Jersey Fire and Rescue Service: Annual Review 2013.

Foreword  

It gives me great pleasure to present to you the  States  of  Jersey  Fire  and  Rescue Service's  (SJFRS)  2013  Annual  Review. This  report  sets  out  the  Service's performance and achievements for what has been another busy year in which the Service extinguished  244  fires  and  rescued  70 people from fires and other emergencies.

Jersey's Fire & Rescue Service plays a key role in keeping our community safe and the public  rightly  hold  our  firefighters  in  high esteem. The Service is committed to making Jersey  a  safer  community  by  providing  a high standard of emergency response, fire safety  education  and  prevention programmes. The Service's commitment to improvement  was  recognised  by  the Chartered  Institute  of  Personnel  and Development (CIPD) in their 2013 awards and the 2013 UK Flame Awards.

In 2013 we experienced some extreme weather events from the worst snow storm for more than 30 years to the most significant heat wave in Jersey since 2006. Jersey's Fire & Rescue Service plays a central role in keeping the community safe during these extreme events which are becoming more common.

In 2013 the Service 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which has been in place since the 1970s and was seen as restrictive and out of date.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  which  came  into  force  on  the 1st  January  2013  made  it  a  statutory  requirement  for  all  Houses  of  Multiple Occupation to have a Fire Certificate and for all Fire Certificates to be valid for only

three years. This has significantly increased the workload of our small Fire Protection

Team, which has risen to the challenge and processed 190 requests for a new Fire Certificate in 2013.

Despite  the  huge  effort  the  Service  undertakes  to  prevent  fires  and  other emergencies, 2013 saw a small increase in the number of house fires and tragically the first fire-related death for the last 5 years. We will continue to do everything we can to reverse this trend.

None of the numerous and wide-ranging activities we undertook in 2013 could have been achieved without the dedication, commitment, skill and knowledge displayed by our personnel at all levels and in all areas of the Service. It continues to be an honour to lead this great organisation and it is a privilege to serve the public of Jersey alongside such dedicated colleagues.

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

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

? people

rescued by

Firefighters in

2013'

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" Thecommitmaking Jersesafer communit Servicted te io s y a y "

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

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Contents

Your Service

Purpose   6 Strategic Planning    7 Financial Management   8 Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP)   9 Service IRMP Objectives  10 The Year at a Glance  11

Prevention

Prevention Activities  14 Prevention Partnerships  15

Protection

Protection Activities  18 Workplace Fire Safety Training  20

Preparation

Emergency Planning  22

Response

Response Times  24 Incident Statistics  25 UK Bench Marking  32

5

Purpose

The principal roles of the States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service are mandated through the Fire and 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 To protect life, property and the environment against fire and other emergencies'.

The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) has strategic-level responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service. He leads a Senior Management Team made up of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO), Area Commander (AC) and two Group Commanders (GC). The DCFO,  as  the  Head  of  Service  Delivery  has  responsibility  for  all  operations associated with delivering fire safety education and engagement, regulation and enforcement,  emergency  planning  and  emergency  response  services.  He  is supported  by  a  Director  of  Emergency  Response  and  a  Director  of  Safer Communities.  The  AC,  as  the  Head  of  Service  Support  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 Commander

Head of Service Delivery  Head of Service Support

GC Martin Allix  GC Martyn Maguire Director of Emergency  Director of Safer

Response  Communities

• Operational Policy
• Tactical Planning
• Wholetime Firefighters
• Retained Firefighters
• Fire Support Volunteers
• Fire and Rescue Cadets
• Emergency Planning
• Combined Control
• Health & Safety Policy
• Water Supplies
• Testing & Maintenance
• Uniform
• Management of Stations

• Fire Safety Policy
  • Community Safety Programmes
  • Education and Youth Engagement
  • Statutory Fire Safety
  • Technical Advice
  • Enforcement/Prosecution
• Legislation
  • Fire Safety Training
  • Planning consultation
  • Partnerships/Sponsorship
  • Petrochem Planning

• Strategic Planning and Performance
• Training and Development
• Financial Management
  • Personnel and Admin
• Purchasing and Supplies
• Corporate Services
• Policies and Procedures
  • Fleet Management
• Property Management
• Information Technology
• Data Management
• Human Resources

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Strategic Planning

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; 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'.

