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Jersey Fire and Rescue Service: Annual Review 2012.

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Service Annual Review 2012

1  

Foreword  

It gives me great pleasure to present to you the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service's 2012  Annual  Review.  This  was  my  fifth  full year  as  Chief  Fire Officer  in  Jersey  so  this review  not  only  reports  on  the  Service's performance  and  achievements  in  2012  but also looks back over the past 5 years to report overall progress.

Whilst  I  believe  the  Service  has  delivered excellent  safety  and  risk  reduction performance across a range of areas in recent years, the short and medium term outcomes you  will  read  about  in  this  report  serve  to remind us all that risk and disaster are ever present in any busy and diverse community.

I  am  delighted  that  the  total  number  of emergency incidents in 2012 was the lowest in over 40 years with continued reductions in fires generally as well as road traffic collisions and responses to automatic fire alarms. There were no fire deaths in 2012, which made the last 5 years the longest sustained period without a single fire death since records began. Unfortunately this successful preventative period has now come to an end with the recent tragic death of an elderly man in a fire at Victoria Cottage Homes.

In 2012, we have seen our excellent prevention progress slow in some areas; this can be observed both in year-on-year performance and as a long term trend. Fires in the home, mainly caused by cooking and kitchen related incidents, have not reduced in  recent  years,  as  is  the  case  with  fires  in  public,  commercial  and  industrial premises. The number of people requiring rescue from life-threatening fires and situations continues to increase.

We base this reduced prevention progress against two working theories. First, following many years of reducing risk through prevention and protection activity, it is inevitable that we encounter residual risk'; levels and types of event which can only be reduced with a significant increase in proactive work such as the installation of sprinklers. Second is the fact that, when confronted with immediate and pressing challenges, for example finding work or simply making ends meet, people at home and in the workplace are often simply less able to devote time, money and energy to reducing  risk;  particularly  when,  like  fire,  it  remains  relatively  unlikely  albeit devastating when it does occur.

It is perhaps because of the challenges faced by the Service that I continue to be so proud of all the capable and committed people with whom I serve. I have the pleasure of observing, on a daily basis, full-time and part-time Firefighters, non- uniformed staff, volunteers and the fire commanders who lead and support them making a genuine difference to the Islanders they serve.

Mark James MSc, MA, BSc(Hons), FIFireE, FCMI, FICPEM CHIEF FIRE OFFICER

2

91 people

rescued by

Firefighters in

2012'

" The Service is committed to  

msaafkeirncgoJmemrsuenyi tay  "

For fire safety advice call 01534 445906 www.fire.gov.je

  • Contents

Your Service  

  • Purpose 6 Staff and Structure   6  Integrated Risk Management (IRMP)  9  Service IRMP Objectives  10  Emergency Call Management  11  Securing the Future  14  
  • Financial Management 15

Fires  

Fire Statistics  17  

  • Fires of Note 25

Rescues  

Types of Rescues  29  Rescue Statistics  31  

  • Rescues of Note 35

Safety  

  • Community Safety 37 Safety Events in 2012  38  Fire Safety Training  40  Fire Safety Regulation & Enforcement  42  Emergency Planning  44  Use of Social Media  46  
  • Firefighter Safety 47

Community  

  • Activities 49

The principal roles of the States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service are mandated through the Fire & Rescue Service (Jersey) Law 2011 and the Fire Precautions (Jersey) Law 1977. The Service is managed through the Home Affairs Department and supports their objective to protect the public and keep our community safe'. The Service's role is best described in its purpose, otherwise know as its raison d'être':

Purpose - Raison d'être

Purpose

To protect life, property and the environment against fire and other emergencies by providing responsive, professional and humanitarian fire & rescue services

AIMS

Our three corporate key aims are:

Reduce the risk to  Improve the way we  Develop our people

the community  work  and culture

Staff and Structure

The Service closely resembles UK Fire and Rescue Services in every aspect other than  scale.  The  Service  employs  a  comparatively  small  number  of  staff;  72 Wholetime Firefighters, 43 Retained Firefighters, 4 Civil Servants, 1 Manual Worker and 16 Fire Support Volunteers. These operate from either the Service Headquarters in St Helier or the Retained Fire Station in St Brelade. The Service has a fleet of 25 operational vehicles including 8 frontline pumping appliances and a comprehensive range of specialist appliances and equipment to deal with complex and wide-ranging incidents. These include an aerial ladder platform, command support unit, rescue unit, foam-water carrier, two inshore rescue boats and a cliff rescue unit.

The Service provides a 24/7 proactive emergency service that can respond to a wide range of emergency incidents. Our firefighters are trained to deal with every type of fire from a property fire to fighting fires in ships at sea. Firefighters are also equipped and  trained  to  undertake  specialist  rescues  including  road  traffic  accidents,  cliff rescues  and  water  rescues.  We  can  also  use  our  equipment  to  protect  the environment  and  provide  humanitarian  services  such  as  dealing  with  flooding incidents. Following a suspicious fire, our fire investigation team will investigate to ascertain the cause and assist the police with any evidence when required.

To protect life, property and the environment against fires and other emergencies'

77

The  Chief  Fire  Officer  (CFO)  has  delegated  Strategic-level  responsibility  for discharging the Fire and Rescue Service (Jersey) Law 2011. In managing the service he leads a Senior Management Team made up of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) and the Area Manager (AM). The DCFO, as the Head of Service Delivery (HoSD) has strategic responsibility for all operations associated with delivering fire safety education and engagement, regulation and enforcement, emergency planning and emergency response services. The AM, as the Head of Service Support (HoSS) is responsible for all corporate and support functions across the organisation. He also acts as the Service's third officer for Gold Command and delegated authority.

Mark James Chief Fire Officer

Paul Brown  Mark Johnson

Deputy Chief Fire Officer  Area Manager

Head of Service Delivery  Head of Service Support

Strategic Planning & Performance

Emergency Response

Community Safety

Fire Safety Regulation & Enforcement

Emergency Planning

Health, Safety & Welfare


Training & Development Financial Management Corporate Services Fleet Management Property Management Information Technology Human Resources

88  

 

Integrated Risk Management Planning

Jersey Fire & Rescue Service uses an Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) process to develop its three year business plan. This explains how it is going to deliver  its  services  to  the  community  by  integrating  prevention,  preparation  and response activities and through the careful and flexible management of its resources.

