membership of the authority 2015 - 16€¦ · purpose to advise of a change in membership of the...

Purpose To advise of a change in membership of the Authority for 2015 – 16.

Recommendations That the report be noted.

Summary The five constituent District Councils appoint members to the Fire and Rescue Authority on an annual basis at their respective Annual General Meeting. This report advises of the changes to the Fire Authority membership for 2015 – 16.

OFFICIAL

Membership of the Authority 2015 - 16 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 3Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer

Local Government (Access to information) Act 1972

Exemption Category: None

Contact Officer: Nicola Houseman, Committee Services Manager T: 01274 655740 E: [email protected]

Background papers open to inspection: None

Annexes: None

1

1 Introduction 1.1 The District Councils have notified the Authority of the following ten changes in Members :

Bradford Councillor Dominic Fear (Liberal Democrat) replacing Councillor Howard Middleton (Liberal Democrat), Councillor Tariq Hussain (Labour) replacing Kaneez Akhtar (Labour), Councillor Angela Tait (Labour) replacing Councillor Gill Thornton (Labour) and Councillor Richard Dunbar (Labour) replacing Councillor Joanne Dodds.

Calderdale Councillor Peter Caffrey (Conservative) replacing Councillor Chris Pillai (Conservative)

Kirklees Councillor Mumtaz Hussain (Labour) replacing Councillor Amanda Stubley (Labour)

Leeds Councillor Pauleen Grahame (Labour) replacing Councillor Judith Cummins(Labour), Councillor Stuart McKenna (Labour) replacing Councillor Arif Hussain (Labour), Councillor Kamila Maqsood (Labour) replacing Councillor Jonathan Pryor (Labour) and Councillor Caroline Anderson (Conservative) replacing Councillor Gerald Wilkinson (Conservative)

Wakefield No change

2 Information

2.1 As at 26 June, membership of the Authority will be as follows;

BRADFORD CALDERDALE

Councillor R Dunbar (Labour) Councillor P Caffrey (Conservative) Councillor D Fear (Liberal Democrat) Councillor B Smith (Labour) Councillor T Hussain (Labour) Councillor M Shaw (Conservative) Councillor A Tait (Labour)

KIRKLEES LEEDS

Councillor C Burke (Liberal Democrat) Councillor C Anderson (Conservative) Councillor L Holmes (Conservative) Councillor P Grahame (Labour) Councillor J Hughes (Labour) Councillor R Grahame (Labour) Councillor M Hussain (Labour) Councillor P Harrand (Conservative)

Councillor K Maqsood (Labour) Councillor S McKenna (Labour) Councillor K Renshaw (Labour) Councillor C Townsley (Liberal Democrat)

WAKFIELD

Councillor T Austin (Labour) Councillor A Taylor (Conservative) Councillor A Wallis (Labour)

2

2.1 For the information of Members, the political composition of the Authority is as follows;

LABOUR CONSERVATIVE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT

Cllr Tracey Austin Cllr Caroline Anderson Cllr Cahal Burke

Cllr Richard Dunbar Cllr Peter Caffrey Cllr Dominic Fear

Cllr Pauleen Grahame Cllr Peter Harrand Cllr Chris Townsley

Cllr Ronald Grahame Cllr Lisa Holmes

Cllr Judith Hughes Cllr Mark Shaw

Cllr Mumtaz Hussain Cllr Angela Taylor

Cllr Tariq Hussain

Cllr Kamila Maqsood

Cllr Stuart McKenna

Cllr Karen Renshaw

Cllr Byran Smith

Cllr Angela Tait

Cllr Tony Wallis

TOTAL 13 6 3

3

Purpose To report on the annual monitoring and review of the Authority Constitution.

Recommendations That Members consider this report and, if in agreement, approve therecommendations contained in the Schedule to the report.

Summary This report invites Members to consider and, if in agreement, approve proposed changes to the Constitution.

OFFICIAL

Authority Constitution - review Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 8Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer (Monitoring Officer)



Contact Officer: M G Barnes, Chief Legal and Governance Officer (Monitoring Officer) E: [email protected] T: 01274 655710

Background papers open to inspection: 2014 Constitution

Annexes: Annex 1 – Proposed amendments Annex 2 – Third Party Recording Protocol Annex 3 - Local Pension Board Terms of Reference Annex 4 – Members allowances 2015 – 16 Annex 5 – Members’ Substitution scheme

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mailto:[email protected]

1 Introduction 1.1 Part 2 Article 1.3 of the Constitution requires the Authority to conduct an annual review of the

operation of the Constitution. The Monitoring Officer is required by Article 14 to assist in that process by submitting any proposals he thinks are appropriate for consideration by the Authority.

2.1 The Constitution, having been voluntarily adopted by the Authority in 2005, forms the cornerstone of Authority corporate governance arrangements. Subject to updating and occasional amendment it has served the Authority well over the last decade. Each year the Monitoring Officer reviews the implications of any legislative changes and consults with colleagues before making any recommendations for amendments. This year the proposed changes are set out in the Schedule to this report and Members are invited to consider and, if in agreement, to approve the proposed amendments.

2 Financial Implications

2.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report.

3 Equality and Diversity Implications 3.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising from this report.

4 Health and Safety Implications

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

5 Service Plan Links

5.1 Provide effective and ethical governance and achieve value for money in managing resources.

8

Annex 1

Article 3 – Citizens and the Authority

Page 9: Add new 3.3 Third Party Recording of Authority Meetings (Annex 2)

Reason: To comply with Government advice on facilitating public recording of meetings with a formal protocol to clarify arrangements.

Page 17: Insert new Article 10A – Local Pension Board. (Annex 3)

10A.1 The Authority has appointed a Local Pension Board under the Public Services Act 2013. This Board is not an ordinary committee of the Authority and is not subject to political balance regulations. It has a membership of 2 members of the Authority and 2 employee members. (Functions attached at Annex 3)

Renumber remaining Articles.

Reason: Implications of statutory requirement to establish a new Local Pension Board)

Article 8 – Human Resources Committee

Page 15: Add 8.2 (vii). “Pension matters including consideration of recommendations from the Local Pension Board.”

Reason: Consequential upon creation of Local Pension Board.

Article 10 - Audit Committee

Page 16: Add to Roles and Functions 9.2 (iii) “including compliance with Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS)”.

Reason: This complies with audit best practice.

Part 4 – Contract Standing Orders

Page 45: Add new 11.3. Notwithstanding 11.2, a full trail of electronic quotations received must be recorded or retained in a database approved by the Chief Finance and Procurement Officer.

Reason: To ensure that the process of recording contracts awarded using ‘e’ procurement are consistent with existing standing orders.

Part 4 - Financial Procedure Rules

Page 53: 1.11.Financial Governance.

Replace “Finance and Resources Committee” with “appropriate committee”.

Reason: This is to take account of the decision making powers of the other committees.

Page 53: 2. Revenue Budget Preparation and Management/Budget Preparation.

2.3 Replace “November” with “December”.

Reason: The draft Local Government Finance Settlement is not published until December.

Page 53: 2. Revenue Budget Preparation and Management/Budget Preparation.

2.4 Replace “December” with “January”.

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Reason: The final Local Government finance Settlement which is key to Management Board options is not published until January.

Page 54: 2 Revenue Budget Preparation and Management/Budget Management.

Insert new paragraph 2.16 “The Chief Finance & Procurement Officer will prepare regular reports on expenditure monitoring for the Executive Officers.”

Renumber remaining paragraphs.

Reason: This form uses the provision of information to enable Executive Officers to manage their budgets.

Page 55: 3 Capital Investment Plan and Management/Capital Investment Plan Preparation.

3.3 Replace “£250,000” with “£100,000”.

Reason: This brings the limit in line with Management Board approved level in 3.11.

Page 69: 18 Purchasing of Works, Goods and Services/Orders.

Add new 18.9 “Aggregation of contract works. Supplies of a similar type should be procured together and orders should not be split or aggregated for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of contract standing orders. In the case of orders below £12,000, Officers should keep an annual total of works allocated to specific contractors to ensure that the competition limits are not breached.”

Renumber remaining paragraph.

Reason: This is to prevent the contravention of Standing Order limits by issuing multiple orders for the same work without competition.

Part 6 – Members’ Allowances

Page 147: Schedule 1 – Members’ Allowances (Annex 4)

Remove reference to Standards Committee and Regional Management Board.

Reason: These bodies no longer exist.

Page 150: Add new Schedule 4 – Substitution Scheme (Annex 5)

Reason: To clarify and formalise the procedure for member substitution on committee arrangements.

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Annex 2

Recording Protocol : Third Party Recording of the Full Authority and its constituent Committees and Boards etc

In accordance with Section 40 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 members of the public are permitted to film public meetings of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (the Authority).

The Authority wants to be open and transparent in the way in which it conducts its decision-making.

Recording is allowed at all public meetings of the Authority to enable those not present to see or hear the proceedings either as they take place (or later) to enable the reporting of those proceedings.

All agendas will indicate that recordings may be made at the meeting by third parties and signage will also be displayed.

Any Third Party Recording will be undertaken in accordance with the following provisions;

1. Recording is permitted from a fixed point at all meetings of the Authority whilst thesemeetings are open to the public.

2. Those wishing to record proceedings should, as a courtesy, inform the Chair (or Clerk)of the meeting of their intentions to record prior to the commencement of the meeting.They will be given a copy of the “Code of Practice for the Use of Recording by ThirdParties” (Annex A).

3. Recordings may only be taken overtly from a designated area and;

a) Recording devices must be in silent mode and no simultaneous commentary maybe made;

b) No flash or additional lighting is permitted; andc) Recordings must be taken from one fixed position and must not obstruct others

from observing proceedings.

4. The Chair of the meeting has the authority to instruct that recordings be stopped andrecording equipment switched off where;

a) The press and public have been excluded from the meeting due to the nature ofbusiness being discussed (exempt or confidential);

b) There is public disturbance or a suspension / adjournment of the meeting;c) The recording has become disruptive or distracting to the good order and conduct

of the meeting; ord) Continued recording is against the wishes of a member(s) of the public present. In

such cases the Chair may prohibit filming of that individual(s) but continued audiorecording may be permitted where the contributions are material to the resolutionsto be made.

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Annex 2

Use of Recordings by Third Parties – Code of Practice

This Code of Practice is to be used in conjunction with the Authority’s “Recording Protocol : Third Party Recording of the Full Authority and its constituent Committees and Boards etc. “ and a copy of the Code will be given to those members of the public who wish to make such a recording.

A. Any published recording should be accompanied by the following statements : • when and where the recording was made• the context of the discussion that took place• clear identification of the main speakers (Members and / or Officers of the

Authority) together with their role and title

B. The recordings must not be edited in a way that could lead to misinterpretation or misrepresentation of the proceedings or comments made by attendees.

C. There should be no internal editing of published extracts; recording may start at any point and end at any point but the material between those points must be complete.

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Annex 3

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Local Pension Board

Terms of Reference

Function and Responsibilities

The function of the Local Pension Board is to assist the Scheme Manager in administering the various firefighter pension schemes. This will be achieved by providing governance and by scrutiny of policies, pension documentation, decisions and outcomes.

The Local Pension board will also assist the scheme manager to:

• Secure compliance with the Regulations, any other legislation relating to thegovernance and administration of the Scheme, and requirements imposed by thePensions Regulator in relation to the Scheme and';

• Ensure the effective and efficient governance and administration of the Scheme.

Duties of the Board

The Board should at all times act in a reasonable manner in the conduct of its purpose. In support of these duties Board members:

• Should act always in the interests of the scheme and not seek to promote theinterests of any stakeholder group above another.

• Should be subject to and abide by WYFRA code of conduct for members.

Frequency of meetings

The WYFRA Local Pension Board will meet six monthly (July and January in each municipal year), to review / report on previous actions and determine work streams and priorities for the future.

The Chair of the Board, with the consent of the Board membership, may call additional meetings. Urgent business of the Board between meetings may, in exceptional circumstances, be conducted via communications between members of the Board including telephone conferencing and e-mails.

Local Pension Board membership

To comply with the regulations the board must have a minimum of four members (Two employee’s representatives and two employer representatives).

13

Annex 3

Membership of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority Local Pension Board will be:

2 X employee representatives

2 X employer representatives (elected Members)

Non-voting Officers Adviser(s) as appropriate

Elected member representation on the Board will be determined by the Fire Authority.

The Officer Advisor will be a specific officer who is to assist the board in gathering/analysing information and writing reports. The Board will also be able to request assistance from any officer who has specific knowledge of a subject matter they are investigating.

A Local Pension Board membership of four is the most straight forward and cost effective way of providing the Local Pension Board and complying with the Regulations.

Employee representatives

WYFRA employee representatives shall be appointed to the Board.

Employee representatives will be active members of one of the firefighter pension schemes administered by WYFRA.

Employee representatives should be able to demonstrate their capacity to attend and complete the necessary preparation for meetings and participate in training as required.

Employer representatives

WYFRA employer representatives shall be appointed to the Board.

Employer representatives with delegated responsibility for discharging the scheme manager function of WYFRA may not serve as employer representatives.

Employer representatives should be able to demonstrate their capacity to attend and complete the necessary preparation for meetings and participate in training as required.

Employer representatives shall be appointed by WYFRA in a manner which it considers best promotes the purpose of the Board.

Appointment of Chair and Vice chair

Local Pension Board Members will act as the Chair and Vice chair on a rotational basis, these will change annually.

