

5.5 The current staff profile within the legislative section of the department is well balanced, although presently some difficulties exist in covering short term gaps. The current qualifications of relevant staff within the department are good, with a considerable breadth of experience and knowledge. Succession arrangements appear to be adequate for the present. However, based on the service and age profile, it appears that a number of department staff could be in a position to retire in the near future.

5.6 The Service utilises wholetime operational crews to undertake routine inspections.

5.7 In relation to internal training in both Community Fire Safety and Legislative Fire Safety matters, the Service has only one dedicated person carrying out this work at its Training Centre. Given the new emphasis on Community Safety and the impending changes to the legislative framework, the need for additional training in these areas is becoming of critical importance. The Service requires to conduct a training needs analysis in support of these areas, and to further develop the ongoing review of the staff complement at the Services Training Centre. However, it is noted that a full Brigade restructure, including the identification of additional training needs, is currently underway.

RECOMMENDATIONS

6. In light of the considerable expertise and experience held by the existing staff, some of whom could be in a position to retire in the near future, the Service may need to further consider in its future planning, the possible impact of losing a number of existing experienced staff over a short period.

7. Given the new emphasis on Community Safety and the impending changes to the legislative framework the need for additional training in these areas is becoming of critical importance. The Service requires to conduct a training needs analysis in support of these areas and to further develop the ongoing review of the staff complement at the Service's Training Centre.

SECTION 6

6. Heads of Agreement

6.1 The recent long-running dispute in the Service was ended with the joint signing of a document entitled "Heads of Agreement". This agreement allows for much greater flexibility in terms of working practices than the Service has hitherto enjoyed.

6.2 The Service has made significant progress in this regard and draft consultation, negotiation and grievance procedures are in the final stages of discussion with Trades Unions. These agreements are in line with the direction set out in the revised scheme of conditions of service, but have been modified locally to enable their application on a "one policy" approach across all employee groups. The Service has also drafted a revised disciplinary procedure in anticipation of the new legislation abolishing the existing disciplinary regulations, and encouraging authorities to establish local agreements in line with the related Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ( ACAS) code of practice. It was noted that good progress was being made under this heading and the revised procedure should be in place by early summer 2005. An area of flexibility is the use of pre-planned overtime which the Authority now has a policy for, and is able to implement at this time. The Fire Authority have identified up to £360,000 per annum in the revenue budget for overtime which will allow all fire appliances to be fully staffed and available at all times. Whilst this appears eminently sensible, it is questionable as to whether it constitutes Best Value. It is essential that, before simply introducing a blanket facility for maintaining crewing levels and fire appliance availability, an examination of needs be undertaken. Many fire appliances, particularly on two-pump wholetime fire stations, are a historical provision arising from the recommended standards of fire cover. These recommended standards will no longer exist after March 2005 and therefore a needs analysis of fire appliance availability and crewing levels is essential to ensure that Best Value is being achieved.

6.3 Before utilising the above overtime facility it may be beneficial to consider the suitability of staff. A review of attendance records and health and fitness records should be carried out prior to staff being given the opportunity to undertake this additional voluntary commitment.

6.4 The Fire Authority has approved a policy on mixed crewing of fire appliances which will lead to improved service delivery. This is an essential step in formalising what may be regarded as a little-used flexibility. However, it remains an important issue.

6.5 Although the Service has produced a policy document on the issue of wholetime/retained working, personnel are not, at this time, undertaking such duties. This appears to be because of possible problems linked to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme. However, these difficulties have not hindered other Scottish Fire Services from implementing schemes within their areas. The Service should liaise with others to ensure that their policy on this issue becomes practice.

RECOMMENDATIONS

8. A needs analysis of appliance availability should be undertaken to ensure the efficient use of overtime arrangements.

9. Before utilising the voluntary overtime facility available to staff their suitability in terms of health, fitness and attendance record should be considered.

10. The Service should liaise with other Fire Services to ensure that its policy on wholetime/retained working becomes practice as soon as possible.

SECTION 7

7. Diversity and Equality Issues

7.1 The Service is progressing well on equality and has been for some time. There are a number of excellent policies in place, and there is visible commitment from senior managers throughout the service.

7.2 The service has made full use of the removal of the Appointments and Promotions Regulations. The recent appointment of the Director of Personnel, a support staff member who came from Local Government, is evidence of the Service's commitment to get the best person for the job and not assume that a vacant role should continue to be filled by an operational member of staff. This has been the case for a number of recent key appointments.