The Service's IRMP takes relevant data on local fires and other emergency incidents and using established formulae, presents a picture' of how each Parish compares in terms of the likelihood of a fire or emergency occurring and the typical severity of that incident based on previous experience. In this way, we develop a comparative and predicted rate of fire and fire injury based upon what we know to have happened in recent years.

High Risk   Medium Risk   Low Risk

Every three years the Service produces an IRMP that details the Service's strategic objectives  over  that  period  aimed  at  reducing  risk  by  integrating  its  prevention, protection and emergency response activities.

.

9 9

Service IRMP Objectives

In 2012 the Service completed the following IRMP objectives:

  • Delivered  annual  recurring  savings  of  £57,000  by  reducing administration, overtime, vehicles and travel expenditure.
  • Designed, specified and procured a replacement bulk water carrier and two replacement fire engines from Volvo.
  • Established a new Jersey Fire & Rescue Cadets scheme.
  • Established a Fire Volunteer Support Team.
  • Undertook a Wholetime & Retained Firefighter recruitment campaign to fill vacancies.
  • Promoted  the  life  and  property  saving  benefits  of  domestic  and commercial sprinklers through a symposium/practical demonstration.
  • Reviewed the Retained Firefighters availability and undertook a trial of new cover arrangements.
  • Implemented a new Site Risk Information (SRI) procedure to ensure that firefighters have up to date accurate information on high risk premises in Jersey.
  • Updated and implemented response strategy and plans for incidents at La Collette bulk fuel storage facility.
  • Implemented  new  decontamination  structures  and  procedures  for hazardous materials (hazmat) incidents.
  • Worked  with  the  Law  Officers'  Department  to  update  the  Fire Precautions  (Jersey)  Law  1977  to  improve  fire  safety  in  Houses  of Multiple Occupation.
  • Implemented the statutory requirements of the new Fire and Rescue Service (Jersey) Law 2011 and the supporting Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies and Humanitarian Services) (Jersey) Order 2012 which came into force on the 21st February 2012.
  • Reviewed and implemented improvements to the Service's water rescue capability including new swift water rescue training, procedures and equipment.

101 0

Emergency Call Management

Jersey has the only fully combined Fire and Ambulance  Control Centre in the UK that provides emergency call  

handling and mobilising for both fire and ambulance  999 calls. A single mobilising, command and control   system Alert C3' provides interfaces with the TETRA  

radio system, paging systems, Jersey's digital map and   address database and includes an electronic incident  reporting / recording package for both Services.  

The  Combined  Control  Centre  is  staffed  on  a  24/7   basis. In 2012 it handled 1,579 emergency calls for the  

Fire & Rescue Service. It is critically important that   Combined  Control  Operators  can  quickly  and   accurately obtain information from the caller about their  

emergency and then mobilise the correct Emergency  

Services to the address of the emergency.

In  2008,  the  Minister  for  Home  Affairs  introduced  new  emergency  response standards following the removal of the UK Fire Cover standards that were first introduced in 1936. The new response standards are based on fire risk, the fixed location of resources and the arrival of all the initial response vehicles, not just the first attendance. They are measured from the time the 999 call is taken by the Combined Fire and Ambulance Control and thus include the emergency call taking and mobilising times.

111 1

The  total  number  of  emergency  Fire  &  Rescue  Service  incidents  handled  by Combined Control in 2012 was 1,579. The emergency response standards and the percentage that they were achieved for calls in 2010, 2011 and 2012 are below.

 

Property Fires  

2010

2011

2012

Risk Areas

 Attendance of

st

1 Fire Engine

Attendance of

nd

2 Fire Engine  

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

High

< = 10 minutes

13 minutes

85.71%

90.91%

96.36%

Medium

< = 15 minutes

18 minutes

100%

73.68%

90.91%

Low

< = 20 minutes

23 minutes

100%

100%

100%

Target  

90%  

90%  

95.23%

88.19%

95.76%

 

Road Traffic Collisions  

2010

2011

2012

Risk Areas

 Attendance of

st

1 Fire Engine

Attendance of Rescue Unit

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

1st  &  2nd appliances arrived  in target

High

< = 10 minutes

< = 20 minutes

58.33%

100%

100%

Medium

< = 15 minutes

< = 20 minutes

88.89%

100%

100%

Low

< = 20 minutes

< = 20 minutes

100%

100%

100%

Target  

90%  

90%  

82.41%

100%

100%

 

Sea & Cliff Rescues

2010

2011

2012

Risk Areas

Attendance of specialist rescue vehicle &/or boat

Appliances arrived in target

Appliances arrived in target

Appliances arrived in target

High

< = 13 minutes

100%

100%

100%

Medium

< = 18 minutes

100%

100%

100%

Low

< = 23 minutes

100%

100%

50%

Target  

90%  

100%

100%

83.33%

121 2 12

Achieved response standards to 95.7% of fires in 2012'

13

13

Securing the Future

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service has always been focused on securing futures, whether we are saving lives from fires and other emergencies or ensuring that buildings are built fire safe. In 2012 there was a greater focus on ensuring that the Service will be able to continue this work for years to come. During the year we undertook a number of projects and initiatives to help us reduce costs, increase income and improve fire safety in buildings.

In 2012 a new Fire and Rescue Service (Jersey) Law 2011 and supporting Fire and Rescue  Service  (Emergencies  and  Humanitarian  Services)  (Jersey)  Order  2012 came into force. This recognised the Service's rescue role making it a statutory duty to rescue and protect people from serious harm in the event of road traffic accidents and to rescue people from dangerous places.

In 2012 we established a Fire Volunteer Support Team to help the Service deliver a wide range of fire safety activities in the community and to support the Service's response to major incidents.

