Jersey Fire and Rescue: Integrated Risk Management Plan 2014.

Contents

Page

Minister's Foreword  4 Chief Fire Officer's Introduction  5 Corporate Strategy  6 How we manage risk  10 Projects, initiatives and performance aims

Prevention  11 Protection  15 Preparedness  19 Response  23 Support   27

Minister's Foreword

The  States  of  Jersey  Fire  and  Rescue  Service  (SJFRS)  has,  despite  very constrained  resources,  reduced  overall  levels  of  risk  from  fires  and  other emergencies over many years. During my tenure as Minister for Home Affairs I have been impressed with the ability of Jersey's firefighters to find innovative ways in which to help people understand and manage the risk of fire at home and in the workplace. Equally, I am proud of our Service's skilful and flexible response to a wide range of emergencies, not just fires, when they have occurred. Despite this satisfying record, a number of important and strategic challenges and influences are emerging which require a considered response.

The process of political and public sector reform affects the Service's operating environment. To link in with the future four year political cycle and medium term financial planning cycle, I have approved my officers' proposals to adjust the Fire & Rescue Service's strategic planning cycle.

My officers have observed a change in the nature of risk in the Island over recent years. Traditional fire risk is low but is not reducing as quickly as it once did. Less predictable  and  more  severe  weather  events  present  unusual  and  complex operational situations, the Island's infrastructure is increasingly large and complex and new technologies present threats and opportunities to the firefighter. These more visible risks demand attention but so too do the less visible but equally pressing corporate risks'.

Like all parts of government, the Fire & Rescue Service must continue to deliver savings required of the Comprehensive Spending Review process commenced in 2010. As a result, human, financial and technical resources will be limited in future despite the additional operational challenges faced. In recent years, high profile and tragic events affecting colleague UK services have brought into sharp relief the need to meticulously plan and prepare for operational incidents and the Public Sector Reform Programme will continue to demand time and attention from all personnel, particularly my senior officers.

These  challenges  notwithstanding,  I  know  from  experience  that  the  men  and women of SJFRS will continue to work ceaselessly in protecting us.

Senator B I Le Marquand Minister for Home Affairs

Introduction by the Chief Fire Officer

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service's Integrated Risk Management Plan 2014.

This plan sets out the main developments and initiatives that we aim to deliver in 2014 and links each of those developments to the three aims of our  corporate  strategy.   In  turn,  our  strategy articulates how Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service contributes to the achievement of the aim of the Home  Affairs  Business  Plan  and,  in  so  doing, those of the States Strategic Plan. Everything in this plan supports Jersey's agreed political vision and priorities. Not included in this plan is the incredible amount of work and achievement that constitutes business as usual' in a busy, modern Fire and Rescue Service, all of which is driven by statutory duty and all of which directly protects life, property and the environment or supports that activity.

As ever, the year ahead will be an extremely busy one for the Fire and Rescue Service however 2014 is especially significant because of some of the judgements and decisions that will need to be taken to address the risks and opportunities the future holds. Emergency incidents attended by the Service are, in general terms at their lowest in over four decades. Crucially however, the downward trends are slowing and, in some cases, showing a short term reverse. There is a risk that we are entering an era of increasing emergency activity with resultant harm and loss. Unless we take decisive and innovative action the increased demand and activity will occupy more and more of our time and make it harder for us to adapt and meet this new challenge. The opportunities come in the form of a government- wide reform agenda allowing, promoting and enabling change and innovation and the current relatively low levels of emergency activity. Momentarily perhaps, these factors can provide the capacity to develop new ways of working that will help us continue to drive down risk or better respond to increasing and emerging risk.

There is a lot to do in a short time however, we are a Service with a track record of performance and achievement. I am confident that the organisation and the excellent people who make it what it is can rise to this challenge as they have done so many times before.

Mark James MSc, MA, BSc (Hons), FIFireE, FCMI, FICPEM Chief Fire Officer

Our Corporate Strategy

Our Vision is:

A safer community where there are no preventable deaths, injuries or damage from fires and other emergencies.'

Our Mission is:

To save and protect life, property and the Island environment.'

The Service's strategic aims are articulated through our corporate strategy which supports and complements the States' Strategic Plan visions. A safe and caring community; A strong and sustainable economy; Protecting our environment' and  A highly skilled and motivated workforce' as well as its supporting priorities of  Promote family and community values; Develop sustainable, long term planning' and Reform government and the public sector'. The Service's strategy also supports the Home Affairs Business Plan aim To provide for a safe, just and equitable society, thus improving quality of life'. Typically, the Service's strategy looks ahead two or three decades however, to ensure constant focus on supporting the Island's political strategies and priorities, it is reviewed and updated following the publication of each new States Strategic Plan. Our strategy was last reviewed in 2012 and is due for review in 2015.