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Annex 3

Notification of appointments

On appointment to the Board, WYFRA shall publish the name of the appointees, the process followed in the appointment together with the way in which the appointments support the effective delivery of the purpose of the Board.

Objectives

WYFRA Local Pension Board should consider the following:

• Are pension statements timely and accurate?• How long does it take between retirement and receipt of pension?• The number of errors made by the pension administrator.• Are relevant policies in place and of a sufficient standard?• Are pension estimates accurate and timely?• Is the West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) website accurate and user friendly?• Ensure that annual CARE scheme calculations are being carried out.• Scrutinise data quality.• Ensuring pension rules and regulations are being complied with, when officers are

making decisions on pension matters.• If complaints/appeals are being dealt with correctly and the correct procedures being

followed.• Review internal audit reports

This list is not exhaustive. The Local Pension Board will have the power to investigate anything it wishes in relation to the firefighters’ pension schemes within WYFRS.

Conduct and Conflict of interest

Members of the Board are responsible for ensuring that their board membership does not result in any conflict of interest with any other posts they hold.

All members of the Board must declare to WYFRA on appointment and at any such time as their circumstances change any potential conflict of interest arising as a result of their position on the Board.

On appointment to the Board and following any subsequent declaration of potential conflict WYFRA shall ensure that any potential conflict is effectively managed in line with both the internal procedures of WYFRA and the requirements of the Pensions Regulators codes of practice on conflict of interest for Board members.

Members of the Board must not use their membership for personal gain.

Gifts and hospitality should only be accepted with the permission of the Authority - any gifts accepted should be reported on in the local pension board’s annual report.

Members of the WYFRA Local Pension Board should maintain confidentiality when discharging their duties.

The WYFRA Local Pension Board has the right to use WYFRA facilities and resources in the course of discharging its duties.

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Annex 3

Knowledge and understanding (including Training)

Knowledge and understanding must be considered in light of the role of the Board to assist WYFRA as detailed above. The Board should establish and maintain a policy and framework to address the knowledge and understanding requirements that apply to Board members. That policy and framework shall set out the degree of knowledge and understanding required as well as how knowledge and understanding is acquired, reviewed and updated.

Board members shall attend and participate in training arranged in order to meet and maintain the requirements set out in the Board's knowledge and understanding policy and framework.

Board members shall participate in such personal training needs analysis or other processes that are put in place in order to ensure that they maintain the required level of knowledge and understanding to carry out their role on the Board.

Term of office

Term of Office should be in accordance with the committee cycle in WYFRA

Board membership may be terminated prior to the end of the term of office due to:

• An employee representative is no longer an active member of a firefighterspension scheme.

• An employer representative no longer holding the office or employment or beinga member of the body on which their appointment relied.

• The representative no longer being able to demonstrate their capacity to attendand prepare for meetings or to participate in required training.

Reporting

The West Yorkshire Local Pension Board will produce an annual report which will highlight areas of concern and identify good practice.

The report will also contain information on the number of retirements (natural and ill health), new starters, membership numbers and Opt out.

The board will report to the Human resources committee.

Resourcing and funding

Members of the WYFRA Local Pension Board will be entitled to claim any reasonable out of pocket expense incurred through discharging their local pension board responsibilities.

The Board will not have a dedicated budget. Requests for finance to purchase technical assistance, Board member training and anything else the Board may require to effectively discharge its duties will be made through the WYFRA Finance and Resources Committee.

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Annex 3

Quorum

A meeting is only quorate when three Board members are present (including either the chair or vice chair).

Voting

The Chair shall determine when consensus has been reached.

Where consensus is not achieved this should be recorded by the Chair.

In support of its core functions the Board may make a request for information to WYFRA with regard to any aspect of the scheme manager function. Any such a request should be reasonably complied with in both scope and timing.

In support of its core functions the Board may make recommendations to WYFRA which should be considered and a response made to the Board on the outcome within a reasonable period of time.

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Annex 5

WEST YORKSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

Members’ Substitution Scheme

Part 6 Paragraph 10.1 of the Authority’s Constitution allows for a deduction of £50 to be made from a Member’s allowances payment for non-attendance at meetings where no, or insufficient, notice has been given.

For the avoidance of doubt, apologies will be formally acknowledged by this office with an individual reference number. Should a Member not receive the number in advance of the meeting date, they must assume that apologies have not been recorded and would be at risk of having a deduction made from their allowances. Please contact Committee Services by telephone immediately.

Procedure

1. Member to notify Committee Services on 01274 655740 or by email [email protected] with apologies as soon as it becomes evident thatthey cannot attend a scheduled meeting of a Committee (or any other approved duty) towhich they have been formally appointed.

2. Committee Services will acknowledge receipt of the apology with a standard emailcontaining an individual reference number. Members should keep this acknowledgementfor record purposes. A record will also be maintained within Committee Services.

3. Committee Services will contact other Members of the relevant political group to find asubstitute for the meeting / approved duty as appropriate.

The effect of a valid substitution notice and receipt of an acknowledgement will be that the Member giving notice of apologies will cease to be a member of that committee (or will no longer be the Authority’s representative in the case of the fulfilment of an approved duty) for the duration of the meeting / event and for the duration of any adjournment of it. The substitute member shall be a full member / formal representative for that meeting or event.

Once a valid substitution notice has been given for a meeting of a committee or for an approved duty, it may not be revoked.

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Purpose a) To note the current political balance of the Authority and to makeappointments of Members (substantive and substitutes) to committees in accordance with the political balance requirements and principles set out in Sections 15 and 16 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

b) That the Authority makes appointments to the positions of Chairs andVice Chairs of the ordinary committees.

c) That the Authority make appointments to the pre-meeting briefinggroups which are chaired by the respective committee chairs.

Recommendations That the report be noted and the revised committee allocations andappointment(s) to committee(s) and briefing groups be approved.

Summary This report contains proposals for the Annual General Meeting appointment of Members to Committees in accordance with the legislative requirements on political balance, for the appointment of Members to pre-meeting briefing groups and, for appointment of Committee Chairs and Vice chairs.

OFFICIAL

Committee Membership and Appointments Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 9Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer


Exemption Category: Nil

Contact Officer: M G Barnes – Chief Legal & Governance Officer (Monitoring Officer) t: 01274 655711 [email protected]


Annexes: None

20


1 Background 1.1 The current political balance of the Authority remains unchanged from last year and is as follows:

Total number of Members: 22

Political Groups

Labour 13

Conservative 6

Liberal Democrat 3

1.2 The total number of ordinary committee seats is 45.

Executive Committee 6

Audit Committee 6

Finance and Resources 11

Human Resources 11

Community Safety 11

1.3 The 45 committee seats should be distributed in accordance with the following share allocation:

Labour 27

Conservative 12

Liberal Democrat 6

1.4 The 45-seat structure should then be allocated proportionally between Committees to allow the appointment of substantive and substitute members as follows:

Committee (total seats)

Labour Group seats

Conservative Group seats

Liberal Democrat seats

Executive (6) 4 1 1

Audit (6) 4 1 1

Finance & Resources (11) 6 4 1

Human Resources (11) 6 4 1

Community Safety (11) 7 2 2

Total 27 12 6

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1.5 Appointment of Chairs and Vice Chairs

Executive Committee Chair Vice Chair

Audit Committee Chair Vice Chair

Finance & Resources Committee Chair Vice Chair

Human Resources Committee Chair Vice Chair

Community Safety Committee Chair Vice Chair

1.6 It is recommended that the Authority continues to authorise any member of each political group who is not a substantive member of a Committee to act as a substitute for any other group member who is a substantive member of any Committee. Appointment of substitutes would continue to need to be certified by the group prior to the start of a meeting by notification to the office of the Chief Legal and Governance Officer.

1.7 Briefing Groups

The Authority has for many years operated a system of multi-party non-executive group briefing meetings prior to substantive Committee meetings. They comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee plus 1 Member from the “opposition” Group. Nomination of ‘opposition’ Members need to be made for this purpose.

1.8 Committee Cycles

Committees meet four times per year.



3 Equality and Diversity Implications

3.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising from this report.


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

5 Service Plan Links 5.1 This report relates to the following Service Plan priority

“Provide effective and ethical governance and achieve value for money in managing resources”.

22

Purpose To make relevant Member appointments to the Local Pension Board for the municipal year 2015 – 16.

Recommendations a) That the appropriate appointments be made to the Local Pension Boardb) That the revised Terms of Reference for the Local Pension Board benoted.

Summary The Local Pension Board was established with effect from 1 April 2015 in accordance with the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. Employer side appointments for the remainder of the 2014 – 15 municipal year were made and approval was given to the Board’s Terms of Reference (as amended) together with the proposed schedule of Board meetings at the 20 February 2015 meeting of the full Authority.

Appointments to the Employer side (2 x Elected Members) should now be made for the 2015 – 16 municipal year.

OFFICIAL

Local Pension Board - Member (Employer) appointments 2015 - 16 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 10 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer



Contact Officer: Nicola Houseman, Committee Services Manager Tel: 01274 655740 E: [email protected]


Annexes: Local Pension Board Terms of Reference

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1 Introduction 1.1 The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Local Pension Board was established with effect

from 1 April 2015 in accordance with the requirements of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.

1.2 Councillors Thornton (as Chair of the Authority’s Human Resources Committee) and Councillor Harrand (opposition member on the Authority’s Human Resources Committee) were appointed as Employer-side representatives on 20 February 2015 for the remainder of the 2014 – 15 municipal year.

2 Information

2.1 Employer-side appointments on the basis of two Elected Members need to be made on an annual basis by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

2.2 Employee-side appointments for 2015 – 16 have been made as follows;

P Drinkwater S Wilson

2.3 Board appointments do not need to be made in accordance with the political balance requirements and principles set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Those Employer-side Members appointed for 2014 – 15 were appointed to the Board on the basis that they were the Chair and an opposition member on the Authority’s Human Resources (HR) Committee. (The HR Committee having delegated responsibility for issues related to the implementation of national pension schemes and other related issues).

2.4 Members will note that the relevant amendments have been made to the Terms of Reference (Annex A) subsequent upon its submission to the February meeting of the Full Authority. These changes relate specifically to the resourcing of the Board and its membership (Employer-side).

2.5 Following confirmation of Employer and Employee-side appointments, the Board will agree its schedule of meetings for the 2015 – 16 municipal year (July and January). It is anticipated that the inaugurual meeting will be held on Friday 10 July 2015.

2.6 In accordance with the recommendation of the HR Committee at its meeting held on 23 January 2015, the Terms of Reference and arrangements for the Local Pension Board will be reviewed after 12 months’ operation.




4.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising from this report.

5 Health and Safety Implications 5.1 There are no health and safety implications arising from this report.

6 Service Plan Links 6.1 This report relates to the following Service Plan priority

“Provide effective and ethical governance and achieve value for money in managing resources”.

24

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Local Pension Board

Terms of Reference

Function and Responsibilities

The function of the Local Pension Board is to assist the Scheme Manager in administering the various firefighter pension schemes. This will be achieved by providing governance and by scrutiny of policies, pension documentation, decisions and outcomes.

The Local Pension board will also assist the scheme manager to:

• Secure compliance with the Regulations, any other legislation relating to thegovernance and administration of the Scheme, and requirements imposed by thePensions Regulator in relation to the Scheme and';

• Ensure the effective and efficient governance and administration of the Scheme.

Duties of the Board

The Board should at all times act in a reasonable manner in the conduct of its purpose. In support of these duties Board members:

• Should act always in the interests of the scheme and not seek to promote theinterests of any stakeholder group above another.

• Should be subject to and abide by WYFRA code of conduct for members.

Frequency of meetings

The WYFRA Local Pension Board will meet six monthly (July and January in each municipal year), to review / report on previous actions and determine work streams and priorities for the future.

The Chair of the Board, with the consent of the Board membership, may call additional meetings. Urgent business of the Board between meetings may, in exceptional circumstances, be conducted via communications between members of the Board including telephone conferencing and e-mails.

Local Pension Board membership

To comply with the regulations the board must have a minimum of four members (Two employee’s representatives and two employer representatives).

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Membership of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority Local Pension Board will be:

2 X employee representatives

2 X employer representatives (elected Members)

Non-voting Officers Adviser(s) as appropriate

Elected member representation on the Board will be determined by the Fire Authority.

The Officer Advisor will be a specific officer who is to assist the board in gathering/analysing information and writing reports. The Board will also be able to request assistance from any officer who has specific knowledge of a subject matter they are investigating.

A Local Pension Board membership of four is the most straight forward and cost effective way of providing the Local Pension Board and complying with the Regulations.

Employee representatives

WYFRA employee representatives shall be appointed to the Board.

Employee representatives will be active members of one of the firefighter pension schemes administered by WYFRA.

Employee representatives should be able to demonstrate their capacity to attend and complete the necessary preparation for meetings and participate in training as required.

Employer representatives

WYFRA employer representatives shall be appointed to the Board.

Employer representatives with delegated responsibility for discharging the scheme manager function of WYFRA may not serve as employer representatives.

Employer representatives should be able to demonstrate their capacity to attend and complete the necessary preparation for meetings and participate in training as required.

Employer representatives shall be appointed by WYFRA in a manner which it considers best promotes the purpose of the Board.

Appointment of Chair and Vice chair

Local Pension Board Members will act as the Chair and Vice chair on a rotational basis, these will change annually.