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  

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Financial Management

In common with other public services, the Fire and Rescue Service is facing budget challenges which mean that we had to make Comprehensive Spending Review savings in 2013 while still providing an effective emergency service. In 2013 the Service's  total  budget  was  £5,043,548  this  included  additional  funding  for  the Service's marine response team. The Service's actual expenditure for the year was £5,043,604 which equated to £50.94 per resident in Jersey.

The majority of the budget is allocated to staff expenditure, currently 89.97%. 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 Service generated £93,332 in user pays' fire safety  charges  which  helped  fund  community  safety  programmes.  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 service infrastructure.

Fire Safety Education

(>1%)  Estate Management

(3.5%)

Training (2%)   Technical Support (1%)  Administration Costs (>1%)  

Fleet & Equipment   Management (3%)  

Personnel Costs (89%)

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Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP)

Jersey's Fire and Rescue Service, as with Fire and Rescue Services throughout the British Isles, uses Integrated Risk Management to protect our communities. 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

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Service IRMP Objectives

Every three years the Service produces anIRMP that details the Service's strategic objectives  aimed  at  reducing  risk  by  integrating  its  prevention,  protection, preparedness and emergency response activities. In 2013 the Service completed the following IRMP objectives:

Delivered  annual  recurring  savings  of  £57,000  by  reducing administration, overtime and travel expenditure and increased income to £93,332 from fire safety training and provision of technical advice.

Designed, specified and procured a replacement Inshore Rescue Boat and a Combined Rescue Unit for delivery in 2014.

Implemented a new modern pay structure for firefighters that rewards competence, responsibility and performance.  

Developed a new Qualified Firefighter Programme  in  support  of  the  new  pay  structure.  This  was  recognised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel  

& Development (CIPD) in their 2013 awards.  

Implemented  the  new  stand-alone  Marine  Response  capability  for Jersey coastal waters.  

Created and implemented an eco-active environment  action plan and achieved Eco-Active accreditation.  

Implemented a new Site Risk Information procedure  to ensure that firefighters have up to date accurate information on high risk premises in Jersey.

Updated our operational assistance arrangements with Hampshire and Guernsey Fire and Rescue Services to provide support to Jersey in the event of a major incident on the Island.

Implemented the statutory requirements of the new Fire Precautions (Designated Premises) (Jersey) Regulations 2012 which came into force on the 1st January 2013.  

Worked with the States of Jersey Police, the Honorary  Police and the Ambulance Service to set up a Jersey  Search  and  Rescue  team  accredited  by  the  Association of Lowland Search and Rescue.  

The Year at a Glance

Here are some highlights & activities from 2013  JANUARY 2013  

The Service is a finalist in the 2013 UK Flame awards at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel in the sub-category of the Heroes in the Community' for working in partnership with the States of Jersey Energy Efficiency Service to integrate home fire safety into their Home Energy Scheme.

Nine newly recruited retained (on-call) firefighters start their basic training with the Service.

FEBRUARY 2013

The Service launches an electrical safety campaign focusing on faulty phone chargers.

MARCH 2013

The worst snow storm for more than 30 years causes widespread disruption to the Island. Fire crews were deployed across the Island to assist stranded motorists and to check on residential care homes and other vulnerable islanders and offer support where needed.

Volunteers from the Fire Service and Ambulance Service are trained by the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue to search for missing persons and they take part in weekend search and rescue exercises in La Pulente and the sand dunes area.

APRIL 2013

Two men become trapped in Devil's Hole after being unable to get back up to the top. Crews from Red Watch attended along with the Rope Rescue Unit and rescued both men from the base of the hole. Neither of the men were injured.

MAY 2013

The Service takes delivery of it's new Volvo Water Carrier which carries 7000 litres of water and an integral pump and hosereel. This replaces the 20 year old Seddon Water Carrier.

JUNE 2013

The Service organises a large scale exercise simulating a fire at the Jersey War Tunnels. Over 60 firefighters and members of the Fire and Rescue Volunteer Support Team attended the exercise along with the Ambulance Support Unit and Ambulance Service personnel. Senior Fire Officers from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service observe the exercise as part of a review to update our Major Incident Assistance Agreement with them.

