kent and medway fire and rescue authority · a3. minutes of meeting held on 4 november 2015 (pages...

KENT AND MEDWAY FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

Planning and Performance Committee

Thursday, 12 May 2016

10.30 am

AGENDA

KENT AND MEDWAY FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE

Thursday 12 May 2016, 10.30 am Ask for: Stuart Ballard/Marie Curry Kent Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, The Godlands, Tovil, Maidstone, ME15 6XB

Telephone: (01622) 692121 ext 8206/8291

Members:- Mr Chard (Chairman), Mr Gulvin (Vice-Chairman), Mr Brazier, Mr Davies, Dr Eddy, Mr Heale, Mrs Hohler, Mr Homewood, Mr Koowaree, Mr Parry, Mr Terry, Mr Tranter and one vacancy.

UNRESTRICTED ITEMS

(During these items the meeting is likely to be open to the public)

A Routine Business A1. Membership and Substitutes

A2. Declarations of Interest in Items on this Agenda

A3. Minutes of Meeting held on 4 November 2015 (Pages 5-6)

B Items for Decision B1. Kent Resilience Team – Update and Work Plan Priorities 2016/17 (Pages 7-12)

B2. Performance Update and Service Performance Targets for 2016/17 (Pages 13-65)

C Items for Information C1. New Fire Station Developments (Presentation)

C2. Primary Authority Partnership Update (Pages 67-71)

C3. Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme Update (Pages 73-75)

C4. Joint Kent Community Safety Team Update (Pages 77-80)

C5. Operational Exercise Programme – May to November 2016 (Pages 81-84)

C6. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015 (Pages 85-90)

C7. Channel Tunnel Update (Pages 91-93)

D Urgent Business (Other items which the Chairman decides are urgent)

E Exempt Items (At the time of preparing this agenda there were no exempt items. During any such items which may arise the meeting is likely NOT to be open to the public).

Stuart Ballard Clerk to the Authority 29 April 2016 Please note that any background papers referred to in the accompanying reports may be inspected by arrangement with the Lead/Contact Officer named on each report.

KENT AND MEDWAY FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE _____________________________

MINUTES of a meeting of the Planning and Performance Committee held at Kent Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Loose Road, Maidstone on Wednesday 4 November 2015.

PRESENT: - Mr N J D Chard (Chairman), Mr A V H Gulvin (Vice-Chairman), Mr D L Brazier, Ms C J Cribbon, Mr J A Davies, Dr M R Eddy, Mrs S V Hohler, Mr P J Homewood, Mr R J Parry, Mr N A Terry and Mr S A Tranter.

APOLOGIES:- Mr M C Heale.

OFFICERS:- The Chief Executive, Miss A Millington; the Director, Operations, Mr S Bone-Knell; the Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience, Mr P Flaherty; the Assistant Director, Community Safety, Mr M Adams; the Assistant Director, Finance, Mrs A Kilpatrick; the Assistant Director, Policy and Performance, Mr J Finch; and the Clerk to the Authority, Mr S C Ballard.

UNRESTRICTED ITEMS 17. Minutes

(Item A3)

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 2 July 2015 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

18. Proposed Safety and Wellbeing Plan 2016-18 (Item B1 - Report by Chief Executive)

(1) The Committee considered a proposal to change the name of the Safety Plan to the Safety and Wellbeing Plan; the draft text of the consultation document on the Plan for 2016-18; and the draft questionnaire and timescales for the consultation.

(2) RESOLVED that:-

(a) the Safety Plan be re-named the 'Safety and Wellbeing Plan';

(b) the draft Safety and Wellbeing Plan 2016-18, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, and the draft introduction to the on-line questionnaire, as attached at Appendix 2 to the report, be approved for publication for consultation, subject to the Chief Executive being authorised to make any minor amendments to the text of the Plan that may be necessary.

19. DFDS Ferry Fire - Investigations Update (Item C1 - Report by Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience)

(1) The Committee was advised that the external investigations into the DFDS ferry fire by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, and the Health and Safety Executive, had now been concluded and that, given implementation of the recommendations of the internal investigation into the incident (previously reported to the Committee), no further action needed to be taken by the Authority as a result.

(2) RESOLVED that the contents of the report be noted.

4 November 2015

20. Performance Update - April to October 2015 (Item C2 - Report by Assistant Director, Policy and Performance)

(1) The Committee received a report showing how the Authority had performed against all its strategic service delivery indicators during the period from 1 April to 30 September 2015, and an oral update on performance during October 2015 was given at the meeting.

(2) RESOLVED that the contents of the report and the update be noted.

21. Fire and Police Command and Control Centre Project (Item C3 - Report by Director, Operations)

(1) The Committee was advised that the Joint Fire and Police Command and Control System had gone live on 28 July 2015, and that the next phase of the project, largely relating to refreshing the technology which sat alongside the command and control system, was now being scoped.

(2) The Chairman expressed the Authority's thanks to all the staff who had been involved in bringing to fruition what was the first, and so far the only, truly joint Fire and Police Command and Control Centre in the country.


22. Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (Item C4 - Report by Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience)

(1) The Committee received an update on the latest developments relating to the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme.


23. Channel Tunnel Update (Item C5 - Report by Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience)

(1) The Committee received an updat e on developments at the Channel Tunnel following recent incursions by migrants, including clarification of the role that the Authority's crews based at the Tunnel would undertake.


LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience, Paul Flaherty TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8202 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: B1

By: Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience

To: Planning and Performance Committee – 12 May 2016

Subject: KENT RESILIENCE TEAM – UPDATE AND WORK PLAN PRIORITIES 2016/17

Classification: Unrestricted

FOR DECISION

SUMMARY

This report requests Members to approve the priorities for the Kent Resilience Team’s Work Plan for 2016/17. The report also updates Members on the progress and achievements of the Team since its formation in 2014. The Kent Resilience Team is a multi-agency team, comprising staff from the Authority, Kent County Council, Kent Police and Medway Council, which ensures that the statutory responsibilities of the Kent Resilience Forum are discharged.

RECOMMENDATION

Members are requested to:

1. Approve the priorities for the Kent Resilience Team Work Plan for 2016/17 (paragraph 6 refers).

2. Consider and note the remaining contents of the report.

COMMENTS

Background

The Kent Resilience Forum 1. The Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) is the principal mechanism for county-wide multi-

agency co-operation and co-ordination in the event of a civil emergency, and operates in accordance with the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004. The KRF provides the forum for those organisations delivering services within the Kent Police area (covering the same area as the Authority), to fulfil their collective responsibility under the CCA to prepare, plan, communicate and co-ordinate activity in a multi-agency environment.

The Kent Resilience Team 2. Since its formation over ten years ago, the secretariat for the KRF was provided by

Kent Police (KP). In April 2013 a project was started to explore a new delivery model for emergency planning in Kent . The project was to run over three years with a view, if successful, to establish the new model in a permanent form. Throughout the KRF there was, and still is, a desire to transform the delivery of services to achieve better outcomes for the people of Kent and Medway and to improve the effectiveness of the KRF.

3. In July 2013 it was agreed to scope the concept of a co-located, integrated team comprising staff from Kent County Council (KCC), the Authority and Kent Police. This integrated team was designed to provide a new model for delivering statutory responsibilities on behalf of the three authorities, whilst retaining individual accountability. It was also intended to provide capacity to deliver partnership and business support on behalf of the KRF.

4. In April 2014 the new integrated team – now known as the Kent Resilience Team (KRT) - became operational, hosted by the Authority at The Godlands. The team is managed by an officer from the Authority alongside a supervisor from KP and KCC. There are nine staff from the three agencies working in the KRT with administrative support.

KRT Progress and Achievements 5. Significant progress has been made by the KRT in the first two years of the project,

with clear indications that the defined benefits outlined in the business case for integration (enhanced productivity, reduction in work duplication and improved cross-organisation communication) are being realised. The KRT has now moved into its third year and work is ongoing to use the experiences gained to date to inform the

business case which will propose that a permanent team is established from April 2017. Work completed to date includes:-

(a) Consolidated Budget - By integrating activity into a single team, the KRT has developed a consolidated budget which has facilitated a more efficient use of resources and enabled a more effective monitoring of spend, resulting in tangible savings to all members of the KRF.

(b) Resilience Direct - The KRT has established secure electronic systems to enhance the transfer of information between responders, including the use of Resilience Direct. Resilience Direct is a national government online private ‘network’ which enables civil protection practitioners to work together – across geographical and organisational boundaries – during the preparation, response and recovery phases of an event or emergency. All KRF partners now have access to Resilience Direct and have had the opportunity to attend a number of formal and informal training events hosted by the KRT. A new KRF website has now been created and can be found at www.kentprepared.org.uk, which facilitates an improved communication route to the public and KRF partners.

(c) Multi-agency working - Work has continued to enhance multi-agency participation in the KRT, recognising the increased strength and efficiency of the KRT as more partners engage:-

(i) Medway Council emergency planning staff now work in the KRT office for one day each week;

(ii) Ashford and Swale Borough Councils have agreed that, from April 2016, an emergency planning officer will work in the KRT office on a regular basis;

(iii) Sevenoaks District Council will be providing a member of staff to work with the KRT on a weekly basis.

(d) Command and Control arrangements - These are being reviewed, taking debrief recommendations and national projects such as the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) into account. A significant amount of work has been completed by testing the command and control arrangements in exercises and training. Exercise Fort Invicta, a national counter terrorism exercise, took place in November 2015 and represented a full test of the command and control arrangements for the KRF. In addition the recommendations from Operation Stack in the summer of 2015 have allowed the KRT to make changes and improve the command and control of large incidents.

(e) Resilience Communities - The KRT continues to work with communities to improve their local resilience. There are now more than 200 local flood wardens in place across Kent and Medway, one of the highest numbers in

http://www.kentprepared.org.uk/

the country. Plans are in place to ensure this momentum is maintained to assist local communities as and when required.

(f) Business Continuity and Recovery - The KRT has made major improvements to the support of communities and businesses getting back on their feet after emergencies, such as a significant flooding event. Following the flooding in the winter of 2013/14 and a number of significant fires in 2015/16 (Maidstone (Week Street) and Canterbury), steps have been taken to improve the services provided to communities and businesses from KRF partners.

(g) Support for County Wide Emergencies – The KRT has been used effectively to support a number of county-wide emergencies over the last two years. It provided the coordination of the welfare support to over 7000 vehicles and their passengers caught up in Operation Stack for 15 days during 2015. The Team has also provided the emergency planning support to the response to a number of flooding incidents, major power and water outages, and coastal pollution events. It has also provided the training programme on behalf of the Kent Resilience Forum which included over 100 training events. Its preparation for and support during emergencies has ensured a much more co-ordinated multi-agency response to both residents and visitors to Kent.

Future Priorities 6. The KRT has prioritised further areas of work to ensure continued improvement and

development. Members are asked to approve the following priorities for the KRT Work Plan for 2016/17 and note the progress to date in each area:-

(a) Develop a business case to establish the KRT as a permanent team from April 2017– A permanent solution for the KRT will be established from April 2017 when the current project ends (see paragraph 2 above).