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Notification of appointments

On appointment to the Board, WYFRA shall publish the name of the appointees, the process followed in the appointment together with the way in which the appointments support the effective delivery of the purpose of the Board.

Objectives

WYFRA Local Pension Board should consider the following:

• Are pension statements timely and accurate?• How long does it take between retirement and receipt of pension?• The number of errors made by the pension administrator.• Are relevant policies in place and of a sufficient standard?• Are pension estimates accurate and timely?• Is the West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) website accurate and user friendly?• Ensure that annual CARE scheme calculations are being carried out.• Scrutinise data quality.• Ensuring pension rules and regulations are being complied with, when officers are

making decisions on pension matters.• If complaints/appeals are being dealt with correctly and the correct procedures being

followed.• Review internal audit reports

This list is not exhaustive. The Local Pension Board will have the power to investigate anything it wishes in relation to the firefighters’ pension schemes within WYFRS.

Conduct and Conflict of interest

Members of the Board are responsible for ensuring that their board membership does not result in any conflict of interest with any other posts they hold.

All members of the Board must declare to WYFRA on appointment and at any such time as their circumstances change any potential conflict of interest arising as a result of their position on the Board.

On appointment to the Board and following any subsequent declaration of potential conflict WYFRA shall ensure that any potential conflict is effectively managed in line with both the internal procedures of WYFRA and the requirements of the Pensions Regulators codes of practice on conflict of interest for Board members.

Members of the Board must not use their membership for personal gain.

Gifts and hospitality should only be accepted with the permission of the Authority - any gifts accepted should be reported on in the local pension board’s annual report.

Members of the WYFRA Local Pension Board should maintain confidentiality when discharging their duties.

The WYFRA Local Pension Board has the right to use WYFRA facilities and resources in the course of discharging its duties.

27

Knowledge and understanding (including Training)

Knowledge and understanding must be considered in light of the role of the Board to assist WYFRA as detailed above. The Board should establish and maintain a policy and framework to address the knowledge and understanding requirements that apply to Board members. That policy and framework shall set out the degree of knowledge and understanding required as well as how knowledge and understanding is acquired, reviewed and updated.

Board members shall attend and participate in training arranged in order to meet and maintain the requirements set out in the Board's knowledge and understanding policy and framework.

Board members shall participate in such personal training needs analysis or other processes that are put in place in order to ensure that they maintain the required level of knowledge and understanding to carry out their role on the Board.

Term of office

Term of Office should be in accordance with the committee cycle in WYFRA

Board membership may be terminated prior to the end of the term of office due to:

• An employee representative is no longer an active member of a firefighterspension scheme.

• An employer representative no longer holding the office or employment or beinga member of the body on which their appointment relied.

• The representative no longer being able to demonstrate their capacity to attendand prepare for meetings or to participate in required training.

Reporting

The West Yorkshire Local Pension Board will produce an annual report which will highlight areas of concern and identify good practice.

The report will also contain information on the number of retirements (natural and ill health), new starters, membership numbers and Opt out.

The board will report to the Human resources committee.

Resourcing and funding

Members of the WYFRA Local Pension Board will be entitled to claim any reasonable out of pocket expense incurred through discharging their local pension board responsibilities.

The Board will not have a dedicated budget. Requests for finance to purchase technical assistance, Board member training and anything else the Board may require to effectively discharge its duties will be made through the WYFRA Finance and Resources Committee.

28

Quorum

A meeting is only quorate when three Board members are present (including either the chair or vice chair).

Voting

The Chair shall determine when consensus has been reached.

Where consensus is not achieved this should be recorded by the Chair.

In support of its core functions the Board may make a request for information to WYFRA with regard to any aspect of the scheme manager function. Any such a request should be reasonably complied with in both scope and timing.

In support of its core functions the Board may make recommendations to WYFRA which should be considered and a response made to the Board on the outcome within a reasonable period of time.

29

Purpose (a) To consider the nomination of Members to answer questions at meetings of constituent authorities; and (b) To consider the nomination of Members as District Community Safety lead representatives.

Recommendations (a) That nomination of Members be made as required by the Local Government Act 1985 for the purpose of answering questions at meetings of constituent Councils for the year 2015 / 2016; and (b) That nomination of Members be made as Authority representatives for Community Safety in each District for the year 2015 / 2016.

Summary It is a requirement of the Local Government Act 1985 that appointments be made for the purpose of answering questions at meetings of the Authority’s constituent councils. Since 2011, the Authority has also appointed named Members to act as Lead Members for Community Safety purposes in each District.

OFFICIAL

Nomination of Members to answer questions at meetings of constituent authorities and District Community Safety lead representatives 2015 - 2016 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 11 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer





Annexes: None

30

1 Introduction 1.1 Under the Local Government Act 1985 the Authority is required to nominate a Member from each

constituent Council on the Authority to answer questions within the Council on the discharge of functions etc by the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (WYFRA).

1.2 Since 2011 WYFRA has also approved the nomination of Members to act as Community Safety lead in each District.

2 Information

2.1 At the Annual Meeting in June 2015 the following Members were nominated to answer such questions for the Municipal year 2014 / 2015 :

Councillor J Dodds* Bradford Councillor B Smith Calderdale Councillor A Stubley * Kirklees Councillor J Cummins * Leeds Councillor A Wallis Wakefield

*no longer a Member of the Authority

2.2 Since the original nominations were made as District Community Safety leads, the Authority has considered it appropriate that they should be the same Member(s) as those nominated to answer questions in each District under the statutory requirement.


3.1 There a no financial implications arising directly from this report.

4 Equality and Diversity Implications 4.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising directly from this report.


5.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising directly from this report.


6.1 The nominations detailed in this report link to the Authority’s priority as follows;

- Provide effective and ethical governance

31

Purpose To make appointments to the Local Government Association and other outside bodies for the municipal year 2015 / 2016.

Recommendations That the Authority determines its appointment of representatives to the LocalGovernment Association and other outside bodies as detailed in this report for 2015 / 2016.

Summary The Authority appoints Members annually to a number of outside bodies, including the Local Government Association.

OFFICIAL

Representation on Outside Bodies for 2015 / 2016 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 12 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer





Annexes: None

32

1 Introduction 1.1 The Local Government Association and other outside bodies to which the Authority is entitled to

make appointments together with details of the appointments for last year are set out below:

Body Number of Seats

2014 / 2015 Representatives

LGA General Assembly 4 Chair

Councillors T Austin (Lab), G Thornton (Lab) and L Holmes (Con)

(or their nominees)

LGA Fire Commission 2 Chair and P Harrand (Con)

(or their nominees)

Footnote: The Authority’s 17 votes on the LGA General Assembly have previously been allocated in accordance with political proportionality. This year it remains as Labour Group (10), Conservative Group (5) and Liberal Democrat Group (2). The Chair to exercise the corporate vote.

Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Council *

No nomination required for 2015 - 16

1 Chair

(or her nominee)

Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Employers’ Committee **

1 Councillor Hughes

(or her nominee)

Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation Management Committee

(non-voting Associate member)

1 Councillor A Wallis

(or his nominee)

Association of Metropolitan Fire Authorities (AMFRA)

2 Chair and Vice chair

(or their nominees)

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Partnership Executive Group

1 Chair

(or her nominee)

* Disestablished wef April 2015

** Replaced wef 1.4.15 by the Yorkshire and Humberside Local Authorities Employers’ Association

33

2 Information

2.1 The Local Government Association (LGA) encourages a practice of appointing to LGA seats on a party political proportionality basis but this is not a legal requirement under the 1989 Act and nor does such a requirement apply to bodies to which the Authority makes less than three appointments anyway. The LGA constitution permits national top-up appointments to ensure a political balance is achieved if this is necessary. Approval has previously been given and later confirmed in June 2013 that payment of LGA balancing / top-up Member expenses would be index linked and set by the Chief Finance and Procurement Officer. No requests for top-up appointments for 2015 – 16 have been made by the LGA at this stage.

2.2 The Authority should note that the LGA may appoint any of this Authority’s representatives to serve on its behalf on the various specialist national bodies such as the National Joint Council for Local Authorities’ Fire Brigades etc.

2.3 These bodies also organise seminars, conferences, courses etc from time to time relating to topics of interest to the Authority and the LGA and to which Members (additional to the nominated Members) might be invited to attend. In some instances the LGA pays the relevant allowances and in other cases individual fire authorities are required to pay any associated costs.

2.4 In conclusion, the Authority is invited to determine its nominations for appointment to the above listed external bodies for the year 2015 / 16.


3.1 The reimbursement of Member expenses incurred whilst attending formal business of an outside body detailed at 1.1 above will be met from within existing budgetary provision.


4.1 There are no equality and diversity implications arising directly from this report.


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


6.1 The appointment of Members to outside bodies supports the Authority’s priority of providing “effective and ethical governance”.

34

Purpose To inform Members of the Authority’s performance against key performance indicators.

Recommendations That Members note the report.

Summary This report provides Members with information regarding the performance of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service against targets to enable the Authority to measure, monitor and evaluate performance.

OFFICIAL

Performance Management Report - 1 April 2014 - 31 March 2015 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 21 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer



Contact Officer: Alison Davey Corporate Services Manager Tel. 01274 655801 [email protected]


Annexes: Performance Management Report 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015

79

1 Introduction 1.1 The attached Performance Management and Activity Report outlines the Authority’s

performance against key performance indicators thereby enabling the Authority to measure, monitor and evaluate performance against targets. These are detailed in three categories as shown below:

• Key Performance Indicators• Service Delivery Indicators• Corporate Health Indicators

1.2 The report shows a summary of the cumulative performance for the year 2014/15. A report showing the performance for the year 2015/16 will be presented to the next Full Authority meeting.

1.3 The Performance Management and Activity Report is monitored bi-monthly by Management Team and the Full Authority at each meeting.

1.4 An abridged version of the Performance Management Report is presented to each Audit Committee highlighting where targets are not being achieved.

1.5 A traffic light system is used to provide a clear visual indicator of performance against each specific target and ‘direction of travel’ arrows indicate whether performance has improved, remained the same or deteriorated compared to the position at the same time in the previous year.

1.6 Other performance and activity information is also included within the report.




3.1 Measurement against key indicators on equality and diversity are included in the Performance Management Reports.

4 Health and Safety Implications 4.1 There are no health and safety implications arising from this report.


5.1 This report links to all of the Service Plan 2011-2015 priorities as the Performance Management Report covers all areas of performance of WYFRS.

6 Conclusions

6.1 That Members note the report.

80

Performance Management and Activity Report 2014/15

Period covered: 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 Date Issued: 01 June 2015

81

Table of Contents

1. Introduction/Summary 22. Service Delivery Targets 33. Operational Risk Visits (including Fire Safety) 104. Home Fire Safety Checks 115. Incidents 126. Fire-Related Incidents attended by Six Pumps and Above 157. Other Incidents or Activity of Note 208. Violence at Work 21

1. Introduction/Summary

The purpose of this report is to provide information regarding the performance of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service against selected national and local targets to enable the Authority to measure, monitor and evaluate performance.

The first twelve indicators contained within this report relate to Service Delivery indicators as identified within the 2011-15 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan. For these indicators, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has based the next five year’s aspirations on the last five year’s achievements.

In this report, monthly statistics have been utilised to identify trends in performance. Information regarding a selection of local performance targets has also been provided in this report and comparisons have been made with the previous year’s performance.

All data, unless specified, is for the reporting period 1 April – 31 March 2015.

A traffic light system has been employed to provide a straightforward visual indicator of performance against each specific target.

Graphical representation of the performance of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is available through the Performance Management Information System (PMIS), which is accessed via the Service’s intranet site.

