Risk Based Inspection Programme - update · and a risk-based inspection programme ... 2.3...

Purpose To provide Members with information on how West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) will deliver its Risk Based Inspection Programme specifically during 2016 / 17.

Recommendations That Members of the Community Safety Committee review this report and notethe implementation of the amended Annex A of the Risk Based Inspection Programme for both operational crew and fire protection covering 2016 – 17.

Summary In February 2015 this Committee approved the implementation of the Risk Based Inspection Programme (RBIP) which spanned 3 years from 2015 to 2018. It was agreed that each year an update to Annex A would be submitted which outlined the inspection activity for that year. This report provides information on how West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will coordinate its resources to fulfil the Authority’s statutory duty of enforcing the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 with an update to Annex A for 2016 – 17.

OFFICIAL

Risk Based Inspection Programme - update Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 5Submitted By: T/Director of Service Delivery

Local Government (Access to information) Act 1972

Exemption Category: None

Contact Officer: Chris Kemp, Fire Protection Manager E: [email protected] T: 0113 3874355

Background papers open to inspection: None

Annexes: Annex A - Fire Protection and Operational Crew Visit Programme 2016-2017

mailto:[email protected]

1 Introduction

1.1 In February 2015 a new Risk Based Inspection Programme (RBIP) was approved by the Community Safety Committee which covered a 3 year period (1 April 2015 – 31 March 2018). It was agreed that each year an update to Annex A would be submitted which outlined the inspection activity for that year and would form part of the RBIP for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service as a requirement of the current National Framework.

1.2 The National Framework expects Fire Authorities to have a fire protection management strategy and a risk-based inspection programme which ensures they are able to enforce the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

1.3 Annex A of the RBIP provides information on the annual programme of visits which will occur within each year. Attached to this report is an update to Annex A of the RBIP for the year 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.

1.4 This fire safety inspection programme enables the Authority to demonstrate that it is meeting its enforcement responsibilities in respect of the RRO.

1.5 The RRO makes Risk Assessment central to determining the necessary level of fire precautions in all non-domestic premises. The statutory responsibility for ensuring an adequate level of fire safety lies with the Responsible Person for individual premises – usually the employer, occupier (person in control of the premises) or the owner.

1.6 The Fire Authority has a statutory duty to enforce the compliance requirements of the RRO in the majority of premises, although the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the Crown Premises Inspection Group of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser’s Unit and local authorities also have enforcement responsibilities in some specific types of premises.

1.7 The development of this inspection programme allows us to demonstrate that we are focusing our resources on those premises that represent the greatest risk to life in the event of fire.

1.8 Fire Protection Inspectors (FPI) are specifically trained and authorised to carry out “audits” as defined by Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) Note 4. The audit is a full in-depth inspection to ascertain whether the Responsible Person of the premises is complying with the RRO.

1.9 Work has been carried out nationally through CFOA (Chief Fire Officers’ Association) to introduce a “short audit” where, by relying on the FS Inspector’s experience in fire protection, a judgement can be made to determine if the premises are safe enough. If this is deemed to be the case the FS Inspector conducts a much shorter audit which significantly reduces the time the business has to engage with WYFRS as a regulator.

1.10 The risk visit programme for station personnel involves completing an Operational Risk Visit (ORV) form that is split into 3 sections. Part iii of the form specifically relates to the gathering of fire safety information which assists the Fire Protection team in prioritising its reactive workload.

1.11 Whilst carrying out ORV’s, operational crews first consider the likelihood of a fire or other emergency occurring. Following this they assess the risk posed to 6 key risk factors which are identified by the Provision of Operational Risk Information System (PORIS). This guidance was jointly produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser (CFRA).

2 Information 2.1 Businesses of West Yorkshire will continue to receive visits from station personnel who will

conduct visits in line with the targets shown within Annex A where they will, where possible, carry out a full ORV at every premise they attend.

2.2 By station personnel carrying out a full risk visit and collecting all relevant risk information at once, we are able to ensure that aspects of fire safety in the workplace are reviewed by the Authority.

2.3 Operational Risk Visits focus on a risk-based approach which supports business by only visiting once. The ORV process was first introduced in April 2013 and this has improved Crews’ familiarity with the premises and provided a better understanding on the collection of risk information.

2.4 Poor fire safety standards can lead to serious risks/hazards to persons occupying the premises should they become involved in fire. Operational personnel therefore check that the fire safety measures within the premises are acceptable and provide basic advice that will assist in identifying any deficiencies.

2.5 Crews complete the whole ORV form and gather all relevant information in one single visit. However, it may be the case that for some of these visits only part of the ORV form can be used. i.e. a tunnel, electricity substation etc. and in these instances information for part iii will not be collected.

2.6 Operational risk visits are allocated in a proportional manner in relation to the ability and capacity of an operational crew to do the work (see Annex A).

2.7 Currently WYFRS are reviewing the ORV process and, should this review lead to a change in how ORV’s are carried out or the number which are carried out on an annual basis, then the figures will be calculated on a pro-rata basis in line with this document up to the date of any relevant change. Any proposed change as a result of this review will be submitted to the Community Safety Committee for consideration before implementation.

3 Financial Implications

3.1 In April 2013 WYFRS commenced a training programme for Crew and Watch Commanders, in order to maintain competence for those officers a refresher training course is currently being developed which will roll out during the life of this RBIP. The financial implications associated with this report are primarily around the provision of training for operational crews which can be met from within existing budgetary provision.

3.2 The attendance on a refresher training course will require internal cover through the operational resource pool.

4 Equality and Diversity Implications

4.1 Equality and diversity implications which affect community and firefighter safety will be gathered during all visits and inspections. This will enable a tailored approach to be adopted to overcome barriers experienced by certain groups, for example language barriers.

5 Health and Safety Implications

5.1 There are none arising from this report.

6 Service Plan Links

6.1 The Risk Based Inspection Programme will assist in achieving the organisation’s overarching ambition to make West Yorkshire safer by ensuring the Authority’s statutory fire protection duties are discharged efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the incidence of fire and the effects of fire should it occur.

7 Conclusions

7.1 This amendment to Annex A of the Risk Based Inspection Programme will ensure that our resources are directed at those premises which are determined to be of higher risk in terms of poor compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 or which present a higher risk to firefighter safety.

Annex A

Fire Protection and Operational Crew Visit Programme 2016-2017

1. Targets – Operational Risk Visits

1.1 The District/Brigade targets for 2016/17 are:

District Number of visits

Bradford 1225 Calderdale 640 Kirklees 850 Leeds 2060 Wakefield 990 Total 5765

Of these total figures, the majority will have gathered fire safety information (Part iii risk to occupants).

If any unforeseen IRMP interventions occur during this period these figures may be subject to change to account for such alterations.

1.2 These can be broken down to nominal station targets as follows:

150 visits per one pump station

250 visits per two pump station

70 visits per Fire Response Unit

40 visits per RDS pump station

2. Stage 1 – Re-inspection

2.1 Operational crews will carry out ORVs in premises categorised as “Very High”, “High” and “Medium” which have a re-inspection date between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017.

WYFRS are currently reviewing the frequency of re-inspection which for 2016/17 will be as follows:

Type of ORV Frequency

Very High At least every year High At least every 2 years Medium At least every 5 Years Low At least every 10 years Very Low On receipt of additional information and by professional judgement

3. Stage 2 – Themed visits

3.1 The themes from previous years will roll over from one year to the next if not completed. The themes of schools, waste sites, large warehouses, high rise residential, tunnels and radiation sites were previously introduced, these will continue and be completed where necessary.