We recognise that prevention is better than cure and we are committed to making Jersey a safer community by developing and implementing  new fire safety programmes and fire safety legislation. In  2012  we  drafted  revised  Fire  Precautions  legislation  to  include Houses of Multiple Occupation and a three yearly fire  certification process. Fire Safety Officers also worked with  Building  Control  to  make  sprinklers  a  new  building  regulations  requirement  for  newly  built  residential  care  homes,  underground  car  parks,  buildings  with  flats  at  a  height of over 18 metres and private dwellings with poor  access for fire engines.  

We  only  have  a  small  budget  for  community  fire  safety  initiatives so in 2012 we set up a new charity, the Fire &  Rescue Service Community Fund to raise funds so that we can continue to save lives through fire safety advice and education

As one of the smallest Fire & Rescue Services in the UK we recognise that we do not have the capacity to intervene directly in all situations; therefore partnership working is a key part of our prevention strategy. In 2012, our Home Energy & Fire Partnership with the Energy Efficiency Service was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2013 UK Flame Awards.

In 2012 we also reviewed our fire safety and special services charges so that they were fair and reflected the amount of work undertaken by the Service. New user- pays charges will help generate an additional £84,000 per annum. As part of the States Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) project we reduced administration and back office costs to achieve a year-on-year saving of £57,000.

1144

Your Service

Financial Management

In common with other public services, the Fire & Rescue Service is facing budget challenges which mean that we have to make CSR savings in 2012/13 while still providing an effective emergency service. In 2012 the Service's total budget was £4,975,452. The Service achieved a £130,000 underspend in 2012 through managed vacancies and the early implementation of CSR savings.

 

 

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Net expenditure

£4,635,590

£4,741,077

£4,792,328

£4,915,608

£4,975,452

Actual Staff FTE

75.54

75.54

73.54

72.54

74.54

Service area cost per head of population

£50.50

£51.25

£51.81

£50.23

£50.84

The majority of the budget is allocated to staff expenditure, currently 87%. For part of 2012, the Service carried a number of Wholetime and Retained firefighter vacancies. Although this reduced our salary costs, it did result in additional overtime costs to cover the reduced operational staffing levels. The Service's small non-staff budget is used to fund all training, equipment replacement, uniform and personal protective equipment,  premises  maintenance  and  all  service  costs  such  as  diesel  and electricity. The diagram below provides an insight into where the Service's budget is spent  and  shows  the  huge  differential  between  staff  costs  and  the  costs  of maintaining critical infrastructure.

Fire Safety Education

(>1%)  Estate Management

(4.5%)

Training (2%)

Technical Support (1.5% ) Administration Costs (>1%)

Fleet & Equipment Management (4% )

Personnel Costs (87%)  

 

 

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Expenditure

on personnel (%)

87.37%

88.9%

89.2%

89.9%

90.%

87.23%

15

15

Firefighters

rescued 12 people

from fires in 2012'

161 6

Fire Statistics

 

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service is equipped and trained to deal with a wide range of different types of fire. This includes fire in properties, commercial, industrial and high rise buildings, petrochemical storage, aircraft, ships and open land. For statistical purposes, fires attended by the Service are categorised into:

  1. Total Number of Fires (primary, dwelling, commercial, secondary and vehicle fires)
  2. Primary Fires (fires in insurable property - houses, buildings and vehicles)
    1. Deliberate Primary Fires
  3. Accidental House Fires
    1. Injuries from Accidental Dwelling Fires
    2. Rescues from fires in dwellings
  4. Fires in Public, Commercial and Industrial Premises  
  5. Secondary Fires (fires in non-insurable property - rubbish, furze, derelict)
  6. Vehicle Fires

Indicators: = reduction on previous year,  = increase on previous year and = no change on previous year

For greater statistical accuracy we generally compare our fire statistics over the preceding 5 years. The graph below, however, shows the total number of fires over the last 50 years and the continued downward trend in the number of fires in Jersey, which has halved over this period.

17  

 

 

Total Fires up by 2.2% on 2011

Total Fires 2008-2012

350 300 250 200 150

 

 

293

 

 

 

 

261

 

272

228

 

 

233

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 50 0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

In  2012  there  was  a  slight  (2.2%)  increase  in  the  total  number  of  fires  when compared  to  2011.  Clearly,  any  increase  in  the  number  of fires  experienced  is unwelcome; however, the increase should be taken in the context of the down trend indicated in the previous graph. The 2012 figure is more than 10% lower than the average rate of fire in the preceding five years (2007-2011). As the difference is only five fires it is not possible to identify causal factors and we believe that, having driven the numbers of fires down by so much over the years, it will be harder to make significant progress in the future with the management of residual risk'. The aim for 2013 is to achieve a reduced number of fires once more and continue the downward trend.  

Primary Fires up 14.7% on 2011

Primary Fires 2008 - 2012

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

 

141

120

 

136

156

 

151

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Primary fires are fires involving insurable property including houses, fires in other buildings and vehicle fires. The majority of total fires are Primary Fires and this increase is the cause of the 2.2% increase in fires overall. Although only 20 fires, the marked increase is a cause for concern because it means that, taking a five year view, the rate is an increasing one and the 2012 rate of fire was more than 10% higher than the average for the preceding five years (2007-2011). When excluding fires  in  dwellings,  there  are  no  clear  indications  that  particular  causes  of  fire contribute more than others to this increasing rate; this makes targeting and reducing more difficult and demonstrates the need to retain a rapid and effective response capability despite reducing incident rates in many areas.

18

Deliberate Primary Fires Up 83% on 2011

Deliberate Primary Fires 2008-2012

25 20 15

23

22

 

 

 

20

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 5 0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

This is the second highest outturn in five years and, whilst creating a slight downward trend for the five year period including 2012, is over 40% higher than the average for the preceding five years (2007-2011). Nevertheless, the actual numbers involved are still low compared to other indicators and so volatility from year to year or over even longer periods is expected to some degree. We thoroughly investigate all deliberate fires in partnership with the States of Jersey Police who will bring a prosecution where appropriate. In 2012, 5 people were prosecuted for arson.