Additionally it is the provision of an environment where people feel safe from harm – not a priority but a fundamental tenet of the States Strategic Plan's vision – that drives our activity. The main effort of the Service is therefore focussed upon SJFRS Strategic Aim 1, Reducing risk to the community' with the other two Strategic Aims, Improving the way we work' and Developing our people and culture' sitting alongside it as key supporting activities.

The diagram on page 8 shows the relationship between the States Strategic Plan and the work of every one of Jersey's firefighters and support staff at all ranks and grades.

States Strategic Plan

Home Affairs Business Plan

SJFRS Corporate Strategy

Integrated Risk  Management Plan  

Directorate Plans  

- Safer Communities  

- Service Support  

- Emergency Response  

Individual Performance  Plans  

Detail on how we propose to deliver our Corporate Strategy is set out on one page. This acts as a simple guiding statement of intent for us, the people we serve and the people we work with in making Jersey safer.

How We Manage Risk

Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service, as with Fire and Rescue Services throughout the British Isles, uses Integrated Risk Management to protect our communities. Whilst the work that goes into researching, profiling, mapping and managing risk is complex, the philosophy itself is simple and effective. At the heart of the process are the strategies of Prevention, Protection, Preparedness and Response; these are the visible parts of the Service's work.

Prevention involves providing information and engaging with people about risks in the home or workplace so that they can take control of the risk themselves and reduce the chance of a fire occurring. In this way, we argue that our front-line includes all the people who call Jersey home and all those who visit our Island.

Protection is where our specialist Fire Safety officers identify premises with an inherently increased fire risk profile and apply design and engineering features or require particular management arrangements to reduce that risk to a reasonable level. This work is underpinned by legislation and, if necessary, our firefighters will enforce safety standards and submit case files for consideration by the Attorney General where rules intended to protect life are ignored or breached.

Preparedness includes two main elements. First is the analysis of the strategic environment and the development of coherent and effective corporate plans and strategies that ensure the Fire and Rescue Service continues to be effective in protecting Jersey and its interests in the longer term. Second is the short to medium-term activity to gather and assess intelligence and information, develop plans, procedures, and skills and proactively manage corporate risk in order to ensure that the Service is constantly ready to respond to any type of situation including emerging risks and threats.

Response is the strategy of last resort. Despite our best efforts to prevent them, fires and other emergencies do occur and often pose a significant threat to life, property and the Island's environmental and economic interests. When prevention and protection are not enough, the only viable option is to respond rapidly with the right capacity and capability.

RISK ANALYSIS

PREVENTION  PROTECTION  PREPAREDNESS  RESPONSE

Making Jersey a Safer Community

Prevention

2014 Projects and Initiatives

Prevention

Target Outcome: To achieve and maintain an overall downward trend in fires and their impact.

Over the past decade, the rate of fires in the home has fallen by around 30% however, when analysing statistics from the past five years the trend has been an increasing one. Recent data released by the Association of British Insurers reveal that the average cost of a fire in the home is around £9,000 and the average for a public,  commercial  or  industrial  building  is  around  £21,000.   Applying  these averages  (they  are  only  averages,  the  fires  involving  the  Broadlands accommodation and recycling facility in St Peter in 2008 and the gas holder fire in 2012 will have cost significantly more) suggests that in Jersey over the last five years, fire losses of up to £8.5 million have been incurred across both categories. The  impact  of  fire  is  greater  when  considering  the  personal,  societal  and environmental impact that fires often bring. When it comes to fire the adage prevention is better than cure' is fitting indeed.

Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service is not the only government body that seeks to prevent risk being realised and we know that there are common factors which affect risk and vulnerability when it comes to fire as well as other problems; factors include age, prosperity, health, family and other social circumstances. To make sure  we  make  the  biggest  impact  we  can  on  reducing  fire  risk  with  limited resources,  we  work  in  partnership  with  other  organisations  who  can  help  us identify people that are exposed to a higher degree of risk and, wherever possible, can work jointly with us in delivering risk reduction initiatives. Just one example of an at risk' group is older people and our aim is to prevent an increase in fires in the home and associated harm that might otherwise go hand-in-hand with an increase in the size of this particular at risk' population.