7.3 The Service has good links with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered ( LGBT) communities. There has been a fire appliance present at the Gay Pride rally on the previous two occasions it has been held in Glasgow. The Service has also been included in the Stonewall Equality Index which is a list of the top 100 "gay friendly" organisations in Britain. The LGBT community will be specifically targeted for the next positive action event taking place in the LGBT Centre in Glasgow.

7.4 The Service has not undertaken any equality training for some time, although it continues to provide conflict resolution training to all interested staff. The e-learning training provided by the Fire Service College cannot be rolled out at the present time due to the Service's IT Project being behind schedule. Once all stations are equipped with PCs, which is imminent, the training in this e-module can begin.

7.5 On disability, the Service has been involved in developing a draft action plan with the CFOA Equality Business Stream Group, gathering and disseminating good practice. The Senior Management Team are regularly updated with briefing papers from the Diversity Manager. However, once again, the issue of training needs to be addressed.

7.6 The Service has the correct structure in place for undertaking its duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The Race Equality Scheme ( RES) and associated action plans are in the ownership of the Chair of the Corporate Strategy Team, which is an Assistant Firemaster role. The RR(A)A is a standing item on the agenda of the Corporate Strategy Team ( CST) meetings and is regularly reported on. This, in turn, is reported to the Senior Management Team and subsequently to the Fire Board. All departments are undertaking Equality Impact Assessments on new policies and have a timetable for revising old ones. Good consultation networks are established through Community Fire Safety initiatives and the Fairness and Equality Team in partnership with local authorities, the Health Service and the Police. The one area where some further work should be undertaken is in training. The Service's management of the RES and associated action plans should be noted as a model of good practice.

7.7 The culture of the organisation appears to be good and the communication of equality issues is also good. The Service uses a number of communication tools including the Firemaster's Forum, which consists of face-to-face meetings taking place on a regular basis; questions on equality and related issues can be raised and discussed at this forum.

RECOMMENDATIONS

11. The Service is a high achiever in the equality agenda. However, it must look at the duty to train staff in race and cultural awareness as well as generic equality training. It is imperative that a comprehensive training plan is developed and actioned.

12. All managers who have responsibility for staff should undertake not only equality training but conflict resolution training and/or training in mediation, in order to develop the capacity of the organisation to deal with complaints of an equality or fairness nature at a management level.

SECTION 8

8. Health and Safety

8.1 This reference was seen to be working very hard at maintaining and improving the Service's evident safety culture. Excellent use of Information Technology ( IT) is being made to assist and modernise this process. All staff were very knowledgeable across a broad range of areas and clearly committed to their work.

8.2 Proactive safety management was evidenced in many ways, amongst which was a successful joint initiative with the Police to reduce attacks on fire crews. The initiative used historical data to predict when attacks would occur, and then target those hot spots in cooperation with the Police. This resulted in a significant reduction in attacks. In addition, stations would receive early notification if a crowd-related incident was ongoing within their area, whether or not fire was a factor in the incident, to alert crews to the potential for personal attacks occurring.

8.3 Other health and safety initiatives include inter-agency role awareness training, and the development of protocols for the safe management of siege incidents.

8.4 Similarly to other Services, Strathclyde has felt the impact of a higher than normal staff turnover in the specialist post, historically uniformed, of the Service Competent Person for Safety. The Service is therefore considering whether such posts should be filled, in future, by non-uniformed staff. This option has been supported by a recent report from the current Service Safety Officer, which is being considered by the Service management team. A review of the safety reference, including its staffing and organisational positioning, is currently underway.

8.5 Stress management within the Service is being reviewed, and will develop from the results of a proposed stress audit.

8.6 The Service is preparing a submission to the Scottish Health at Work programme for recognition of its work in this area.

8.7 Overall this was a very impressive inspection. No formal inspection by the Health and Safety Executive has occurred since the last inspection. The Service's officers were able to engage in a full and detailed examination of the statistics since the last inspection.

SECTION 9

9. Information/Communications

9.1 During the inspection all staff were positive and fully engaged. It was pleasing to note that station personnel were happy to discourse with inspectors on a wide range of issues.

9.2 Visits were also made to Renfrew and Maryhill fire stations to view mass decontamination familiarisation training and sample staff awareness. On both occasions the duty personnel displayed a good standard of morale and knowledge of the subjects discussed, including modernisation, New Dimensions, IRMP, CFS and IPDS.