(b) Implement and embed ‘partnership agreements’ to further enhance partnership working within Kent and Medway - From April 2016 the KRT has entered into a three-year partnership agreement with each of the 18 Category One partners that fund the KRF (highlighted in Appendix 1). The agreements establish for the first time a formal process for the management of multi-agency resources and funding, facilitating a much improved and enhanced multi agency working environment.

(c) Review the KRF constitution, meeting structures and business processes to ensure the KRF remains fit for purpose, taking into account technological advances and changing organisation structures - The KRF has been established for over ten years. With the introduction of the KRT and implementation of new partnership agreements, the KRF itself will

need to change and adapt to this new environment to ensure that the duties in the CCA are delivered in the most efficient manner.

(d) Continue to develop and implement a strategy which increases the resilience of communities and businesses in Kent – Building on the work to enhance community resilience in 2015/16 the KRT will continue with this essential work.

(e) Enhance business continuity arrangements across Kent and Medway through the provision of training, expertise and advice to KRF partners – The KRT has completed an informal assessment of compliance with the CCA across KRF partners. This assessment showed that whilst partners have mature business continuity arrangements in place, more work needs to be done to ensure partners work together to exploit efficiencies in this area.

(f) Improve the ability for communities and businesses to recover quickly after an emergency – Experiences from recent incidents such as Operation Stack show that the cost of disruption to the Kent economy are extensive and potentially damaging. The KRT will support businesses and communities to ensure this impact is minimised as much as practicable.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

7. Funding is required to support the work of the KRF and a subscription model for all responder organisations has been in place since the KRF was formed. All Category One responders share the funding commitment to the KRF. Secure funding allows the KRF to plan its business both long and short term and enables the provision of general administrative support, training and exercises.

8. The KRT continues to demonstrate the benefits of integrated working through identifying further improvements to front line service delivery and future efficiencies. The project will establish the permanent role for the KRT following the end of the three-year project in April 2017.

RECOMMENDATION

9. Members are requested to:

9.1 Approve the priorities for the KRT Work Plan for 2016/17 (paragraph 6 refers).

9.2 Consider and note the remaining contents of the report.

Appendix 1 to Item No: B1 KRF Category 1 Responders

Category 1 Responders As defined in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004

Emergency Services: Kent Police*

(also acting for: Port of Dover Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary and Ministry of Defence Police) British Transport Police* Kent Fire and Rescue Service* Maritime and Coastguard Agency South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust*

Local Authorities: Kent County Council* Medway Council* Ashford Borough Council* Canterbury City Council* Dartford Borough Council* Dover District Council* Gravesham Borough Council* Maidstone Borough Council* Sevenoaks District Council* Shepway District Council* Swale Borough Council* Thanet District Council* Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council* Tunbridge Wells Borough Council* Health: Kent and Medway Area Team, NHS England* Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust* East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust* Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust* Medway Foundation Trust* Kent and Medway Partnership Trust* Kent Community Health Care Trust* Medway Community Health Care Trust CIC* Public Health: Public Health England Port Health Authorities: London Port Health Authority (on behalf of all other Kent

Port Health Authorities: Dover Harbour, Folkestone Harbour, Medway ports and Port Ramsgate)

Government Agencies: Environment Agency*

* = Partners that fund the Kent Resilience Forum

LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Policy and Performance – James Finch TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8453 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: B2

By: Assistant Director, Policy and Performance

To: Planning and Performance Committee - 12 May 2016

Subject: PERFORMANCE UPDATE AND SERVICE PERFORMANCE TARGETS FOR 2016/17


FOR DECISION

SUMMARY

This report provides Members with an update on the Authority’s performance during 2015/16 as well as performance against the three-year average targets for the period 2015-18. The report also sets out the proposed Service Performance Targets for 2016/17 which, once approved by the Committee, will be published on the Authority’s website as part of the Corporate Plan which was agreed by the Authority in February 2016. The strategic indicators will be reported to the Committee throughout the year; other indicators are used internally by managers but are provided in this report for Members’ information.

RECOMMENDATIONS


1. Approve the proposed Service Performance Targets for 2016/17 (paragraph 15 and Appendix 1 refer).

2. Approve the amendments to the definitions for life threatening and non-life threatening incident types (paragraph 10 and Appendix 1 refer).

3. Consider and note the Authority’s performance during 2015/16 as well as performance against the three-year average targets for the period 2015-18 (paragraphs 4 to 9 and Appendix 1 refer).

4. Consider and note the other performance targets and indicators (Appendix 1 refers).

COMMENTS

Background

1. This report provides Members with an overview of the Authority’s performance during 2015/16 as well as performance against the three-year average targets for the period 2015-18. Members will recall that most strategic performance targets used by the Authority are set on the basis of a three-year reporting period. 2015/16 was the first year of the 2015-18 reporting period for the majority of targets.

2. In 2012/13 the Authority agreed to replace most of its annual targets, which are volatile because of factors such as the weather, with medium-term targets which can more accurately reflect performance trends and support organisational change. This has proved to be a helpful move given the extremes in weather patterns experienced over the past few years. For the 2015-18 reporting period, three-year average targets were again agreed, and the performance against the targets is presented at Appendix 1 for Members’ consideration.

Service Delivery Performance Update

3. A detailed summary of last year’s performance is provided at Appendix 1. In 2015/16 the Authority attended 4,292 fires, which represents an increase of 12% compared with the previous year. Last year’s warm dry summer resulted in a large increase in outdoor fires which has affected the overall number of fires recorded.

4. The national Fire Statistics Monitor publication covering the period from April to September 2015 has been recently released by the Government. This highlights similar trends to those seen by the Authority with a rise in total fires (particularly outdoor fires) and an increase in injuries sustained in accidental fires (although the numbers are small and prone to fluctuation). In addition, there is a notable rise in the number of non-fire incidents attended nationally when compared to the same period in the previous year. This rise can be attributed to the increase in medical incidents attended as a result of fire services collaborating further with other emergency services.

5. Generally, outdoor fires are heavily influenced by the weather as was apparent last year. Grassland fires experienced the highest numerical increase (from 563 in 2014/15 up to 841 in 2015/16), followed by rubbish fires (from 819 in 2014/15 up to 918 in 2015/16).

6. The projected three-year average figure for the 2015-18 period now stands at 4,141 fires or 23.5 fires per 10,000 population. This performance is 11% higher than the three-year average target.

7. In 2015/16 four people died and 91 were recorded as casualties as a result of accidental fires; the same number of fatalities and 15 casualties more than in 2014/15. 426 people were killed or seriously injured on Kent and Medway’s roads during Jan–Aug 20151; 51 fewer than in Jan–Aug 2014 (477)2.

8. The Authority attended 580 accidental fires in dwellings in 2014/15, which was 20 fewer than the previous year (600). One person died and 71 suffered injuries as a result of these fires. The projected three-year average performance (2015-18) stands at 575 accidental fires in dwellings (7.8 per 10,000 dwellings) and this performance is 0.6% higher than the three-year average target. Current long-term projections show that the steady decline in activity is likely to flatten out in the near future.

9. New performance indicators to measure response times to emergency incidents were introduced in April 2012 as a result of the Safety Plan. Response times to emergencies are monitored against two categories of incident:-

• Life-threatening: all fires in dwellings, non-residential properties and other residential properties (excluding chimney fires). Road traffic collisions (excluding no action);

• Non-life threatening: any incident not falling into the life-threatening category (including false alarms), excluding animal rescues and co-responder incidents.

10. Whilst it is proposed that the targets set for response times remain the same as for previous years, it is recommended that the Authority agree to amend the definition for life threatening and non-life threatening incidents to better reflect the severity of the incidents attended. Further details of the proposed changes can be found in Appendix 1.

11. Overall, the number of life-threatening incidents reached within 10 minutes and 12

minutes during 2015/16 were below the targets agreed for the year of 80% and 89% respectively. However, when looking at response times to fires and road traffic collisions (RTCs) separately, the Authority continued to perform better than target when attending fire incidents within 10 minutes (82.59%).

1 Kent figures for the months of September to December 2015 were not available at the time of writing this report. 2 Unlike most performance measures, data for killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions is collected by calendar year, not financial year.

Target-Setting Principles 12. Targets have generally been set that achieve improvement over three to five years.

In some areas the Authority is already performing significantly better than other fire and rescue authorities and long term trends show that achieving further improvements is likely to become increasingly difficult. Therefore, in order to keep targets realistic and achievable, in a few cases the focus is on maintaining excellent performance rather than setting overly ambitious targets which are unlikely to be achieved. For areas of high priority, realistic targets have been recommended as well as a more ambitious stretch target that the Authority will strive to achieve during the three-year period.

13. In general, targets have been set that:-

• Achieve improvement over the medium term. This means that targets have been set to at least maintain previous performance and, in most cases, at a level which represents an improvement in performance compared with the previous three-year average;

• Support the Authority’s Safety and Wellbeing Plan and reflect responses to public consultation;

• Address risk and focus on improving poor performance.

14. 2015/16 was the first year of the three-year reporting period. Generally, targets are maintained for the whole period for which they were agreed so, although the medium term targets set last year have been reviewed, it is proposed that these remain the same.

Strategic Targets

15. Some targets are considered to be strategic, due to their importance in monitoring the performance of the Authority. Appendix 1 includes all the performance indicators, although Members are only asked to approve the strategic Service Performance Targets. The Committee receives regular performance reports outlining progress against the Corporate Plan using these strategic performance indicators. Additionally performance against other targets may be reported on an exception basis. Other performance information, such as that derived from audits, reviews and surveys will also be presented to the Committee, or General Purposes Committee, as appropriate.

Corporate Health Indicators

16. Performance relating to human resources, equalities and the environment will continue to be reported in detail to the General Purposes Committee on a regular basis.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

17. Setting robust and challenging targets is an important part of the Authority’s performance management and governance arrangements. It helps to ensure that improvement action is focused on the appropriate areas in order to achieve the Authority’s Aim and Objectives. Targets take into account expectations expressed by the public through consultation but also respond to risk analysis where appropriate.

18. Targets are set to ensure that available resources are used effectively to lower corporate risk, improve community safety and make service improvements in priority areas; this in turn helps to achieve value for money. Equality and diversity is effectively measured through a number of performance indicators and is embedded into the community profiles. There is also an indicator to measure the Authority’s

carbon dioxide emissions which supports the Authority’s commitment to care for the environment.

19. A People Impact Assessment has been carried out for the corporate planning and performance management processes which include the setting of performance targets.

RECOMMENDATIONS


20.1 Approve the proposed Service Performance Targets for 2016/17 (paragraph 15 and Appendix 1 refer).

20.2 Approve the amendments to the definitions for life threatening and non-life threatening incident types (paragraph 10 and Appendix 1 refer)

20.3 Consider and note the Authority’s performance during 2015/16 as well as performance against the three-year average targets for the period 2015-18 (paragraphs 4 to 9 and Appendix 1 refer).