Accidental Dwelling Fires – No change from 2011

Accidental Dwelling Fires 2008-2012

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

 

 

 

 

 

 

57

 

52

 

51

 

51

 

 

 

 

41

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

The absence of any change from 2011 to 2012 and the "flat" trend for the five year period including 2012 is, we believe, indicative of residual risk'. Whilst, theoretically, it is possible to reduce the number of fires in the home still further, such progress will require significantly more effort and innovation by us and our partners than has been required to reach current rates (diminishing returns). Set against a challenging economic backdrop, our collective ability to deliver even more prevention activity is limited; nevertheless we will strive to reduce risk by continually refining and targeting our activity even more effectively, one example being the promotion of domestic sprinkler systems.

19

Injuries from Fires in Dwellings up from five to twelve

Non-Fatal Dwelling Fire Injuries 2008-2012

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

13

12

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

As with Deliberate Primary Fires, the low numbers involved create natural volatility and provide alarming percentage fluctuations (140% increase for 2011 to 2012 and an annual rate which is 83% higher than the average for the preceding five years). A far more accurate picture of performance and progress is shown by the trendline' which continues to fall as it has been doing for decades. The difference between fatal and non-fatal smoke inhalation can be seconds and burn injuries – when not fatal – are extremely painful and distressing and so, even with a steady downward trend, we will not lose sight of the profound human impact of fire and will continue to do all we can to help people avoid being caught in such dangerous situations.

20

Rescues from Fires in Dwellings up 20% on 2011

Rescues from Fires in Dwellings 2008-2012

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

 

 

 

 

 

13

 

14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Again, the actual numbers involved here are low and percentage-based analysis should be treated with caution. The performance in 2012 was slightly worse than the average for the preceding five years (2007-2011) but even then, only by one rescue. With one dwelling fire a week and one person requiring rescue from these fires each month on average, the need to maintain a fast and effective response capability is obvious.

Fires in Public, Commercial and Industrial Premises up by 44% on 2011

Public / Commercial Building Fires 2008-2012

45 40 35 30 25 20

 

 

 

 

 

39

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

 

34

 

 

 

 

 

 

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 10 5 0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Whilst  the  increase  against  2011  is  unwelcome,  the  overall  trend  is  flat  with performance just under 8% below the average for the preceding five years (2007- 2011). Incidence of fire in public, commercial or industrial premises is lower than in dwellings and, for the most part, the life risk is lower; however, costs associated with such fires are typically much higher and the wider economic impact can be very considerable. The potential economic impact of fires in these premises means that keeping businesses and their customers safe from fire remains one of the Fire & Rescue  Service's  nine  strategic  objectives;  we  do  this  by  enforcing  fire  safety legislation where appropriate and delivering Workplace Fire Safety Training courses on a commercial (self sustaining) basis.

21

Vehicle Fires up 37% on 2011

Vehicle Fires 2008-2012

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

 

 

25

 

26

 

 

21

8

 

 

19

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

As well as increasing by over a third on 2011, the number of vehicle fires was up by almost a quarter on the average for the preceding five years (2007-2011), creating a steadily increasing trend albeit with low numbers. As with Primary Fires, there are no clear  patterns,  however,  the  common  causes  identified  include  fires  starting  in vehicle electrics, engine compartments and as a result of arson.

2222

Secondary Fires down by 27.6% on 2011

'Secondary' Fires 2008-2012

180

160

140 152

120

100 141

80 121 94

60 77 40

20

0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Secondary fires are fires in non-insurable property such as rubbish, furze and derelict property. The UK has a large number of secondary fires mainly related to anti-social behaviour.  Fortunately,  Jersey  does  not  have  this  problem.  The  majority  of secondary fires in Jersey are usually from fires in the countryside. However, 2012 was one of the wettest years on record and therefore the number of furze and open land fires attended by the Service was particularly low at 21. Over the last couple of years the Service has also run a countryside fire safety campaign during the summer months to highlight the dangers and risks from fires which may have contributed to the downward trend in secondary fires.

Automatic Fire Alarms (AFA) up by 4.4% on 2011

AFA Attendance 2008-2012

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100

 

 

742

 

683

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

671

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

538

 

587

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Even with a slight increase against a very low number of AFA events in 2011, the overall trend is a downward one and the 2012 outturn is 15% lower than the average for the preceding five years (2007-2011). Historically, responses to automatic alarm systems have represented between a third and a half of all operational responses for the Service and so the pattern continues. In 2011, we implemented a risk based policy for AFAs which modulates the size of our response dependent upon the risk category  of the  premises  concerned  and the time  of day  or  night  the  alarm  is received. This resulted in a non-attendance to 195 automatic fire alarm actuations in 2012.

23

extinguished

233 fires in 2012'

242 4

Fires of Note in 2012

 

Workshop Fire in St Helier 03/02/2012 – At 20:12 the Fire & Ambulance Combined Control  Centre  received  multiple  calls  from  concerned  members  of  the  public witnessing flames coming from the rear of a workshop in the Cheapside area. Green Watch responded with 2 fire engines, but once in attendance quickly requested further  resources  as  it  was  clear  that  the  fire  was  going  to  spread  and  was particularly difficult to access. The fire quickly spread through the workshop which contained a number of vehicles and other flammables. Firefighting operations were hampered by the presence of asbestos in the roof but firefighters managed to contain the fire to the workshop saving the adjoining showroom. At its height the incident had 4 fire appliances, a hydraulic Aerial Ladder Platform and 28 firefighters on scene. The Service declared a 'code amber' which initiated a recall to duty for a group of off- duty firefighters to attend Fire & Rescue Headquarters to maintain island cover and support for the incident.

Fire in Workshop at Esso, La Collette 13/09/2012 - The Fire & Rescue Service were alerted at 00:28 by the Combined Control Centre, informing the Service of an automatic fire alarm actuating at Esso petroleum distributors, La Collette. Two

fire  engines  responded  from  Fire  HQ. Three  minutes  later  at  00:31  the Combined Control Centre received a 999 call from a Connex night security guard informing  them  of  a  fire  and  smoke issuing from the building. On confirmation

of a serious fire, a further fire engine and a foam making specialist appliance were mobilised. On arrival firefighters were faced with an established fire within a fuel compound involving a building used as a workshop and lubricants store. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were immediately deployed to protect fuel tankers that were close to the affected building. Further crews then made entry and quickly contained a volatile fire. Firefighters remained on scene, damping down and making the area safe until 04:40.