9.3 Whilst most staff indicated they were generally satisfied with communications within the Service, concern was expressed in relation to some areas such as IPDS.

9.4 The staff sampled had a good awareness of the role of the New Dimensions arrangements and displayed an enthusiasm for taking on these new areas of work, as well as developing further their role in CFS. Some concern was raised in regard to the increases in training necessary to support the new roles now being undertaken by the Service, as well as maintaining skills for existing core duties.

9.5 The Service's procedures for receiving and handling complaints are satisfactory, with clear information available on the Service website. This information covers both how to make a formal complaint and what the Service will do to deal with it. Based on the example provided, the Service has appropriate arrangements in place to audit the outcome of each investigation and the feedback to the complainant.

SECTION 10

10. Personnel Attendance Levels

10.1 The Accounts Commission's performance indicators for 2003-04 show that the Service's sickness/absence rates are above the average of Scottish Fire and Rescue Services. The Service's rates for both firefighters and support staff compared poorly against other Services. It was noted that this issue is of significant concern to both the Management Team and the Fire Authority. The director of training and development is clearly focused on the importance of this issue to the Service and its potential impact on its modernising agenda. He has prepared a complete revision of the Service's policy, which is currently being circulated for consultation with stakeholders. The director was able to discuss the rationale behind the key changes in the policy and procedure, which are clearly focussed on making significant improvements in the Services performance.

10.2 The Service has prepared a specification for an excellent IT system to underpin the management of attendance, and to provide key managers with ready access to essential data.

10.3 The support and training strategy attached to this new policy is designed to obtain the key manager buy-in required if the policy is to be successful. In making entirely clear its dissatisfaction with the Service's levels of attendance, the Service management team has fully committed itself to the successful delivery of the new policy once it is disseminated.

10.4 The Service is to be complimented on its efforts to improve its performance in the area of personnel attendance levels.

10.5 The Service has a long-established secondary employment procedure for all staff, and formal approval is required from the Firemaster before a member of the Service can undertake secondary employment.

10.6 The existing application process is thorough and requires the applicant to provide the Service with an endorsement from the secondary employer, confirming that they accept the conditions pertaining to the applicant being given permission to undertake this secondary employment.

10.7 At the time of the inspection, the Service had not yet reviewed these procedures to consider recent legislative changes, including the Working Time Regulations 1998, and the introduction of prearranged overtime etc.

10.8 The Service continues to utilise support staff in key specialist posts across all functions. The recent developments include staffing changes in the operations support functions based at Hamilton which are now being provided by dedicated support staff.

10.9 Where staffing shortages impact on service delivery, the Service currently utilises a combination of both local and centrally managed initiatives to raise awareness in communities where problems exist.

10.10 The Service has also established a draft wholetime/retained policy. This can potentially enhance the availability of staff for recruitment in specific problem areas. However, in some geographically remote areas its effect will be limited.

RECOMMENDATIONS

13. The Service should consider reviewing current procedures in line with recent legislative changes and contract arrangements to prevent a conflict of employment interests.

14. The Service may wish to consider potential opportunities to further maximise the wider role of retained staff.

15. Where difficulties persist, the Service may wish to consider more flexible arrangements to attract retained staff that may be deterred by the potential commitment required.

SECTION 11

11. Freedom of Information Act

11.1 The Service, in cooperation with the Chief Fire Officers' Association ( CFOA) Scotland's Freedom Of Information ( FOI) group, has produced a model publication scheme which has been adopted and approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner. This is widely available to staff and the public via the intranet and the Service's website.

11.2 The implementation of FOI is being managed by the Data Services department who are part of the Service's Strategic Planning Directorate. A specific post of FOI officer has been created to support implementation within the Service.

11.3 At the time of the inspection, evidence was provided on the current arrangements to manage FOI. These include:

• Model Publication Scheme
• Freedom of Information Toolkit
• Records Management Toolkit
• Data Protection Act Policy

Additionally, to support staff receiving FOI enquiries, a Data Services Procedure Note numbered 01/2004 has been issued. This short but succinct procedure note provides staff with the necessary guidance to ensure that any enquiry is dealt with in accordance with the FOI Act.

11.4 Training of key staff in FOI has been completed as part of the CFOA collaboration initiative using the Masons law firm, a specialist in this area of work.