JULY 2013

As temperatures reach 27oc during the first heat wave of the summer the Service is called to a number of furze fires across the Island and issues Wildfire warnings.

Firefighters organise a 4 x 4 charity event at Sorel Point. The event was boosted by special guest Daniel Whittingham, who was part of the Race2Recovery team who completed this year's Dakar Rally. The day was a great success and raised £1,600 for Help for Heroes.

The Service takes part in the Safety in Action week at Highlands College. We delivered a workshop  on  what  to  do  if  confronted  by  fire  in  the  home  culminating  in  a  practical demonstration on how to travel through smoke.

AUGUST 2013

Firefighters, Fire and Rescue Cadets and the Fire Support Volunteers take part in the Battle of Flowers and Moonlight Parade.

The Service supports Jersey Women's Refuge Sheros' as they undertake their August Shero Challenge of being rescued from various sites around St Helier including ladder rescues from Voisins and the Cock and Bottle and cutting them out of a car at the West Centre to try to raise a total of £25,000 for the charity.

SEPTEMBER 2013

Both the Service's Inshore Rescue Boats are launched as part of an extensive search and rescue mission to look for a light aircraft that crashed in the sea off the coast off St Ouen. Unfortunately there were no survivors.

Our Fire and Rescue Cadets paraded at the 350th Anniversary Celebrations of the Royal Mace in the Royal Square. The Cadets were introduced to His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex and the Lieutenant Governor.

OCTOBER 2013

The Service hosted a group of older people as part of a national Older People's Day campaign. The group got to see what happens when you try to put out a chip pan fire with water, how we deal with road traffic collisions and also got a tour of the fire station.

The Service hosted the bi-annual Emergency Services Open Day which was attended by an estimated  7,000  people.  The  open  day  had  an  exciting  and  entertaining  mixture  of demonstrations, displays, exhibitions and activities for all ages and raised thousands of pounds for charity.

In a joint initiative by Jersey Fire & Rescue and Jersey Electricity, Islanders were invited to take their electric blankets for a free safety check by qualified electrical engineers. 209 electric blankets were tested and a record number of 44 removed from service at the annual two-day safety test at Western Fire Station.

NOVEMBER 2013

Firefighters  from  our  St  Helier  HQ  and  Retained  Firefighters  from  Western  Fire  Station responded to a Channel Islands Air Search aircraft that had crash landed on the north coast. The aircraft had been forced to make an emergency landing in a field close to Devil's Hole. Following confirmation that all 5 crew members had safely exited the aircraft, our crews worked in horrendous conditions alongside Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service crews to make the aircraft and surrounding area safe.

The Service launches their Be CO Aware' campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide.

The Service gains formal Eco-Active accreditation for its actions in reducing the amount of energy and other resources the Service uses.

Firefighter Nick Willis travelled to Paraguay with the International Fire and Rescue Association to help deliver training and advice on general firefighter skills and rescue techniques.

DECEMBER 2013

The Service introduces a quarterly Commander's  exercise programme of large scale and logistically  challenging  exercises,  aimed  primarily  at  Tactical  Fire  Commanders.  The  first exercise called Safeguard' took place in St Saviour's Hospital and involved multiple seats of fire and around 20 casualties played by our Fire Volunteers, Fire Cadets and others. At the height of the exercise we had 45 firefighters, 6 fire engines and a Command Unit on scene. The exercise lasted over 4 hours and really tested our response to a major fire.

Prevention

Engaging with Jersey's communities to inform and educate people in how to reduce the risk of fires and other emergencies. 13

Prevention Activities

The Service is committed to making Jersey a safer community by providing a high standard of fire safety education and prevention programmes. Of the 56 house fires attended in 2013, only 43% had smoke alarms which alerted the occupants. These figures show a decline in smoke alarm effectiveness compared to 2012 when 51% had working smoke alarms and 2011 when 57% of fires attended had working smoke alarms. This demonstrates the need to keep promoting the value of having working smoke alarms in the home.