Prevention Strategy Review

Whilst the rate of fire in the home remains lower than in previous decades we need to find out why the trend has started to reverse and find ways to get it back on track. Throughout 2014 we shall undertake a comprehensive review of our prevention strategy and will link this in with our JFR 2020' initiative.

Partnerships Review

The outcomes of this work will help us make informed decisions about where we invest our efforts and resources and enable us to access and support harder to reach people who are statistically at greater risk from fire.

Older People Fire Safety Events

Whatever the outcome of our Prevention Strategy Review we know that working with older people will be part of it and we already know that older people form a growing higher risk group.

Community Safety Volunteering

Over the past two years the members of our volunteer contingent have proven themselves to be ready, willing and very able. We shall build on the good work completed so far by integrating our volunteers even more into areas of community fire safety activity.

Protection

Protection

Target Outcome: To achieve and maintain an overall downward trend in fires involving business premises and multi-occupancy accommodation.

In line with the general, long-term downward trend in property fires, the rate of fire in business premises and public buildings is low in comparison with previous decades;  however,  over  the  past  five  years  the  trend  has  stabilised  with  no increase  or  decrease  in  overall  activity  reported.   At  a  very  strategic  level, however, vulnerability has changed. Firefighters have dealt with fires in around 150 public, commercial or industrial premises over the past five years (estimated to be over £3 million worth of damage); this disruption is costly enough but in challenging economic times the consequences will be more keenly felt through affordability of repair costs, lost trading opportunities, increased insurance fees and reputational damage all of which have the potential to create knock on' effects for employees, customers and suppliers.

One fire risk management solution that we are very keen to promote is the use of sprinklers or other Automatic Water Suppression Systems'. Such systems do not just enhance life safety and business continuity; they often also result in cost savings  through  insurance  premiums  and  afford  greater  design  flexibility  for developers and architects when it comes to meeting fire safety standards.

In 2012, fire precautions legislation was amended by the States Assembly with two fundamental changes introduced. First was the extension of legislation to cover Houses in Multiple Occupation; premises which have the same fire risk profile as lodging houses which were already protected by the provisions of the law and regulations so as to end a long standing inequality in fire safety standards between two categories of accommodation presenting the same risk to their occupants. Second  was  the  requirement for  people  responsible for premises  covered  by legislation to reapply for their fire certificate every three years and demonstrate that they have maintained their premises' fire safety arrangements adequately. We have learned that we need to streamline our administration processes to cope with increased demand and adjust our approach to targeting compliance and enforcement inspections in order to optimise our limited resources.

Sprinkler Strategy: Operation Sentinel'

Through  our  sprinkler  strategy  we  shall  actively  encourage  and  support  the installation of sprinkler systems in homes as well as business premises and public buildings and do all we can to create incentives for doing so.

Better Enforcement

Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service has a law enforcement role in a number of areas, the biggest and busiest of these being the many hundreds of premises which are designated in law as requiring specific fire safety provisions. Ensuring compliance  with fire precautions  legislation  in  so  many  hotels, guest  houses, lodging houses, staff accommodation and houses in multiple occupation among others is a very large task and so we try to focus our resources on where we know they are needed most. In this IRMP period we shall make further improvements to the way we gather and manage risk intelligence.

Improving Efficiency

The work of the Service's fire safety enforcement officers is complex and very process based; this results in it continually stretching the capacity of this small team.   In  2013,  an  existing  post  from  elsewhere  in  the  organisation  was transferred into the team to assist in dealing with their growing workload but we cannot face every challenge in this way. Also in 2013, we awarded a contract to a local  software  company  to  deliver  a  new  database  and  workflow  system  to manage  our  activity  better  in  this  area.   During  this  IRMP  period,  we  shall implement the new system and use Lean processes to redesign and streamline the way we work in this area in order to reduce the pressure on officers and liberate capacity for other priority tasks.

Preparedness

Preparedness

Target Outcome: Resources aligned to risk priorities.

As is the case nationally and globally, the risk landscape in Jersey has been changing for many years. The amount of change in recent decades has reached a point  where  we  need  to  consider  carefully  how  we  match  our  capacity  and capability to risk now and in the years ahead.

Whilst we still deal with a fire in someone's home every week,  a  fire  in  public,  commercial  or  industrial  premises once or twice a month and a non-fire rescue emergency on a daily basis the simple fact is that, in the past 30 to 50 years the frequency of these incident types and associated fatalities and injuries has more or less halved.