20.4 Consider and note the other performance targets and indicators (Appendix 1 refers).

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Appendix 1 to Item No: B2 Service Performance Indicators and Targets 2015/16 to 2017/18

April 2016

Kent Fire & Rescue Service

STRATEGIC TARGETS – FOR APPROVAL .......................................................................................... 22

LPI 100 – Total number of fires per 10,000 population....................................................................... 22

LPI 128 - The number of accidental fires per 10,000 population ........................................................ 24

LPI 101 - The number of deliberate fires per 10,000 population ........................................................ 26

LPI 105 – Total number of calls to accidental fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings ........................ 28

LPI 134 – Fatalities and casualties in accidental fires per 100,000 population ................................... 30

LPI 103 – The number of fires in non-domestic properties per 1,000 non-domestic properties .......... 31

LPI 145 – Unwanted calls to Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) attended ................................................ 33

LPI 136 i – Number of Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) from Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) ............. 35

LPI 136 ii – Number of Children Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) from RTCs .................................... 35

LPI 143 i – Attendance standards – Life-threatening incidents attended within 10 mins .................... 38

LPI 143 ii – Attendance standards – Life-threatening incidents attended within 12 mins ................... 38

LPI 144i – Attendance standards – Non-life threatening incidents attended within 15 mins ............... 38

LPI 406 – Absence rate (Percentage of available hours lost to sickness) .......................................... 40

LPI 500 – Incidence rate of RIDDOR reportable incidents per 100,000 workers ................................ 40

LPI 703 - Percentage of CO2 reduction from operational activity ....................................................... 41

OTHER INDICATORS – FOR INFORMATION ........................................................................................ 42

1. Community Services - Service Delivery Indicators ..................................................................................... 42

LPI 103 i – The number of accidental fires in non-domestic properties per 1,000 non-domestic properties .......................................................................................................................................... 42

LPI 130- The number of accidental grassland fires per 10,000 population......................................... 44

LPI 129 - The number of accidental rubbish fires per 10,000 population ........................................... 45

LPI 141 - The number of accidental vehicle fires per 10,000 population ............................................ 47

LPI 133 - Total number of calls to deliberate fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings ......................... 48

LPI 103 ii - The number of deliberate fires in non-domestic properties per 1,000 non-domestic properties .......................................................................................................................................... 51

LPI 132- The number of deliberate grassland fires per 10,000 population ......................................... 53

LPI 131 - The number of deliberate rubbish fires per 10,000 population ............................................ 55

LPI 102 - The number of deliberate vehicle fires per 10,000 population ............................................ 57

LPI 135 – Precautionary checks and first aid arising from accidental fires per 100,000 population .... 59

LPI 148 – Outcomes of accidental dwelling fires ............................................................................... 60

LPI 107 - The % of fires in dwellings where a smoke alarm was fitted but did not activate ................ 60

LPI 108 - The % of fires in dwellings where a smoke alarm was not fitted ......................................... 60

LPI 112 – Number of RTCs (excluding no action) per 10,000 population ........................................... 60

2. Community Services - Community Safety Indicators ................................................................................. 61

LPI 200 – Number of Home Safety Visits completed ......................................................................... 61

3. Operational Services - Service Delivery Indicators ..................................................................................... 61

LPI 115 - The % of incidents where the height vehicle attended within 30 minutes of being mobilised61

LPI 140 – Time lag between the first and second pump attending property fires ............................... 61

LPI 120 – Turnout times .................................................................................................................... 61

LPI 146 – Availability of appliances against the 51/53 model ............................................................. 62

LPI 117 – Number of incident reports completed within 48 hours ...................................................... 62

LPI 147 – Operational severity of Building Fires ................................................................................ 624. Operational Services - Technical Fire Safety Indicators ............................................................................. 63

LPI 300 i – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 21 days .......................... 63

LPI 300 ii – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 14 days ......................... 63

LPI 300 iii – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 10 days ........................ 63

LPI 301 i – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 21 days .................... 63

LPI 301 ii – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 14 days ................... 63

LPI 301 iii – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 10 days ................... 63

LPI 302 – Percentage of Fire Safety risks dealt with within 24 hours ................................................. 63

LPI 303 – Percentage of Technical Fire Safety (TFS) inspections after fires in non-domestic properties completed within 72 hours ................................................................................................................. 63

5. Human Resources and Equality ....................................................................................................................64

LPI 802 – Freedom of InformationI Requests .................................................................................... 64

6. Environment .................................................................................................................................................... 64

LPI 700 – Gas consumption .............................................................................................................. 64

LPI 701 – Electricity consumption ..................................................................................................... 64

LPI 702 – Water consumption ........................................................................................................... 65

STRATEGIC TARGETS – FOR APPROVAL

LPI 100 – Total number of fires per 10,000 population

This indicator supports Objective 1 – Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries A 7.5% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average equating to an average numerical reduction of 303 fires compared to the previous three-year average.

2015/16 Target 2015/16 Actual

Three-year average target

2015-18

Three-year average projection 2015-18

No. of incidents 3,729 4,292 3,729 4,141

Incidents per 10,000 pop 21.1 24.3 21.1 23.5

2014/15 Provisional Data CIPFA Nearest Neighbour Model England Kent1

Upper Quartile 22.06 22.09 21.33

Average 25.16 28.53

In 2015/16 the Authority attended 4,292 fires, which represents a 12% increase compared to the previous year. 2015’s warm dry summer resulted in a large increase in outdoor fires which has affected the overall number of fires recorded. Performance is similar to that seen in 2013/14.

With the exception of dwellings, all other types of fires contributed to the overall increase in the number of fires attended. Grassland fires experienced the highest numerical increase (from 563 in 2014/15 up to 841 in 2015/16), followed by rubbish fires (from 819 in 2014/15 up to 918 in 2015/16).

1 The Authority is ranked 9th amongst a total of 45 Authorities. Berkshire, Surrey and Wiltshire are the top 3.

The projected three-year average figure for the period 2015-18 now stands at 4,141 fires or 23.5 fires per 10,000 population. This performance is 11% higher than the three-year average target. The trend line depicted by the solid line in the chart below shows how the declining trend is likely to continue over the coming years.

LPI 128 - The number of accidental fires per 10,000 population

This indicator supports Objective 1 - Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries A 7.5% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average equating to an average numerical reduction of 171 fires compared to the previous three-year average.



2015-18


No. of incidents 2,130 2,450 2,130 2,444




Average 15.13 15.89

In 2015/16 the Authority attended a total of 2,450 accidental fires, which represented an 8% increase on the numbers attended in 2014/15. Performance is similar to that seen in 2013/14.

Accidental dwelling fires were lower in 2015/16 than the levels seen in the previous two years with the Authority attending 580 incidents, 20 fewer than in 2014/15. All other categories of accidental fires experienced an increase this year compared to 2014/15 which can be attributed to the increase in weather- related incidents.

The projected three-year average figure for the period 2015-18 now stands at 2,444 fires or 13.8 fires per 10,000 population. This performance is 15% higher than the three-year average target. Although fluctuations are always expected, the long term trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that the decline in the number of accidental fires is likely to continue in the near future.

2 The Authority is the 4th top performer in this area. Avon, Warwickshire and Leicestershire are the top 3.

LPI 101 - The number of deliberate fires per 10,000 population

This indicator supports Objective 1 - Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries and Objective 3 – Providing high quality and value for money services A 7.7% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average equating to an average numerical reduction of 132 fires compared to the previous three-year average.



2015-18


No. of incidents 1,599 1,842 1,599 1,695




Average 10.02 12.64

In 2015/16 the Authority attended a total of 1,842 deliberate fires, which represented an 18% increase on the numbers attended in 2014/15. Performance is similar to that seen in 2013/14.

Outdoor fires accounted for the highest proportion of deliberate fires attended (57%). Road vehicles accounted for 18% of the total, which is higher than performance reported in 2014/15.

The projected three-year average figure for the period 2015-18 now stands at 1,695 fires or 9.6 fires per 10,000 population. This projected performance is higher than the three-year average target.

The chart below shows how the number of deliberate fires oscillate around the long term trend line (solid line), and how in some cases the fluctuations can be quite significant. However, the trend line clearly shows that the decline is likely to continue in the near future.

3 The Authority is ranked 23rdamongst a total of 45 other Authorities. Isle of Wight, Berkshire and Surrey are the top 3.

LPI 105 – Total number of calls to accidental fires in dwellings (ADFs) per 10,000 dwellings

This indicator supports Objective 1 - Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries and Objective 3 – Providing high quality and value for money services A 3% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). This indicator is closely aligned to the corporate objectives and the Authority has achieved better performance in the past (561 ADFs in 2012/13). However, current projections show that the decreasing trend is flattening out and achieving further reductions is becoming difficult. A 3% average reduction over the three years shows the Authority’s commitment to reducing these types of incident (which account for the majority of fire casualties and fatalities) whilst acknowledging the fact that the historic decline will be difficult to maintain.

The Authority will review this indicator yearly over the three-year period and will strive to achieve a stretch target of 6% three-year average reduction on the previous three-year average (2012-15). This will bring the average number of ADFs over the next three-year period down to 558 or 7.55 per 10,000 dwellings.



2015-18


No. of incidents 572 580 572 575

Incidents per 10,000 dwellings

7.7 7.8 7.7 7.8

2014/15 Provisional Data CIPFA4 Nearest Neighbour Model England Kent5


Average 10.90 11.28

4 This model was developed by CIPFA to aid local authorities in comparative and benchmarking exercises. This model allows users to generate family groups based upon a wide range of socio-economic indicators. The CIPFA Nearest Neighbours Model adopts a scientific approach to measuring the similarity between authorities, taking factors such as the social and physical characteristics of the authorities into account. The authorities included in our CIPFA group are: Hampshire, Essex, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Devon & Somerset, West Sussex, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, Humberside, Hereford & Worcester, Northamptonshire and Norfolk. 5 The Authority is the 4th top performer in this area. Warwickshire, Cleveland and Cambridgeshire are the top 4.

In 2015/16, the Authority attended a total of 580 ADFs and these accounted for 24% of all the accidental fires attended.

Historically, the Authority has performed very well in this area and has been among the top performers nationally for more than ten consecutive years. In 2012/13 the Authority attended the lowest number of ADFs ever recorded (561). However, after a slight increase in 2013/14 when the Authority attended 609 ADFs, performance in both 2014/15 and 2015/16 has been slightly better than the number attended in 2013/14.

The projected three-year average performance for 2015-18 stands at 575 ADFs or 7.8 ADFs per 10,000 dwellings. This is 0.6% higher than the three-year average target.

The long term trend shown by the centre line in the chart below still continues to show a decline in activity . However, the rate of reduction given by the trend line is reducing, as is its level of accuracy6, indicating that the decreasing trend is likely to come to an end in the near future.

6 This is determined by the correlation coefficient of the trend line which has reduced and is showing a moderate relationship between the data points on the graph and the trend line.

LPI 134 – Fatalities and casualties in accidental fires per 100,000 population

This indicator supports Objective 1 - Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries A 4% five-year average reduction on the previous three-year average (2012-15) was set in 2014-15 which means that the Authority is projected to have an average of 88 fatalities/casualties over the 2015-20 period.