In 2013, the Service carried out 189 Home Fire Safety Visits installing 200 smoke detectors. They also issued 19 Home Fire Safety Packs and smoke detectors to private residences deemed at risk from fire. A further 300 smoke detectors were installed by the Home Energy Efficiency Service under a partnership to integrate home fire safety into their Home Energy Scheme.

The Service was a finalist in the 2013 UK  Flame awards in the sub-category of Heroes  in the Community' for working in partnership  with the States of Jersey Energy Efficiency  Service to integrate home fire safety into their  Home Energy Scheme.  

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.

The  Jersey  Annual  Social  Survey 2013 identified that over half (54%) of  households  reported  having  an appliance in their home that burned gas, oil, coal or wood (for example an  open  fire,  a  multi-fuel  stove,  a

gas cooker or a gas or oil-fired boiler) but just one in five (21%) of these households had a carbon monoxide detector fitted in their home. Every year 50 people are killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK.

In 2013 the Service introduced a carbon monoxide safety programme. This included installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes at risk and setting up a partnership with the Ambulance Service and Family Nursing whose staff, along with firefighters, now carry carbon monoxide monitors when attending emergency calls and carrying out routine visits to homes in Jersey. The Service supported Carbon  Monoxide Safety Week and distributed posters in key locations around the Island.

2013 saw the most significant heat wave in Jersey since 2006 with  long  periods  without  rain  and  warmer  than  average temperatures from July to October. During this period the Service launched  its  Stay  Safe  This  Summer'  campaign  covering barbecues, fire safety in the countryside, camping fire safety, fire safety on boats and water safety. We distributed leaflets and posters,  attended  summer  events  and  promoted  summer  fire safety through the local media and social media.

Prevention

Workplace Fire Safety Training

Children Education /  Courses, 36 Training Events, 56

Youth Education Training Events, 10

Adult Education Training Events, 3

Senior Citizens

Events, 4 Home Fire Safety

Visits, 189

General Events (All Age Groups), 11

Community Fire Safety Activity in 2013

Prevention Partnerships

The following are just a few examples of our successful prevention 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 2013, 875 students from 30 schools attended Safety in Action Week.

 Prison! Me! No Way!  

In 2013 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 2013 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. A total of 9,499 young people received Prison Me No Way input in 2013 with overall crime continuing to fall and youth offending at an all-time low.

Older People's Day 2013

Jersey's Firefighters joined forces with colleagues across the UK in the biggest day of  engagement  with  older  people  ever  undertaken  by  the  UK  Fire  and  Rescue Service. On Tuesday 1st October, Older People's Day 2013, Jersey Fire & Rescue invited a number of older people to attend an afternoon at the fire station to watch a chip pan fire demonstration and the Duty Watch carrying out pump and ladder drills. There was an opportunity for one of the older

people' to act as a casualty in a car accident and experience first- hand what it would be like to be rescued from a car if trapped

inside.

Electric Blanket Testing

As  part  of  our  winter  safety  campaign  we  undertook  a  joint initiative with Jersey Electricity to reduce the risk of house fires caused by electrical faults which accounted for 32% of fires in 2012. Over two days we provided free electric blanket testing and gave fire safety advice at Western Fire Station. In total 209 electric blankets were tested and a record number of 44 were deemed unsafe.

Emergency Services Open Day 2013

The Service played a key role in co-hosting the 2013 Emergency Services Open Day. Fire, Police and the Ambulance services gave demonstrations on how they work together at emergencies such as car accidents. There were also individual service displays from the Police Dog Unit, the Fire Service Rope Team and the Fire and Rescue Cadets. There was a huge array of emergency vehicles and pieces of rescue equipment on show and a number of fun events such as fire hose training' and a home baking competition which raised £1,213.65 for charity. An estimated 7,000 people attended the open day.

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Firefighters fitted 200 smoke detectors in homes at risk from fire in 2013'

Protection

Influencing and regulating the built environment to protect people, property and the environment from harm.