Fire in Derelict Building, St Helier 11/11/2012  Firefighters from Blue Watch were called to a  fire in a derelict 2-storey town house in Simon  Place at 09.17am. A severe fire had become  established  in  the  property  causing  internal  areas and parts of the roof to collapse. A total of  four  fire  engines,  the  Aerial  Ladder  Platform  (ALP) and a duty command vehicle were sent to  deal with the fire. Due to the severity of the fire,  firefighters wearing breathing apparatus worked  inside the neighbouring property to prevent the  fire  from  spreading  through,  whilst  other  firefighters used water jets and the ALP to fight  the fire from  the  outside  of the  burning town  house. Firefighters managed to prevent the fire  spreading  to  adjoining  properties  but  it  took  several  hours  to  extinguish  the  fire  and  firefighters remained on scene all day damping  down.

25  

Fires

Fires of Note in 2012

 

Fire  in  Gas  Holder,  Tunnel  St,  St  Helier  04/07/2012   At  12.35  the  Fire  & Ambulance  Combined  Control  Centre  received  multiple  calls  from  concerned members of the public witnessing flames coming from the large gas holder in town.

Initially two fire engines crewed by Red Watch responded from Fire HQ. It was obvious on arrival that they had a very serious fire involving the gas holder. A team of firefighters wearing breathing apparatus set up cooling monitors to prevent further escalation whilst another team of firefighters started the evacuation of people nearby, assisted by the Police.

The Fire & Rescue Service Duty Station Commander quickly arrived on scene and declared a Major Incident'. The Service instigated its Code Red' recall to duty procedures to ensure that there were sufficient firefighters to deal with the incident. The Service Operations Centre was quickly established using uniformed and non- uniformed day staff which ensured that the recall to duty was quickly activated and the developing incident was adequately resourced.

The initial dynamic risk assessment identified a catastrophic failure of the gas holder and subsequent vapour cloud explosion as the primary risk. The States of Jersey Police were advised to place a 500m radius evacuation zone around the site. The evacuation was helped by the visibility of the fire, as many residents and members of the public started to self evacuate.

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue  Service  Incident  Commander  was  in  command  of  operations  to  extinguish  the  fire  and  make  the  area  safe.  The  layout  of  the  site  allowed  effective  management  of  the  inner  cordon  via  the  Fire  Command  Support  Unit.  An  additional  hot  zone  using  the  boundary  of  the  Jersey  Gas  site  was  created  within  the  inner  cordon.  Anyone  entering  the  hot  zone  was  required  to  wear  breathing  apparatus  and  be  supported by a standby emergency  firefighting team.

Tactical options were developed to bring the incident to a safe resolution. There were three main risks as the incident developed; these were collapse of the gas holder structure and release of gas due to the fire damage to the guides, a drop in the internal pressure resulting in collapse of the crown (top) of the holder or internal flame impingement and explosion. After consulting with Jersey Gas engineers and steel structural engineers it was decided to allow the gas to burn-off under control. This went as planned and the fire was fully extinguished at 05.15hrs the following morning. The gas holder was fully housed and declared safe at 13.55hrs on the 5th July 2012.

This was the largest fire in Jersey for a decade and the first time that the Service had declared a full Island Major Incident'. Over the course of the incident, 10 firefighting vehicles and 70 firefighters were used to make the gas holder safe.

26

successfully

extinguished a

major gas holder

fire in 2012'

27 27

Firefighters

are trained to save lives

and fight

fires on ships

and vessels

at sea'

282 8

Types of Rescues

As well as fighting fires, Jersey Fire & Rescue Service is also equipped and trained to deal with a wide range of other emergencies as required by the Fire and Rescue Service (Jersey) Law 2011 and supporting Fire and Rescue Service (Emergencies and Humanitarian Services) (Jersey) Order 2012.

The Service's statutory rescue role includes:

  • rescuing people trapped in vehicles following a road traffic collision
  • rescuing people within Jersey's inshore waters and rocks
  • rescuing people from inland waterways such as reservoirs
  • responding to emergencies on ships and vessels at sea
  • rescuing persons from height, such as cliffs and cranes
  • the search and rescue of people trapped following a non road transport emergency such as an industrial accident, aircraft crash, collapsed buildings and other structures, landslides or other natural disasters
  • making safe spillages of chemical, biological, radioactive or other hazardous materials that threaten people or the environment
  • assistance to the other emergency services such as providing medical assistance, moving heavy casualties or searching for missing persons

Rescue Statistics

Total Rescues and other Emergencies up 6% on 2011

Emergency Special Service Incidents 2008-2012

700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

 

 

573

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

479

 

396

 

301

 

319

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

An Emergency Special Service' is a non-fire emergency such as a road traffic collision, rescue from height, industrial accident or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response; a Humanitarian' service under the law. 2011 saw the lowest number of Emergency Special Services in recent years by some margin and so was always likely to be a difficult target to beat again. Despite a slight increase, the overall trend is reducing and 2012 activity levels were 24% lower than the preceding 5 year average from 2007-2011.

29

Firefighters

dealt with 55

road accidents

in 2012'

303 0

Road Traffic Collisions Down 20% on 2011

RTC Responses 2008 - 2012

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

 

 

159

 

 

 

 

 

 

157

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

109

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

69

 

55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

A 20% reduction from 2011 to 2012 on top of a 37% reduction the previous year has created a massive overall decline in the number of Road Traffic Collisions requiring the intervention of firefighters. The 2012 total was 57% lower than the 2007-2011 average which is extremely encouraging. Whilst credit must first go to Jersey's drivers for playing the most important part in this dramatic improvement, we also applaud our colleagues in the States of Jersey Police and their excellent Fatal Four' road safety awareness campaign which, we have no doubt, has played a vital and significant role in this impressive reduction. Firefighters have extensive experience of responding to road incidents and commonly find themselves dealing with the most challenging, time pressured and distressing elements of them. We use the skills, experience  and  credibility  gained  through  this  role  in  assisting  colleagues  in educating and engaging on road safety wherever we can.