11.5 The Service has developed an appropriate training/awareness package for delivery to other staff who are likely to have a lesser, but nevertheless important part in relation to the general management of information and receiving of FOI requests.

11.6 At the time of inspection, a formal review of the Service's file registry had been 50% completed and Data Services, through the FOI officer, are evaluating the results to establish what action is required to consolidate records management.

11.7 Based on the staff sampling and evidence provided during the inspection, the Service is progressing well and has the resources, procedures and infrastructure in place to support the implementation of FOI.

SECTION 12

12. Information Technology and Data/Information Capture

12.1 As Fire and Rescue Services begin to implement IRMP (April 2005), the need to acquire even broader and shared data bases will take on greater importance. The performance of the Service in every area will also create a need to ensure that numerical data, along with other forms of information, is captured - preferably at a central point. This will allow the Service to progress towards an efficient level of IT and its accompanying support.

12.2 The Service appeared to be clear about the future direction and resources required in order to make sure that all staff, no matter on which site location, are connected through information technology.

12.3 The Authority is to be applauded for supporting the Chief Officer's recommendation that a Head of IT be supported. At the time of inspection a recruitment process was underway and it is clear that a successful appointment will help achieve the Service's objectives. The Service has adopted the Fire Service Emergency Cover software coupled with the internal Management Information System ( MIS). There is little evidence at present to suggest that these integrated software packages are beginning to be used, or to show any benefits at fire stations or the Community Fire Safety Department. However, it is hoped that this will be evident in the near future.

12.4 Staff sampling during the inspection confirmed that additional computers were necessary at numerous locations, to overcome the common difficulty of gaining access for large numbers of staff if the medium was to be effectively used for training and development, and for access to IT-based information.

12.5 The Service has utilised IT consultants to fully review the requirements to provide these facilities across a wide and diverse number of locations.

12.6 The Service's website provides general user access and there are plans to further develop this facility.

12.7 The Service does not presently have a central capture department in IT terms. However, an Information Audit is presently being completed, as part of the Service's FOI implementation arrangements to identify all records currently held. The FSEC work to support IRMP provides a source of consolidated and validated data, to support a number of strategic matters in the Service beyond IRMP.

12.8 The Service is making an effort to develop cross-border coordination in relation to Information Management.

12.9 The Service has also started to look into a data sharing exercise with other agencies such as Police, NHS and Ambulance services.

RECOMMENDATION

16. The development of a Service-wide IT facility is a priority for an organisation as geographically diverse as Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service. However, at the time of inspection, the component parts of a Service-wide system were not yet in place. It is imperative that the timescales for implementation, supported by a strategic lead from senior managers and the Authority are given the highest priority.

17. There is also a need to provide limited amounts of data from the FSEC model, which are already being gathered, to stations and departments. This would allow staff to analyse the data and the running of planning scenarios which in turn would build up confidence in the use of the FSEC model at both strategic and practitioner level.

SECTION 13

13. Duties under the Civil Contingencies Bill

13.1 The Service, along with its key partners in the Strathclyde Emergency Coordinating Group ( SECG), already provides robust and established emergency planning arrangements, with expertise and experience in the development of joint risk assessment contingency plans. It is through this process that work is being undertaken to fulfil the new duties emanating from this legislation, such as joint risk assessments and community risk registers.

13.2 The Service has also, through its Risk Management Unit ( RMU) in cooperation with South Lanarkshire Councils Risk and Audit Manager, carried out a review of strategic risks via a strategic staff workshop. The results of this work have been included in a strategic risk register that can be used by the Service in the development of robust risk-critical business continuity plans.

13.3 It is acknowledged that many of the new duties for Category 1 responders already exist in a less formal manner and are, to a certain extent, already embedded into the Service and SECG emergency operational planning process. This provides the foundation for the large number of existing multi-agency plans that support integrated emergency management arrangements, for dealing with major events that regularly take place across the Strathclyde area.

13.4 Evidence presented and staff sampling during the inspection indicate that the Service is working with its partners in developing the appropriate arrangements to support the new duties emanating from the Civil Contingencies Bill, within its well-established and tested emergency planning and coordination arrangements.

13.5 The Service is a primary provider of mass decontamination assets via the nationally provided Major Incident Unit ( MIU). The Service has taken this role forward by embedding it into its existing operational strategy and developing IRMP. To add further resilience to these arrangements, an additional MIU has been provided in collaboration with the Scottish Executive to support deployment of mass decontamination assets, both locally and as part of the Scottish New Dimension resilience capability.