Protection Activities

Our Fire Protection Team reduces fire risk in non-domestic and business premises by carrying out fire safety inspections, giving advice and, where required, enforcing fire safety legislation and other regulations designed to support life safety in buildings and infrastructure. The Fire Protection Team is also responsible for investigating the causes of fires. In 2013 this small, specially trained and qualified team (all of whom are operational firefighters at various levels) carried out 321 safety inspections, 64 petroleum  inspections,  290  licensing  inspections,  issued  218  fire certificates/amendments  and  reviewed  66  planning  and  building  applications  as detailed in the graph below:

Fire Safety Regulation and Enforcement Activity 2013

In 2013 the Fire Protection Team implemented a project to reform existing fire safety legislation which had 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 to include a requirement for all Houses of Multiple Occupation to have a fire certificate and for all fire certificates to be valid for only 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.

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Fire Officers

carried out 321

inspections 2013'

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Workplace Fire Safety Training

The  Service  operates  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 Workplace Fire Safety Training was nominated as a finalist in the UK's Fire Excellence Awards for the Best Training Initiative' category.

The Service works in partnership with the Jersey Safety Council which has kindly donated a fire demonstrator designed specifically 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 2013 the Service delivered Workplace Fire Safety Training Courses to a total of 1,634 students as follows:

Fire Awareness Course – 512 students

Fire Marshal Course – 306 students

Fire Extinguishers Course – 422 students

Bespoke Outreach Course – 394 students

Feedback from the students in 2013 showed that 99.5% rated the course as either good or very good.

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Preparation

Planning, preparing and training for fires and other emergencies that may occur in Jersey.

Preparation

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 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
• investigate the causes of fires

In March, during the worst snow storms for more than 30 years, fire crews were part of a multi-agency response across the Island to assist stranded motorists and to check on residential care homes and other vulnerable islanders and offer support where needed. In September, the Service supported a major air and sea search for a missing light aircraft that crashed in the sea, off the coast of St Ouen.

The Service tests its emergency plans regularly and takes part in multi-agency major exercises. In 2013 the Service took part in the following:

• A large scale exercise simulating a fire at the Jersey War Tunnels
• Exercise Enterprise' La Collette Off-Site Emergency Plan exercise
• Air Show table top exercise
• Exercise Safeguard' simulating multiple seats of fire and around 20 casualties in St Saviour's Hospital

Response

Dealing with fires and other emergencies speedily and effectively through the provision of a high quality and professional emergency response.

Response Times

The emergency response standards and the percentage that they were achieved for calls in 2011, 2012 and 2013 are below.

Incident Statistics

The States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service is equipped and trained to deal with a wide  range  of  different  types  of  emergencies.  These  include fires, rescues  and humanitarian and environmental protection incidents.

For greater statistical accuracy we compare our incident statistics over the preceding 5 years. The following symbols indicate the difference compared to the preceding year (2012).

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

Total Number of Emergency Incidents up by 11.1%

In 2013 the Service attended 1,186 emergency incidents. This is slightly more than the 1,086 incidents in 2012, mainly due to a small increase in the number of fires and number of sea rescues.

Total Number of Fires up by 4.8%

In 2013 there was a small increase in the total number of fires we attended when compared  to  2012.  This  is  mainly  attributed  to  an  increase  in  the  number  of secondary (furze and open land) fires due to the hot summer.

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Total Number of Primary Fires down 7.6%

Primary Fires are fires involving insurable property including houses, fires in other buildings and vehicle fires. The small decrease in the total number of Primary Fires in 2013 is mainly attributed to the significant reduction in the number of vehicle fires attended. The number of Primary Fires in 2013 is just above the five year average of 142 and indicates a "flat" trend over this period.

Total Number of Accidental Dwelling Fires up by 9.8%

There was an increase (9.8%) in house fires to 56 in 2013. This is the highest number in the last five years; however this is still 14.6% lower than the 10 year average  of  65.6. 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.

The main causes of fires in the home in 2013 were recorded as:

• Cooking / kitchen:  32%

• Electrics, appliances and mechanical:  25%

• Candles / tea lights:    2%

• Chimney, flue and open fires:   9%

• Smoking materials:  11%

The remaining 21% were spread among a wide range of other causes.

Total Number of Injuries from Fires in Dwellings up from 12 to 14

The low numbers involved create natural volatility and provide alarming percentage fluctuations. The number of people injured from house fires in 2013 is consistent with previous years.