In  recent  years  however,  new  community  risks  have emerged.   Severe  weather  events  cause  damage  and disruption. Global spread of disease such as pandemic influenza has the potential to cause very significant harm. Industry, infrastructure and transport systems are ever larger and more complex and have the potential to  

harm  communities  which,  in  many  ways,  are  more  vulnerable to the effects of catastrophic failures. Not only do  all of these challenges require Jersey's Fire and Rescue  Service to be able to operate in spite of them, unlike many  other  businesses  or  even  government  departments,  the  Service must be able to operate and augment its ability to do  so because of them.  

Changes to the built environment, with more innovative and complex designs and efficiency  technologies,  present  a  wide  and  powerful  range  of  hazards  to firefighters,  creating  significant  risk  to  them  and  the  Service. The  reduced frequency of operational activity brings with it a reduction in experience levels for firefighters and fire commanders alike and yet, when incidents do occur – two or three times a day on average – they do so with complexity and severity. From 2004 to date, 17 firefighters have been killed in the United Kingdom in firefighting operations  alone  with  other  losses  in  non-fire  emergencies;  fire  and  rescue operations in Jersey are no less hazardous than in any town or city in the UK.

Recent  changes  to  fire  safety  legislation  in  Jersey  have provided a vital opportunity to bring protection standards up to an appropriate level in a large number of premises which had not previously been addressed and where occupants had been at notably higher risk. The consequence of the change for the Service, however, has been a doubling of the number  of  properties  to  which  local  fire  precautions legislation applies directly.

JFR 2020'

Against  this  backdrop  of  changing  community  and  organisational  risk  and continued need to deliver within a reduced operating budget, we shall undertake a strategic  and  comprehensive  analysis  of  the  risks  posed  to  Jersey's  safety, security and resilience; set out how we propose to reduce and manage those risks in future IRMPs and align our capacity and capabilities to best meet our needs and use our skills and capabilities to make a wider contribution to supporting and delivering States Strategic Plan priorities.

Sir Ken Knight, as the outgoing Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser for England, recently published a report offering ideas on risk, resources and capability for the future of the Service nationally. Whilst Jersey's operating environment is different in certain critical areas, the thrust of JFR 2020' is similar to Sir Ken's report in many ways, seeking to balance and optimise resources against a wide range of competing and changing risks.

Tactical Validation Exercises

In 2013, Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service revised its approach to training its commanders with the re-introduction of a quarterly programme of live and very large scale emergency incident scenarios. The programme will continue to run throughout  the  IRMP  period;  however,  in  2014,  this  programme  will  be  fully integrated with a programme to validate site risk plans and our own site risk intelligence arrangements for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sites.

Operational Training and Assessment Programme Review

In 2013, the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service moved from a length of service  based  incremental  pay  system  to  a  model  based  upon  reward  for performance  and  responsibility  for  its  Wholetime  Duty  System  personnel;  a beacon example of how the Public Sector Reform programme can be delivered. We have now commenced a project to align our Retained Duty System firefighters' pay with that of their full-time colleagues and this will require a re-design of their training programme. Whilst doing this work we shall take the opportunity to review how we plan, deliver, monitor and record operational maintenance of skills training and assessment for all operational personnel.

Response

Response

Target  Outcome:   To  maintain  a  rapid  and  effective  response  to emergencies.

Generally, operational activity is at an historic low but the rate of fire is rising in some key areas, most notably fires in the home and in public, commercial and industrial premises. Whilst routine activity is low at the moment, it is vital that the Island has and maintains adequate contingent capacity'. As hard as we try to avoid dangerous situations coming about they are, perhaps, an inevitable part of life. The Service makes an attendance at over a thousand emergency incidents every year, we deal with five fires every week, a non-fire emergency every day and we rescue someone from a precarious or life threatening situation in two out of every three weeks; these are just the routine' emergencies. We must also be ready, at all times, to cope with significant emergencies (such as the Gas Holder fire in July 2012). We therefore have a window of opportunity in which to use our contingent capacity' to address the three strategic challenges facing us, which are the increasing rate of fire in the home and in business premises, the increased workload  arising  from  changes  to  fire  precautions  legislation  and  the  risks emerging from the complexity, unpredictability and severity of events in the natural and built environment alongside reduced operational experience. To deal with these challenges we need to use our capacity to increase our focus and effort in reducing  the  incidence  of  fire  and  to  improve  our  gathering  and  use  of  risk intelligence and development of operational procedures that enable us to be safe and effective.

Of course, using our resources differently also generates risk to some extent, specifically  in  the  areas  where  capacity  is  diverted  from  and  so  we  need  to undertake a programme of improving the way we work to free up resources, use resources better and provide high quality information and guidance to ensure we are as safe and effective as we can be.