82

2. Service Delivery Targets

Legend

Red indicates not achieving target Amber indicates satisfactory performance (within 10% of target) Green indicates achieving or exceeding target Purple indicates target not applicable Grey indicates there is currently no data available for this indicator

FRS Indicators

FRS Performance Actual Data

(2009/10)

Actual Data

(2013/14)

Target (2014/15)

Actual Data

(2014/15)

Performance Against Target to date

End of Year

Projection (2014/15)

Arson 10897 5666 6940 5499 -20.8% 5499

Actual Rescues 875 739 732 719 -1.8% 719

Total Activity 34270 22737 25928 21400 -17.5% 21400

Dwelling Fires 1549 1242 1332 1254 -5.9% 1254

Non-Domestic Building Fires 513 414 436 401 -8.0% 401

Prevalence of False Alarms 16750 11486 13015 10646 -18.2% 10646

Fire-Related Injuries 270 205 220 207 -5.9% 207

Road Traffic Collisions 1060 619 745 640 -14.1% 640

No. of Operational Risk Visits 6180 6278 1.6% 6278

Malicious False Alarms 713 369 471 329 -30.1% 329

No. of Home Fire Safety Check Points 293850 331816 12.9% 331816

83

Service Delivery Indicators

Description Annual Target

Reporting Period Target

Performance

Accidental Dwelling Fires (per 10,000 dwellings) 12.34 12.34 11.68

Number of deaths arising from accidental fires in dwellings (per 100,000 population)

0.39 0.39 0.31

(See Section 5 for more details)

Number of Fire-Related Deaths (per 100,000 population) arising from fires other than Accidental Dwelling Fires

Not set Not set 0.18

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Accidental Dwelling Fires per 10,000 Dwellings

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1989-1994 1994-1999 1999-2004 2004-2009 2009-2014

Number of Deaths arising from Accidental Fires in Dwellings

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1989-1994 1994-1999 1999-2004 2004-2009 2009-2014

Number of Deaths arising from Fires other than Accidental Dwelling Fires

84



Performance

Number of Injuries arising from accidental fires in dwellings (per 100,000 population)

6.37 6.37 6.61

(a) Number of Serious Injuries(per 100,000 population) Not set Not set 0.62 (b) Number of Slight Injuries (per 100,000 population) Not set Not set 5.99

Number of calls to malicious false alarms (per 1000 population) – not attended

0.39 0.39 0.05 (to 31/10/2014)

Not recorded from introduction of new Control system

Number of calls to malicious false alarms (per 1000 population) – attended

0.54 0.54 0.15

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Number of Injuries arising from Accidental Fires in Dwellings per 100,000 Population

-100

100

300

500

700

900

1100

1300

1500

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Number of Calls to Malicious False Alarms Not Attended

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Number of Calls to Malicious False Alarms Attended

85



Performance

False alarms caused by automatic fire detection equipment (per 1000 non-domestic properties)

82.44 82.44 41.50

False alarms caused by automatic fire detection equipment (per 1000 domestic properties)

Not set Not set 4.38

Fires in non-domestic premises (per 1000 non-domestic premises) 6.78 6.78 5.14

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

False Alarms caused by Automatic Fire Detection Equipment (per 1000 Non-Domestic Properties)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

False Alarms caused by Automatic Fire Detection Equipment (Domestic Properties)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Fires in Non-Domestic Premises per 1000 premises

86



Performance

The percentage of dwelling fires attended where there was a working smoke alarm which activated

52.6% 52.6% 55.5%

The percentage of dwelling fires attended where a smoke alarm, because it was faulty or incorrectly sited, did not activate

8.5% 8.5% 5.3%

The percentage of dwelling fires attended where a working smoke alarm was correctly fitted but did not activate

Not set Not set 18.4%

The percentage of dwelling fires attended where no smoke alarm was fitted

41.6% 41.6% 20.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 todate

Working Smoke Alarmwhich Activated

Working Smoke Alarmwas Correctly Fittedbut did not Activate

Percentage of Dwelling Fires Attended where there was a Working Smoke Alarm

87



Performance

Number of Primary Fires (per 100,000 population) 197.68 197.68 130.58

Number of Fire Casualties – excluding Precautionary Checks (per 100,000 population)

9.22 9.22 8.75

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Number of Primary Fires per 100,000 Population

0

5

10

15

20

25

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Number of Fire Casualties per 100,000 Population

88



Performance

Arson Incidents – All Deliberate Fires (per 10,000 population) 52.63 52.63 24.54

Arson Incidents – Deliberate Primary Fires (per 10,000 population) 12.50 12.50 4.82

Arson Incidents – Deliberate Secondary Fires (per 10,000 population)

41.02 41.02 19.72

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

All Deliberate Fires per 10,000 Population

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Deliberate Primary Fires per 10,000 Population

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

Deliberate Secondary Firesper 10,000 Population

89

3. Operational Risk Visits (including Fire Safety)

The new Fire Safety Strategy, which applies from 1 April 2013, determines that operational crews will carry out visits to commercial premises in support of specialist fire protection personnel. These visits are termed Operational Risk Visits (ORVs).

Crews carrying out an ORV will collect both operational risk information (risks and mitigating control measures which would be valuable information in the event of an incident at the premises) and fire safety information in one single Operational Risk Visit (ORV).

After a slow start with the new procedure in 2013/14, the number of visits carried out each month gradually increased so that the annual target was in due course exceeded with 6,369 visits recorded against the target of 6,180.

At the beginning of 2014/15, once again a number of changes were made to the process of recording ORVs, and after ten months, performance was slightly below target. However, after a strong performance in February, when 726 visits were completed, the year end total of 6,278 is just a little over the annual target of 6,180.

472

960

1418

1921

2380

2865

3539

4097

4506

5065

5791

6278

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000Total Operational Risk Visits Completed

Average Monthly Target = 515

Annual Target = 6180

90

4. Home Fire Safety Checks

Over the past ten years West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has undertaken an intensive programme of Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSCs) aimed primarily at reducing the impact of domestic dwelling fires in terms of injury, death and damage to property through increasing smoke detector ownership.

Despite the successes in reducing house fires and associated injuries and deaths, it is clear that there is more to do in terms of targeting those households at most risk and, from 1 April 2013, WYFRS have adopted a points-based strategy, which seeks to identify such households through an assessment of both individual and geographical risk. The allocation of points for each HFSC aims to incentivise those personnel carrying out prevention activities to identify risk and to reduce this risk to the maximum extent within the individual household.

This strategy has once again delivered excellent outcomes in terms of risk reduction across West Yorkshire. In 2014/15, WYFRS carried out 42,366 HFSCs and achieved a total of 331,810 points (against a target of 293,850).

29146

57796

88329

118268

150926

179951

210450

236078

257424

284621

308291

331810

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

Total Home Fire Safety Check Points

2014/15 Annual Target = 293,850

Average Monthly Target = 24,500

3832

7661

11507

15503

19685

23413

27260

30508

33134

3651939529

42366

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Total Home Fire Safety Checks Completedto be removed from 2015-16

91

5. IncidentsThe table and chart below show the operational activity of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for the financial year to date (1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015) categorised by incident type and compared with the same period last year.

Incident Category

Number of Incidents

1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015

Number of Incidents

1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014

Percentage Change in

Incident Type since last year

Primary Fires - Accidental 1,847 1,810 2.04%Primary Fires - Deliberate 1,079 1,125 -4.09%Secondary Fires - Accidental 1,200 1,512 -20.63%Secondary Fires - Deliberate 4,420 4,541 -2.66%Road Traffic Collisions 638 619 3.07%Special Service Calls 1,571 1,644 -4.44%False Alarm - Apparatus Non-Domestic 3,236 3,482 -7.06%False Alarm - Apparatus Domestic 4,064 4,397 -7.57%False Alarm - Other (e.g. Shed or Private Garage) 9 11 -18.18%False Alarm - Good Intent 3,008 3,227 -6.79%False Alarm - Malicious 329 369 -10.84%Total 21,401 22,737 -5.88%

1,847 9% 1,079

5%

1,200 6%

4,420 21%

638 3%1,571

7%

3,236 15%

4,064 19%

9 0%

3,008 14%

329 1%

Primary Fires - Accidental

Primary Fires - Deliberate

Secondary Fires - Accidental

Secondary Fires - Deliberate

Road Traffic Collisions

Special Service Calls

False Alarm - Apparatus Non-DomesticFalse Alarm - Apparatus Domestic

False Alarm - Other (e.g. Shed orPrivate Garage)False Alarm - Good Intent

False Alarm - Malicious

92

The table below shows the total number of incidents ten years ago, five years ago, and last year, and can be used as a comparison with the current year’s data above.

Comments on Fatal Fires

Kingfisher Way, Alwoodley, Leeds Date of fire: 03/02/2015, T.O.C. 04:11 The individual was a male, 76 years of age, who lived alone in his privately rented ground floor flat. He was terminally ill with chronic kidney failure, suffered with paranoid schizophrenia, and had poor mobility and diabetes.

Fire crews from Moortown Fire Station carried out a home fire safety check (HFSC) at his flat in June 2014. During this HFSC a number of high risk factors were noted including unsafe smoking and cooking practices. These issues generated a follow up visit by a WYFRS Fire Prevention Officer. During the follow up visit, extra smoke detection was installed and fire retardant bedding and a fire retardant throw were issued. Due to the Prevention Officer’s concerns, he escalated the case to his District Prevention Manager. A number of discussions took place between different agencies including the Leeds and Yorkshire Partnership Trust and the Community Mental Health Team. Following these communications it was deemed that the householder had capacity and therefore no further intervention could be made due to him being unwilling to engage.

The fire originated inside the top drawer of a bedside cabinet in his bedroom. It then spread laterally to involve the bed, where he was most likely laid. He received burns to his head and arms and was rescued from a short corridor leading to his bedroom, but succumbed to his injuries the following day 4 February 2015. The most likely cause of the fire is a lit cigar falling on to combustible items in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet.

Incident Category

Number of Incidents

1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 Percentage

Number of Incidents


Number of Incidents


Primary Fires - Accidental 2,678 6.1% 2,238 6.5% 1,810 8.0%Primary Fires - Deliberate 4,866 11.1% 2,146 6.3% 1,125 4.9%Secondary Fires - Accidental 1,237 2.8% 1,237 3.6% 1,512 6.6%Secondary Fires - Deliberate 11,455 26.1% 8,772 25.6% 4,541 20.0%Road Traffic Collisions 1,024 2.3% 1,068 3.1% 619 2.7%Special Service Calls 3,190 7.3% 2,102 6.1% 1,644 7.2%False Alarm - Apparatus 13,244 30.2% 11,956 34.8% 7,890 34.7%False Alarm - Good Intent 4,157 9.5% 4,096 11.9% 3,227 14.2%False Alarm - Malicious 1,961 4.5% 713 2.1% 369 1.6%Total 43,812 100% 34,328 100% 22,737 100%

93

Appleton Close, Appleton Way, Leeds Date of fire: 06/03/2015, T.O.C. 04:39 The individual was a male, 79 years of age, who lived with his friend in a 7th floor flat which was rented from Housing Leeds. He had poor mobility and suffered with chronic glaucoma which led to him having very poor eyesight. There was evidence of poor housekeeping and careless smoking habits throughout the flat.

There is no record of a HFSC being carried out. There was a hard-wired smoke detector fitted; however at no point during the incident did anyone hear it sounding which indicates that it was most likely faulty.

The friend works night shifts and was not in the property on the night of the fire. The fire has originated between an upholstered sofa and chair in the living room. The most likely cause is a lit dropped cigarette falling on to combustibles in this area, and the fire then spread to involve the adjacent sofa and chair. The casualty was found on the floor in his bathroom, was resuscitated at the scene by fire service personnel, but died the following day in hospital.

Colenso Mount, Holbeck, Leeds Date of fire: 20/03/2015, T.O.C. 21:28 The individual was a male, aged 61, who lived alone in his privately-owned inner terrace house. There was evidence of clutter and very poor housekeeping in the house. On examination, there were signs of alcohol use and careless smoking habits throughout the house.

There is no record of a HFSC being carried out at the property; however there was one smoke detector which was found on the floor of the first floor landing. The battery was disconnected and therefore the smoke detector did not actuate. The fire was discovered by a neighbour who called the fire service. Fire fighters found him lying on the floor of the hallway adjacent to the lounge.

The fire originated on an upholstered chair in the lounge. The most likely cause was a dropped cigarette falling on to combustible materials on the upholstered chair.

Eaton Square, Middleton, Leeds Date of fire: 31/03/15, T.O.C. 17:22 The individual was a female, aged 65, who lived alone in her privately owned semi-detached bungalow. She had poor mobility and health issues and had been referred to WYFRS as a high risk person the day before the fire by Middleton District Nursing Team. The referral related to concerns about heavy drinking and smoking and clutter about the property. On examination, there were signs of excessive drinking and smoking within the property.

There is no record of a HFSC; however the property was fitted with hard-wired smoke alarm. The alarm did actuate and was heard by a delivery man who called the fire service.

The fire originated on the sofa in the lounge where she was laid and the most likely cause was a dropped cigarette falling on to combustible materials on the sofa.

94

6. Fire-Related Incidents attended by Six Pumps and Above

General Commentary

UK fire and rescue services determine the size of a fire by the final number of pumps mobilised to deal with it.

A number of additional pumping appliances and special appliances are often mobilised to these types of incidents to undertake supporting activities. These are described as support and specials.

The following chart details the numbers and severity of such incidents over the last five years:

Fire-related incidents of this type require the attendance of a fire investigation officer to determine the cause of the fire. The cause is included in the table, but in some circumstances, it may be uncertain, as follows:

Not known - the evidence that remained after the fire was insufficient to determine the cause

Doubtful - thought to have been deliberate, but an accidental cause cannot be ruled out

Not Yet Determined / Pending Investigation -

as stated

For fires identified as deliberate, we work in accordance with a regionally agreed Memorandum of Understanding with the police, who are responsible for the investigation of all deliberate fires.

119

6

15

912 11

2

63

26

20

6

1715

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

No.

of i

ncid

ents

Year

Six pumps and above 2010/11 - 2014/156-9 pumps

10-20 pumps

>20 pumps

Total

95

New incidents added to the table are shaded in white.