Five-year average target

2015-20

Five-year average projection 2015-20

No. of Fatalities/casualties 88 91 88 83

Cas/Fat per 100,000 pop 4.96 5.2 4.96 4.67

Comparative data includes fatalities and non-fatal casualties in deliberate fires



Average 5.74 5.92

In 2015/16, there were four fatalities and 91 casualties resulting from accidental fires, which was the same number of fatalities and 15 casualties more than in 2014/15. This increase occurred in the slight injuries category. One of the fatalities and 71 of the casualties occurred in dwellings.

During 2015/16 there were also two fatalities and 11 casualties who suffered injuries as a result of deliberate fires.

The Authority continues to deliver targeted community safety activity aimed at reducing the risk of people dying or being injured in fires and, in particular, in house fires.

7 The Authority is ranked 36th out of a total of 45 Authorities.

LPI 103 – The number of fires in non-domestic properties8 per 1,000 non-domestic properties

This indicator supports Objective 1 - Reducing the numbers of fires, deaths and injuries and Objective 8 – Working with businesses to support the local economy A 7% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). Although the Authority doesn’t attend a great number of these incidents, one of these fires could result, in the worst case scenario, in high numbers of fatalities and casualties. Therefore, a three-year average target of 261, whilst still achievable, will reflect the Authority’s drive to continue to improve performance.



2015-18



Incidents per 1,000 non-dom

4.9 5.9 4.9 5.6

The Authority attended 313 fires in non-domestic properties in 2015/16, a 14% increase when compared with the previous year. This increase is attributed to the increase in prison fires over the last year. This means that the projected average performance for the three-year period 2015-18 is 298 fires or 5.61 fires per 1,000 non-domestic properties.

The long-term trend, as shown by the solid line in the chart below, indicates that a decrease in activity is likely to occur in the future.

8 Non-domestic premises include residential properties other than dwellings (hotels, B&Bs and residential homes) as well as non-residential properties such as offices, retail and industrial establishments, warehouses, hospitals, sporting venues, entertainment and cultural premises, religious venues and those used by public administration.

LPI 145 – Unwanted calls to Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) attended9

This indicator supports Objective 3 – Providing high quality and value for money services and Objective 8 – Working with businesses to support the local economy This indicator was introduced in 2012/13 to monitor the effects of the AFA policy. As expected, the number of unwanted calls to AFAs attended in non-domestic properties has decreased significantly since the policy was introduced.

During 2015/16 the Authority attended 1,667 unwanted calls to AFAs which exceeded the target of 1,400. It is likely that some of the increase in these incidents can be attributed to the migration to a new mobilising system which also introduced National Incident Type codes. It is recommended that the Authority set the target for 2016/17 at 1,400 once again.

2015/16 target 2015/16 Actual 2016/17 target

Calls to AFAs attended 1,400 1,667 1,400

9 This includes all calls attended by the Authority that are identified by Control operators as automatic fire alarms at the time the call comes in and that turned out to be false alarms.

In 2015/16 the Authority attended 1,667 unwanted calls to AFAs. The table below shows the distribution of those calls throughout the day.

Total unwanted calls to AFAs attended 2015/16

Day

(6am-6pm)

Night

(6pm-6am) Total

Domestic 949 (85%) 473 (85%) 1,422 (85%)

Non-domestic 129 (12%) 65 (12%) 194 (12%)

Other 35 (3%) 16 (3%) 51 (3%)

Total 1,113 554 1,667

This indicator also monitors the number of calls to AFAs that have not received an emergency response. In 2015/16 there were 3,337 of these calls, a 9% increase on last year’s figure of 3,064.

Finally, the indicator also looks at whether the number of fire calls that turned out to be AFAs has remained within normal figures after the introduction of the policy. This is because a number of callers may decide to incorrectly confirm the existence of a fire knowing that this is the only way an emergency response will be provided. The table below shows that this has not been the case.

Overview Day

(6am-6pm)

Night

(6pm-6am) Total

Calls to AFAs not attended 2,088 1,249 3,337

Calls to fires attended that turned out to be:

AFAs false alarms 180 127 307

(742 in 2014/15)

Malicious false alarms 29 46

75 (40 in 2014/15)

Good Intent false alarms 970 1,107

2,077 (2,397 in 2014/15)

LPI 136 i – Number of Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) from Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) LPI 136 ii – Number of Children Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) from RTCs

This indicator supports Objective 2 – Reducing road accidents, deaths and injuries In December 2010, the Kent and Medway Road Casualty Reduction Group agreed new performance targets:

• By 2020, to achieve a 33% reduction in the number of people Killed or Seriously Injured in road crashes, compared with the 2004 to 2008 average

• By 2020, to achieve a 40% reduction in the number of children Killed or Seriously Injured in road crashes, compared with the 2004 to 2008 average

In order to achieve the 2020 targets, the Authority should aim to achieve an even reduction each year.

LPI 136 i 2015 Provisional10 2020 target

Kent KSIs Jan – Sep: 420 N/A

Medway KSIs Jan – Aug: 32 N/A

Kent and Medway Jan – Aug: 426

552 (33% reduction in the number of KSIs compared with the 2004 to

2008 average)

10 Kent provisional figures for September to December 2015 were not available at the time of writing this report.

LPI 136 ii 2015 Provisional11 2020 target

Kent KSIs Jan – Sep: 56 N/A

Medway KSIs Jan – Aug: 6 N/A

Kent and Medway Jan – Aug: 61

46 (40% reduction in the number of children KSIs compared with the

2004 to 2008 average)


Performance against these two targets is calculated using all incidents reported by Kent Police, and not only those attended by the Authority.

Provisional figures for the period Jan - Aug 201512 indicate that 32 people died and 349 suffered serious injuries in RTCs in Kent, whilst in Medway the provisional figures for the same period were one fatality and 44 serious injuries. Also in Jan – Aug 2015, in Kent one child died and 26 suffered serious injuries, whilst in Medway no children died but four suffered serious injuries.

Performance against LPI 136 i for the period of Jan – Aug 2015 was below the previous year with 51 less KSIs.

Performance against LPI 136 ii for the same period was also below 2014 with 12 less children KSIs.


LPI 143 i – Attendance standards – Life-threatening incidents attended within 10 mins LPI 143 ii – Attendance standards – Life-threatening incidents attended within 12 mins LPI 144i – Attendance standards – Non-life threatening incidents attended within 15 mins

This indicator supports Objective 3 - Providing high quality and value for money services and Objective 2 – Reducing road accidents, deaths and injuries New performance indicators were introduced in April 2012 as a result of the Safety Plan. Response times to emergencies are monitored against two categories of incident:

• Life-threatening: all fires in dwellings, non-residential properties and other residential properties (excluding chimney fires). Road traffic collisions (excluding no action).

• Non-life threatening: any incident not falling into the life-threatening category (including false alarms) excluding animal rescues and co-responder incidents.

Attendance times to emergency incidents are calculated from the time the first resource is mobilised to the time the first resource books in attendance at the incident. Incidents attended by officers only are excluded from both categories being measured.

In 2015/16, the Authority attended life-threatening fire incidents within 10 minutes on 82.6% of occasions. However, the percentage for RTCs was much lower (69.6%). Similarly, attendance to life-threatening fire incidents within 12 minutes was 90.3%, much higher than the performance for RTCs (80.9%)

Historically, fires accounted for 63% of all life-threatening incidents and RTCs for the remaining 37%. However, fire incidents have continued to reduce over the past few years meaning that fires now account for 54% of all life-threatening incidents and RTCs for 45%. Therefore, the influence that attendance times to RTCs have on the overall performance is now much higher.

When these indicators were introduced, targets were agreed to maintain performance for response to fires within 10 minutes and gradually improve attendance times to RTCs to the same level as fires. This supported the statement made in the Safety and Wellbeing Plan that we wanted to respond to RTCs as quickly as fires.

Similar logic was applied to attendance to life-threatening incidents within 12 minutes. The targets were set to improve performance over a five-year period through changes in service delivery as part of projects such as Review of Operational Capability and Variable Crewing. However, availability of some on-call stations remains low and the influence on performance expected by the implementation of these projects will take a little longer to materialise.

Therefore, it is recommend that the targets agreed last year (80% within 10 and 89% within 12 minutes, 95% within 15 minutes) are maintained for the next two years to allow more time for projects to influence performance. In addition, it is recommended that the Authority agree to amend the definition for life-threatening and non-life threatening incidents to better reflect the severity of the incidents attended. For example, currently if there were a fatality at a car fire incident (that did not happen as a result of an RTC) then this incident would be categorised as non-life threatening. Conversely, an RTC at which there were no casualties and the Authority was required only to make the scene safe, would be classified as life-threatening. The table below details the proposed new definitions of incidents for response times (the letter in brackets represents the current category into which the incidents fall where applicable).

Life-Threatening Non-Life Threatening Exclusions

All Building Fires (excl Chimney Fires) (L)

Vehicle Fire as a result of an RTC (L)

RTC Extrication of persons (L)

RTC Release of persons (L)

RTC Medical Assistance Only (L)

Rescue or Evacuation from Water (N)

Vehicle (non RTC) Fires (N)

Outdoor Fires (N)

Chimney Fires (N)

RTC Make Vehicle Safe (L)

RTC Make Scene Safe (L)

RTC Advice Only (L)

Over the border

Animal Rescues

Haz Mat incidents (N)

Officer first in attendance

Normal road speed

Life-Threatening Non-Life Threatening Exclusions

Rescue/Release of Persons (non RTC) eg: mud rescue, trapped in or under machinery (N)

Medical cases/extrications (other than RTCs) eg: impaled, attempted suicide, medical assistance (not co-responding) (N)

Any incident (regardless of type) where a casualty is recorded (New)

RTC Standby No Action (N)

RTC Other (L)

Any special service incident not included in ‘life-threatening’ (N)

All False Alarm Incidents (N)

Co-Responding

The table below shows the performance in 2015/16 for both the existing definition and the proposed definition.

2015/16 target

2015/16 Actual

(Current Definition)

2015/16 Actual

(Proposed Definition) 2016/17 target

LPI 143i – Life-threatening incidents reached within 10 minutes

80%

Total 76.47% Total 78.09%

80%

Fires 82.59% Fires 81.77% RTCs 69.61% RTCs 65.23%

Other Special Service N/A Other Special Service 77.71%

LPI 143ii – Life-threatening incidents reached within 12 minutes

89%


89%

Fires 90.25% Fires 89.57% RTCs 80.88% RTCs 79.14%

Other ESS N/A Other ESS 85.90%

LPI 144 – Non-life threatening incidents reached within 15 minutes

95%


95% Fires 92.9% Fires 92.88%

Special Service 92.3% Special Service 93.58%

False Alarms 95.3% False Alarms 95.30%

LPI 406 – Absence rate (Percentage of available hours lost to sickness)

This indicator supports Objective 3 - Providing high quality and value for money services Historically, sickness absence was measured by the criteria of the national Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI), which was the number of shifts lost to sickness absence per employee. However, National Indicators for Fire Authorities were removed in April 2010 as a result of the Smarter Government White Paper.

