Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has outlined its “Resourcing to Risk” plan, aimed at optimising the deployment of resources to address current and future requirements.
The report is presented by Chief Fire Officer Craig Parkin provides a comprehensive look at the steps being taken to improve the service’s efficiency and effectiveness.
It will be presented and discussed at the Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire & Rescue Authority meeting on 22 September.
Background
The Fire Authority had previously tasked the Chief Fire Officer in February 2023 to develop and implement proposals at Ashfield Fire Station to address the identified gap in resourcing to the risk faced by the community. The latest report confirms that the project is on track for completion by the end of November 2023.
Key Highlights
- 24-Hour Crewing at Ashfield: The Ashfield fire station is set to have 24-hour, wholetime crewing reinstated by the end of November 2023.
- Proactive Engagement: The service is actively engaging with staff, representative bodies, and stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation with minimum impact.
- Recruitment Plans: The service aims to recruit 40 new firefighters in 2024, with recruitment days opening in late September 2023.
- Training and Mitigations: Refreshed incident command training and a review of degradation procedures are among the steps being taken to mitigate risks.
- Facility Improvements: Further works are planned for Ashfield fire station in 2023/24 to improve facilities for personnel.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Criteria have been developed to monitor performance related to the changes, which will be reported to the Community Safety Committee.
- Financial and Legal Aspects: The report confirms that there are no financial implications arising from this update, and all associated costs are covered within the agreed annual budget for 2023/24.
When the announcement to reopen Ashfield Fire Station as whole time was made in February 2023, Councillor Jason Zadrozny, a member of the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority said:
“This is a decision that will save lives – there’s no doubt about that. I’d like to thank the thousands of residents who joined the Ashfield Independent campaign for a full-time fire station.
“We always said, the decision to move to a part-time station in 2018 was the wrong one. I was the only councillor to vote against this at the time.
“We instigated the Fire Service review, led Ashfield’s response to the consultation and never gave up.
“This is a victory for common sense. We promised residents that we would fight for a full-time station and have delivered on this promise.”
One of the communities adversely impacted was Selston.
The decision to move to a part-time fire station led to dramatically increased response times. Councillor David Martin, who joined the protests in 2018 said:
“Places like Jacksdale, Selston, Underwood and Westwood will really see a difference in response times.
“The hard-fought decision was 5 years in the making and will lead to lower response times.
“People in Selston and across Ashfield can sleep better knowing that their Ashfield Independent team stood up for them when they needed us most.”
Other communities impacted include Stanton Hill and Teversal.
In 2018, local councillor Helen-Ann Smith hit the headlines when she sent Valentine’s Cards to all members of the Fire Authority pleading with them not to move to a part-time station. Helen-Ann said:
“Local people in Stanton Hill and Teversal were stunned when our Fire Station moved to a part-time operation. It had a real impact on response times with crucial minutes being added. These were minutes that could have cost lives.
“As a community, we have sent a clear message that we want our full-time fire station back. I’m pleased that by working together, we have delivered a result that will keep people safer.”
Reinstating whole-time 24/7 fire cover at Ashfield would reduce the time it takes for the first fire engine to attend all incidents in the Ashfield District by 48 seconds on average.
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