Date & Time Address Premises

Use Station

Area Cause Pumps

Plus Specials

Number of Personnel

Thursday 03/04/14

22:47

Fudge Jeans Queen Street Mills

Queen Street, Ossett

Clothing Factory

89 (Ossett)

Electrical Fault

6 pumps 5 support 4 specials

52 Ffs 8 FDS

Monday 21/04/14

01:53

Trad Pak and Hazel Products

Albion Way Armley, Leeds

Chemical Warehouse

20 (Leeds) Deliberate


96 Ffs 13 FDS

Monday 19/05/14

21:43

Seabrook Potato Crisps Ltd

Allerton Road Allerton, Bradford

Derelict Factory

42 (Fairweather

Green) Deliberate


54 Ffs 7 FDS

Monday 02/06/14

08:56

Dove Court Bolton Street

Barkerend Bradford

Care Home

40 (Bradford)

Electrical Fault


54 Ffs 7 FDS

Thursday 10/07/14

10:15

Upper Bank Moor End Road

Mount Tabor Halifax

Farm Buildings

67 (Illingworth) Welding


24 Ffs 5 Officers

Thursday 31/07/14

13:57

Ferrybridge C Power Station

Stranglands Lane Ferrybridge

Power Station

90 (Pontefract)

Pending Investigation


98 Ffs 9 FDS

Thursday 14/08/14

23:42

30 Chapel Street Bradford

Derelict Mill

40 (Bradford) Deliberate


76 Ffs 8 FDS

Saturday 23/08/14

07:51

Ivy Mills Mill Lane

West Bowling Bradford

Panel Beating

Workshop

40 (Bradford)

Pending Investigation


70 Ffs 10 FDS

Tuesday 30/09/14

19:19

Majestic Nightclub City Square

Leeds

Disused Nightclub

20 (Leeds) Deliberate


70 Ffs 9 FDS

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Date & Time Address Premises

Use Station

Area Cause Pumps

Plus Specials

Number of Personnel

Thursday 09/10/14

11:26

Unit 7a Norcroft Industrial Estate

Norcroft St Lister Hills Bradford

Garage 40 (Bradford) Welding


62 Ffs 10 FDS

Thursday 16/10/14

03:28

Skelton Skips Ltd Knowsthorpe Way

Cross Green Leeds

Waste Recycling

24 (Gipton)

Recycling Process


24 Ffs 5 FDS

Friday 14/11/14

14:37

British Gas Bridge Street Sheepscar

Leeds

Office 24 (Gipton) Deliberate


52 Ffs 7 officers

Friday 13/02/15

23:32

Direct Line House The Headrow

Leeds Office 20

(Leeds)

Faulty Electrical Appliance


62 Ffs 7 FDS

Tuesday 03/03/15

15:26

Leeds Pallet Company

Pontefract Lane Richmond Hill

Leeds

Pallet Yard

24 (Gipton) Deliberate


70 Ffs 8 FDS

Saturday 21/03/15

15:42

Yorkshire Martyrs College

Westgate Hill St Bradford

Derelict 40 (Bradford) Deliberate


58 Ffs 7 officers

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Further detail on recent six pumps and above fire-related incidents:

Direct Line House, The Headrow, Leeds This incident occurred in Leeds station area and involved a fire in a 6-storey office block with shops underneath.

The initial PDA to the reported building fire comprised of two pumps from Leeds with the Leeds Watch Manager also mobilised. Initial calls stated smoke could be seen coming from the first floor.

On arrival the initial officer in charge sent a ‘Make Pumps 8’ assistance message. The reason given for this was the need for additional breathing apparatus (BA) wearers.

Gipton (2), Hunslet, Moortown, Stanks and Stanningley appliances were then mobilised.

The following support appliances attended the incident: Aerial appliance (Leeds), Welfare Unit (Fairweather Green), Command Unit and Support Pump (Batley) and the Hose Layer (Stanningley). Cookridge and Rawdon were sent as Rapid Deployment Safety Crews.

At the height of the incident 3 hose reels, 1 large jet, 2 positive pressure ventilation fans and 12 BA were used to bring the fire under control. The Officer in Charge was GM Farrell with AM Bitcon as Senior Advisor. SM Kirk was a working officer, SM Williams was Health & Safety, SM Goodall Hazardous Materials Officer, SM Smith BA officer and WM Whitaker undertook the Fire Investigation role.

The time of call for the incident was 23.32hrs on 13th February. The stop message was passed to control at 02.06hrs on 14th February and the incident was closed at 14.21hrs that day.

A WYFRS investigation has concluded that the fire was accidental, caused by office electrical equipment.

Leeds Pallet Company, Richmond Hill, Leeds

This incident occurred in Gipton station area and involved a fire in a pallet storage yard. An early make up meant that this incident was dealt with in a relatively short period of time for an incident of this nature.

The initial PDA to the reported fire comprised of two pumps from Gipton. On arrival the initial officer in charge sent a ‘Make Pumps 4’ assistance message. This was followed by a ‘Make Pumps 6’ message.

Hunslet (2), Leeds and Garforth appliances were then mobilised.

The following support appliances attended the incident: Welfare Unit (Cookridge), Command Unit and Support Pump (Batley) and the Hose Layer (Stanningley). Moortown were sent as Rapid Deployment Safety Crew.

An informative message stated: Pallet yard fire, 15m x 40m, 30% of pallets involved, exposure risk to 3 sides.

At the height of the incident 5 large jets, 2 hose reels and 4 breathing apparatus were used to bring the fire under control. The Officer in Charge was GM Fealy. SM Bates was a working officer, SM Benson was Health & Safety, SM Goodall Hazardous Materials Officer, SM Heath was Command Support and WM Wheldon undertook the Fire Investigation role.

The time of call for the incident was 15.26hrs on 3rd March. The stop message was passed to control at 17.09hrs that day and the incident was closed at 10.10hrs on 4th March.

A WYFRS investigation has concluded that the fire was deliberate.

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Yorkshire Martyrs College, Westgate Hill St, Bradford

This incident occurred in Bradford station area and involved a significant fire in a derelict building.

The initial PDA to the reported fire comprised of two pumps from Bradford and Odsal.

On arrival the initial officer in charge sent a ‘Make Pumps 5’ assistance message.

Batley, Morley and Idle appliances were then mobilised.

The following support appliances attended the incident: Welfare Unit (Cookridge), Command Unit (Batley) and Support Pump (Castleford) and the Hose Layer (Stanningley). Leeds were sent as Rapid Deployment Safety Crew.

An informative message stated: 2 storey derelict building involved.

A further assistance message was received in Control for ‘Make Pumps 8’.

Appliances were mobilised from Bradford, Fairweather Green and Brighouse.

The next informative message stated: 2 storey derelict building 125m x 90m, 10% involved in fire, exposure risk to one sie

At the height of the incident 1 aerial, 4 large jets and 6 breathing apparatus were used to bring the fire under control. The Officer in Charge was GM Farrell with AM Dunkley as Senior Advisor. SM Goldwater was a working officer, SM Hesslewood was Health & Safety, SM Booth Hazardous Materials Officer, SM Head was Command Support and WM Whitaker undertook the Fire Investigation role.

The time of call for the incident was 15.42hrs on 21st March. The stop message was passed to control at 09.42hrs on 22nd March and the incident was closed at 11.00hrs that day.

A WYFRS investigation has concluded that the fire was deliberate.

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7. Other Incidents or Activity of Note

The most recent period of Fire Brigades Union strike action took place from 0700hrs on Wednesday 25th February 2015 to 0700hrs on Thursday 26th February 2015. A total of 70 incidents were attended, none of which were of a particularly serious nature.

USAR crews from Cleckheaton Fire Station were mobilised to a no notice national exercise on 23 March 2015. The exercise which took place in Devon simulated a large aircraft crash which also affected a building and involved a contaminant.

We took place in community safety initiatives relating to:

• National Chip Week 16-22 February 2015

• Fire Sprinkler Week 16-22 March 2015

The service also took part in the promotion of a men’s health initiative entitled ‘Check your Chaps’. The promotion of positive health messages involved taking part in a session on ITV breakfast television.

Some very positive media coverage resulted from our attendance at an RTC on 14 December 2014. Crews were reunited with one of the occupants of the vehicle. It had been reported that her ‘tight red dress’ prevented significant injury by acting in the manner of a corset.

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8. Violence at Work

Attacks on Personnel There have been 64 incidents reported by West Yorkshire FRS during this financial year. There were only 21 incidents recorded in the first six months, but a considerable increase over the bonfire period saw 34 incidents recorded in October and November. However, since the end of November, there have been just nine further incidents.

The table below summarises the events reported by firefighters and other staff. Where stations have not reported any incidents, they are not shown within this table.

For clarification, 'stoning' covers any thrown object identified as a stone; 'firework' covers fireworks thrown or launched; and 'missile' covers any other object used as a projectile.

The above table shows the number of incidents in which firefighters were subject to violence as a percentage of attendance, by station and by district (0.21% overall). Some smaller stations might appear to suffer a relatively high percentage of attacks, but this is largely due to the smaller number of incidents attended from such stations.

The Chief Fire Officer re-emphasises that even one attack is one too many and that every assistance and encouragement will be given to the police to bring offenders to court. Work is continuing with a variety of agencies from the police and district councils to community groups and youth leaders to address these issues.

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15Attacks on Firefighters

88 77 40 76 64

Attacks on Firefighters as a Percentage of Turnouts

District / StationNo.of

TurnoutsPhysical Assault

Weapon Brandished

MissileThrown

FireworkThrown Stoning

Aggressive Behaviour

Verbal Abuse Total Percentage

Bradford DistrictBradford 2668 4 2 1 1 1 9 0.34%FWG 1607 4 1 2 2 9 0.56%Idle 720 2 2 0.28%Keighley 650 4 1 2 7 1.08%Odsal 1016 3 1 1 4 9 0.89%District Total 8010 0 0 15 5 6 1 9 36 0.45%Calderdale DistrictHalifax 1027 3 1 4 0.39%Illingw orth 593 1 1 2 0.34%Todmorden 161 1 1 0.62%District Total 2641 0 1 0 3 0 0 3 7 0.27%Kirklees DistrictHuddersfield 1841 1 1 0.05%Batley 648 1 1 0.15%Cleckheaton 611 1 1 0.16%District Total 4709 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0.06%Leeds District Leeds 2877 1 2 1 4 0.14%Gipton 1855 2 2 1 5 0.27%Hunslet 1720 1 1 0.06%Moortow n 677 2 1 3 0.44%Stanks 494 1 1 0.20%Stanningley 1419 1 1 0.07%District Total 11329 1 0 5 4 1 2 2 15 0.13%Wakefield District Wakefield 1232 2 2 0.16%Pontefract 538 1 1 0.19%District Total 3691 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0.08%Totals 30655 2 1 20 12 7 6 16 64 0.21%

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District Actions to Address Violence All districts are undertaking the following actions:

• Communicating a positive image of the Fire Service in the community

• Taking part in community events to support this image

• Asking questions to firefighters at Performance Monitoring Visits (PMVs) regardingthe e-learning package that was sent out in relation to reading the body language of persons and diffusing certain situations

• Encouraging all staff to use the SCIP when intelligence or other information isreceived for risk issues

• Encouraging any watch who place the information on SCIP to email other localstations to alert them to the fact that the address has been added and to make sure that they then view the SCIP for the details

• Consistently promoting the knowledge of Silent Witness cameras with crews and tothe public at events etc. to discourage anti-social behaviour

• Where incidents do occur, publicising through the media any arrests made by thepolice and any sentences given by the courts

Bradford On 8 March an Odsal crew attended a reported incident at a business on Marsh Street, Bradford. They were met by the owner and asked if they could enter the yard to ascertain whether the fire that was burning needed extinguishing. The owner replied abusively and so the crew requested the attendance of the Police.

On 31 March a Fairweather Green crew attended a fire in the open at Charteris Road, where they were subjected to verbal abuse and threatening language.

Calderdale

On 20 March, an Illingworth crew were attending an incident in the open at West Bank, Illingworth, when they came under physical and abusive attack from a member of the public. Two Firefighters were physically assaulted, another was subjected to verbal abuse and the appliance was damaged when a shopping trolley was pushed into the front offside locker.

Kirklees On 3 February, a Cleckheaton crew attended an incident at a house in Hightown. The occupier was not happy that his bonfire was being extinguished and aimed threats and abuse at his neighbours, becoming aggressive. The Police were requested and the crew left once the Police had arrived and been briefed on the situation.

Leeds On 13 March, a Leeds crew were attending an incident at land adjacent to Holdforth Place, New Wortley, when a group of aggresive youths started throwing missiles at the appliance.

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Wakefield On 13 March, a Pontefract crew were called out to Orchard Head Drive by a confused male who had rung 999 to inform control he was on fire, or was burning himself, or the house was on fire – control staff were unable to make sense of his call. Upon their arrival, the occupant was sitting on the floor rocking back and forth in a incoherent state and it quickly became apparent that the occupant was under the influence of drink or drugs. The crew helped him onto his settee and he was initially compliant, but this changed rapidly and he became threatening towards the crew, who requested the Ambulance Service and Police. He was arrested and escorted away.

On 15 March, a Wakefield crew were attending an incident in Ashdene Drive, Crofton. The owner had been told previously not to continue with his controlled burning so on this occasion the crew decided to put the fire out. The owner threatened to lock the crew up in his yard along with issuing other verbal abuse.

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Purpose To provide Members with an annual update relating to the corporate health of the Authority

Recommendations That Members note the Corporate Health Report and approve the RIPA Policyand Procedures (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) incorporated within this report

Summary In accordance with the Authority’s Code of Corporate Governance and pursuant to the corporate performance monitoring processes, this report provides an annual corporate health update.

OFFICIAL

Corporate Health Report - 2014-15 Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 22 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer



Contact Officer: Alison Davey, Corporate Services Manager

[email protected]

01274 655801

Background papers open to inspection: Not applicable

Annexes: CS-POL023 - RIPA Policy and Procedures (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000)

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1 Introduction

The Authority adopted a Code of Corporate Governance in 2003 and pursuant to the 1.1corporate performance monitoring processes an annual ‘corporate health’ report is submitted to the Annual General Meeting of the Authority.

In April 2005 the Authority adopted a new formal Constitution which, along with a 1.2range of existing policies and standing orders, also incorporated new provisions relating to citizens’ rights and the role and responsibilities of Members. The Constitution is a voluntary commitment to seeking to achieve best practice standards of corporate governance as the LGA 2000 statutory requirement to adopt a formal constitution does not apply to fire and rescue authorities.

