Agenda item

Purpose:

For Members to consider and comment on the services performance and progress against the Inspection Improvement Plan.

Witnesses:

Denise Turner-Stewart, Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety

Dan Quin, Chief Fire Officer

Bernadette Beckett, Chief of Staff

Key points made during the discussion:

Annual Performance Report Red KPIs

1. The Chairman welcomed the witnesses and asked the Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety to introduce the item. The Cabinet Member welcomed scrutiny by the Committee and extended an invitation for members to receive a briefing on fire and rescue service operations at Wray Park. She drew attention to the latest HMICFRS Inspection which was due to report in August and noted that a report on this would be provided to the December Committee session.  

2. A Member welcomed the Chief Fire Officer to his new role and expressed appreciation for the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). He asked about the service’s policy regarding annual fitness assessments for officers nearing retirement and whether those who might not pass the annual physical exam could be utilised in non-frontline roles. The Chief Fire Officer explained that a certain level of fitness was required for operational roles. Where individuals fell below this support was offered via occupational health, gym facilities and allocated fitness time to get fitness levels back up to the standard. For operational personnel unable to do so, a capability process exists which could result in redeployment to different roles under Council Terms and Conditions.

3. A discussion followed on the issue of Fire and Rescue Service governance and the outcomes of the Home Office White Paper: Reforming our fire and rescue service. The Chief Fire Officer noted that the response to the White Paper consultation would be available before the summer recess. Good governance is vital as is the scrutiny performed by this Committee. The Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety said there was no significant benefit to a change in fire governance arrangements and that the current exercise being undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner was unwarranted. 

4. The Chairman asked about the programme of engagement with schools and the ambition to reach all schools in the county. 59% of schools had been covered, how would 100% be achieved? The Chief Fire Officer explained that all schools were being contacted but not all were taking up the offer. A Member asked about education around water related risks. The Chief Fire Officer noted that most fatalities in the county involve water and roads, not fire. The fire and rescue service is a risk-based organisation and effort is focused in line with risk. In addition to core business, the focus in Surrey is addressing risks from wildfire, water, and road safety. These risks are reflected in the school’s education packages. The Chief Officer drew attention to the Safe Drive Stay Alive event aimed at addressing road risk and explained how this was being developed into a new DriveFit programme.

5. The Chairman noted that feedback on Safe and Well Visits was quantitative and not qualitative. The Chief Fire Officer gave examples of feedback on the impact of these visits which were overwhelmingly positive. Work to improve the feedback process and to target groups as well as individuals was outlined.

6. A Member noted the risks around teenage boys jumping in rivers and asked if water safety was being addressed in events other than in schools. The Chief Fire Officer agreed that water safety was an issue for all age groups and gave reassurance that service engagement reflected this.  Water safety events are being undertaken in partnership with other organisations involved in water safety education and rescues outside of the school’s education programme. In addition, the service is engaging with partners and landowners to improve access to throw lines and information boards along waterways and in areas where there has been an increase in public use of water for leisure purposes. The need for improved education and collaboration with partners to address water safety issues was noted.

7. A Member asked if a wildfire event could be created in Chobham, and an action was taken to revert with a response.

Sickness Absence

8. A Member asked about the reasons behind increasing sickness absence within SFRS; and how these levels compared to those in neighbouring areas. The Chief of Staff accepted that sickness levels were high and explained the common reasons for both short-term and long-term sicknesses. The attendance management policy had been reviewed and there is clear guidance to managers around when to act to monitor individual absences or work with individuals to get them back to work as soon as possible.  Regular case support meetings are taking place. An employee relations team had been established to provide support to managers.  Employees have access to Occupational Health support and a business case had been developed to introduce additional health support to allow staff to get support and appointments quicker than they would on the NHS. The Chief of Staff noted that sickness levels amongst operational staff was very high compared to other fire and rescue services but lower in relation to the neighbouring services of London and East and West Sussex.