In order to calculate this indicator, a defined working pattern was needed to determine whether an absence occurred on a day the member of staff was scheduled to work. With the introduction of flexible rostering, whereby set shift patterns are no longer used, measuring sickness against the old indicator has become increasingly difficult. As the operational workforce operates on a more flexible and fluid basis, the indicator has been changed to collect true absence rates.

A new indicator to measure the absence rate of staff has been developed. The indicator measures the percentage of contracted hours that have been lost to sickness. This information is taken directly from the workforce planning system allowing us to capture the different shift patterns being worked by all staff. It is recommended that a target of 2.6% for all staff is set, which is based on the 2015/16 outturn.

2014/15 actual

2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

Operational 3.23% 2.67% 2.67%

Service Support

2.54% 2.37% 2.37%

Total 3.11% 2.62% 2.62%

Across the Authority, 2.62% of all contracted hours were lost due to sickness, which was better than the performance in 2014/15. Sickness absence amongst business support staff was also better than the previous year. Likewise, operational sickness decreased in 2015/16, when 2.67% of contracted hours were lost compared to 3.23% the previous year. Sickness is monitored throughout the year by the General Purposes Committee.

LPI 500 – Incidence rate of RIDDOR reportable incidents per 100,000 workers

2015/16 actual Three-year average target 2014-17

Incidents 5 17 incidents per annum

In 2015/16 there were five incidents reportable to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). The Authority measures all incidents which are reportable to the HSE in place of the category “major injury”. This makes monitoring more meaningful since, otherwise, the figures would be very small.

LPI 703 - Percentage of CO2 reduction from operational activity13

This indicator supports Objective 6 - Reducing our impact on the environment Figures for 2015/16 will not be available until June 2016, in order to allow for all the readings to be collected and analysed.

The Authority has previously set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 35%, compared with the 2008/09 baseline. The Authority’s Caring for the Environment strategy supports the delivery of this target.

2008/09 actual 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

Tonnes of CO2 emitted 2,632 This figure will not be

available until June 2016 1,711

13 Consumption figures from closed stations are included within the actuals presented. All figures back to 2008/09 are currently being revised to incorporate complete billing data which is now available.

OTHER INDICATORS – FOR INFORMATION

The indicators outlined below will be used by the Service to manage performance and are provided in this report for information.

1. Community Services - Service Delivery Indicators

LPI 103 i – The number of accidental fires in non-domestic properties14 per 1,000 non-domestic properties

A 10.1% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). Although the overall trend shown by the solid line in the chart below remains downward, the current number of incidents is small and it is likely that the declining trend will flatten out in the near future. A three-year average target of 173 would represent an improvement on the previous three-year average and will also match the lowest number of incidents ever attended.



2015-18




3.26 3.45 3.26 3.30

14 Non-domestic premises include residential properties other than dwellings (hotels, B&B or residential homes) as well as non-residential properties such as offices, retail and industrial establishments, warehouses, hospitals, sporting venues, entertainment and cultural premises, religious venues and those used by public administration.

LPI 130- The number of accidental grassland fires per 10,000 population

An 8.2% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). The number of accidental grass fires is highly dependent on weather conditions and these are very hard to predict on an annual basis. An 8.2% reduction target over the three-year period 2015-18 equates to an average reduction of 23 accidental grassland fires on the previous three-year average and maintenance of the 2014/15 outturn.



2015-18




LPI 129 - The number of accidental rubbish fires per 10,000 population

A 7.1% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). This matches the performance achieved in 2012/13, the lowest ever achieved. The number of accidental rubbish fires is highly dependent on weather conditions and these are very hard to predict on an annual basis. The number of accidental rubbish fires has reduced continuously over the past ten years and the trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that the decline is likely to continue in the coming years. Although this area is not normally life-threatening, further improvements are achievable.



2015-18




LPI 141 - The number of accidental vehicle fires per 10,000 population

An 8.8% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). Over the past three years the Authority has attended an average of 439 accidental vehicle fires. The trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that the decline in activity is likely to continue at a steady rate. Therefore an 8.8% average reduction is achievable whilst still remaining challenging.



2015-18




LPI 133 - Total number of calls to deliberate fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings

An average of 80 deliberate dwelling fires (1.08 per 10,000 dwellings) over the next three years (2015-18), matching the average performance of the past three years (2012-15). Although the trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that these fires are likely to reduce even further, the numbers are very small and the decreasing trend is likely to flatten out soon.



2015-18



Incidents per 10,000 dwellings

1.08 0.83 1.08 0.7

LPI 103 ii - The number of deliberate fires in non-domestic properties per 1,000 non-domestic properties

An average of 88 deliberate fires in non-domestic properties over the next three years (2015-18), matching the average performance of the past three years (2012-15). Although the trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that these fires are likely to reduce even further, the numbers are very small and achieving further reductions is likely to be difficult.



2015-18




1.66 2.45 1.66 2.60

LPI 132- The number of deliberate grassland fires per 10,000 population

A 10% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15), which equates to an average reduction of 35 fires compared to the previous three-year average. The number of accidental grass fires is highly dependent on weather conditions and so is very hard to predict on an annual basis. These types of fires rarely result in loss of life. Nevertheless reducing deliberate activity is a priority for Community Safety and partners.



2015-18




LPI 131 - The number of deliberate rubbish fires per 10,000 population

An 11% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average (2012-15). The Authority has seen an 80% reduction in the number of deliberate rubbish fires over the past ten years. Current projections indicate that this declining trend is likely to continue and therefore an average target to reduce activity by 11% over the next three years is achievable. This would equate to an average numerical reduction of 68 fires. As is the case with deliberate grassland fires, deliberate rubbish fires are also a priority for Community Safety and partners.



2015-18




LPI 102 - The number of deliberate vehicle fires per 10,000 population

A 6% three-year average reduction target on the previous three-year average. The Authority has achieved rapid improvements on this area over the past ten years. The long term trend shown by the solid line in the chart below indicates that, although the decline continues, the pace of improvement will possibly slow down. In 2014/15 the Authority attended a historic low number of deliberate vehicle fires. The 6% three-year average reduction will ensure that this excellent performance is maintained.



2015-18




LPI 135 – Precautionary checks and first aid arising from accidental fires per 100,000 population

The Authority agreed in 2012/13 a target to maintain the average number of precautionary checks/first aid to 77 for the 2012-17 period, matching the performance achieved in 2011/12 when the target was agreed. However, as with the number of fatalities and casualties, the Authority has performed very well in this area over the past three years. To support the Authority’s aspiration to have zero fire deaths and fewer casualties by 2020, a new target has been set to maintain the average number of precautionary checks/first aid arising from accidental fires to no more than 64, which matches the average performance achieved over the past three years.


Five-year average target

2015-20

Five-year average projection 2015-20

No. of PC/FA 64 66 64 60 PC/FA per 100,000 pop 3.63 3.74 3.63 3.40

LPI 148 – Outcomes of accidental dwelling fires

This indicator monitors the impact of accidental dwelling fires on the owner/occupier. Incidents are classified according to the same criteria used during the Post Incident Protocol. For example, incidents with casualties or fatalities, or extensive damage to the property, would be classified as “Severe”.

This indicator will be monitored in 2016/17.

2015/16 actual

Minor 227

Moderate 325

Severe 28

Total ADFs 580

LPI 107 - The % of fires in dwellings where a smoke alarm was fitted but did not activate LPI 108 - The % of fires in dwellings where a smoke alarm was not fitted


LPI 112 – Number of RTCs (excluding no action) per 10,000 population


2015/16 actual

No. of incidents 925

Incidents per 10,000 pop 5.24

2015/16 actual

LPI 107 110 (17.2%)

LPI 108 187 (29.2%)

Working smoke alarms 344 (53.6%)

Total DFs 641

2. Community Services - Community Safety Indicators

LPI 200 – Number of Home Safety Visits (HSVs) completed


2015/16 actual

Total 9,157 HSVs

3. Operational Services - Service Delivery Indicators

LPI 115 - The % of incidents where the height vehicle attended within 30 minutes of being mobilised


2015/16 actual

Percentage 54.55%

LPI 140 – Time lag between the first and second pump attending property fires


2015/16 actual

Time lag 4 min : 30 sec

LPI 120 – Turnout times


Avg Turnout times15 2015/16 actual

Normal response 1 min 13 sec

Delayed response 4 min 57 sec

15 Average turnout times are calculated only for those appliances that were available at base or on delayed response prior to being mobilised.

LPI 146 – Availability of appliances against the Resourcing model


LPI 117 – Number of incident reports completed within 48 hours

Maintain existing target.

2015/16 target 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

% Availability 97.0% 97.6% 97.0%

LPI 147 – Operational severity of Building Fires

This indicator monitors the severity of all building fires attended. Incidents are classified into minor, moderate or severe, depending on the amount of damage sustained to the property.


2015/16 actual

Minor 775 (84%)

Moderate 67 (7%)

Severe 79 (9%)

Total 921

4. Operational Services - Technical Fire Safety Indicators

LPI 300 i – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 21 days

Maintain existing target. 2015/16 target 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

Percentage 98% 98.2% 98%

LPI 300 ii – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 14 days


Percentage -- 49.2% --

LPI 300 iii – Percentage of Building Control consultations completed within 10 days



LPI 301 i – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 21 days



LPI 301 ii – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 14 days



LPI 301 iii – Percentage of Approved Inspector consultations completed within 10 days



LPI 302 – Percentage of Fire Safety risks dealt with within 24 hours



LPI 303 – Percentage of Technical Fire Safety inspections after fires in non-domestic properties completed within 72 hours

Set a new target. 2015/16 target 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target


5. Human Resources and Equality

The Authority’s performance against these indicators is reported to the General Purposes Committee. The list of indicators is presented below for information.

• LPI 424 – Profile of the workforce by equality strand

• LPI 407 –Percentage of applicants by equality strand

• LPI 414 –Percentage of new appointments by equality strand

LPI 802 – Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests


2015/16 actual

FOI requests received 307

Number responded to within 20 days 275

% responded to within 20 days 100%

Avg response time (days) 4.97

6. Environment

LPI 700 – Gas consumption16

Maintain existing target to achieve a 35% reduction in gas CO2 emissions by 2016/17 based on the 2008/09 performance figure. This is consistent with the reduction recommended for LPI 703 which measures CO2 emissions from the Authority’s operational activity.

2008/09 actual (baseline) 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

Gas emissions (CO2 tonnes) from buildings 1,066

This figure will be available in June

2016 693

LPI 701 – Electricity consumption17

Maintain existing target to achieve a 35% reduction in electricity CO2 emissions by 2016/17 based on the 2008/09 performance figure. This is consistent with the reduction recommended for LPI 703 which measures CO2 emissions from the Authority’s operational activity.

2008/09 actual (baseline) 2015/16 actual 2016/17 target

Emissions (CO2 tonnes) due to electricity consumption in buildings

1,379 This figure will be available in June

2016 896

16 Consumption figures from closed stations are included within the actuals presented. 17 Consumption figures from closed stations are included within the actuals presented.