2 Corporate Health

Compliments and Complaints 2.1

The graph below summarises West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (WYFRS) performance compared to previous years’ figures. During the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 WYFRS received 269 compliments, which is slightly lower than the 303 received during the previous year.

WYFRS received 43 complaints during the 12 month period 2014/15 compared with the 70 complaints received during 2013/14.

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3 Complaints

The receipt of a complaint either by telephone, email or letter is, if possible, to be 3.1resolved at the point of contact. The Service Standards Officer is advised via the compliments/complaints website, by telephone, or email, giving details of the complaint and subsequent action taken.

If the complaint cannot be resolved quickly the Service Standards Officer will monitor 3.2progress and, if necessary, prompt the investigating officer for updated information ensuring the complainant is contacted regularly to advise of progress being made; as detailed in the Compliments and Complaints Policy. This Policy is reviewed on a three yearly basis but in the interim, if it is highlighted a change in the procedure needs to be made the Policy will be updated immediately.

If a complaint is received directly by the Service Standards Officer, the information will 3.3be passed on to an appropriate officer to undertake an investigation. Should a complaint proceed to Stage II the Service Standards Officer will undertake that investigation.

Of the 43 complaints received in 2014/15, 20 were upheld, two were attributed to an 3.4outside organisation and two were withdrawn. 38 complaints have been resolved at Stage I to the satisfaction of the complainant with one progressing to Stage II and one complaint progressing to Stage III but then withdrawn. All complaints are dealt with in a consistent manner, being fully investigated with appropriate remedial action taken where necessary. A breakdown of complaints by type is given below:

Although 43 complaints were received, WYFRS have attended 18,452 incidents, 3.5carried out 6,263 operational risk visits and delivered 42,372 Home Fire Safety Checks in the same period.

A depersonalised register of the complaints log is available for Members to view at the 3.6Annual General Meeting.

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4 Compliments The majority of the 269 compliments received have arisen directly as a result of daily 4.1

interaction with the public, either at incidents or when providing community fire safety education throughout local communities.

A breakdown of the areas the compliments referred to is given below: 4.2

With eleven of these compliments donations were received for The Firefighters Charity totalling £720.

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5 Performance Indicators (PI’s) The overall purpose of Performance Indicators is to contribute to and facilitate the 5.1

continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of services. The outturn figures for each of the PI’s for 2014/15 are shown in the table below along with the figures for 2013/14.

Corporate Health Indicators Ref. Description of Indicator 2013/14

Outturn 2014/15 Outturn

CH 1 The level (if any) of the Fire and Rescue Service Equality Framework to which the Authority conforms

Achieving Achieving

CH 4 Average number of working days / shifts lost to sickness

6.51* 7.31

CH 5 Health and Safety – Total Injuries to staff

17 0

2 24

<3 days Injuries 19 Fatal No longer

reported** Major No longer

reported** 3 + days 4 RIDDOR Over 7 days** Not previously

reported 17

RIDDOR Major Injury/ Disease Not previously reported

2

Total Not previously reported

42

CH 9 Forecast Budget Variance (% Variance against overall budget)

-4.55% -4.24%

CH 11 Forecast Capital Payments (Actual figures £s)

£7.14m £12.55m

CH 13 Debtors – Value of debt outstanding which is over 60 days old

£31,923 £4,188

CH 14 Customer Satisfaction - % Overall Satisfaction with the service provided.

Quality of Service: Domestic 98% † Quality of Service: Non Domestic 97% † Home Fire Safety Checks 99% † School Fire Safety Visits 100% †

*From 2009-10, employees no longer being paid by the Authority have been removed fromthe calculation of this indicator.

** These reporting categories have changed.

†These results are not yet available.

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6 Customer Service Excellence The Charter Mark Standard was replaced in June 2008 by the Government’s new 6.1

‘Customer Service Excellence’ (CSE) standard.

WYFRS has achieved full compliance in all criteria following a review assessment, 6.2which was undertaken on 7th and 8th October 2014, concentrating on the following criteria:

Criterion 1 Customer Insight

Criterion 2 The Culture of the Organisation

Criterion 3 Information and Access

Criterion 4 Delivery

Criterion 5 Timeliness and Quality of Service

The assessment resulted in maintaining all 57 criteria achieving full Compliance against the standard and upholding accolades of eleven criteria achieving Compliance Plus; behaviours or practices that exceed the requirements of the standard, and are viewed as exceptional or as an exemplar for others – either within the organisation or in the wider public service. During the 2014 assessment WYFRS was credited with a further Compliance Plus resulting in twelve criteria achieving Compliance Plus.

The Assessor’s Summary report states

“An excellent Service and recognised nationally as a good practice example in many areas with innovative approaches to the use of databases and technology to design and test operational services, community fire safety work and information governance. Highly commended for a Bluetooth Assisted Fire Safety Campaign at the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Making a Difference Awards, 2010 and has achieved 'Excellent' rating in the Fire and Rescue Equality Framework.

“More recently, the Service has moved towards co-working with other 'blue-light' services on a range of common interests and this has been helped by co-locating fire and rescue resources with those of the police and ambulance services. As well as efficiencies, the result at one station visited is a proposal for police officers to undertake preliminary home fire safety checks referring onwards in appropriate cases.

“This was a professionally presented application making the most of technology and supported by evidence from enthusiastic, well-motivated and dedicated members of staff and many examples of providing excellent customer service.

“Fully compliant against the Customer Service Excellence Standard including twelve Elements where Compliance Plus is well justified.”

The assessor summarised the overall assessment of each criteria as follows:

Customer Insight – Good evidence of using databases and technology to model resource allocation upon which a major consultation exercise has been based resulting in strategic decisions about resource deployment and for which Compliance Plus is justified in Element 1.1.1. A wide range of consultation mechanisms involving customers, partners and staff, and a sensitive use of data to explain your proposals is worthy of Compliance Plus in Element 1.2.2. Well-developed approaches to high risk and vulnerable customers including students

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renting from private sector landlords with high levels of customer satisfaction across all main areas of service. Fully compliant against the Standard.

The Culture of the Organisation – A continued emphasis on customer focus and customer care particularly in respect of high risk and vulnerable groups with staff encouraged to contribute to service improvements and empowered to deliver services in a flexible and effective manner. Compliance Plus in Elements 2.1.5 and 2.2.5 for a strategic approach to Information Management now recognised by ACFO as ‘Good Practice’ and for fostering a culture which recognises and rewards members of staff for their contributions to customer focused services. Fully compliant against the Standard.

Information and Access – A range of accessible information available for customers based on a sound knowledge of the customer base, a redesigned web site and innovative use of new technologies to reach different customer groups. Good evidence of a broad range of information about the services on offer for which Compliance Plus is justified in Element 3.1.1, innovative ways of disseminating information for which Compliance Plus is justified in Element 3.2.2 and in Element 3.3.2 for your approach to evaluating channel usage. Strong and effective partnership arrangements in place and Compliance Plus in Element 3.4.1 for partnership working, in Element 3.4.2 for co-ordinated working arrangements with partners and in Element 3.4.3 for your impressive community work. Fully compliant against the Standard.

Delivery – Robust performance management arrangements demonstrating that performance standards and targets are routinely met with benchmarking against similar fire and rescue services. Good evidence of using your analysis of the complaints procedure to identify and take action to improve services for which Compliance Plus is warranted in Element 4.3.4. (NB: For review in 2015) Effective and flexible working arrangements providing efficient use of resources. Fully compliant against the Standard.

Timeliness and Quality of Service - Meets standards and increasingly challenging targets for timeliness and service quality. Compliance Plus for Element 5.2.5 because the systems in place to respond to customer requests and enquiries ensure a prompt response in all cases generating many compliments and favourable comparisons with other public bodies. Fully compliant against the Standard.

Work is progressing for the 2015 assessment which comprises of assessment against 6.330 criteria which includes the twelve Compliance Plus criteria.

7 Complaints to the Local Government Commissioner (Ombudsman)

No complaints received during the year ending 31 March 2015 were referred to the Local Government Ombudsman.

8 Whistleblowing Complaints

During the year ending 31 March 2015 no complaints were received.

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9 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 regulates the use of the powers to conduct covert surveillance by public bodies including West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

The RIPA policy was originally approved by Members at the Full Authority meeting on 16 September 2013. Members are required to review the use of the RIPA Act and set the policy each year at the Annual General Meeting. The policy was amended on 26 February 2015 to reflect the change in ‘application level’ from Group Manager/Department Manager to Fire Protection Manager/Fire Protection Officer. This change in ‘application level’ was recommended following training provided by West Yorkshire Police in January 2015. The policy is therefore attached for approval.

The Authority adheres to procedures based on the Codes of Practice produced by the Home Office.

Annual returns are submitted to the Office of Surveillance Commissioners and the Interception of Communications Commissioners Office.

For the year 2014/2015 no applications were made, authorised or rejected in respect of Directed Surveillance, Covert Human Intelligence Sources or the Disclosure of Communications Data under the Act.

10 Corporate Governance Policies

The following policies are implemented in a systematic approach to Corporate Governance.

Compliments and Complaints Procedure Equality and Diversity Policy Information Security Policy Customer Care Policy Data Protection Policy Corporate Health and Safety Policy

Records Management Policy Freedom of Information Policy RIPA 2000 Policy Whistleblowing Policy Code of Conduct for Members


There are no significant financial implications associated with this report.

12 Equality and Diversity Implications Equality Impact Assessments have been completed for all corporate governance policies. There are no significant equality and diversity implications associated with this report.

13 Health and Safety Implications There are no significant health and safety implications associated with this report.

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14 Service Plan Links This report links to the following Service Plan Priorities:

• Provide a safe skilled workforce that serves the needs of a diverse community

• Provide effective and ethical governance and achieve value for money.

15 Recommendation

That Members note the Corporate Health Report and approve the RIPA Policy and Procedures (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) incorporated within this report.

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Purpose To update Members of the progress on the Service Plan Action Plans 2014-15 and 2015-16

Recommendations That Members note the report

Summary This report is to update Members of the progress on the Service Plan Action Plans 2014-15 and 2015-16

OFFICIAL

Service Plan-Action Plan 2014-15 and 2015-16 Updates Full Authority Date: 26 June 2015 Agenda Item: 23 Submitted By: Chief Legal and Governance Officer



Contact Officer: Alison Davey, Corporate Services Manager 01274 655801 [email protected]


Annexes: Action Plan 2014-15 update 9 June 2015 Action Plan 2015-16 update 27 May 2015

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1 Introduction 1.1 At the Full Authority meeting held on 21 February 2014, Members approved the Service Plan

Action Plan 2014-15 for publication and at the Full Authority meeting held on 20 February 2015, Members approved the Service Plan Action Plan 2015-16 for publication.

2 Information

2.1 Progress on the implementation of the action plans is reported to each Full Authority meeting and attached are the latest updates on both plans.

3 Financial Implications 3.1 Financial implications of each of the actions are incorporated within each project as

appropriate.


4.1 Equality and diversity implications are incorporated within each project as appropriate.


5.1 Health and safety implications are incorporated within each project as appropriate.


7.1 This report links to all the Service Plan priorities.

7 Conclusions 8.1 That Members note the report.

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ACTION PLAN 2014 - 2015 West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Update: 09 June 2015

DELIVER A PROACTIVE FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION PROGRAMME

We will: Our action Progress Ensure the authority’s statutory fire protection duties are discharged efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the incidence of fire and the effects of fire should it occur

Develop the concept of mobile working for protection staff to maximise the opportunities presented by technology to facilitate increased contact time with the community

A concept for mobile working has been developed that will be integrated during 2015. Capital bids have been submitted to cover the allocation of hardware and a review of the specification of new tablets that have recently come on the market have been conducted. Following a review of the scope, this project now includes for the provision of mobile devices for Prevention. Updates to the Premises Risk Database have been carried out to allow access in a user friendly manner on the devices which supports the newly designed audit form and short audit form. Successful trials have been conducted with specific devices, however currently awaiting development from IT to allow remote access through the brigade security and once this is complete full field trials will be conducted. Devices are expected to be ordered following these additional trials. Completed.

Implement the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Better Regulation Delivery Office ‘Regulators Code’ and support this by the development of a Business Support Strategy

Work continues on the review of the Regulators Code and Fire Protection has developed a working action plan to ensure all areas of the code are met. Fire Protection have reviewed and implemented the provisions of the Regulators Code to ensure WYFRS support the growth of businesses within West Yorkshire. A Business Support Strategy that supports the Fire Safety Strategy and this will be published in conjunction with evidence to show how the Regulators Code is met. This will be completed once the work which WYFRS are engaged in relating to the development of a consistent approach to letters and notices in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers Association has been completed in September 2015. Completed.