13.6 In accordance with national protocols and guidance, the necessary training systems and operational procedures have been implemented to deliver these arrangements. Presently, eight strategic stations across the Service have been identified, and their crews have been trained to support deployment to an incident either within or outwith the Service area. Training in the use of gas-tight suits is being rolled out across the Service, to further support operational deployment to such an event.

13.7 During the inspection the opportunity was taken to meet crews participating in ongoing familiarisation training in mass decontamination. The awareness amongst the staff sampled indicated a good understanding and knowledge of the current arrangements in the provision of enhanced operational capability and national resilience. However, the opportunity to further test these arrangements in multi-agency exercises has been limited at this time.

13.8 The Service has made good progress in developing this new area of work and, in line with the Scottish strategy, they have established an enhanced capability which now can support operations on a 24/7 deployment basis. Importantly, these arrangements are supported by the provision of a suitable training strategy and operational deployment procedures, which fits both local and national deployment capability in accordance with the Scottish and UK Urban Search And Rescue ( USAR) strategies.

13.9 As part of the Service's overall operations to support Scottish New Dimensions capability and resilience, a third MIU was provided with the support of the Scottish Executive to provide additional deployment flexibility, particularly in relation to supporting multiple incidents. The Major Incident Unit(s) have been, or are being, fully integrated into the Service's operational resources in accordance with the Scottish arrangements. This will provide maximum benefit to the enhancement of normal operational capability within Strathclyde Fire Authority area, as well as supporting enhanced national USAR resilience capability. This strategy is also being extended to provide training vehicles based on the MIU principle to provide additional flexibility for deployment of resources.

13.10 The Service continues to support the Scottish USAR arrangements and, in line with the national arrangements, has established a cadre of specially trained personnel to support deployment to such events, as well as providing dedicated resources to enhance Service operations at more frequently occurring emergencies.

13.11 The Service was instrumental in establishing formal training links with the Mines Rescue Service, following the deployment of a number of highly skilled personnel to support the search and rescue operations at the tragic Stockline incident in Glasgow in 2004. This training initiative has also been supported by the Scottish Executive, with a number of USAR personnel from the other MIU Services in Scotland having attended an initial training course at the Mines Rescue Centre in Fife. The Service is commended on its continued use of these facilities to further enhance the skills of its USAR-trained personnel. There are proposals to develop local training facilities at Hamilton and Cowcaddens. This will provide good capacity to support ongoing specialist training within the Service.

13.12 A key component of resilience planning is the need to review both existing and potential risks in the Service area against a range of accidental and/or deliberate Chemical, Biological, Radiation, or Nuclear ( CBRN) scenarios. Guidance was issued to the Scottish Fire Services by the Inspectorate in November 2001; in addition, CFOA provided a planning tool and guidance for this purpose to all Fire and Rescue services in June 2002.

13.13 The Service and its partners in the local Strathclyde Emergency Co-ordinating Group ( SECG) are undertaking a review of current emergency plans as part of the required development of a community risk register, based on joint risk assessments being undertaken in line with the the Civil Contingencies Bill.

13.14 Whilst most of these arrangements are well-established and provide a sound basis for identifying and redressing the potential risk of a catastrophic incident occurring at specific sites, the process does not appear to fully consider the type of catastrophic event that the aforementioned CBRN guidance was designed to support.

13.15 The Brigade has well-established collaboration arrangements with Police colleagues, to ensure necessary information is available where appropriate to support and inform operational planning arrangements.

RECOMMENDATIONS

18. It is recommended that the Service examine the opportunity to further develop its existing training and exercise programme within the SECG, and on a multi-region basis with other Scottish Major Incident Unit Services, to fully test mutual aid arrangements and further validate planning assumptions.

19. In light of the type of catastrophic scenarios envisaged in the planning and resilience developed under New Dimensions, the Service should further review site specific risks to encapsulate, where possible, the type and scale of events that would previously have been considered unimaginable.

SECTION 14

14. Funding

14.1 The Fire Authority and the Service operate within an adequate budget and, wherever possible, in a Best Value environment. It is essential that the Fire Authority plan for the absorption of the transitional funding which has recently been made available by the Scottish Executive to part-fund the modernisation agenda.

RECOMMENDATION

20. The absorption of the transitional funding provided by the Scottish Executive will need to be factored into the Fire Authority's future budget plans.