• Gas holding sites & Electric installations – rolling programme throughout the RBIP willform part of the programme for 16/17.

• Unoccupied/derelict buildings – rolling programme throughout the RBIP.• Residential Care Premises – this will link in to work being carried out by FPI’s within

such premises and have a Topic Talk.• Open sided multi storey car parks.• Data cleansing and updating of historical data held.• Premises with additional risk information or a risk template• Places where there are no inherent life risks such as moorland or areas susceptible to

flooding.• Additional themes introduced based on local and/or national incidents/trends.

4. Stage 3 – Premises Known / Unknown premises4.1 Stations will identify premises within their boundary which are unknown.

5. Stage 4 – Station/District led

5.1 Districts/Stations will identify premises within their areas on a local need basis. These will include after fire visits and premises identified as potentially high risk due to local circumstances such as flats above shops etc.

6. Targets – Fire Protection Visits

6.1 The Fire Protection targets for 2016/17 are:

Fire Protection Number of visits

Fire Safety 1980 Petroleum 100 Explosives 200

Total 2280

6.2 During the year 2016/17, in addition to dealing with reactive work Fire Protection Inspectors will target:

• Residential Care Homes – This will link in to work being undertaken by crews• Unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation – We will commence work with the Local Housing

Authorities which will include reviewing the protocols in place and identifying premises that willform the basis of our inspection

• Flats above shops – We will continue to work with the Local Authorities to target rougelandlords of flats above shops.

• Waste Sites (jointly with EA)• Schools – Follow up visits from crews with work from previous year’s theme which will be

continued via the schools protocol and liaison officer.• Other premises identified as high risk, form varying sources, such as members of the public or

partner agencies where a joint inspection would add value to the overall multi-agency approach

Purpose To inform Members of the progress made in 2015 / 16 in relation to the delivery of the Home Fire Safety Check Points-based strategy and to outline the targets for 2016 – 17.

Recommendations That Members note the points-based strategy to be adopted for Home FireSafety Checks for 2016 – 17 in order to continue to improve targeting of resources and to meet Service Plan targets.

Summary West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has programme of Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC’s) aimed primarily at reducing the number and impact of domestic dwelling fires and increasing smoke alarm ownership. The strategy uses targeted approach based upon individual and geographical risk and, through the allocation of points, continues to provide an incentive for personnel carrying out prevention activities to identify those most at risk and deliver interventions to reduce the risk as much as possible. WYFRS has recently been given access to a data set which will enable further refinement in terms of identifying risk and a major review of the strategy is planned for 2016-17.

OFFICIAL

Home Fire Safety Checks - annual report and 2016 - 17 strategy Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 6Submitted By: T / Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Chris Kirby, T/Area Manager E: [email protected] T; 01274 655720


Annexes: None


1 Introduction 1.1 The points-based strategy was adopted across West Yorkshire in 2013 / 14. Since then, training

and support has been given to all personnel to operate the points-based system in order to ensure the most effective HFSCs are undertaken in a planned and targeted way within areas of greatest risk in terms of geography, incidents and lifestyle risk factors. Additional changes to the prevention database are planned in 2016 to support the further refinement of targeting and a planned expansion of the HFSC will consider how WYFRS can reduce other areas of risk to health and wellbeing within the home.

2 Information

2.1 The methodology for awarding points for a completed HFSC remains straightforward, transparent and easily understandable.

2.2 The points total for 2016 / 17 have been calculated based on completed HFSCs carried out across West Yorkshire in 2015 /16. The process also involved assessing the nature of HFSC activity and what had been recorded within the prevention database, in order to ensure every completed HFSC achieved the level of points appropriate to the risk identified and intervention provided. In addition, the risk matrix and the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) were used to determine where HFSCs should be carried out within West Yorkshire to have the greatest effect in reducing risk.

2.3 The points awarded for a particular HFSC within the strategy is based on a combination of:

• Likelihood• Severity• Outcome.

Likelihood of having a fire:

• Very High Risk Wards = 2 points• High Risk Wards = 1 point• 7 Mosaic High Risk categories = 1 point• Incident related HFSC i.e. Hotstrike = 1 point.

Severity (Risk factors of the individual):

Pre-visit risk level (lifestyle risks identified during HFSC):

• Very high = 20 points• High = 15 points• Medium = 10 points• Low = 5 points• Very low = 1 point.

Outcome (interventions put in place to reduce the risk):

Post-visit risk level (HFSC risk reduction through intervention / education provision)

• Remains at same score = 0 points• Reduces from Very High to High = 4 points• Reduces from High to Medium = 3 points• Reduces from Medium to Low = 2 points• Reduces from Low to Very Low = 1 point.

2.4 The points allocated for ‘Outcome’ are cumulative - for example, should a household be reduced from a pre-visit risk of “Very High” to a post-visit of ”Medium”, the points allocated for this would include points for both visits i.e. seven points in total.

2.5 The three elements of the points-based strategy are added together to provide an overall points total for each completed HFSC. In certain circumstances where risk levels are particularly low, the provision of advice at referral stage may render the actual visit redundant.

2.6 For 2015/16 a points-based target of 293,850 was set. This presented a demanding but achievable target which took into account the availability of staff to complete HFSCs as a result of changes through the Integrated Risk Management Plan. It is proposed that the target of 293,850 remains in place for 2016/17.

2.7 The HSFC strategy will be reviewed in 2016/2017 and it is anticipated that there will be some changes to the way that HSFC points are allocated as a result of the impact of CFOA’s Health Strategy 2015-2019: Fire and Rescue Services as Health Asset.

2.8 The table below highlights the relative risk levels across the Districts within West Yorkshire and gives a breakdown of how the points will be distributed across the districts:

DISTRICT % SHARE OF RISK MATRIX

POINTS TARGET FOR 2016/17

Leeds 37% 108,600

Bradford 26% 77,700

Kirklees 16% 47,910

Wakefield 12% 36,990

Calderdale 9% 22,650

TOTAL 100% 293,850

2.9 The scoring system behind the HFSC Pre-visit risk level and Post-visit risk level is being revisited to consider what additional risks could be addressed as part of an expanded HFSC (Safe and Well Visit). However, until this has been developed, the current scoring system continues to accurately reflect lifestyle risk in relation to fire.

2.10 The Performance Management System reflects not only HFSCs completed within a station area by station-based personnel but also shows the number completed by Prevention personnel, other stations or partner agencies. This has enabled a more effective performance monitoring process to take place within Districts and the central team.

2.11 The proposed District points-based target is for HFSCs completed within that District area, no matter which team actually completes the check. This allows resources to be concentrated where the risk is greatest by enabling peripatetic prevention staff to focus their efforts where the need is greatest.

2.12 The points-based target of 293,850 will commence at the beginning of April 2016.

• District Commanders and District Prevention Managers and the Fire Prevention Managerhave access to the information they need for progress to be effectively monitored locallyand are actively targeting ‘at risk’ individuals through partnership working and otherinitiatives.

• An overview of West Yorkshire-wide progress towards achieving targets is managed by theArea Manager Fire Safety and a robust challenge process is in place. Progress againsttargets is also monitored through the respective District Risk Reduction Teams andPartnership Board.

