Agenda item

Report of the Director of Service Improvement (CSCPC/21/1) attached.

The Committee received for information a report of the Director of Service Improvement (CSCPC/21/1) which provided a high level overview and update on the progress made with the Service’s “Safer Together” Programme.

The Programme consisted of the following key workstreams:

·       Service Delivery Operating Model (SDOM);

·       Fleet & Equipment Replacement;

·       Data and Digital Transformation; and

·       People Development.

The report gave an overview of the progress made in each of these areas based on a Red, Amber and Green (RAG) rating as requested at the previous meeting (Minute CSCPC/13 refers). 

The Director of Service Improvement advised that the Programme Team had made very good progress with the projects given the current circumstances with the third lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The key points highlighted were:

SDOM:

·       Topsham and Budleigh fire station closures and associated moves were completed;

·       Replacement of the third fire engines with a Light 4x4 Rescue Pump (L4P) at Taunton and Torquay had been completed and Bridwater and Yeovil to follow shortly;

·       The removal of the second fire appliances from Crediton, Lynton, Martock and Totnes had all been completed;

·       The Pay for Availability (P4A) project was rolling out well with 4 groups of stations already moved over to this model and 6 stations were in the process of transitioning onto risk dependent availability too;

·       A review of the approach to roving appliances was being undertaken currently to ensure that the Service could make the most of any excess capacity within Wholetime watches.

Fleet & Equipment Replacement:

·       Medium Replacement Pump (MRP) replacement was moving forward and the stowage exercise had been completed with the supplier, E1, recently;

·       The first Wildfire and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) was on run at Bovey Tracy now;

·       Asset management was on track.

Digital Transformation:

·       The Management of Risk Information (MORI) Protection app which would enable increased capability in case management of the Service’s business safety activity was progressing well; and

·       Work on the data architecture required to support digital transformation was complex but was being developed in an agile approach to ensure flexibility for the future.

People Development:

·       This project had progressed very well and it was hoped to close this shortly and to move into business as usual.  The work undertaken included the instigation of development pools for crew managers to the Service Leadership Team and the procured of MindTools recently.

The Chair of the Committee expressed thanks to officers for including the RAG rating.  He added that it would also be useful to have contrasting text on the coloured backgrounds and a key to the RAG rating in future reports.  He also suggested a list of acronyms be included as part of a briefing for new members of the Authority.

In terms of the SDOM workstream, it was noted that there seemed to be a number of places where things were being reviewed such as latent capacity.  The Director of Service Improvement advised that the projects undertook gateway reviews as normal practice.  With roving appliances, there was a need to ensure this was the best it could be so the Service was looking at latent capacity and vehicle types to ensure it would be sustainable.  The Chair requested that this matter be reported to the Committee as a separate item to the next meeting.

Reference was also made to the rollout of various new appliances and the question was raised as to whether any feedback had been received from Firefighters.  The Director of Service Improvement replied that the Service was still gathering feedback.  The new All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) had been instigated at Bovey Tracey recently, however, and the crew seemed excited to receive it.  The Committee would be kept up to speed with any feedback received although it was noted that the Service was engaging currently with all stations on the Fleet Plan as a whole.  The Chair requested an update at the next meeting on any feedback received.

In response to a question on selective alerting, the Director of Service Improvement advised the Committee that this went hand in hand with Pay for Availability (P4A) and the Service would only be alerting those Firefighters that were required.  The Project Team was working through the requirements and there would be a trial implemented initially.  The Deputy Chief Fire Officer added that P4A would not work correctly as a concept without selective alerting and the Service had undertaken a lot of engagement with Representative Bodies on this.