9. A Member asked how a high level of service could be provided with such a high level of sickness. The Chief of Staff gave reassurance that services were being delivered adequately and that overall staffing levels were good.  Nevertheless, reducing sickness absence is a priority and steps are being taken to introduce new mechanisms and adopt best practice.  The Chief Fire Officer explained that there had been a significant uplift in recruitment which meant the service was above establishment level for Wholetime firefighters, providing a cushion to compensate for the impact of sickness.

HMICFRS Inspection Improvement Plan

10. A Member asked about the recommendation to evaluate the service’s Prevention work and whether there were figures to show it was working. The Chief of Staff explained that evaluation was taken very seriously across all areas including Prevention.  An Evaluation Framework is being developed to ensure consistency and provide assurance that feedback was being used to improve services. This would be finalised in August. It was hoped that the forthcoming HMICFRS Inspection report would reflect the work done on evaluation of some prevention activities.

11. A Member asked about the multi-agency and cross-border exercise programme. The Chief Fire Officer noted that 15 cross-border/multi agency exercises have been undertaken in the last six months.  Changes in the approach to operational learning were outlined including ways to harvest learning from smaller incidents and to instil a ‘no blame’ culture. An Operational Performance Support team had been established offering peer to peer support around incidents. 

12. A Member asked about the challenge of culture reform and what being done to make the service more inclusive. The Chief of Staff emphasised that this was a high priority for the service. New procedures were embedded across all teams to address these issues. The focus is on creating an inclusive environment to retain diverse staff and to ensure any issues that arise are addressed. A Core Code of Ethics was at the heart of this. A Culture Action Pan had been developed which is monitored independently by staff. Challenging unhelpful gossip and rumour was also a particular priority. The Chief Fire Officer noted close working relationship with the Fire Brigades Union and that joint communications on these issues were created.

13. A Member asked for statistics on deaths in Surrey from fire, road and in rivers. The Chief Fire Officer noted that that almost 50% of those road Killed or Seriously Injured in Surrey involved non-Surrey residents and emphasised the importance of regional and national coordination to address the issue.

14. A Member queried how the service was adapting to issues caused by hot summers and rising heat levels. The Chief Fire Officer responded that resilience was good.  All operational staff were now equipped with new wildfire personal protective equipment and had undertaken additional training. Additional equipment and wildfire support vehicles had been developed. Surrey was recognised as one of the leading fire and rescue services on Wildfire. The Chief Fire Officer emphasised the efficiency of staff in tackling wildfire incidents and expressed his confidence in the service. A Member stated that he had received many emails of concerns over wildfires from residents and asked how the service responded to concerns from residents. The Chief Fire Officer offered to share a statement with members that could be passed on to residents. A Member queried the use of barbecues in public spaces. The Chief Fire Officer cautioned the public to use barbecues as per manufacturer’s instructions and to clean up after themselves.  Furthermore, to avoid undertaking bonfires during periods of heightened fire risk.

15. The Members discussed and agreed their recommendations and invited SFRS to report back in December.  The Chairman paid tribute to the progress SFRs is making.

The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee

1.    Commends the commitment to improvement work in hand to implement the HMICFRS inspection 2021.

2.    Ask SFRS to report back to Committee once the latest HMIC Inspection report is received; and to agree a date for follow-up scrutiny.

3.    Works with SFRS to arrange a programme of site visits for Committee Members.

Actions and requests for information:

1. The Committee asked the Chief Fire Officer to provide the committee with a list of schools that aren’t taking up the offer of school engagement visits.
2. Chief Fire Officer to confirm on the implementation of the wildfire awareness events in Chobham and inform the committee of the dates they have and will occur.
3. SFRS to provide statistics on deaths related to fire, road, and water that Surrey has had for the last 5 years.
4. SFRS to provide the wildfire statement to the Committee.
5. SFRS and Democratic Services to set up a meeting/site visit for members education regarding what SFRS does in depth.