2.13 Throughout the 2016 / 17 period, HFSC activity will continue to be closely monitored and training will be delivered to enable staff to use the enhanced database effectively. In addition to continuing to deliver the traditional Home Fire Safety Check, WYFRS aims to develop a comprehensive strategy in 2016 to include wider community safety initiatives including health and well-being checks.

3 Financial Implications 3.1 The Authority recharges the purchase of smoke alarms and their installation to capital and this

cost is recharged to the capital scheme at the end of the financial year. The total cost recharged to capital in 2014/15 was £234,000.

3.2 Thus, if there were to be a reduction in the number of smoke alarms fitted then the recharge to capital would be lower.


4.1 A key requirement under the Public Sector Equality Duty is that organisations take steps to meet the needs of service users who share relevant protected characteristics. The move to the points based strategy uses more data and intelligence from partners, lifestyle factors and demographic information systems to better target vulnerable groups including those who share a protected characteristic.

4.2 Any future strategy that is developed will involve an Equality Analysis that will consider any implications from an Equality and Diversity perspective.


5.1 The prevention strategy aims to improve the health, safety and well-being of both the communities we serve and our firefighters. Existing policies and procedures are in place to consider and control any issues from a health and safety perspective.


6.1 This strategy supports the delivery of a proactive community safety programme.

7 Conclusions

7.1 The points-based HFSC strategy has undoubtedly enhanced WYFRS’ ability to target its resources at vulnerable and at-risk householders over the past three years and a points-based system will continue to be used to direct resources for prevention activity in 2016/17.

7.2 The availability of additional data will allow us to target resources even more accurately and alongside the enhancement of the HFSC database and the development of a revised prevention strategy. WYFRS will continue to reduce risk amongst West Yorkshire’s most vulnerable individuals.

Purpose To inform Members of the “Cherished” media campaign.

Recommendations That Members note the content of the report.

Summary The campaign, which was prompted by a number of fire deaths amongst older people in 2015, ran for one month, starting on Older Peoples’ Day on 1 October 2015. The campaign focused upon asking younger people to look out for hazards in the homes of older friends and relatives and encouraging them to register for a home fire safety check.

OFFICIAL

Cherished Media Campaign Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 7Submitted By: T/Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Ian Bitcon, T/Director of Service Delivery T: 01274 655702 E: [email protected]


Annexes: None

1 Introduction 1.1 The “Cherished” Campaign was developed in response to a number of fire deaths amongst older

people in 2015. Since 1 April 2015, 7 out of 9 accidental fire fatalities all involved people over 60 years of age. The campaign began on Older Peoples’ Day on 1 October 2015. Smoking was the cause of the majority of recent fatalities involving people over 60, but other ‘lifestyle’ factors included immobility, the onset of dementia, alcohol, the side effects of medication and social isolation.

1.2 The campaign focused on younger people, encouraging them to spot a range of hazards in the homes of older friends, neighbours and relatives and arranging for home fire safety checks to take place.

2 Information

2.1 A video highlighting 10 safety tips was produced to launch the campaign and a number of those tips related to health and wellbeing rather than sticking to the traditional fire safety format. Age UK and the Alzheimer’s Society both contributed to the video’s content which was then shared widely using YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

2.2 As a separate strand of the campaign WYFRS worked with The Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK and a local primary school to develop and launch an innovative schools package aimed at teaching Year 6 pupils how to spot hazards in the homes of grandparents and other older relatives. This interactive and informative package is now available to all primary schools in West Yorkshire as a download on the prevention section of the WYFRS website.

2.3 In addition to the support from Age UK and the Alzheimer’s Society, the following organisations have helped to spread the “Cherished” message: Huddersfield Town FC; Leeds United; Castleford Tigers; Leeds Rhinos; local councils and local TV and Radio.

2.4 It was also supported by Jon Middleton whose character in Emmerdale, Ashley Thomas, has just been diagnosed with dementia on-screen. The District Councils have shown their support via social media and the campaign has had extensive coverage in the media including a piece on Look North (posted on our Facebook page). North Wales FRS has contacted WYFRS to ask about the campaign as they would like to do something similar.

2.5 The “Cherished” campaign has proved very popular and it has potential to be developed further as WYFRS explores the potential for delivering Safe and Well Checks in the coming months.


3.1 The costs of the Cherished campaign have been met from within existing budgets.


4.1 The campaign is direct evidence of how WYFRA is meeting its requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty of “advancing equality of opportunity” and “foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not” (in this case, age).


5.1 There are no Health and Safety implications arising from this report.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 The campaign supports out priority to deliver a proactive community safety programme.

7 Conclusions 7.1 The campaign has been well supported by media and sporting organisations, getting safety

messages to a wide audience. Broadening the messages to include health and well-being has helped to make links with those organisations that support older people enabling WYFRS to have a positive impact on the lives of older people.

Purpose To note how the Exeter data will be used to identify the most vulnerable members of the community for targeted risk reduction work.

Recommendations That the report be noted.

Summary This report provides Community Safety Committee with an outline of a set of data that has been provided by the Department of Health in relation to older people and how this data will be used to identify the most vulnerable older members of the community.

OFFICIAL

Department of Health - Exeter Data Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 8Submitted By: T/ Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Chris Kirby, E: [email protected] T: 01274 655720


Annexes: None


1 Background 1.1 In December 2014 a presentation was provided to Community Safety Committee that outlined the

seven risk factors that are most frequently present for those people who die in accidental house fires. These factors are:

• Mental Health Issues• Poor house keeping• Alcohol• Smoking• Drugs (prescription or illegal)• Impairment• Living Alone

1.2 Whilst older age in itself is not an indicator of risk, the majority of these lifestyle factors dramatically increase in prevalence as the age of the individual rises. Half of all fire deaths are in the Over-65 age group despite this group accounting for approximately one-sixth of the total population.

1.3 Clearly, in order to reduce risk to the community, it makes sense to target the Over-65 age group and identify where risk factors are present. This has been one of the primary objectives of the Prevention Strategy over the years. Going forward, this will be aided by the release of a dataset from the Department of Health known as the “Exeter Data”

2 Information 2.1 The “Exeter Data” is a set of records that record every person registered with a General

Practitioner who is over sixty years of age. This data is updated on a daily basis for the Department of Health and the issuing of a death certificate will remove an individual’s record almost immediately.

2.2 In October 2015 the Fire and Rescue Services in England, through the efforts of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, were provided with a version of this dataset. Prior to this happening a detailed data-sharing protocol was signed by all Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that the data is used appropriately and not shared inappropriately. It is intended that this dataset will be renewed each year by the Department of Health.

2.3 There are in excess of 290,000 records for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and clearly there is a need to put the records into some sort of order in order to prioritise the risk. All those records which relate to people living within care premises have been discounted from the risk stratification process.

2.4 Four factors are being used to put the risk into order:

• Age of the individual• Mosaic category allocated to a particular address• Whether an individual has had a Home Fire Safety Check and, if so, when• Whether the individual is the sole person identified at an address and believed to live alone

2.5 Currently work is being carried out to field test whether the prioritisation process is appropriate and the data will then be distributed to station personnel and prevention staff in order to assist with optimising their Home Fire Safety Checks.

2.6 Future development work is to take place to combine this dataset with those held by other agencies in order to transform the way that the Home Fire Safety Strategy works and ensure that we continue to target the most vulnerable members of the community.