Water Rescues up 8% on 2011

Water Rescue 2008-2012

25 20 15

 

 

 

 

 

15

22

 

23

 

 

13

 

 

 

 

 

12

 

10 5 0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

In 2012 the Service launched its inshore rescue boats on 13 occasions, rescuing 7 people from the sea. Since the introduction of the RNLI beach lifeguards, the number of sea rescues has fallen but the Service continues to provide a valuable water rescue capability. The Service also attended 6 cliff rescue incidents in 2012.

31

Rescues

Rescues from Emergency Special Services down 2.5% on 2011

Rescues from Emergency Special Services 2008-2012

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

 

 

81

 

 

 

 

64

 

 

 

79

 

 

48

 

45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Rescues in this category include releasing people trapped in a lift between floors, cutting  people  from  badly  distorted  vehicles,  releases  from  entrapments  and industrial accidents, picking people out of the sea or from rocks or rescuing people from precarious positions on cliffs or tall buildings. The sheer range of incidents and absence of major contributing types means reducing the number of incidents is very difficult. We work in partnership with colleague Departments to raise awareness and maintain a 24/7 capability to deal with a wide range of emergency situations.

Humanitarian Services up 16% on 2011

Humanitarian Service Incidents 2008-2012

40 35 30 25 20

 

 

37

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 21

 

 

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 10 5 0

2008 20709 2010 2011 2012

The Service is occasionally called to non-emergency humanitarian incidents that are not life threatening. Humanitarian Service incidents are where members of the public or animals are, or could be, suffering from personal distress or severe inconvenience. This will also include incidents where failure to assist could lead to a deterioration of conditions and possibly threaten life or greater distress or inconvenience. In 2012, the Service dealt with 21 humanitarian incidents which is comparable with previous years.

32

Firefighters

rescued 7 people

from cliffs in Jersey

during 2012'

333 3

Firefighters

rescued 7 people

from the sea in 2012'

3344

Rescues of note in 2012

The following are just a few examples of the many rescues carried out in 2012:

Horse  trapped  at  Mont  Huelin  16/02/2012  - Fire crews were called by passers by who had discovered a horse that had become stuck in a metal gate. The horse, named Autumn Shadow, had tried to jump the gate and cleared it with her front legs, but her hind legs went under the top bar and became wedged between the next two sections of the gate. Fire crews used hydraulic cutting equipment to cut the metal gate either side of the horse to release her, slightly stressed, but otherwise unharmed.

Vehicle Collided into Building 05/05/12 - Just after 08:00 the Combined Fire and Ambulance Control  Centre  received  emergency  calls reporting that a car had crashed through the front of a restaurant in Gloucester Street. Although the  driver  of  the  vehicle  appeared  to  be uninjured, he was unable to exit the vehicle due to debris from the crash. Fire & Rescue Service crews  made  the  scene  safe  and  assisted  the driver to exit the vehicle before he was handed over to the attending Paramedic crew.

Inshore Rescue Boat transports Paramedics to medical emergency 07/08/2012 - At 12:09 the  Combined  Control  Centre  received  an emergency call stating that a male had collapsed and was unconscious at Elizabeth Castle. Due to a high tide, the Service inshore rescue boat was diverted from a training exercise to transport the Paramedics to the castle. The crews from both emergency  services  rendezvoused  at  the Fishermans Quay before making their way to the incident  location.  After  initial  medical  attention from  the  Paramedics  the  casualty  was transported back to shore aboard the Inshore Rescue Boat, to the awaiting Ambulance.

Multiple flooding calls 22/12/2012 - Jersey Fire

& Rescue attended a series of calls related to the heavy  downpour  of  rain  overnight.  Fire  crews assisted home owners to protect their property using a range of pumps and other equipment. The Service deployed their hose laying system to move water that had been threatening properties in the Tesson Mill area. Normally used to pump large qualities of water to a fire, on this occasion it was used to pump 2 tonnes of water a minute away from homes and into remote fields.

 

35

Firefighters fitted 184 smoke detectors in homes at risk from fire in 2012'

363 6

Safety

Community Safety

The Service is committed to making Jersey a safer community by providing a high standard of fire safety education and prevention programmes. Of the 51 house fires attended in 2012, only 26 (51%) had smoke alarms which alerted the occupants, a further 17 (33%) had smoke alarms which did not operate and 8 (16%) did not have smoke alarms fitted. These figures show a decline in smoke alarm effectiveness compared to 2011 when 57% had working smoke alarms and 2010 when 65% of fires attended had working smoke alarms. This demonstrates the need to keep promoting the need to have working smoke alarms in the home.

In 2012, the Service carried out 153 Home Fire Safety Visits installing 184 smoke detectors. They also issued 41 Home Fire Safety Packs and smoke detectors to private residences deemed at risk from fire. A further 120 smoke detectors were installed  at  111  properties  by  the  Home  Energy  Efficiency  Service  under  a partnership to integrate home fire safety into their Home Energy Scheme.

In late 2012, the Home Energy & Fire Partnership was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2013 UK Flame Awards. Chris Parry, the Flame Awards Project Manager said:

"I would like to congratulate Jersey Fire  

& Rescue  Service  and  the  Energy  Efficiency Service on their home energy  scheme and fire safety partnership which  has supported over 1200 homes as well  as installing over 640 smoke alarms to  qualifying  residents  of  Jersey  -  and  as  one of the UK's smallest fire services, this is an outstanding achievement that deserves all the national recognition it receives"

As part of the Fire Safety Education Programme for schools, the Service delivered a 1 hour Sparks' fire safety session to all year 4 students in each of the Island's 32 Primary schools. The Service also attended 7 nurseries and it continued to deliver community safety at public events by attending 10 of the Island's main events.