Emergency Response Process Review

During  the  IRMP  period,  we  shall  review  our  emergency  preparedness  and response processes to ensure that we are targeting our resources and efforts where they are needed most, and that our emergency call handling processes are as quick and accurate as they can be. The outcomes of this work will, in part, inform the JFR 2020' project.

Control Centre Audit Action Plan

As part of our audit programme for 2013 we commissioned a review of the Fire and Rescue elements of the Ambulance and Fire and Rescue Service Combined Control Centre by our colleagues from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. The outcomes of this audit led to the development of an Action Plan which has been approved by the FRS Director of Emergency Response and the Chief Ambulance Officer; the plan will now be implemented.

Light Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)

In  2013  the  decision  was  taken  to  rationalise  one  small  part  of  our  fleet  by combining the currently discrete Rope Rescue Unit' and the Rescue Unit' into one vehicle. The new Rescue Unit' will have a greater equipment carrying capacity than each of its predecessors and so the opportunity to enhance its capability with addition of a small amount of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) equipment will be taken along with the establishment of a small team of firefighters, led by a Crew Commander,  to  manage  procedure  development  and  training.   The  Service already possesses the majority of the equipment for the unit and the team will be drawn  from  existing  resources. This  capability  is  intended for  infrequent  but dangerous  incidents  such  as  cars  crashing  into  buildings,  gas  explosions  in domestic dwellings or industrial accident response.

Medical Emergency Co-Responder Scheme

The  States  of  Jersey  Ambulance  Service  is  seeking  to  establish  a  scheme whereby people in the community, particularly in outlying parishes, volunteer to be trained and equipped to provide life saving treatment to those in need whilst an Ambulance with a professional team on board is making its way. Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service already have a legal duty to provide immediate emergency care; our firefighters receive advanced training in dealing with a wide range of serious and life-threatening conditions and our front-line fleet of fire engines and senior officer vehicles are fully equipped with trauma packs' which include defibrillators. Indeed, the Fire and Rescue Service has provided assistance to our Ambulance colleagues already on many occasions by responding to, and dealing with, life threatening emergencies until an Ambulance can reach the scene. In addition, both services share an emergency call handling and control centre and, in the early part of 2014, the Control Centre and on duty officers will know, at all times, exactly where our units are through real time satellite tracking. All of this amounts to  an  excellent  and  obvious  opportunity  to  work  even  more  closely  with  our Ambulance  colleagues  and  we  would  like  to  do  this  through  a  formal  Co- Responder' scheme whereby Fire and Rescue units (fire engines and officers in cars and on call at home or elsewhere) are ready to be mobilised to a medical emergency where their proximity and rapid intervention may save vital moments while the Ambulance responds. This is not a replacement for Ambulances; it is a way  of  getting  to  a  patient  more  quickly  than  an  Ambulance  can  in  some circumstances, making a start and then handing over to paramedics or ambulance technicians when they arrive. We have already held useful discussions with our Ambulance colleagues and shared ideas about how to start the scheme; therefore, we hope to achieve this in 2014.

Support

Support

Target  Outcome:  To  ensure  that  front-line  resources  can  be  properly focussed on and supported in reducing risk.

The core role of the Service Support directorate is to provide support to all other areas of the Service through the provision of technical expertise (Technical, Fleet and  IT),  corporate  services  (Finance  and  Administration)  and  people  and organisational development (HR and Training). Additionally, Service Support has provided  our  connection  to  government-wide  corporate  initiatives  and requirements, and it is in this regard that the biggest challenges lie in the short and medium-term. Reform of the public sector - ensuring that government services are easy to access, flexible and adaptable and financially sustainable through working efficiently - is a significant undertaking which is already gaining great momentum. The Fire and Rescue Service is part of and, in some cases, leading this reform and so we will need to ensure we have the capacity to see through change. Additionally,  the  imminent  bringing  into  force  of  the  Freedom  of  Information (Jersey) Law 201- will also require significant energy in 2014 so that we are ready in good time to comply with it and all its requirements.

Freedom of Information Project

The new law will come into effect on 1st January 2015 and we must be ready to comply fully by that date. Whilst the overall FoI programme is a centrally led initiative, clearly there is work to do in preparing our Service.

Public Sector Reform

The main elements of the Public Sector Reform programme are culture, workforce modernisation, e-government and lean working and all of these initiatives are also being led centrally with Departments either forming part of a government-wide team or merely managing the arrangements for implementation locally.