3 Financial Implications 3.1 There are no financial implications directly associated with this report.


4.1 According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission public authorities must ensure that they have sufficient equality information to make informed choices and decisions about their service users, and to ensure that this is rigorously considered. The data provided the Authority with more information about how best to serve those who share the protected characteristic of age. It will also prove to be a useful data source which can be further scrutinised to help the Authority identify and best serve West Yorkshire’s at-risk communities and vulnerable groups, in line with its commitments under the Public Sector Equality Duty.


5.1 There are no health and safety implications directly associated with this report


6.1 This process supports the objective within the Service Plan to work with partners to reduce the risk of fire and enhance community wellbeing. It will enable the better identification of risk in the community.

7 Conclusions

7.1 The data provided by the Department of Health will provide additional information that will assist in identifying where the most vulnerable people are, which will, in turn, allow interventions to be provided on an individual basis to reduce the risk as far as practicable.

Purpose To inform Community Safety Committee of documents recently negotiated between the Chief Fire Officers’ Association and the National Health Service.

Recommendations Members to note the content of the report.

Summary This report introduces the Consensus Statement and Safe & Well Visit Principles that have been jointly developed by CFOA, NHS England, Public Health England, the LGA and Age UK. These documents provide advice as to how the Fire and Rescue Service can support the wider health agenda.

OFFICIAL

Principles of Safe and Well Visits Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 9Submitted By: T/Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Ian Bitcon, T/Director of Service Delivery T: 01274 655702 E: [email protected]


Annexes: Annex 1 - Consensus Statement on Improving Health and Wellbeing between NHS England, Public Health England, Local Government Association Chief Fire Officers Association and Age UK

Annex 2- Safe and Well Visit Principles

1 Introduction 1.1 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has engaged with community safety and

making people safer in the home for a considerable number of years and, over the last decade, has seen the number of incidents of all types fall dramatically. Demand is now half what it was ten years ago. This dramatic reduction in calls is replicated across the country.

1.2 It is true to say that the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) has been highly successful in adopting a philosophy which aims to prevent fires from happening in the first place, whilst still having the appropriate response to them when they do.

2 Information 2.1 In April 2015 the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, NHS England and Public Health England met to

consider how the FRS could support the NHS and Public Health to bring about a better and more efficient service for the community at large.

2.2 At this meeting both CFOA and the NHS recognised the potential to synergise their preventative needs and work together. This led to the establishment of a small working group and a series of outcomes.

2.3 The Consensus Statement on Improving Health and Wellbeing between NHS England, Public Health England, Local Government Association, the Chief Fire Officers Association and Age UK is one of these outcomes. The document simply and concisely outlines how health, public health and the fire and rescue service might work together. It encourages local action to minimise service demand and to improve the quality of life for persons with long-term health conditions.

2.4 Health Services have delivered successful outcomes with people, on average, now living longer but, as the population ages, there are multiple long-term conditions and increasingly complex care requirements. For example, the population in the under-40 age group currently requires one million bed spaces per year whilst the population of those over-80 use more than seven million.

2.5 The FRS is recognised as having detailed risk stratification processes to target the most vulnerable and put into place interventions that protect the individual.

2.6 The Safe and Well Visit Principles effectively outline a menu of existing activities across the Fire and Rescue Service and may be seen as good practice. The activities within the principles are not exclusive and other activities may be identified.

2.7 WYFRS are now considering, in partnership with other agencies, how best to use the documents provided and to consider the extent to which it might want to revise its current Home Fire Safety Checks to provide a more holistic approach.


3.1 There are no financial implications relating to this specific report. Once the wider health agenda is separated into detailed work streams these will be subject to further reports and financial analysis.


4.1 At this stage there are no direct Equality and Diversity implications. As with any change to policy, critieria or process, a full Equality Analysis will be performed when the provisional next steps have been agreed.


5.1 There are no direct Health and Safety implications associated with this report

of 3

6 Organisational Dependencies 6.1 The capacity for delivering any changes in practice may be driven by the outcomes of the

Efficiency Research Programme and particularly the Ways of Working element of that programme.


7.1 The development of our role in the wider health and well-being agenda is part of WYFRS’ overall ambition of Making West Yorkshire Safer and will contribute to the following strategic priority:

• Deliver a proactive community safety programme.

8 Conclusions

8.1 The documents that have been issued by CFOA have provided valuable information as to how the future of community safety may develop and broaden over the future years. It is planned that a strategy going forward will be developed by late-2016 for implementation from April 2017.

Consensus Statement on Improving Health and Wellbeing between NHS England, Public Health England, Local Government Association Chief Fire Officers Association and Age UK This consensus statement describes our intent to work together to encourage joint strategies for intelligence-led early intervention and prevention; ensuring people with complex needs get the personalised, integrated care and support they need to live full lives, sustain their independence for longer and in doing so reduce preventable hospital admissions and avoidable winter pressures/deaths.

Headline consensus statement We will work together to use our collective capabilities and resources more effectively to enhance the lives of the people we work with and we will support and encourage our local networks to do the same in their communities.

Introduction Demand for health and social care is rising as a result of an increase in the numbers of children and adults with long term conditions, alongside an ageing population. The NHS Five Year Forward View highlights the need for an increased focus on integration and prevention so that resources are utilised more effectively, outcomes are improved and demand is reduced. It also recognises the need to broaden and deepen the involvement of the third sector in developing solutions. At the same time the number of fires has decreased due to preventative work by Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) and regulatory measures. This has resulted in new opportunities for the FRSs to complement and further support the health and social care sector.

Representatives from NHS England, Public Health England (PHE), the Local Government Association (LGA), Age UK and Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) met on 14 April 2015 to agree to develop a new working relationship with the shared aim of identifying and improving the quality of life of those who could benefit the most from early engagement with local services; for example, older people and people with multiple long term conditions and complex needs. This consensus statement represents a joined-up multi-agency approach to put into practice the national commitment to more integrated care, closer to people’s home. Its emphasis is on local initiatives to deliver preventive interventions to our people who would benefit most in their own homes and supports local action to deliver better health and well-being outcomes.

Shared purpose There are common underlying risk factors which increase demands on both fire and

health services, such as the number of long-term conditions, cognitive impairment, smoking, drugs or substance misuse, physical inactivity, poor diet, obesity, loneliness and/or social isolation, cold homes and frailty. By identifying people with these risk factors and taking a whole system approach to interventions which are centred on peoples’ needs, we intend to make every contact count, irrespective of which service it is from.

Our individual and collective strengths

• Fire and Rescue Service: The 670,000 home visits carried out by the FRS inEngland provide an opportunity to deliver improved proactive support thatdelivers improved integrated care between the relevant organisations.

• NHS, Public Health and local government: Equally health and localgovernment staff have opportunities to identify households with complexconditions/needs and who are at an increased risk of fire

• Age UK: with and through our network of 165 independent local Age UKs weprovide, coordinate and signpost to a range of services for individuals, theirfamilies and carers, and with groups of older people in their own homes and inthe community to help them to manage their long-term conditions, whileimproving their health and wellbeing.

Collectively we can offer an integrated approach to targeting through the better co-ordination, prevention and early intervention that has been demonstrated to increase the reach and impact of all services. For instance, in areas of best practice, health services have commissioned the fire and rescue service in collaboration with Age UK (and other voluntary sector organisations) to make interventions in people’s homes that have resulted in improved health and reduced risk. Early results have been positive, with a measurable significant impact on improving outcomes. This work could be expanded with the fire and rescue service working with a number of local commissioners.