Workplace Fire Safety Training

Children Education /  Courses, 38 Training Events, 57

Youth Education Training Events, 16

Adult Education Training Events, 4

Senior Citizens

Events, 4 Home Fire Safety

Visits, 264

General Events (All Age Groups), 16

Community Fire Safety Activity in 2012

37

 

Safety

Safety Events in 2012

The  following  are  just  a  few  examples  of  our  successful  community  safety partnerships:

Safety in Action Week

The  Service  has  been  in  partnership  with  Child  Accident Prevention since the inception of the Safety in Action' week in 1998. The event involves students participating in 6 workshop style safety scenarios. The Fire and Rescue workshop is based around  the  importance  of  every  home  having  working  smoke alarms and an effective escape plan. There is a practical exercise using artificial smoke to show students the best actions to take if a fire starts in their home. Fire and Rescue personnel also carry out a chip pan fire demonstration to highlight the dangers of tackling a chip pan fire using water. In 2012, 875 students from 30 schools attended Safety in Action Week.

 Prison! Me! No Way!  

In 2012 the Service worked in partnership with the Prison Me No Way – Your Choice' initiative by delivering fire and water safety education to all Year 6 students. In 2012 the Service also worked in partnership with the Prison Me No Way – Crime' initiative by delivering fire safety education to Year 8 students in all 8 secondary schools. Crime related activities including arson and hoax calling, were the key educational areas covered.

Prince's Trust

In 2012 the Service continued to support the Prince's Trust scheme

in Jersey which runs 2 separate 12 week programmes designed for

youths who have fallen out of mainstream schools or employment.

The focus of the programmes is to develop team and character

building skills. The Service delivered a one day session on each of

the programmes that encouraged team work and introduced the students to simulated Fire and Rescue activities.

Carbon Monoxide Campaign

Every year 50 people are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning  in  the  UK.  In  2012  the  Service  ran  a Carbon Monoxide awareness campaign to coincide with a similar campaign in the UK. To support this, the Fire & Rescue Service, the Ambulance Service and Family Nursing now carry carbon monoxide monitors when attending emergency calls and carrying out routine visits to homes in Jersey.

Jersey Sprinkler Symposium Dispelling the Myths'

The Service hosted a two day international symposium in October 2012 to promote

sprinklers  both  in  commercial  and  domestic  environments.  This  included  a  live

demonstration by igniting two fires simultaneously in two separate identical rooms,

one  with  and  one  without  sprinklers.  The  results  can  be  viewed  at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv2cRK0pcRA

3388

Firefighters visited all 32 Primary school in the Island in 2012'

3399

35

Fire Safety Training

Since 2010 the Service has run a programme of Workplace Fire Safety Training Courses aimed to provide a greater awareness of the threat posed by fire to people, property and business continuity. Workplace Fire Safety Training consists of three course types:

  • Fire Awareness (Foundation Course)
  • Fire Marshal
  • Fire Extinguisher

The Workplace Fire Safety Training team also deliver bespoke training courses on request and these can be delivered at the training suite at FRS HQ or on an outreach basis. The courses are provided with a realistic practical element augmented by the fact that all the trainers are firefighters with real world experience and deep technical understanding of the subject. The Service's Workplace Fire Safety Training was nominated as a finalist in the UK's Fire

Excellence Awards 2011 for the Best Training Initiative' category.

 Our simulator unit was kindly funded by Jersey Safety Council. It is specifically designed for hands on' training in a range of scenarios

including IT equipment fires, bin fires and electrical fires to enable the students to have a fully interactive learning experience.

In 2012 the Service delivered a total of 38 different workplace fire safety training events. Feedback from the students in 2012 showed that 98.5% rated the course as good or very good.

WORKPLACE FIRE SAFETY TRAINING DELIVERED IN 2012:

Fire Awareness Course – 353 students

Fire Marshal Course – 247 students

Fire Extinguishers Course – 113 students

Bespoke Course – 158 students

40

Trained 398 employees in fire safety in the workplace in 2012'

4411

Fire Safety Regulation and Enforcement

Our Fire Safety Enforcement Team reduces fire risk in non-domestic and business premises by carrying our fire safety inspections where necessary, giving advice and, where required, enforcing fire safety legislation and other regulations designed to support life safety in buildings and infrastructure. The Fire Safety Team is also responsible for investigating the causes of fires. In 2012 this small, specially trained and qualified team (all of whom are operational firefighters at various levels) carried out 632 fire safety inspections, 64 petroleum inspections, issued 97 licences and reviewed 89 planning and building applications as outlined below:

Fire Safety Regulation and Enforcement Activity 2012

In 2012 the Fire Safety Team implemented a project to reform existing fire safety legislation which has been in place since the 1970s and was seen as restrictive and out of date. Amendments to existing fire safety legislation came into force on the 1st January 2013 including all Houses of Multiple Occupation requiring a fire certificate and all fire certificates being only valid for three years.

Fire Safety Officers have also worked with Building Control to make sprinklers a new Building Regulations requirement for newly built residential care homes, underground car parks, flats over 18 metres high and private dwellings with poor access for fire engines.

4422

Fire Officers carried out 632 fire safety inspections in 2012'

Emergency Planning

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service has to be prepared to deal with major incidents in partnership with the other emergency services. The Service plays a key role  in  emergency  planning  which  is  co-ordinated through Jersey's Emergency Planning Board and the

Joint Emergency Services Group.

In order to have sufficient firefighters to deal with a major incident, the Service has robust recall to duty arrangements  for  off-duty  firefighters  and  officers termed Code Amber' and Code Red'. The Service also  has  formal  arrangements  that  provide  an Assistance  Agreement  with  Hampshire  Fire  and Rescue Service and a Mutual Assistance Agreement with Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service. The Service can also call on Jersey's Airport Rescue & Firefighting Service for assistance if required. The Service's major incident plan and recall to duty procedures were put to the test when we responded to a major incident at the Jersey Gas Holder on the 4th July 2012.