LPI 702 – Water consumption


2015/16 actual

Emissions (CO2) due to water consumption in buildings

This figure will be available in June 2016

LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Area Manager, Technical Fire Safety - John Robertson TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext. 8351 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C2

By: Assistant Director, Community Safety


Subject: PRIMARY AUTHORITY PARTNERSHIP UPDATE


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

The Primary Authority Partnership Scheme and Better Business for All (BBfA) initiative are mainstays of the Government’s agenda for reducing the impact of regulation on businesses. This report updates Members on the development of the Authority’s Primary Authority Partnerships since the start of the first scheme in 2014 with Shepheard Neame Brewery and provides an overview of the Authority’s support for the developing Kent and Medway BBfA initiative.

CONCLUSION


1. Consider and note the contents of the report.

COMMENTS Background

1. The Primary Authority scheme provides for regulators to establish a partnership with a business or business group which operates within two or more local authority areas. The main objective of this partnership is for the business to receive consistent advice on regulatory issues which it can apply to all its properties, irrespective of where they are located.

2. Members will recall that the Authority established its first Primary Authority Partnership with Shepherd Neame Brewery in May 2014, following the statutory Primary Authority scheme being extended to include fire safety on 1 April 2014. This report provides an update on the consolidation of that partnership and the development of further partnerships.

Shepherd Neame Partnership

3. The partnership with Shepherd Neame has developed well and is proving to be of benefit to both partners and to the wider fire community. The Authority has worked with the company, providing guidance and advice which is supporting it to improve company-wide fire safety management through the adoption of a nationally-recognised Fire Safety management system. The value of this approach continues to be evaluated as Shepherd Neame’s portfolio and business model changes, ensuring an effective level of control over fire safety.

4. Where fire safety problems or compliance issues arise, these are being dealt with swiftly through a new joint approach. The Authority’s officers have also advised on matters such as fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems, thus enabling cost-effective provision of fire protection measures across the whole estate which, in turn, is driving efficiencies for Shepherd Neame.

5. Where the Authority’s officers give advice about a specific building, particularly if the building is outside the Kent and Medway area, or if the Service reviews an enforcement decision by another fire and rescue authority (FRA), this information is recorded in the national Primary Authority register. Recording this information in a national register allows other FRAs to review the advice given and decisions made by this Authority, thus ensuring that they are applied consistently in other areas where the Authority does not have formal jurisdiction.

6. As a result of the partnership, Shepherd Neame and the Authority have been working together to support the Chief Fire Officers’ Association at a national level. With Shepherd Neame’s business perspective and the Authority’s experience as a fire safety regulator, we have been able to contribute to the development of new fire

safety inspection and information recording procedures which will reduce the burden on businesses during an audit.

7. As a result of the partnership, Shepherd Neame has provided the Authority with a wide audience for its community safety messages through their many pubs and restaurants. A variety of safety messages are promoted, in particular an activity sheet featuring the’ ‘Byrnes Family’ is offered to children dining at a Shepherd Neame establishment. The safety message on the activity sheet is aimed at both children and their parents. Tenanted pubs have also been required by Shepherd Neame to sign up to the Authority’s ‘Chimney Clean Sweep Alert’, which provides an annual reminder for landlords to have their chimneys swept and maintained during the summer.

New Partnerships

8. Building on experience gained from the Shepherd Neame partnership and a commitment to support businesses, the Authority has established two further Primary Authority Partnerships in the past year. The new partnerships are with Demelza Hospice Care for Children and Tunbridge Wells-based Hoopers Department Stores.

9. Demelza have two family hospices in Sittingbourne and Eltham, 23 charity shops and a warehouse. Being a Kent-based charity, with properties in East Sussex and South East London, Demelza is a well-suited partner. Building on the experience gained with Shepherd Neame, the Authority has been able to formalise the partnership and quickly move forward, taking the first steps in advising the safety team at Demelza on developing a high quality strategic fire safety management plan. This will, in turn, lead to improved fire safety management across the whole of Demelza’s estate.

10. A large proportion of Demelza’s staff are volunteers who are focused on raising funds to support the charity. This brings some unique challenges, not only when providing fire safety training, but also when building a shared understanding of the importance of fire safety management in the workplace. The Authority’s Primary Authority Partnership manager has been working with Demelza to devise simple staff training quizzes, which are enabling the fire safety message to be firmly in their staff’s vison.

11. Hoopers Department Stores have their headquarters in Tunbridge Wells, with three other stores in Cheshire, Yorkshire and Devon. As a high-end retail company they already demonstrate a good level of compliance, but are seeking to improve their fire safety management systems and also looking to introduce robust business continuity planning for the whole company. As Hoopers are a significant employer it is felt that the Authority can support the company to increase staff and business safety and protection.

Next steps

12. Looking ahead, a number of partner awareness days are being planned which will bring the Authority’s three partners together to share learning, develop business relationships and perhaps foster improved business and community outcomes.

13. A fourth partnership is also being explored with a relatively new care provider. Like the Authority’s other partners, this will enable assured business advice and help develop safer premises. Supporting such organisations offers a great opportunity to engage with companies to ensure those providing care for the vulnerable have fire resilient business management processes in place.

Better Business for All

14. Alongside the Primary Authority scheme, Better Business for All (BBfA) is the second mainstay of the Better Regulation Delivery Office’s (BRDO) approach to reducing the impact of regulation for businesses.

15. The BBfA initiative brings together businesses and regulators to consider and change how local regulation is delivered and received. It involves the creation of local partnerships to identify the issues facing local businesses and shape the provision of effective support services to them. The main focus is small and medium enterprises and start-up businesses. Following a presentation by the BRDO, Kent regulators took an early decision to create a joint regulatory partnership in late 2013.

16. To develop an effective BBfA partnership for Kent and Medway has not been easy in an environment of shrinking public sector resource and other challenges. Despite this, the Authority has been a key player in the partnership along with partners from Tonbridge and Malling, Medway, Sevenoaks and the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. A significant amount of discussion with local authority Chief Executives has helped Kent and Medway BBfA become a truly multi-regulatory team with almost all functions and authorities providing representation or support to the scheme.

17. Despite limited funds, the partnership has managed to develop and launch a joint regulatory website, which can be found at www.bbfa.biz. Three training days have been run for local authority staff and Kent businesses, with 300 regulatory officers and business representatives attending the sessions. Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, which has been contracted to develop the local growth hub, has given a commitment to assist the partnership become more effective through further development and support to launch some focused initiatives aimed at improving the regulatory experience for businesses and encourage growth in Kent.

18. With website and training achievements to date, the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce being awarded the local growth hub, and a programme of training and events for the coming year under development, the BBfA initiative in Kent and

http://www.bbfa.biz/

Medway is developing well. As a formative partner in the local BBfA steering group, the Authority has a range of knowledge and experience which is of interest to FRAs and local authorities across the country. Officers from the Authority will shortly be travelling to the BRDO offices in Birmingham to share this knowledge and, in particular, support Merseyside FRA in starting a BBfA initiative with their local authority partners.

19. This determined progress, with limited financial support, has not gone unnoticed. The Kent and Medway BBfA initiative was formally recognised at the recent BRDO awards, receiving a special award as ‘One to Watch’, as well as runner-up in two other categories. Additionally, in recognition of the Authority’s commitment to supporting businesses and changing the way regulators work with businesses, an officer from the Authority’s Technical Fire Safety team was selected as one of three national fire service representatives on a recent BRDO Masterclass in Regulatory Management.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

20. The Authority has appointed a manager, from within the existing establishment, to support the Primary Authority Partnership scheme. To date, the demands of the current partnerships have not required a full-time commitment and the post-holder has been able to support BBfA and other partnership work with which the Authority is involved.

21. The Authority has supported the Better Business for All initiative with three team members working on the initiative as an element of their day to day roles. Other material support for the initiative has been through the provision of meeting facilities.

22. There is a clearly stated Government expectation that, as regulators, FRAs should take steps to support business growth and minimise the impact of regulation on businesses. By establishing a number of Primary Authority Partnerships and supporting the Better Business for All initiative the Authority is making a material commitment to meet these objectives whilst fulfilling an undertaking which was made in the ‘Supporting Businesses Strategy’.

CONCLUSION


23.1 Consider and note the contents of the report.

LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience – Paul Flaherty TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8202 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C3



Subject: EMERGENCY SERVICES MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMME UPDATE


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

This report provides an update on recent developments within the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme. The programme will replace the current arrangements delivered by the Airwave system with a new national mobile communication service for all three emergency services. This will be called the Emergency Services Network (ESN) and will take advantage of the latest mobile technologies to provide a national critical voice and broadband data service capability.

CONCLUSION



COMMENTS

Background

1. A previous report to the Committee in November 2015 highlighted the progress being made on the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) led by the Home Office. The programme will replace the current arrangements delivered by the Airwave system with a new national mobile communication service for all three emergency services. This will be called the Emergency Services Network (ESN) and will take advantage of the latest mobile technologies to provide a national critical voice and broadband data service capability.

Transition from Airwave to the ESN

2. On 22 December 2015, the Government issued financial information and a sign-off pack. This document detailed the anticipated indicative costings of the new ESN and asked fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) to confirm their agreement to transition to the ESN via the ESMCP. It detailed the business case for doing so; the indicative costs and savings that are expected to materialise, based on current usage rates; and the overall benefits.

3. The Authority has replied to the request and confirmed that it will transition to the ESN from the present Airwave system.

Kent Police Collaboration

4. The Committee has been previously informed that the Authority had requested that it should transition to the new system at the same time as Kent Police as both now operate from the same Command and Control system. This request has now been approved by the ESMCP Programme Board which means the Authority will commence transition to the ESN in 2018.

5. The Authority will transition as part of the Eastern Region due to Kent Police’s collaboration with Essex Police. The transition plan for Kent and Essex Police will see the assets from both services combined, with the initial focus on transitioning being with Essex Police (February to August 2018) and then the second phase with Kent Police and the Authority between September 2018 and February 2019. This means the Authority will transition at the same time as neighbouring FRAs who are due to commence their change-over from September 2018 to September 2019.

6. The Authority is currently exploring the possibility of combining the programme and project teams with Kent Police. This is an opportunity for collaborative working as the detailed work gets underway. There are a number of factors which will affect both Services in the same way, not least that both parties have the same system and compliance requirements. No doubt there will be many other issues which will affect

both Services, although system usage requirements will vary significantly. Members will be kept updated on the progress of this collaboration workstream at future meetings of the Committee.

Regional FRA Customer Group

7. Following the decision to transition with Kent Police, discussions have taken place between the Chairmen of the Eastern and South Eastern project groups to share experiences and developments within their respective programmes. This communication will allow for a single voice across the regions at the National Fire Customer Group meetings. This means that the Authority will be well-sighted on the developments and progress of our neighbouring FRAs, which should help to ensure an integrated transition.