Supporting local action and flexibility We encourage local organisations to work together more effectively in partnership and to consider seeking greater integration of services where possible, while supporting meaningful local flexibility in the way this happens. FRSs, by working in an integrated way as part of a whole systems approach, can add even greater value and resilience to communities by understanding and responding to local needs and drivers.

Local areas, and the organisations we represent, are too diverse for a ‘one size fits all approach’. However, there are some key actions which we will take nationally to support local action.

• Producing this consensus statement between NHS England, CFOA, PHE,Age UK and LGA that sets out how health, public health, the fire and rescueservice and the Age UK can work together to encourage local action toprevent and minimise service demand and improve the quality of life of olderpeople and children and adults with long term conditions.

• Developing the design principles for a Safe and Well Visit that is informed byexisting good practice within the FRS and Age UK network. The visit aims to

identify and tackle risk factors that impact on health and wellbeing and which can lead to an increase in demand for health and local authority services. Wider health impacts are also addressed during the visit, such as the identification of frailty, promotion and support of healthy aging, help to avoid trips and falls; and signposting to relevant services through making every contact count and sources of help.

• Identifying and exploring opportunities to improve local services, making themmore efficient and effective by working more closely together and whereappropriate integrating services through measures such as better informationsharing, the promotion of existing guidance and initiatives, access to inclusionto improvement support programmes and joint communications.

• Investigating the opportunities for more effective and appropriate informationsharing across NHS England, PHE, Age UK and FRS.

• Developing shared communications for our collective networks, the public,professionals, partners and other stakeholders to raise awareness of thebenefits of a more connected approach and to provide reassurance aboutskills and knowledge, appropriate information sharing and joined uppathways.

• Promoting and encouraging local collaboration through Health and WellbeingBoards, Joint Strategic Needs Assessments, System Resilience Groups aswell as through the commissioning of collaborative approaches

Safe and Well Visit Principles For over 10 years fire and rescue services have been carrying out interventions in people’s homes to reduce their risk from fire and to provide advice on actions to take in the event of fire. These interventions have various names across fire and rescue services but all are based on similar principles and every fire and rescue service delivers them. English fire and rescue services now deliver as many as 670,000 fire safety interventions in people’s homes every year. Although other factors have no doubt also been involved, this approach has resulted in a reduction of risk and dramatic drop in demand for fire and rescue services, and consequent reductions in the number of deaths and injuries from accidental fires in the home.

Our brand and the esteem in which the service is held gives us access to people’s homes that others cannot achieve; people seem more likely to engage in difficult conversations with our staff than with others. Perhaps this is due the public perception of the service as being broadly neutral.

A number of fire and rescue services have begun working more closely with colleagues in health and local authorities; to explore how the FRS might work to support them in improving health and quality of life outcomes for those most at risk in their communities. On many occasions the access that fire and rescue services have to the homes of the most vulnerable is seen as a vehicle to compliment these improvements; with firefighters facilitating direct contact with vulnerable people on behalf of other agencies. The initiatives arising from collaboration have included; falls risk assessments, alcohol and mental health advice and support and improved understanding and access to benefits, to name a few.

These initiatives have proven that there is more that fire and rescue services can do; beyond their current home fire safety role with the potential value this could add if delivered on a wider health and well-being scale.

From this successful fire prevention approach the concept of a ‘Safe and Well’ visit has evolved. It is envisaged that, through their interactions with people in their homes, and with the necessary additional awareness training, firefighters will be able to identify and act upon a significantly wider range of risks. Not only fire risks, but those that predispose people to a number of health issues that can significantly reduce life expectancy and/or quality of life. Of course, these additional factors often result in the need for individuals to access significant levels of support, or services, from social care and the NHS.

To assist in the underpinning of the concept of a ‘safe and well’ visit NHSE, PHE, LGA and CFOA have agreed to produce a framework/set of principles that will inform the design of locally agreed ‘Safe and Well’ visits.

Consequently, the following principles are proposed as a basis for discussion;

• That every fire and rescue service should consider extending its currentapproach to safety in the home to include risk factors that impact on health

and wellbeing and which lead to an increase in demand for health and local authority services.

• The content of a ‘Safe and Well’ visit in any fire and rescue service areashould be co-designed through discussions with local health and localauthority colleagues and should be based on information regarding local risksand demand.

• When considering risk factors other than fire, the process should not beconfined to merely signposting to other agencies, but also to how these canbe mitigated during the initial visit.

• Wherever possible the approach adopted should be one of;• o A light touch health check of all individuals in the home;o Identification of risk while in the home;o Provision of brief advice;o Provision of appropriate risk reduction equipment;o Referral to specialist advice and support where appropriate.

• To ensure that referrals to specialist advice and support are limited to those inneed of such support; health and local authority colleagues should support fireand rescue services in training and raising the awareness of their staff, wherenecessary.

• Consistent referral pathways into specialist services should be developedacross each fire and rescue service areas; CFOA and NHSE will agreeprinciples and guidance to assist in achieving this. However, it is recognisedthat due to the number and nature of organisations involved absoluteconsistency is, at this stage, an aspiration.

• To ensure that visits improve quality of life outcomes, and lead to reduceddemand for services, the quality of the visit should be balanced against thenumber delivered; with the probability that this will result in fewer than the670,000 currently delivered nationally by FRSs.

• The number and scope of ‘Safe and Well’ visits completed by each fire andrescue service will be determined by the capacity within each organisation,which may differ significantly from service to service.

The adoption of these principles would mean that ‘Safe and Well’ could look significantly different across English fire and rescue services. However this framework would enable all fire and services to introduce new approaches at a pace and scale that takes account of local risks and capacity; rather than attempting to develop a ‘one size fits all’ approach that either cannot be achieved by all, or that does not make best use of the capacity that is held by others.

It must be emphasised that this is not an attempt to reprioritise the work of FRSs away from the duties that they are legally required to address; nor is it designed to create FRS specialists in areas of clinical or social care. Rather it is an agreed attempt by NHSE, PHE, LGA and CFOA to design a Fire contribution that is complementary to, and part of, the wider health and public health prevention agenda, adding value to the dedicated work that other professionals already provide.

By way of example, CFOA is now developing an approach to ‘Safe and Well’ that encompasses the following areas;

• Fire• o Cookingo Candleso Electrical Equipmento Portable heaters and open fireso Provision of risk appropriate domestic fire detection and warningo Escape plans

• Health• o Weighto Mobilityo Fallso Frailtyo Burns and scaldso Provision of clinical and other equipment in the home that could

increase fire risk• Mental Health• Learning disability• Sensory impairment• Loneliness/Social Isolation• Smoking• E-Cigarettes• Alcohol• Drugs• Prescription medicines• Hoarding• Safety of under 5s• Employment• Home security• Consent to share information

This will significantly widen the scope and value of interventions by FRS staff while in the home. It is recognised that with the support of others this could be refined and further developed; however, it is understood that capacity within local FRSs and Health and Social Care organisations will differ, and consequently there will be a variation in the services delivered

Purpose This report provides Members of the Community Safety Committee with information in relation to West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (WYFRS) involvement in the National Health Service Vanguard projects

Recommendations That Members of the Community Safety Committee note the contents of thisreport

Summary This report details WYFRS’s collaborative work with two separate Vanguard projects within West Yorkshire. Vanguard projects are taking leading roles in the development of new care models as part of the NHS Five-Year Forward View.