The primary responsibilities of the Fire and Rescue Service at a major incident are:

  • life saving, through search and rescue  
  • fire fighting and fire prevention  
  • rendering humanitarian assistance  
  • assisting police with the recovery of bodies  
  • detection, identification, monitoring and management of hazardous materials and protecting the environment
  • provision of hazardous material and environmental protection advice in the emergency phase of a HAZMAT incident, incorporating advice to all relevant services on contamination risk
  • providing emergency and primary decontamination of casualties and facilitating mass decontamination
  • salvage and damage control
  • safety management within the inner cordon
  • maintaining emergency service cover

In 2012 the Service established a Fire  Volunteer  Support  Team  who  have  been  trained  to  provide  support  at  large  operational  incidents.  Their  roles  will  include  staffing  the  command unit, delivering equipment  to the fire ground and supporting the  fire operations centre.  

The Service regularly tests its emergency plans and takes part in multi-agency major exercises. In 2012 the Service took part in the following:

  • Major Incident Tactical Command Training
  • Exercise Ninepin' French Préfet de la Manche Nuclear Exercise
  • Parish Emergency Response Plan Exercise
  • Air Show table top exercise
  • Jersey Potteries major building fire exercise

44

Dealt with a major incident at the Jersey Gas Holder in St Helier'

Use of Social Media  

In this era of advanced mobile technology, social media has increasingly  become an integral aspect of communicating with each other and to the  wider  world.  Social  media  sites  such  as  Facebook  and Twitter  and  techniques such as tweeting, posting and blogging are now part of  everyday communication parlance. In June 2012 the Service set up  dedicated Facebook and Twitter accounts to widen our engagement  with the community and to aid our fire safety campaigns.  

Regular posts have been made on these sites to highlight national and

local safety campaigns and provide fire safety information. The sites are

36  also  used  to  share  and  spread safety messages from other fire and

rescue services and local partners. Each new post has the potential to

be commented on or be shared with friends  and  so  reaches  a  wider

audience.  The  Service's  Facebook and Twitter sites are also used to provide updates on the activities of the Service such as incidents attended and where appropriate, provide public safety messages.

Research  by  London  Fire  Brigade  found  that  their  social  media  channels  were reaching young  people  who  don't  usually  take  notice  of  traditional  public  safety messages or advertising. The use of social media to target those at risk from fire in Jersey  is  now  part  of  the  Service's  Safer  Communities  strategy.  The  Service's Facebook page has 3, 801 likes and Twitter has 1,163 followers. To date, our Facebook page has had a total reach of 489,167 friends of fans.

464 6

Safety  

Firefighter Safety

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service is committed to achieving high standards of firefighter safety through compliance with Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989 and the supporting Approved Codes of Practice'. The Service also aims to protect  others  who  may  be  affected  by  its  activities,  e.g.  public,  visitors,  and contractors, those affected by its operational practices and procedures and work activities.

Monitoring and reviewing performance is considered fundamental in Health & Safety Management. During  2012  there  were  a  total  of  36  reported  accidents  which

resulted in 5 firefighter injuries, 18 pieces of equipment damaged and 13 near-miss / dangerous occurrence events. Whilst the overall number of reported events is up on 2011, the chart below demonstrates that, over time, the seriousness of safety events has fallen. The States of Jersey has agreed and implemented a new Corporate Safety policy and so efforts are now focussed on implementing the requirements of the policy as well as making sure they meet the needs of a professional where hazard and risk form our normal operating environment.

Category Description

  An Accident resulting in serious injury (e.g. broken bone or hospital

admittance).

CAT2  An Accident or Near Miss which causes or has the potential to

cause injury (unable to remain at work).

CAT3  An Accident or Near Miss which causes or has the potential to

cause minor injury (remains at work).

Cause

The causes of these accidents were attributed to the following:

 

System Failure

Management Failure

Equipment Failure

Misuse

Error

Anatomical Fail

Tolerable Damage

4

0

4

4

19

1

4

Of  these  36  accidents,  12  occurred  during  normal  routine  station  activities,  11 occurred at incidents and 13 occurred during training.

 

47

Set up the first ever Fire & Rescue Cadet Force in Jersey'

484 8

Community

Firefighters are keen to support the local and international community. Below are a few examples of the community support activities undertaken by firefighters in 2012:

International Fire and Rescue Association

Since 2010, Firefighters from the States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service have supported  the  International  Fire  and  Rescue  Association  (IFRA)  charity  which delivers fire service equipment and training to less developed countries. Throughout the year the Service held a number of fund raising activities to raise funds for IFRA and Jersey Hospice including a Race Night and bagging shopping at M&S. In November 2012, Crew Manager Craig Channing and two other members of IFRA travelled to Argentina to help train their volunteer Bomberos.

Jersey Fire & Rescue Cadets

A Jersey Fire & Rescue Cadet Force was set up in 2012 and is the first of its kind to be run in Jersey. Its aim is to give young people (13-17 yrs) the opportunity to learn a wide range of new skills within the framework of a uniformed, disciplined youth organisation. Cadets undertake a structured training programme comparable to that of operational firefighters. This includes training in firefighting, search and rescue, first aid and lifesaving skills. The primary aim of the Fire & Rescue Cadet Group is to have fun and encourage the development of young people through self-development, confidence, team work and discipline. The Jersey Fire & Rescue Cadet Force is a registered charity and is run by firefighters and volunteers in their own time.

Charity 4x4 Driving Challenge

In 2012, Firefighter Mark Birrell helped by his colleagues, organised two 4x4 driving challenges at the motocross track at Sorel Point to raise money for two charities – Wessex Cancer Jersey and the Firefighters Charity. More than 50 4x4s took part and thanks to the generosity of Islanders, the 400 laps of the track undertaken helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

Fire Station Car Wash

On the 22nd January the Service held its annual charity car wash. The car wash was in aid of Jersey Hospice Care and the Firefighters Charity. It was another great success with firefighter washing over 400 cars and raising over £4,000. The charity event also gave an opportunity for our Community Fire Safety team to provide safety literature to their captive audience.

49 4 9

For further details on any of the information raised in this Annual Review please contact the Fire & Rescue Service:

Fire Service HQ, Rouge Bouillon

St Helier, Jersey JE4 5TP  50 T +44 (0)1534 445900 E s.admin@gov.je

www.fire.gov.je