8. To assist in the regional transition, a regional Project Manager (PM) has been appointed. The officer is from East Sussex FRA and the post will be part-funded by the four member FRAs. The PM will act as the single point of contact for the ESMCP delivery partners and ensure a collaborative and consistent approach across the FRAs.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

9. The decision by the ESMCP Board to approve the Authority’s request to transition with Kent Police means that the Authority is in a much better place to changeover from Airwave to the ESN. It will allow for a more collaborative approach to be taken and the sharing of expertise across the three organisations involved. With Essex Police going first, lessons can be learned from their experience to assist with the transition of Kent Police and the Authority.

CONCLUSION



LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Community Safety – Martin Adams TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 7750 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C4



Subject: JOINT KENT COMMUNITY SAFETY TEAM UPDATE


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

In September 2015, the three partner organisations – Kent Police, Kent County Council and the Authority, joined together as a co-located Joint Kent Community Safety Team for the first time at the site of the Authority’s Training Centre, Loose Road, Maidstone. This report details some of the early work and successes of the team, and provides a look forward to how the team intends to shape and deliver community safety services across Kent and Medway in the future.

CONCLUSION



COMMENTS

Background

1. The Kent Community Safety Partnership agreed that a Joint Kent Community Safety Team (initially Kent County Council (KCC), Kent Police (KP) and the Authority) should be created, a decision which was supported and agreed by this Committee in April 2015 (Minute 17). One of the key drivers was the reduction in community safety funding streams which had the potential to impact upon the community safety services provided across Kent and Medway, if the current model continued.

2. Working together to share resources and expertise, and reduce duplication, were the main opportunities to minimise the extent of any possible community safety service reductions. This new approach was seen as enabling a more consistent response to service the needs of the local authority community safety units and partnership meetings.

3. Providing a central location where all district representatives could meet with KCC, KP and Authority community safety teams was seen as essential to ensure colleagues received up to date and consistent messages on campaigns; shared more closely problems encountered within districts; and shared solutions that could be helpful to other areas.

Initial Phase – Co-location

4. In September 2015, the three partner organisations – KCC, KP and the Authority, joined together as a co-located team for the first time. The location of this team is on the site of the Authority’s Training Centre, Loose Road, Maidstone.

5. Extensive office accommodation, a meeting room and general facilities have been provided, with a view to the possible expansion of the team in the future, as well as the opportunity for other partner organisations to join in due course. Colleagues from Medway Council continue to be actively involved in discussions regarding the team, and, although not present within the team at this stage, they are involved in a number of the workstreams.

Early Successes

6. One of the early successes of the team was the organisation and delivery of the Kent Community Safety Conference in November 2015 at the Ashford International Hotel with the theme of: ‘Dementia – Are we doing enough? – Together what more can we do?’

7. This was a significant piece of work, involving partner agencies from Kent and Medway with an attendance of over 200 delegates. Organisations represented at the

conference included National Health Service bodies, Clinical Commissioning Groups, KP, Public Health, as well as delegates from the Authority, KCC, Medway, and all Kent local authority Community Safety Units and Partnerships.

8. Preparations are now under way for the 2016 Kent Community Safety Conference on: ‘Drugs and New Psychoactive Substances’, and these will, once again, be led by the Joint Team. The Conference will be held on Thursday 10 November 2016 at the Ashford International Hotel and Members of the Authority will be invited to attend.

9. An important element of the early work of the Joint Team was demonstrating to district Community Safety Teams the ‘value added’ at a local level by introducing a different way of working. One of the notable positives has been how readily staff within the districts have been prepared to embrace this opportunity, and now regular monthly meetings are held at the Joint Team office with district representatives to discuss joint strategies and initiatives. Staff within the Joint Team have commented on how well working relationships have developed and improved as a result of working together collaboratively.

10. ‘Hot desking’ facilities are available within the offices of the Joint Team, and it is encouraging to note that other partner organisations are now joining the team to discuss issues, an example being representatives from KCC Public Health.

11. Work is currently being led by Kent Police and KCC Public Health to develop multi-agency strategies on‘Substance Misuse, Anti-Social Behaviour, and New Psychoactive Substances. An action plan will be developed by the Joint Team in order to ensure that partners will continue to work together to address the key community safety priorities for the county highlighted within the Kent Community Safety Agreement.

12. Discussions are also taking place to the establish a Community Engagement Cell within the Joint Team on the lead-up to, and throughout the duration of, the European football tournament (Euro 2016) in France this summer. This cell would link closely into the work of the Kent Resilience Team and, for the first time, would demonstrate how the two multi-agency teams can work together to support safer communities in the county throughout an event of this nature.

Full Integration

13. A pooled community safety budget with robust governance arrangements has now been established between KCC, KP and the Authority. It should also be noted that KCC Trading Standards has also made a significant contribution to this pooled budget, which now allows for greater financial integration of community safety resources.

14. Scoping work has commenced to examine the feasibility of Joint Team members being able to represent all three partner organisations at the district Community Safety Partnership (CSP) meetings which take place throughout the county. It is expected that this will create efficiencies and allow for greater continuity.

15. Other organisations will be approached to join or hot-desk with the Joint Team to encourage closer partnership working across the county. Plans are underway to extend the delivery of joint campaigns to support community safety priorities throughout Kent and Medway. A good example of this is the development of joint road safety campaigns, which are currently undertaken by different organisations. This will create opportunities not only to share physical resources, but also to develop ideas and initiatives for more effective and co-ordinated campaigns in the future.

16. A Member Training Event on Community Safety activities will be held immediately after the Committee meeting. A number of the issues mentioned in this report can be expanded upon at this event.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

17. As all three existing partner organisations continue to face financial pressures, it has already been identified that by co-locating community safety teams, resources can be shared and further efficiencies explored for the future delivery of community safety across Kent and Medway.

CONCLUSION



LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience - Paul Flaherty TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8202 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C5



Subject: OPERATIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAMME – MAY TO NOVEMBER 2016


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

This report provides Members with an update on the Authority’s operational exercise programme. This includes exercises at a Group and Service level. Members will be invited to observe exercises in their local area and all Members will be invited to the annual Service exercise.

CONCLUSION



COMMENTS

Background

1. Operational exercises are an essential part of the Authority’s preparation for incidents. They enable the organisation to test and quality-assure operational procedures, capabilities and effectiveness against perceived risks and threats within Kent and Medway.

2. The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 require the Authority to carry out exercises for the purpose of ensuring operational preparedness in the event of an emergency.

3. The Authority has an extensive and robust programme of exercises that are planned against the following five areas:-

• Exercises for risks and threats identified within the Kent Community Risk Register;

• Exercises for plans developed for sites of special risk, identified through the Premises Risk Management (PRM) process;

• Exercises to test that our generic firefighting and rescue capabilities are fit for purpose and are effective;

• Exercises to test that our specialist capabilities for incidents such as hazardous materials, terrorism and technical rescue are fit for purpose and effective;

• Exercises to test that operational procedures are fit for purpose and effective.

4. The Authority has developed a programme of exercises (Appendix 1) and events that prepare the Service and its staff for incidents and emergencies at premises which pose the highest risk across Kent and Medway. The Authority requires each of its five operational groups to hold at least one major exercise per year, one of which is to be a Service-level exercise. In addition, well over 200 smaller fire station-based exercises take place every week to validate firefighters’ competence.

5. This year’s Service-level exercise will be held on 13 September 2016 at the new Rochester Fire Station and will involve a complex heavy rescue scenario. This exercise will test the operation and procedures for technical rescue and the new rescue equipment that has recently been delivered through the operational capability project. Members will receive more information on this major exercise over the coming months.

6. In addition to the Authority’s own exercise programme, the Service takes an active role in the Kent Resilience Forum’s (KRF) multi-agency exercise programme linked to the Kent Community Risk Register. Every year the KRF holds at least two significant table-top exercises and hosts one major live-play exercise. The main KRF

exercise for 2016 will be a wide-area flooding and evacuation exercise centred on the Romney Marsh. This exercise will take place in September/October and Members will be advised of the dates once they are confirmed.

7. Members of the Authority will have a number of opportunities every year to observe a variety of different exercises which often include colleagues from other emergency services. The Authority’s Operational Planning team will identify exercises and events which may be of interest to Members on a six-monthly rolling basis.

8. Members will be informed of forthcoming exercises by email and the Committee will receive reports providing an overview of Service Exercises at its May and November meetings. This will ensure that Members are always provided with information about forthcoming exercises over the next six months. This rolling programme will allow exercises to be coordinated with other Member Training Events. Members who wish to attend any exercise should contact the Member Support Team at the earliest opportunity.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

9. Operational Exercises are a key duty for the Authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. They provide the opportunity to quality-assure, test and evaluate the operational preparedness and competence of the Authority’s staff and procedures.

CONCLUSION



Appendix 1 to Item No: C5

Operational Exercise Programme – May to November 2016

Exercise Details and Location

Date

1 Exercise ‘Millers Height’ Lower Stone Street, Maidstone

01.06.16

2 Exercise ‘Get the Gist’ Industrial explosion and major fire Gist Distribution Faversham

04.06.16

3 Exercise ‘Gosport’ Radioactive substance release from nuclear reactor incident Dungeness B Power Station Lydd

08.06.16

4 Exercise ‘Night Train’ Train derailment caused by car on level crossing Shepherdswell Railway tunnel, Dover

15.06.16

5 Exercise ‘Rochester Cathedral’ Rochester

01.07.16

6 Exercise ‘Ridham Sea Terminals’

Ridham Sea Terminals, Sittingbourne

01.08.16

7 Service Exercise Rochester Fire Station Rochester

13.09.16

8 Exercise ‘High Rise’ St Annes’s Court, Herne Bay

13.09.16

9 Exercise ‘ Ropery’ The Ropery, Chatham Docks Chatham

01.10.16

10 Exercise ‘Dreamland’ Dreamland Theme Park, Margate

31.10.16

11 Exercise ‘Power Station’ Medway Power Station, Grain

01.11.16

LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Area Manager Technical Fire Safety – John Robertson TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8301 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C6



Subject: SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM REGULATIONS 2015


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 were announced in March 2015 and came into force in October 2015. Applying to private rented properties, the legislation requires landlords to install smoke and, where there is a solid fuel burner, carbon monoxide detectors for the protection of their tenants. Following the announcement, the Authority’s Business Engagement Team planned and coordinated a partnership initiative. The initiative highlighted the new legislation, provided guidance and advice for landlords, and distributed a large number of free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors which were provided by Government to support landlords in preparing for their new responsibilities. This report gives an overview of the new legislation and the work which the Authority undertook in support of the new regulations.

CONCLUSION



COMMENTS

Background

1. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015. Landlords of private rented properties, e.g. single houses, are required to install single point smoke alarms on each occupied floor of the house and, where the property has a solid fuel burner, to install a carbon monoxide detector. This report gives an overview of the background to the legislation and an explanation of the role the Fire Safety Business Engagement Team has played in promoting the introduction of the legislation within the private landlord business community in Kent and Medway.