OFFICIAL

National Health Service - Vanguard scheme Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 10 Submitted By: T / Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: T/AM Chris Kirby E: [email protected] T: 01275 655720


Annexes: None


1 Introduction 1.1 The NHS Five Year Forward View was published in October 2014 and set out a new vision for the

future of the NHS based on new care models. It delivers a new focus on prevention and collaboration across service providers and wider agencies to improve the care provided to those who need it. Assisting people to get the right care, at the right time, in the right place is a key aim of the new strategy. The document explains that, to be effective, these new care models will require a new perspective, where leaders look beyond their individual organisation’s interests to the development of a whole healthcare economy.

1.2 In March 2015, NHS England and national partners announced the first of 29 new care model Vanguards. Vanguard sites were selected following a rigorous process. Some involve multi-speciality community provision and aim to move specialist care out of hospitals into the community.

1.3 The Fire and Rescue Service is facing a new national dilemma. Does it continue to deliver prevention activities to reduce fires in the home or does it diversify its approach into a wider health and well-being agenda? Many other FRS’s across England have started delivering a more holistic approach to safety in the home that includes advice and prevention for slips, trips and falls, health checks and referrals to other agencies for a wide range of social care needs that can be identified during a home visit.

1.4 The Chief Fire Officers’ Association has launched a Health Strategy 2015-19 and makes reference within the strategy to some research undertaken by Dr Claire Mansfield from the New Local Government Network entitled Fire Works: A Collaborative Way Forward for the Fire and Rescue Service. The Local Government Association have also launched a document titled Beyond Fighting Fires: The Role of the Fire and Rescue Service in Improving the Public’s Health and all of these documents demonstrate a view that Fire and Rescue Services should widen their role into a broader health and well-being agenda.

1.5 The context behind the current debate on whether the Fire and Rescue Service should be viewed as a ‘health asset’ is that the NHS, public health and social care providers are facing the same challenge that the Fire and Rescue Service faced over a decade ago. Senior Health managers recognise the success that Fire and Rescue Services have had in return for the investment in prevention activity.

2 Information 2.1 Mental illness is the single largest cause of disability in the UK and each year about one in four

people suffer from a mental health problem. The annual cost to the economy is estimated at around £100 billion. The NHS wishes to expand support for people with mental health conditions and part of this includes new commissioning approaches to provide additional support and coordination for improved care packages.

2.2 There are many causes of poor health and the significant finding is that the triggers for someone being at risk from health-related issues are the same as those that would determine risk from fire. Living alone, frailty, deteriorating mental health, smoking, alcohol or substance abuse and age are all factors affecting health and well-being as well as risk from fire. The existing home fire safety checks carried out by WYFRS allows a unique opportunity to improve the lives and health outcomes of vulnerable people. There is no ‘one size fits all model’ and the documents listed at 1.4 above provide detail of some case studies from across the Fire and Rescue Service that demonstrate how good practice can be adapted to meet local needs.

2.3 The Royal Society for Public Health has recognised the need for investment in the ‘wider public health workforce’ and has a vital role in providing public health interventions.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/futurenhs/

http://www.nlgn.org.uk/public/2015/fire-service-must-make-radical-shift-from-fighting-fires-to-extinguishing-healthcare-costs/

http://www.nlgn.org.uk/public/2015/fire-service-must-make-radical-shift-from-fighting-fires-to-extinguishing-healthcare-costs/

http://www.local.gov.uk/publications/-/journal_content/56/10180/7333831/PUBLICATION

http://www.local.gov.uk/publications/-/journal_content/56/10180/7333831/PUBLICATION

2.4 WYFRS is developing a revised prevention strategy as part of the Annual Action Plan 2016/17 and this will consider a wider offer to the community. This will undoubtedly involve looking into a broader range of interventions aimed at improving the health outcomes of vulnerable people in the community. In order to ensure that WYFRS is regarded by its strategic partners as a health asset, we would need to:

• Develop relationships with regional and local health and social care partners, Local Authorityhealth departments and the third sector

• Develop the design principles for, and encourage engagement from, stakeholders for a ‘Safeand Well’ visit but building on the existing home fire safety check foundation

• Explore other areas where WYFRS resources can be utilised to improve health outcomesthrough prevention activities

• Identify skills gaps for staff and develop training packages with support of regional and localhealth care providers to address identified gaps

• Develop awareness of local health commissioners of the interventions that WYFRS can offerand facilitate commissioning opportunities.

2.5 The Vanguard projects are opportunities for WYFRS to enter a dialogue with senior health care professionals. WYFRS are currently in developing discussions with two Vanguard sites within West Yorkshire and very early discussions with a third Vanguard in Calderdale. The two which are more developed are detailed below:

West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Ltd.

2.6 The West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Vanguard is a collection of 3 GP networks that involves 17 GP surgeries across West Wakefield

2.7 It covers a population of 152,000 people.

2.8 The vision is to realise a fully integrated, expanded and digitally mature primary health and wellbeing system that includes delivering an improved 7-day service for their population, improving integration of community workers with community pharmacy and creating a team of care navigators who will have access to innovative digital technology that will help to ensure that the patient can access the right services that they require.

2.9 This would mean, for example, that a patient suffering from musculoskeletal problems will be able see a physiotherapist promptly without having to see a GP and get professional assessment, advice and signposting. They would also benefit from having access to a care navigator to assist them in finding the right care for their needs.

2.10 The West Wakefield Health & Wellbeing Vanguard project presents a unique opportunity for West Yorkshire FRS to take part in a project outside of is traditional organisational boundaries and norms, and to explore and develop the concept of ‘Fire as a Health asset’. Participation in the project will demand different thinking and may require WYFRS to go beyond its traditional offer and explore the limitations of existing policies.

2.11 The Wakefield District Management team are liaising with the West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing managers and are attending meetings as the project develops. WYFRS needs to identify how it can best integrate with West Wakefield Health and Wellbeing objectives to deliver the best possible service to the communities of West Wakefield. WYFRS involvement must be centred on outcomes for local people and the development of models that could, if successful, be rolled our across West Yorkshire. As such, this project is being viewed as a pilot study to determine how WYFRS can adapt its prevention delivery model around the wider health and well-being agenda.

2.12 WYFRS has a detailed project brief and a project team consisting of the Wakefield District Manager and Assistant District Manager together with strategic support from the Area Manager for Fire Safety and the Director of Service Delivery.

2.13 The initial work will involve identifying the opportunities for WYFRS to contribute to the West Wakefield Vanguard project by developing a list of interventions that will support the overall objectives of the project. The specific areas of internal focus will include:

• Staff engagement• Intervention options around a wider safe and well visit – (Consideration will be given to the

Consensus Statement between the NHS, CFOA, PHE, LGA and Age UK)• Training needs analysis against the interventions chosen• Training package for the staff delivering the interventions• Develop understanding of partner agencies of the modern role and capabilities of WYFRS• Communicate the progress of the project to the identified Stakeholder Group• To capture the experience and learning from the project and consider wider implementation

across West Yorkshire, in line with the revision fire prevention strategy in 2016/17• To capture evidence of ‘value added’ by way of analysis of relevant health data to understand

the impact of interventions by WYFRS, this is both in terms of benefit to WYFRS and to thecommunity.

West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard

2.14 In July 2015, eight Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguards were announced with the aim to improve the coordination of urgent and emergency care through coordination of services to reduce pressure on A&E departments.