Implement a pilot scheme to allow for charging for attendance at persistent false alarms from Automatic Fire Alarm systems

WYFRS commenced a pilot charging scheme for persistent false alarms on 1 April 2014. The pilot scheme will run until September 2015. The development of the policy and procedures has enabled the creation of a suite of documents that allows those managing the process to adopt a consistent and fair approach when reviewing the numbers of false alarms. Through the implementation of the policy and trial an appeals process has been developed, to date 22 appeals have been received, 19 were upheld, one partially upheld and two have been dismissed; the appeals totalled £14,000. During the first 12 months since its implementation there have been a total of 234 unchallenged invoices issued to non-domestic premises with a value totalling £140,700 inc. VAT. Whilst the costs recovered are substantial the increase in workload will be included within a full review of the pilot which will be undertaken and presented to the Community Safety Committee in October 2015. Completed

Work with partners to deliver a reduction in fires, road traffic incidents and anti-social fire related behaviour

Develop the concept of mobile working for prevention staff to maximize the opportunities presented by technology to facilitate increased contact time with the community

Hardware has been assessed for its suitability in the community for prevention use, and its ability to interface successfully with existing technology used within the service prior to a procurement exercise taking place. The project manager is driving the project on behalf of both Prevention and Protection and delivery of devices is expected before the end of the financial year. The mobile devices will be trialled by Protection staff, and the technology will be adopted within Prevention once the Prevention Database has been updated to interface successfully with the new devices. Completed.

Develop and implement strategies for the management of Fire Safety issues related to Dementia within the communities which we serve

Working closely with the Alzheimer’s Society and as part of the Alzheimer’s Alliance the strategic plan for dealing with an ageing community is underway. A key element is the training of staff and training is being developed to enable staff to understand and reduce the impact of dementia on fire safety in the home. This training was piloted in the autumn of 2014 and has received some very positive feedback. The WYFRS dementia strategy has been presented to the Community Safety Committee for approval and the first year’s action plan has been implemented successfully, with connections starting to be made across the five districts. In the strategy’s second year WYFRS will focus on identifying, trialling and promoting assistive technologies and developing dementia friendly communities across West Yorkshire. Completed.

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Develop and implement strategies for the management of Fire Safety issues related to Hate Crime within the communities which we serve

The first draft of the Hate Crime Plan is completed and the research phase is underway. Initial research into the level of fire related hate crime has shown that although devastating when it occurs, it is not a major issue in terms of numbers within West Yorkshire, however, discussions with partners have reinforced that domestic abuse continues to be an issue in relation to threats of arson and victims’ fire safety. Completed.

Implement the outcomes of the Fire Investigation review which was developed during 2013

The findings of the review have been published within the service and are currently being developed internally and amongst partners to heighten awareness of the review’s outcomes. The Fire Investigation Unit are able to ensure that both prevention and protection strategies are better informed to continue to address community risk. Furthermore, where appropriate the findings of investigations have been used to inform operational learning. The closer links between Fire Prevention and Fire Investigation work has proved beneficial in identifying areas of enhanced risk within West Yorkshire and in turn has enabled the service to deliver evidenced based targeted fire safety publicity to local communities. Completed.

DELIVER A PROFESSIONAL AND RESILIENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE

We will: Our action Progress Improve operational capability in response to changes in risk and demand

Evaluate the provision of Breathing Apparatus telemetry Telemetry equipment was successfully trialled in varied operational environments at both exercises and incidents. Feedback from operational crews was positive and the evaluation has concluded. A business case was approved to support the purchase of telemetry equipment in the financial year 2015/16. The introduction of BA telemetry is an action within the 2015/16 Action Plan. Completed.

Undertake the transition to a new Fire Control site at the Service Delivery Centre (SDC) in parallel with the ‘go live’ of the new Command and Control system

The new Control system, supplied by Systel, successfully went live on 13 November 2014 without any major problems and Control staff have now moved into the new centre. The project team are now working alongside South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) to introduce further elements of the system as planned over the coming months. Whilst there remains a number of challenges in developing and fine tuning the software to meet the specific needs of WYFRS and SYFRS, progress is positive and the project remains on schedule and within approved budgets. Completed.

Conduct a trial of cold cutting equipment at Gipton Fire Station and evaluate outcomes to inform future firefighting strategy

Cobra cold cutting equipment has been fitted to a Gipton fire appliance. Instruction and training has been provided to operational personnel at Gipton and across Leeds district and the equipment can be used at both incidents and exercises. To date the Cobra system has only been used at a small number of operational incidents. Therefore in order to gather sufficient data to inform our decision-making about the use of this equipment within our operational response strategy, the evaluation has been extended and will be monitored within the 2015/16 Action Plan. Completed.

Review the provision of Command Support and the associated equipment (CU lite)

The Command Unit Lite vehicle is complete and available for operational deployment. The vehicle is based at Fairweather Green fire station where the station based personnel have been trained and are now being developed in the role of Command Support. The Command Support policy and mobilisation procedures have been revised to reflect the review of command support arrangements. Completed.

Deliver the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) outcomes and manage them into core business

Tactical Commander training commenced on 29 May 2014, the Initial Operational Response Programme will be rolled out from September 2014. Tactical and Operational Commander training is now complete as is Control Room training. Training for all remaining personnel (Firefighter to Watch Commander) was completed on 5 December 2014. The JESIP principles have been adopted and incorporated into core business including policies and procedures. Annual joint training at tactical and operational level has been scheduled for newly promoted officers within the region to ensure effectiveness and consistency. Work on the JESIP legacy has commenced and will be continued as part of core business. Completed.

Work with partner agencies to develop and deliver a response plan for the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart

Preparations are at an advanced stage with a local and regional response plan nearing completion. A number of multi-agency exercises have been undertaken to test response arrangements. The first two stages of the Tour de France took place on the 5th and 6th July 2014, the plan that had been developed over the previous 18 months worked well and there were no issues affecting the event from a fire and rescue perspective. Completed.

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Develop inter-agency support and training for the response to terrorist related events

This work was on-going throughout 2014/15 and is now complete. Fire service officers meet with partner agencies on the Interoperability Sub Group of the West Yorkshire Resilience Forum (WYRF), chaired by a WYFRS officer. From the meeting and in conjunction with WYRF Training and Exercise Sub Group continuous training and exercises take place with other agencies for identified terrorist threats. A national multi-agency exercise took place on 27 October 2014; specialist response crews from WYFRS took part in this exercise in North Yorkshire. A WYFRS arranged multi-agency table top exercise was scheduled to take place at FSHQ on 9 December 2014 based around a terrorism theme. This exercise was postponed due to industrial action and has been rescheduled for June 2015. Completed.

Implement new Mobile Data Terminal hardware to fleet and examine opportunities for increasing use of mobile technology to enhance fireground operations

The new software for the Mobile Data Terminals has now been installed on the existing hardware of all fire appliances providing some limited functionality. Procurement of the new hardware is now underway and this will allow for further enhancements as an integral part of the new control system providing automatic status updates, operational risk information, Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) and other functionality. Practical trials using a number of devices from different suppliers is currently underway as part of the evaluation process. It is expected that the new hardware and additional software will be installed and fully operational by late summer. Completed.

Prepare for the roll out of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Project

Officers from West Yorkshire continue to represent the region at national level within the programme and have established a regional Emergency Services Mobile Communications Project Group to support its delivery. Award of the national contracts by central government is scheduled for August 2015 following which all control rooms will be upgraded for the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) over an 18 month period. Yorkshire and Humberside region are scheduled to move onto ESN during 2018. A regional coordinator post is being created, to commence preparations and work alongside the national project team. A dedicated regional project team will be established when required and it is anticipated that DCLG will fund the costs of this team. Completed.

Provide assurance in relation to operational performance

Develop an ongoing process of Service Delivery Assurance aligned to the CFOA/LGA operational assessment and fire peer challenge, including production of an annual assurance statement for publication in September

A new WYFRS Self-Assessment Toolkit aligned to the Chief Fire Officers Association/ Local Government Association operational toolkit has now been produced covering all areas of service delivery. Training for managers in the new process is now complete and assurance audits have commenced. Completed.

Enhance operational knowledge and competence of fire crews and officers

Investigate the benefits of joining the ‘SE Collaborative Project’ which provides for the development, review and publication of operational policy/guidance, and making a subsequent recommendation based upon the outcomes of the review

The South East collaboration partnership has been subsumed by the National Operational Guidance Programme which is being delivered by London Fire Brigade in partnership with DCLG, FRAs and CFOA. WYFRS are signed up to this national programme and will represent the Yorkshire and Humber region nationally. Further work is now required to organise our own policy and procedure framework and how WYFRS works within the region to produce operational policy and guidance. This action will be monitored in the 2015/16 Action Plan. Completed.

PROVIDE A SAFE COMPETENT AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE

We will: Our action Progress Facilitate the implementation of strategic change across the organisation

Undertake pilots in Leeds and Wakefield Districts for revised Command and Leadership Management arrangements and make final recommendations for implementation across the service in 2015/16

The Command Leadership and Management pilots are now complete and a report is being prepared. The evaluation and recommendations will feed into the Efficiencies Review Programme as part of the Ways of Working Project, which reports at the end of the year. Completed.

Begin the implementation of the outcomes arising from the Ways of Working Improvement Strategy

The review has been completed and received by Management Board. The Strategy has clear overlap with the IRMP process and other significant work streams and has now been incorporated into the Efficiency Research Programme. Completed.

Issue information in relation to the 2015 Firefighters’ pension scheme reform

The 2015 Firefighters Pension Scheme regulations are now in place and have been implemented. This will be an ongoing process over the next few years as those with transitional protection arrangements gradually move across. In addition the 1992 Scheme will also remain in place until those who are protected retire. Completed.

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Develop an Action Plan for collaborative working with partners in the following areas:

• Human Resources• Occupational Health and Safety• Training

A number of collaboration meetings have been undertaken with West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. The potential for shared facilities for Operational Health and Safety teams has been explored and it has been determined that is not cost effective to progress the sharing of facilities. This work continues however to explore opportunities for collaboration where they present themselves. Completed.

Provide a healthy and safe workforce Implement the action plan arising from the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) Health and Safety Audit

The RoSPA audit has been completed and it has been presented to the Management Team and the HR Committee. Work is now ongoing to implement the outcomes from this report and mainstream them into everyday work. Completed.

Review sickness absence management Draft policy has been produced and initial consultation has started. Completed.

Implement the outcomes of the asbestos health surveillance recommendations

Management Board have considered the issue and have agreed to keep the current control measures in place and will await the outcome of the changes to Control of Asbestos regulations in 2016. Completed.

Provide a competent and skilled workforce Review/rewrite Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) guidance and training to deliver the aims of the Initial and Specialist Operational Response programmes

An interim policy was published and a final policy is in draft format and will be released following training for operational crews. This project has been delayed at a national level and the first phase will now go live on 1 September 2015. An action has been incorporated into the 2015/16 action plan to reflect this delay. ELearning package is now live for all operational personnel; operational procedure is currently undergoing consultation. Completed.

Adapt the Multi-Purpose Training Centre to provide improved facilities for realistic Fire Behaviour and Breathing Apparatus based scenario training

Following survey work and costings of the associated remedial work and modifications, a report was submitted to Finance and Resources Committee to approve the expenditure. The work is expected to commence in September 2015. Completed.

Investigate opportunities to further develop realistic training facilities

This work is now being incorporated into the Strategic Asset Review to ensure that we have appropriate training facilities and that these are fully considered when implementing IRMP outcomes. Completed.

Introduce electronic Maintenance of Competence records

This has now been rolled out to all stations and all crews have received training. The next step is to utilise the same system for Control and Green Book staff. Completed.

Provide a diverse workforce Implement the outcomes of the Authority’s internal assessment against the Excellent Level of the Fire and Rescue Service Equality Framework

The action plan resulting from this self-assessment process has now been reported to Corporate Driving Diversity Board and the Human Resources Committee. The action plan will be delivered over a three year period. Completed.

PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND ETHICAL GOVERNANCE AND ACHIEVE VALUE FOR MONEY IN MANAGING RESOURCES

We will: Our action Progress Provide appropriate and high quality buildings, vehicles and equipment to ensure operational effectiveness, and be environmentally sound

Complete a Property Asset Management Plan which includes asset valuations

A specification is being drafted to enable a fee tender to be issued in order to commence the required work. Ongoing.

Complete the construction of South Kirkby, Rastrick and Rothwell Fire Stations and commence construction of Killingbeck and Carlton Road Fire Stations

The new South Kirkby fire station was completed ahead of schedule in early November and became fully operational on 16 January 2015. The project was delivered under budget and the quality of construction is very good. Rothwell and Rastrick fire stations were completed and handed over by the contractors in May 2015. Construction of the new Killingbeck and Dewsbury fire stations are progressing well and completion of both these fire stations is planned for the end of the summer. Completed.

Identify and procure suitable land for construction of replacement fire stations in accordance with the Integrated Risk Management Plan

Planning consent for the replacement for Ossett fire station, at Silkwood Park, has now been granted and the land has been purchased. Tenders are being finalised for construction, which should start in August 2015. Agreement has been reached with West Yorkshire Police to procure land at Weetwood, to replace Moortown and Cookridge, with a new fire/police station being built on the site and a joint project team has been established. Agreement has also been reached with Incommunities, the social housing provider in Bradford, for a land swap deal for a new fire station to replace Shipley and Idle and applications for planning consent are underway. Completed.

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Work with blue light partners to explore the opportunities for closer collaboration

The working group established and chaired by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, continues to meet and progress a number of initiatives, including the new fire/police station at Weetwood and other station sharing options. Other collaboration opportunities including training and community safety are being explored. Completed.

Provide effective systems of control and performance to ensure the service operates efficiently

Rationalise the Information and Communications Technology infrastructure to include mobile working and mobile communications

This is ongoing from last year and trials of devices are underway with Prevention and Protection. New MDT procurement will commence shortly with devices being evaluated. ICT strategy to be developed. Ongoing.