2. The legislation has been introduced as part of a wider effort to improve conditions in the private rented sector and increase fire and carbon monoxide (CO) safety across the UK. The following points highlight why the Government has been so keen to redress the imbalance between protection levels for private tenants versus the rest of the housing sector:-

(a) Smoke alarm coverage in privately rented accommodation stands at 83%. This is the lowest of any housing type. (Source: Official Impact Assessment conducted by Government prior to announcement of legislation);

(b) Between April 2013 and March 2014, 97 people died and 1900 were injured in domestic fires affecting properties where no smoke alarm was present. (Source: Fire Statistics Great Britain 2013-14);

(c) The risk of a CO-related incident occurring in a private rental home is three times greater than the risk for other housing types. (Source: Gas Safety Trust Carbon Monoxide Incident Report 2012);

(d) A study of 1758 emergency department patients displaying symptoms that could be associated with CO poisoning found that only 16% had a CO alarm installed in their home. (Source: British Medical Journal Article 2012).

3. Building regulations require domestic properties constructed after June 1992 to have a British Standard mains powered, interconnected smoke detector system installed. Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) are also subject to tighter legislation in accordance with the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

4. Prior to the new Regulations, there was no legislation requiring landlords of properties let to single family units and built before 1992 to install smoke alarms. These properties are subject to the new legislation, meaning smoke alarms needed to be installed by October 2015.

Legislation – Requirements and Enforcement

5. The new legislation, where relevant, requires that a landlord must ensure that:-

(a) A smoke detector is installed on each storey of a relevant premises on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation;

(b) A carbon monoxide detector is provided in any room of a relevant premises which is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and contains a solid fuel burning appliance.

6. In basic terms, landlords must ensure that detectors are provided and working, but routine maintenance and testing then falls to the occupants of the property. Should the detectors develop a fault or expire during a tenancy it remains the responsibility of the landlord to replace them.

7. Responsibility for enforcing the legislation lies with the respective local housing authority. Local housing authorities across England now have the power to serve remedial notices to any landlord they have “reasonable grounds to believe” is not in compliance with the regulations. Failure to take appropriate remedial action within the specified timeframe, usually 28 days, could lead to a fine of up to £5K per property.

Supporting Businesses

8. In the months leading up to the introduction of the legislation, fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) were allocated a one-off supply of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for supply to private sector landlords. In total, nearly 500,000 smoke alarms and 52,000 carbon monoxide detectors were provided to FRAs across the country. The Authority received 14,100 smoke and 1,600 carbon monoxide detectors.

9. The opportunity was taken to combine the distribution of the detectors with a partnership initiative aimed at highlighting the forthcoming legislation and its implications for private landlords. The campaign has been led by the Authority’s Business Engagement Team (BET) working with the Joint Kent Community Safety Team (CS) and partners from Medway Council and all housing departments across Kent.

10. The initiative set out to achieve the following objectives:-

(a) Promote awareness of the new legislation using multi-media platforms;

(b) Outline the legal and practical requirements for landlords;

(c) Provide a face to face forum for the team to meet landlords and discuss the legislation;

(d) Issue landlords with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, along with guidance and installation instructions.

11. Thirteen events from September to November 2015 were run using local authority offices and other venues in Kent and Medway. Many of these events were combined with existing landlord forums, while others were specially organised workshops.

12. The events included presentations on the new legislation and its impact, information about the detectors and practical guidance for installation, and home/business safety advice highlighting the services of both the Business Engagement and Community Safety Teams. Wherever possible, detectors were issued at the events, but if it was not possible or practical to do this, opportunities were offered to landlords to collect detectors from a variety of locations around the county.

13. Comprehensive online content was created and hosted on the Service’s website. This included information about the new legislation and a web-based booking system allowing landlords to book places at events and request detectors prior to attending. This online information is still available and can be accessed via: http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/your-safety/business-safety/business-safety-advice/private-rental-landlords/.

14. The promotional programme ran initially for three months. However, given the relatively short lead-in time before the legislation was enacted and the positive reception from many landlords, the Business Engagement Team have continued to promote the legislation and offer free smoke and CO detectors to landlords as part of their ongoing programme of business engagement and support.

15. As of 1 March 2016, the initiative has distributed 8,573 Smoke Detectors and 2,161 Carbon Monoxide Detectors to landlords in the Kent and Medway area. There are still Government-funded smoke detectors available to support the ongoing programme, but the Authority has provided funding of £5k from existing budgets for additional Carbon Monoxide Detectors. Every landlord receiving an allocation of smoke and/or CO detectors signed a receipt acknowledging they had received the detectors and made a commitment to ensure that they would be installed in line with the requirements of the legislation. This information has been recorded for audit purposes.

16. Comparison with other FRAs has shown a variety of approaches to highlighting the change in legislation and distributing smoke and CO alarms to the landlord community. FRAs generally chose an ‘in-house’ option, using either their Technical Fire Safety or Community Safety teams to run the initiatives and distribute the detectors. Some FRAs took on additional staff whilst at least one FRA chose to deliver the detectors by post with written documentation but no face to face contact. After some initial reservations from landlords in Kent and Medway, the programme has been well received, particularly as it was delivered in partnership with local housing department colleagues. A questionnaire-based evaluation was completed at the conclusion of each session. In addition to providing overall feedback about the

http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/your-safety/business-safety/business-safety-advice/private-rental-landlords/

http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/your-safety/business-safety/business-safety-advice/private-rental-landlords/

sessions, which was quite positive, the BET were able to vary the content and pitch of the presentations in order to respond to specific questions or comments which were made by attending landlords, and this was also well received.

Looking Forward

17. There is more work to be done. The initiative to date has been successful in raising awareness of the new legislation and distributing smoke and CO detectors to many landlords in Kent and Medway. However, there are other landlords who have been either unable or unwilling to attend the planned sessions. Throughout 2016/17 the BET will continue to work with colleagues in Community Safety and local authority housing departments to promote the legislation and distribute further detectors. In addition to the BET business safety seminars and routine local authority landlord forums, the Team is using the Authority’s business safety web pages, and exploring the use of social media, in order to reach a much broader landlord audience than previously, and target some of those who can be particularly difficult to reach or engage with.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

18. Whilst detailed figures are not available, the private rented sector accommodates an increased proportion of people who are vulnerable for a variety of welfare, financial and other reasons. The new legislation has been introduced to assist in addressing the inequalities in the requirements for smoke and CO detectors to be installed in certain buildings.

19. The original allocation of smoke and CO detectors was funded by the Government as part of a package of measures intended to reduce the business burden relating to the introduction of the new legislation. The number of detectors provided to each FRA was broadly based on census statistics and did not fully reflect the demand from landlords in the Kent and Medway area. To address this, £5k has been allocated to supplement the programme with additional CO detectors, as the original allocation did not fully reflect the local demand. This has been met from within existing budgets. As the initiative continues an assessment will be made to see if there is a need to fund further smoke and CO detectors to ensure that all requests for detectors can be met.

20. The initiatives established as a result of the introduction of this new legislation have proved most beneficial in increasing awareness in the landlord community. Whilst a small amount of funding has been contributed by the Authority , the majority of the smoke alarms and CO detectors have been provided by the Government.

CONCLUSION



LEAD/CONTACT OFFICER: Assistant Director, Channel Tunnel and Resilience - Paul Flaherty TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01622 692121 ext 8202 EMAIL: [email protected] BACKGROUND PAPERS: None

Item Number: C7



Subject: CHANNEL TUNNEL UPDATE


FOR INFORMATION

SUMMARY

This report provides Members with an update on the recent French-led, Bi-National Exercise held at the Channel Tunnel site in January involving French and UK emergency services. Recent changes to Eurotunnel’s management structure are also noted for Members information along with progress on the investigation into the Channel Tunnel fire on 17 January 2015.

CONCLUSION



COMMENTS

Background

1. The Authority provides firefighters to crew the Channel Tunnel Emergency Response Centre (CTERC) as part of a contractual arrangement with Eurotunnel (ET). This has been the case since the tunnel opened for commercial service in 1996. The Authority’s staff based at the CTERC are referred to as the First Line of Response (FLOR).

2. This is the third year of the current contract and the Authority will commence the process of extending and renegotiating the current contract towards the end of 2016.

3. The Authority also has representation on the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA ) and co-chairs the Rail and Public Safety Working Group (RPSWG) which are the bodies that scrutinise the operation and safe working of the Channel Tunnel system. Part of the programme of events that assists the CTSA with the scrutiny of the Channel Tunnel operating systems is the Bi-National Exercise. This large scale exercise is held every year and is led alternately by the UK and French authorities. This is one of the few planned events for which the whole Eurotunnel concession is stopped for a number of hours.

Bi-National Exercise Number 26

4. The recent Bi-National Exercise (number 26) was French-led and was held on the night of 23 January 2016 between midnight and 0230hrs. The scenario for this exercise was an incident on one of the brand new Eurostar trains. This necessitated a full evacuation of all 700 passengers on the train, including 20 injured passengers. The exercise was witnessed by members of the CTSA in order to approve the necessary evacuation procedures for the new Eurostar trains. The Authority’s Chairman and officers attended the exercise and witnessed it from the scene of operations or via video link from the passenger terminal building at the Channel Tunnel site.

5. Emergency Services and Eurostar staff worked well together and managed to evacuate all 700 people from the train to the service tunnel in 45 minutes, which surpasses previous evacuation times. Managing this number of people in a very confined and harsh environment is no easy task and there has been positive feedback from the evacuees relating to the Authority’s staff.

6. ET have held an initial bi-national debrief and will publish the outcomes in the coming months. There are a number of minor learning points from the exercise which will be considered by the RPSWG and included in the CTSA inspection plan for the following year.

7. The next Bi-National Exercise (27) will be a UK-led exercise and is being planned for January 2017. This is likely to be a security-related incident on a train. Members will be kept updated on developments at a future meeting of the Committee and facilities may be available for a small number to observe via video link.

Investigations into the Fire of 17 January 2015

8. Members have previously been updated on the various investigations into the Channel Tunnel fire on 17 January 2015. The Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) and its French equivalent, BE-ATT, have undertaken a joint investigation to look at the technical aspects of the incident and how this was managed.

9. The Authority has submitted statements and supporting information to aid the investigation. The RAIB/BE-ATT report has yet to be finalised. As soon as it is published, Members will be updated on its content at the next meeting of the Committee.

Management Changes at Eurotunnel

10. ET have recently replaced two of the company’s directors who are responsible for the UK and French CTERCs. The changes are as follows:-

(a) Bruno Bouthors, who has been the ET Director leading the contingent attending CTSA meetings has stepped aside and has been replaced by Patrick Etienne. Mr Bouthors is still overseeing several projects on behalf of ET and will be assisting with continuity for the foreseeable future;

(b) Bruno de Pontfarcy has been replaced as Director overseeing the security and emergency response arrangements, including responsibility for the UK FLOR contract and heading up the ET contingent that attends RPSWG meetings. His replacement is Dominique Schmitlin who moves across from the Air Accident Branch of the Gendarmerie.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

11. The renewal of the FLOR contract with ET will be a significant issue for the Authority as 44 of its staff currently work at the CTERC. The current contract took a considerable time to negotiate and it is expected that discussions on a renewal of the contract will be started later this year.

CONCLUSION



kent and medway fire and rescue authority · a3. minutes of meeting held on 4 november 2015 (pages...

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