2.15 The West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard will oversee, together with local partners, the transformation of urgent and emergency care for more than three million people in West Yorkshire. The collective vision is to build a system that means all patients with urgent and emergency needs in West Yorkshire will get the right care in the right place, first time every time.

2.16 The West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard is much larger in scale when compared to the West Wakefield project and involves 11 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) , 6 acute trusts, 3 mental health trusts, 366 GP practices, community providers and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. It is the largest of the 8 Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguards with a population of over 3 million.

2.17 A key aim of the Vanguard is to improve access and delivery of urgent and emergency care services and achieve lasting transformation across the healthcare economy, improving the quality of care and experience for all. The Vanguard has 8 work streams:

• Mental Health• Primary Care• Acute• Hear, See and Treat• Health Care Records• New Payment Models• Workforce• System Leadership

2.18 WYFRS is in discussions with the Mental Health work stream, currently chaired by Simon Large, the Chief Executive Officer of Bradford District Care Trust. Two of the specific areas being explored within the programme (as detailed within the West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard project leadership pack) where WYFRS are looking to engage are to:

• Adopt preventative approaches working in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service, and• A one visit, multiple messages approach.

2.19 To support this, a number of Vanguard leadership teams and regular meetings have been established. WYFRS has representatives on all five Mental Health working groups as shown below:

Mental Health Working Group Nominated WYFRS representative

Mental health Leadership Team AM Ian Bitcon / T/AM Chris Kirby

Emergency Services T/AM Chris Kirby

Single Operating Model Sarah Laidlow-Moore (Fire Prevention Manager)

Suicide Prevention AM Ian Bitcon

Children and Young People Kathryn Richardson (Youth Training Team)

Liaison AM Ian Bitcon / T/AM Chris Kirby

2.20 The Vanguard project team submitted a value proposition on 1 December 2015 that was assessed at the end of December 2015 and requires a little more work in terms of funding requirements. Within the value proposition is a funding bid for Fire and Rescue Service Involvement. WYFRS has requested funding for a project post to scope the possibility of contributing to the objectives of the Mental Health work stream.

3. Financial Implications

3.1 The West Yorkshire Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard has submitted a bid for £16,667 to fund a project post at WYFRS until 31 March 2016 and a further bid of £63,165 has been submitted to extend this post to the 31 March 2017. This will fund a Group Manager to engage in the project until 31 March 2017.

3.2 If the Authority decides to develop a “Safe and Well Check” which will be delivered by crews there will be some training costs, the full cost of these will be determined when the detail of the training requirement is available.

3 Equality and Diversity Implications 4.1 The projects are an important illustration of how the Authority complies with the Public Sector

Equality Duty by meeting the needs of service users who share a protected characteristics (non-visible disability); advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

4.2 Any future project falling from WYFRS’s engagement with the Vanguard sites will be subject to a comprehensive Equality Analysis.


5.1 There are no health and safety implications arising directly from this report.

5 Organisational Dependencies

5.1 The discussions between WYFRS and the West Yorkshire Vanguard sites are in the initial phases. There is a clear cross-over between the progression of the work around the Exeter Data, the Safe and Well principles and the future revision of the WYFRS prevention strategy.

5.2 If the initial scoping work progresses into a more detailed project, then full project governance arrangements will be implemented in line with the WYFRS project Management Framework.


6.1 The development of a role in the wider health and well-being agenda is part of the overall ambition of Making West Yorkshire |Safer and will contribute to the following strategic priority:

• Deliver a proactive community safety programme• Provide a safe skilled workforce that serves the needs of a diverse community

7 Conclusions

7.1 It should be noted that WYFRS is in the initial stages of discussions with two Vanguard sites within West Yorkshire and very early discussions with a third. There are other Vanguard sites operating from within West Yorkshire and there is potential to engage with other sites also.

7.2 The Fire and Rescue Service is currently considering new models of prevention that deliver a broader range of interventions that are wider than the traditional home fire safety check.

7.3 Health professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the need to focus attention on prevention activity and the success of the Fire and Rescue Service, a trusted brand within the local community and FRS knowledge, skills and adaptability have resulted in some attention being focussed on how it can contribute to a wider health and well-being agenda.

7.4 The Health service Vanguard sites are potential areas to explore in terms of possible funding through commissioning of services and WYFRS is making initial enquiries into it can support some of the objectives of the respective Vanguard projects detailed within this report.

7.5 Prior to full engagement there will be a need to identify what benefits can be gained for both WYFRS and the community at large.

Purpose To update Members on an example of how the Authority meets the service delivery needs of vulnerable and at risk groups or individuals

Recommendations That Members note the report

Summary The report brings to the attention of Members an initiative across the entire County which is an innovative example of how West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service seeks to reduce risk and improve partnership working.

OFFICIAL

Service Delivery 'Spotlight On' Case Study Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 11 Submitted By: T / Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: Ian Bitcon, T/ Director of Service Delivery T: 01274 655702 E: [email protected]


Annexes: Annex 1, Spotlight On case study – Asian Fire Service Assoc

1 Introduction 1.1 The Fire Authority is committed to meeting the needs of West Yorkshire’s diverse communities.

Members are aware that we direct our resources particularly towards the most vulnerable groups or individuals: those who are most at risk because of their lifestyles, behaviours or the way their protected characteristics, such as race, or religion or belief, influence their day-to-day life.

2 Information

2.1 The different geographical, historical, socio-economic, cultural and ethnic profile of West Yorkshire means that WYFRS must target resources appropriately to address the specific risks.

2.2 Committee Members receive regular updates on the delivery of District Action Plans and performance against targets.

2.3 The ‘Spotlight On’ case study attached in Annex 1 (Asian Fire Service Association) to this report provides an example of how these Action Plans and targets are delivered by firefighters, and fire safety employees. They demonstrate how the Service tailors its services to achieve positive outcomes for vulnerable/at risk individuals and groups in West Yorkshire, who have protected characteristics1.

2.4 The case studies also explicitly link to the organisation’s Strategic Objectives and the Equality Act protected characteristics. They will be made available to the public on the "Why We're Excellent" section of the www.westyorksfire.gov.uk web site.

2.5 The process of ‘Spotlight On’ has previously been reported to Human resources Committee as part of the Public Sector Equality Duty –Annual Update, however, the detail of the activities that are presented sit more reasonably with reporting at Community Safety Committee.


3.1 There are no financial implications associated with this Report.


4.1 The ‘Spotlight On’ Case studies illustrate how the Authority meets the needs of service users who share a protected characteristics and how it fosters good relations, two keys requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty.

5 Health and Safety Implications 5.1 There are no health and safety implications directly associated with this Report.


6.1 The ‘Spotlight On’ case study in Annex 1 provide examples of the following priorities;

• Delivery of a proactive fire prevention and protection programme.

1 As set out in the Equality Act 2010: race, disability, age, sex (gender), transgender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sexual orientation).

http://www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/

West Yorkshire Fire Service and Asian Fire Service Association

What the need was and how we identified it:

West Yorkshire is a geographically, historically, socio-economically, culturally and ethnically diverse county, and therefore in order to deliver a proactive fire prevention and protection programme the organisation needs to have a better understanding of the communities they serve and the risks associated to each. There is also a need to provide the relevant support and mentoring to the individuals from the BME groups as well as recruiting fire fighters that reflect the community they serve in. This increases the skill force of the organisation and gives them the ability to enter into the communities in which they may have struggled in the past and to develop relevant educational materials to prevent death, injury and economic loss and promote health and well-being.