Relocate the Information and Communications Technology team

Work has been completed with regards to the refurbishment of the old gym. Staff transferred to the new facility in October 2014. Completed.

Improve and maintain systems to meet the on-going requirements of the Public Services Network (PSN) and Airwave connectivity

Firewall upgrades have been done. MDTs will be migrated from Windows XP to Windows 7 once the new software is rolled out. New WAN to be rolled out once KMC sign contracts. Contracts now signed and planning meetings taking place. PSN Code of Connection submitted November 2014. PSN accreditation has been delayed due to control project go live. WAN replacement has now started and work to re-route services at Headquarters will commence shortly. Ongoing.

Implementation and development of the new Local Government Transparency Code

Developed site on internet to incorporate all mandatory requirements of the Local Government Transparency Code which is now live on our website. Currently exploring the application of other recommended actions such as increased frequency to enhance the service to the community. Now published all 2014/15 data which will be republished quarterly or annually as appropriate. Completed.

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ACTION PLAN 2015 - 2016 West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Update: 27 May 2015 DELIVER A PROACTIVE COMMUNITY SAFETY PROGRAMME

We will: Our action Progress Ensure the authority’s statutory fire protection duties are discharged efficiently and effectively in order to reduce the risk of fire and the effects of fire should it occur

Review the type and level of response to Automatic Fire Alarms

Following the introduction of the pilot for charging for persistent attendance to false alarms a full review incorporating the impact it has had in managing the process will be conducted. There has been a significant impact on resources to run the pilot and therefore when a review is conducted in the second half of the year it will be a review of the whole process around the level of response to AFAs. Statistical research into the numbers of AFA calls received that are actually fires and of the impact of those fires has commenced.

Implement a programme to promote fire safety and improve the level of support offered to businesses by ensuring all practices are aligned with the principles of better regulation

Through the development of the newly created Business Support Team a new business Support Strategy has been developed. The strategy has been written in such a way that it will allow the production of a programme of action on how the business support offer can be improved.

Carry out a review of existing working practices within Fire Protection to optimise efficiency for the customer and implement the findings

A review of working practices has commenced within the Enforcement Team and an expectations document is currently being produced that will ensure optimisation efficiency within this area. This method will be reviewed once implemented and it is anticipated that the same process will be utilised within all Protection teams.

Work with partners to reduce the risk of fires, road traffic incidents, other emergencies and enhance community well-being

Work with academic partners to develop an intelligence led multi-agency data sharing framework

Work has commenced with Leeds University Business School to develop a framework which will allow access to greater amounts of data and to ensure that the use of that data is maximised. Further data is to be provided nationally by the Department of Health in relation to older people within the community.

Promote and evaluate the use of assistive technology in protecting those who are vulnerable to fire

It is without doubt that people will be remaining in their homes for greater periods of time, giving rise to some very specific risks. Using intelligence produced by Fire Investigation to identify areas where assistive technology could aid the prevention of domestic fires we aim to promote its use and evaluate the impact in reducing risk amongst those most vulnerable to fire. WYFRS is currently testing a cooker top device aimed at reducing cooking fires.

Deliver a strategy to maximise the use of social media at station/departmental level

The Prevention department will work closely with the Public Information Team to develop and implement a strategy which will promote the timely provision of generic and targeted safety messages to a variety of audiences across West Yorkshire using social media such as Twitter and Facebook as platforms. A recently revised policy regarding the use of social media will enable local staff to provide information and guidance at a local level.

DELIVER A PROFESSIONAL AND RESILIENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE

We will: Our action Progress Work with blue-light partners and other agencies to provide a safe and effective emergency response

Train for, and implement, the Initial and Specialist Operational Response Programme approach to the management of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents by multi-agency responders

Interim operational policy and procedures issued in March 2014, working toward full documents after completion of training for Initial Operational Response Programme. National eLearning package (Fire Fighter to Area Manager) to go live June 2015. Working with West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance to complete training for a national go-live date September 2015.

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Establish a dedicated project team and commence planning for the delivery of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications project

A Regional Co-ordinator post is to be established in June 2015 awaiting confirmation of funding from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) for the establishment of a dedicated regional project team. Contact has been established with other blue light partners in the region to identify opportunities for collaboration.

Develop and deliver closer working relationships with other agencies (Environment Agency, Meteorological Office etc.)

Regular meetings are now taking place with various members of the Environment Agency (EA) at senior and operational management levels. Joint visits are taking place with EA, Health and Safety Executive and Operational/Fire Prevention staff at various high risk sites across West Yorkshire. These have enabled some decisions around joint management of issues. The Memorandum of Understanding between WYFRS and EA is currently being updated.

Implement the national Incident Command Guidance and standardise incident command procedures within the region

The national guidance will be launched in July 2015. A regional Incident Command Support group has been established which will aim to standardise the adoption of the guidance. This group will report to the Yorkshire and Humberside Operations Resilience Group.

Establish West Yorkshire’s position on the national Collaboration Partnership group to deliver the Service’s operational policies and procedures

WYFRS has subscribed to the National Operational Guidance Programme and attended the first implementation forum in May 2015. A discussion will now be sought at the Yorkshire and Humberside Operations Resilience Group to determine the regional framework for collaboration with regard to operational guidance.

Review opportunities to introduce an Emergency First Responder Scheme with Yorkshire Ambulance Service

An initial discussion has taken place with Yorkshire Ambulance Service to determine the scope of the review and the regional involvement.

Ensure emergency response is dynamic and resilient reflecting changes to the level of risk and demand

Review the provision of technical response and flood response capability

Project Initiation Document (PID) completed and agreed. Flood response capability review is currently being undertaken to make recommendations regarding replacement vehicles for 2016.

Review the provision of national resilience assets and capabilities

Project Initiation Document (PID) completed and agreed. Detection Identification and Monitoring capability review is 90% complete and recommendations will be made to the Strategic Development Team in June 2015. Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) capability review to be completed by the end of June 2015.

Introduce a Combined Aerial Rescue Pump at Leeds Fire Station

The new vehicle was delivered to the UK from Germany in March 2015 and is now being fitted out, with a view to being operational at Leeds in early 2016.

Introduce Breathing Apparatus Telemetry The order for the equipment has been placed with Drager. A project coordinator has been appointed to deliver the training to personnel.

Conduct a trial of cold cutting equipment at Gipton Fire Station

This project is progressing with a report scheduled to be delivered in September 2015.

Continuously improve our emergency response by learning from ours and others experiences

Consolidate the relocation of Control to the new site and identify opportunities for new ways of working

The new Control room has been operational for over six months and work on refining the functionality of the new command and control software continues. In spite of a number of challenges the project remains on track for completion by the end of 2015 when it will be possible to commence a review of the ways of working and staffing arrangements. A number of successful exercises have taken place to test the fall back arrangements between West and South Yorkshire.

Review the use of camera technology on the incident ground to support key decision making

Demonstrations have been arranged from suppliers on camera products and command support software.

Develop and implement the command support software This software (Geosytac) forms an integral part of the new Systel Start Command and Control System. The supplier is currently developing the software to meet WYFRS requirements and it is anticipated that this will be completed before the end of 2015.

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Undertake an efficiency review of the operational risk information audit process

Review is underway using data from the last three years to identify trends. Feedback on the current process is being sought from crews, Station Commanders and District Commanders regarding the issues identified.

Ensure learning is captured from local and national events and reflected in policies and training

This is an ongoing piece of work that is co-ordinated through the Operational Learning Team. Debrief processes for exercises and activities are well established and learning points are fed into new policies, equipment and training programmes. National level incidents and their learning also come into the team. Outcomes from national level incidents are cross mapped against our service delivery to identify any gaps and inform an action plan.

PROVIDE A SAFE SKILLED WORKFORCE THAT SERVES THE NEEDS OF A DIVERSE COMMUNITY

We will: Our action Progress Promote the health, safety and well-being of all employees

Implement the outcomes of the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) audit

The implementation of the RoSPA outcomes is ongoing.

Implement a revised Fitness at Work Policy which reflects the Firefit recommendations

A draft has been produced and consultation is about to commence.

Introduce an Absence and Attendance Policy which balances organisational and individual needs

This has been produced and consultation has begun.

Introduce a policy and training programme for welfare officers

The policy has been completed and the training is booked in.

Undertake a work life balance and well-being survey to inform management of stress related ill health

This has been completed and the results have been returned. The results are currently being analysed.

Provide training and development to maintain a skilled and flexible workforce

Ensure all Station Managers achieve the Level 2 command qualification

The assessors for this are now fully qualified and the assessments have begun.

Review the overall provision of training facilities This is underway and being reported into the review of assets.

Introduce the new electronic maintenance of competence records at all locations

We are continuing to explore ways in which we can make further use of this system. Completed

Undertake disciplinary training for senior managers Initial training on Employment Tribunals has been carried out. A further training course looking at more complex investigations is in draft.

Formalise the resilience arrangements for operational cover and the provision of critical support services

This is underway and forms part of the Ways of Working project.

Refresh the Training and Development Framework including the introduction of training records for green book staff

The Training and Development Framework is now 80% complete. Training records for green book staff is the second part of the electronic training records project.

Identify and introduce flexible working arrangements required to meet future service provision

The Ways of Working project now forms part of the Efficiency Review Programme and will report at the end of the year.

Create an environment that enables our staff to develop and embrace organisational and cultural change

Implement the first phase of the Equality Framework Self Assessment action plan

This is being driven through the Corporate Driving Diversity Board and there is good progress from managers against their objectives.

Deliver equalities training to all staff A new e-learning package has been sourced and will be rolled out later this year.

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Identify the barriers to organisational and cultural change and introduce a framework to develop employees

A series of pilot training courses have been run and roll out of a training package to Watch Managers and Grade 9 staff and above is about to commence.

PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND ETHICAL GOVERNANCE AND ACHIEVE VALUE FOR MONEY

We will: Our action Progress Provide buildings, vehicles, equipment and technology that is fit for purpose to maximise organisational effectiveness

Merge Gipton/Stanks to a new fire station in Killingbeck and sell the legacy buildings/land

After some initial delays due to extensive groundworks, construction is now well advanced and completion is expected by the end of September 2015. The station will be fully operational in November 2015.

Merge Cookridge/Moortown to a new fire station in the Weetwood area of Leeds and sell the legacy buildings/land

The Fire and Rescue Authority has approved the purchase of land currently owned by West Yorkshire Police (WYP). Work on the design of the building is currently underway with WYP and it is anticipated that a specification will be finalised by the end of summer. This will allow for a planning application and detailed design to be completed before the end of 2016.

Merge Batley/Dewsbury to a new fire station in Carlton Road, Dewsbury and sell the legacy buildings/land

Construction remains on track for completion by the end of August 2015, with the station fully operational by the end of September 2015.

Commence the merge of Shipley/Idle to a new fire station in Valley Road, Shipley and sell the legacy buildings/land

The Fire and Rescue Authority approved a land swap deal with Incommunities; the social housing provider in Bradford. Planning applications for the development of the existing Shipley and Idle fire stations are currently being finalised and design of the new fire station should commence before the end of June 2015 allowing for a planning application to be submitted in July.

Merge Brighouse/Elland to a new fire station in Rastrick and sell the legacy buildings/land

The new fire station will be fully operational in June 2015 and the old fire stations are being marketed for sale with interest already being shown.

Complete the Rothwell Fire Station rebuild project The building is now complete and fully operational. An official opening is planned for July 2015.

Review the number of reserve pumping and aerial appliances and undertake appropriate disposal of the surplus vehicles

Disposal of three appliances and one aerial appliance is on-going. A new operational policy for use of resilience pumps and spare appliances has been introduced.

Replace the mobile data terminal hardware Procurement of the new hardware is underway with a number of devices being trialled.

Replace the Wide Area Network Procurement has been completed with KMC and the new network is being provided by Easynet.

Review and deliver the vehicle replacement programme A three year framework contract has been agreed with Emergency One and an order has been placed for six appliances to be delivered by March 2016.

Procure and install a vehicle tracking system on all Authority owned fleet

This has received committee approval. The specification is being drafted and is due out in July 2015.

Introduce an Information and Communications Technology Strategy

Procurement for the engagement of consultants to undertake work is now underway.

Introduce a mobile data management system to effectively manage and support mobile working

A product is currently on trial.

Provide effective systems of control, performance and assurance to ensure the service operates efficiently

Implement the new West Yorkshire Service Delivery Assurance toolkit

Audits currently underway. Completed

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Develop an assurance process for the support functions aligned to the new Service Delivery Assurance process

Under consideration and aligned to the implementation of a revised Management Board structure.

Demonstrate transparent and accountable decision making throughout the organisation

Implement and develop the arrangements for the new Local Government Transparency Code

Exploring publication of non-mandatory data sets such as the service fleet list and links to other appropriate data.

Review the Authority’s constitution Amendments to the Authority’s Constitution will be submitted to the Full Authority on 26 June 2015.

Identify and implement strategic change to reflect the economic environment

Undertake evaluation of the Command Leadership and Management pilots and implement approved recommendations across the organisation

The Command Leadership and Management pilots are now concluded and an evaluation report is being produced. The findings will be fed into the Efficiency Review Programme as part of the Ways of Working Project which will report at the end of the year.

Identify new ways of working and the barriers to implementation

This project is well underway with clearly established objectives and bodies of work set up within the overall project. Close working with the IRMP team will be maintained to ensure the work of both projects is complimentary.

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