Total Number of Rescues from Fires in Dwellings up from 12 to 13

Again, the actual numbers involved here are low and percentage-based analysis should be treated with caution. The number of rescues in 2013 was slightly higher than 2012 and this reflects the previously discussed increases in the number of dwelling fires and casualties. Unfortunately, in 2013 we also had the first fire death in the last 5 years. With one person requiring rescue from a fire each month on average, the need to maintain a fast and effective response capability is obvious.

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Fires in Public, Commercial and Industrial Premises down by 1

There was a very slight decrease in the number of fires in public, commercial and industrial  premises;  however  this  number  is  consistent  with  previous  years. Incidence  of  fire  in  public,  commercial  and  industrial  premises  is  lower  than  in dwellings and, for the most part, the life risk is lower; however, the economic impact can be considerable.

Total Number of Vehicle Fires down by 46%

2013 saw a significant decrease in the number of vehicle fires down from 26 in 2012 to 14 in 2013, a 46% decrease and the second lowest number of vehicle fires in the past five years.

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Total Number of Secondary Fires up by 29.9%

Secondary fires are fires in non-insurable property such as rubbish, furze and the countryside. 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. 2013 saw the most significant heat wave in Jersey since 2006 with long periods without rain and warmer than  average  temperatures  from  July  to  October.  This  resulted  in  a  significant increase in the number of countryside fires compared to the previous two years.

Total Number of False Alarms Attended down by 13.6%

Responding to false alarm incidents continues to put a strain on the Service. In 2013 we responded to 507 false fire alarm (FFA) calls, down from 587 in 2012. In 2011, we implemented a risk based policy for FFAs 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 has helped continue a downward trend in the number of false fire alarms attended which also resulted in an additional 255 fire alarm actuations in 2013 that were not attended due to the low risk of there actually being a fire.

 Total Number of Emergency Special Services up 24.5%

An Emergency Special Service' is an emergency that threatens life. This includes hazardous material spills, flooding, road traffic collisions, sea and cliff rescues. 2013 saw an increase in the number of Emergency Special Services attended. This was due to the large number of calls received during the snow storms in the early part of the year and an increase in the number of water rescues during the summer.

Total Number of Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) down 10%

There was a reduced number of road traffic collisions in 2013, down from 55 to 49; this is on top of a 57% reduction over the previous 5 years. The number of occupants actually requiring cutting free from vehicles was 11 in 2013 down from 17 in 2012. This has created a massive overall decline in the number of serious Road Traffic Collisions requiring the intervention of firefighters which is extremely encouraging.

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Water and Sea Rescues up 185%

2013 was a very busy year for our inshore rescue boats which launched 37 times compared to 13 in 2012 and is the highest number of launches in the past five years. Our inshore rescue boats (IRB) were the busiest Search and Rescue vessels in Jersey in 2013. One of the main reasons for our intervention was persons cut off by the incoming tide. We rescued a total of 22 people. The Service also attended 2 cliff rescue incidents rescuing 3 people in 2013.

Rescues from Emergency Special Services down 27.8%

Rescues in this category include releasing people trapped in a lift between floors (only  if  distressed  or  medical  emergency),  cutting  people  from  badly  distorted vehicles, releases from entrapments and industrial accidents, rescuing people from the sea or from rocks or rescuing people from precarious positions on cliffs or tall buildings. This number was down by 27.8% on 2012 which is very pleasing to see; however the sheer range of incidents and absence of major contributing types means that there is a natural volatility and percentage fluctuation in this category.

Humanitarian Services up 80%

Humanitarian Service Incidents 2009-2013

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

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 cause greater distress or inconvenience. In 2013,  the  number  of  humanitarian  incidents  increased  significantly  compared  to previous years. This is mainly attributed to the snow storm in March where the service dealt with a large number of humanitarian incidents.

Benchmarking with UK

The Service records information about every incident it is called to and uses this information to analyse and monitor performance against key targets and strategic performance indicators. These are also used to compare the Service's performance against the performance of UK Fire and Rescue Services. The UK Government has identified eight Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are used to judge and compare the performance of individual Fire Services. Our performance will therefore be measured against the national averages for these KPIs, taken from the National Fire Statistics issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Firefighters responded to 1,186 emergencies in 2013'

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  34 T +44 (0)1534 445900 E s.admin@gov.je

www.fire.gov.je