What we did and the difference it has made:

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service joined Asian Fire Service Association as a corporate member in 2014. AFSA in an independent inclusive employee led support group with the desire to raise profile of Asian staff and associated issues. AFSA works with Fire and Rescue Services to mainstream issues around equality and diversity in two priority areas:

1. Service provision2. Employment.

Vision of AFSA is to work with National Fire and Rescue Services and supporting agencies to enhance equality and diversity and associated values. Currently AFSA has 32 corporate members, with membership increasing year by year. The executive committee has members from various ethnic backgrounds

Aims and Objectives of AFSA are:

To provide support, advice and mentoring to members

In the community:• to promote fire safety• and encourage people to join the FRS and promote job opportunities• To raise funds for charities locally and internationally• To break down myths around the Fire Service that hinder fires safety

and recruitment in our community

In the workplace:• to work in partnership with the fire and rescue service to ensure there is a

culture of Inclusion , respect and diversity• to ensure that any barriers for recruitment for Asian staff are addressed• to increase staff awareness of Inclusion and diversity.• To break down myths in the Fire Service about Asian people and Asian Faiths

WYFRS has 2 members of staff holding key positions in the AFSA executive, Mohammed Ali who is the interim Vice Chair for National AFSA and Balvinder Bains who holds the position of North East Regional Chair.

At the AFSA conference in November 2015 Balvinder was invited to deliver an update on the previous workshop which he delivered in Merseyside on engaging businesses from diverse communities. He was joined by colleague from Merseyside Fire & Rescue who delivered the key findings from the Merseyside workshop. Balvinder also touched upon several other aspects but particularly emphasised on the importance of how places of worship were now offering more social activities to their congregations and wider communities and of the potential fire safety considerations involved. Essex and Surrey FRS took a particular interest in how they could repeat these successes in their area and requested assistance from Balvinder.

Under the Better Business For All Agenda coordinated by the Better Regulation Delivery Office within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, WYFRS Business Support Team can now proactively provide businesses with assistance and facilitate access to other regulators.

Mohammed Ali delivered a presentation on the international project he is leading on, through AFSA as well as taking the lead role at the Conference in the absence of AFSA National chair. Initially he did a fundraising event in Bradford to raise sufficient funds to allow a team of officers to go on a fact finding mission to Punjab Pakistan. The event was well attended and huge support was given from the local community, this has enhanced and strengthened the working relationship with the community and WYFRS. The project is going from strength to strength.

Through AFSA it has been possible to share information and be involved in making contribution or providing feedback and recommendations to the government policies in relation to equalities and diversity and pieces of research work have been funded by AFSA which will help and support brigades. The Cultural Awareness booklet which was launched in July 2015 by WYFRS was based on the original guide that was created in partnership with AFSA and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and was endorsed by a number of Fire Brigades. This has supported departments and individuals when dealing with communities.

Outcomes:

• Following the success of the development days which have been delivered by AFSA, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is planning ondelivering a development day in 2015.

• With the production of the Cultural Awareness guide the workforce is now more comfortable and has better knowledge of different faithsand communities within West Yorkshire.

• Creating and developing influential publications such as the Multi Faith calendar, Ramadan booklet which will support the WYFRS in deliveringeducational programmes to reduce the risk from fire.

Keys to success:

• A strong involvement and commitment in AFSA by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service by having 2 of their employees holding strategicpositions in AFSA executive committee.

• By supporting Employees with fundraising and local and International projects• Allowing employees to attend Development days through AFSA, the next one is March in Summerset which will focus on prevention, partnership

working, working with new immigrant communities and using our community assets to the full. AFSA has some exciting speakers lined up from allsectors not just fire, which makes the event a ‘must attend’ as AFSA have links that bring in new learning as well as share what we do best witheach other.

This Spotlight On supports the delivery of the Strategic Priority:

• Deliver a proactive community safety programme.• Deliver a professional and resilient emergency response service.• Provide a safe, skilled workforce that serves the needs of a diverse community.

Equality priorities:

• Age, disability, social deprivation• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share them

Contact: Mohammed Ali Kirklees District Office [email protected]


Purpose To consider the appointment of a Member Champion for Youth Work

Recommendations That consideration is given to the appointment of a Member Champion forYouth Work and that subsequent appointments are made at the Annual Meeting of the Authority in June each year.

Summary Working with young people meets the Authority’s key priority of reducing fire deaths, road traffic incidents and anti-social fire-related behaviour. Successful positive engagement with vulnerable young people at an early stage has shown a positive improvement in the way the service is viewed by these young people and their families, resulting in a reduction in anti-social attacks on firefighters. Appointing a Member Champion for Youth work will help continue this reduction trend.

OFFICIAL

Youth Work Member Champion - appointment Community Safety Committee Date: 22 January 2016 Agenda Item: 12 Submitted By: T/Director of Service Delivery



Contact Officer: T/Director Service Delivery Ian Bitcon E; [email protected] T: 01274 655702


Annexes: None


1 Introduction 1.1 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has a track record of success in engaging with

young people through the well-established Young Firefighters (YFF) Scheme which is continuing to be delivered across the County and is evolving to continue to meet the needs of young people in an increasingly complex education landscape.

1.2 In addition to YFF, the Youth Intervention Team has expanded its delivery model during 2014 – 15 to incorporate Prince’s Trust ‘Get Started’ weeks, Crash and Burn courses and is exploring the feasibility of delivering intense intervention days aimed at changing young peoples’ views and behaviour.

2 Information

2.1 Fire Authorities can play a key role in delivering youth interventions. These interventions act as a catalyst to change anti-social behaviours which may, in later life, result in the requirement of a blue light service.

2.2 The Fire Authority has historically demonstrated its support for youth interventions by being involved in YFF courses and promoting its successes at a local level.

2.3 In order to be able to provide a greater level of support a mechanism is needed to enable the Authority to access information about the range of work that the service carries out with regard to young people and, to this end, a proposal to consider the appointment of a Youth Work Member champion was raised at the 18 December 2015 meeting of the Full Authority.

2.4 The Member Champion for Youth Work will have an impact upon the following key areas:

• Awareness raising amongst local authority partners of the provision WYFRS currentlymakes available to young people

• Support WYFRS in discussions about future youth provision with local authorityorganisations

• Help WYFRS to access young peoples’ organisations to assist in understanding thechanging needs of young people

• Support voluntary and community organisations in shaping and accessing youth provision


3.1 The cost of additional mileage or allowances resulting from member champion involvement can be met from existing budgets.


4.1 The Member Champion for Youth Work will help us deliver against our requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty of “advancing equality of opportunity” and “foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not”; in this case, young adults (age) and vulnerable groups (socio-economic disadvantage).


5.1 There are no direct Health and Safety implications associated with this report

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 The support of provision for young people is a key element in terms of delivering a proactive

Community Safety Programme and specifically contributes to reducing the risk of fires, road traffic incidents and antisocial behaviour.

7 Conclusion

7.1 The appointment of a Youth Work Member Champion will underline the Authority’s commitment to WYFRS engagement with young people and will provide added support in reaching the most vulnerable and disengaged young people of West Yorkshire, thereby contributing to the Authority’s ambition of “Making West Yorkshire Safer”

Risk Based Inspection Programme - update · and a risk-based inspection programme ... 2.3...

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