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ITEM CA12

CABINET – 15 NOVEMBER 2005

OXFORDSHIRE FIRE COVER REVIEW

Report by Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

1. The purpose of the report is to provide the Cabinet with the outcomes and recommendations arising from the West Oxfordshire Fire Cover Review and provide an up-date and recommendation for the review of Fire Service cover for Oxfordshire as a whole.

West Oxfordshire Review

2. As part of the Fire Authority’s Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2004/5, councillors instructed Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service to review fire cover in the Carterton area in relation to that provided for the whole of Oxfordshire.
3. The Review did not provide strong evidence supporting the provision of a new fire station in Carterton. Annex 1 (download as .doc file) summarises the findings.
4. Following the risk analysis and pending a decision by the Cabinet, a pro-active Community Fire Safety response has been directed at Carterton. This consists of targeted campaigns of home risk visits with the siting and fitting of domestic smoke alarms. To date, firefighters have made over three hundred home risk visits offering advice and fitting domestic smoke alarms where appropriate. The initial phase of this work targeted high risk groups such as lone pensioners and single parent families.
5. In addition, partnership work with Thames Valley Police has been carried out focusing on home security risk assessments to reduce the threat of crime against vulnerable groups in Carterton.

Fire Cover Review for Oxfordshire

6. Taking into account the interrelated nature of providing fire cover across the county it is necessary to take a holistic view of the issue. It is therefore the intention to action a formal review of fire cover for Oxfordshire. This comprises one of the proposed action plans forming the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2006/7 for the Fire & Rescue Service, which was agreed for consultation by Cabinet on 18 October 2005.
7. The purpose of the Review is to gather evidence to inform the development of a fifteen year strategy that will determine the level and spread of Fire & Rescue resources across the county.
8. Informal work on this Review has already been commenced to scope out the project by the Fire Service Emergency Cover section within the service.
9. The work to date has evaluated the contribution that each fire station makes in relation to the reduction of fatality rates due to fires and special services and to building losses due to fires. Establishment costs and the reduction of the financial impact on society due to an individual fire station’s intervention activities also forms part of this initial work.
10. Other work yet to be completed includes a full evaluation relating to the county’s demographics, potential impact of Community Safety activities, the road network for Fire & Rescue Service attendance times, response options and personnel requirements.
11. The following issues will also inform the overall strategic direction of the Service:
    
    

1. local response standards agreed by Cabinet on 22 June 2005. The Fire & Rescue Service’s performance will be measured against these standards. Service improvement in terms of targeted Community Fire Safety, technical fire safety or the redeployment of Fire & Rescue operational resources can be determined.
2. the number and location of wholetime firefighters will need to be assessed against the analysis of local response standards and activity level predictions across the county.
3. retained firefighters provide a cost efficient and effective service across the county. The decline of employment opportunities in rural areas, combined with more social mobility and family expectations have made the retention of retained firefighters more difficult. The sustainability of some retained fire stations over the medium to long term will included in the assessment.
   
   
12. The scope of this review means that a considerable amount of further work will have to be undertaken and it is anticipated that it could take up to a year to complete.
13. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety will be kept informed of the progress of the Review. Once the strategy has been developed and the longer term implications determined a further paper will be brought to Cabinet.
14. Any opportunities identified in the short term that would improve service delivery to the communities without impacting on the budget will be discussed with the Cabinet Member. Any proposals will then be implemented subject to due consultation with all parties.

Financial Implications

15. Additional Community Fire Safety activities within Carterton have been managed within budget to date. Any major redistribution of resources following the strategic review will inevitably have both capital and revenue implications which would be subject to cost/benefit analysis.

RECOMMENDATIONS

16. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. note the outcomes of the West Oxfordshire Fire Cover Review and agree the retention of Burford and Bampton Fire Stations;
2. agree not to provide a fire station in Carterton in the medium term subject to:

1. the continued viability of Burford and Bampton Fire Stations;
2. the outcomes of future Fire Cover Reviews;

3. endorse the proposals set out in the report for a county wide review of fire cover.

JOHN PARRY
Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

Background Papers:
Local Response Standards – 22 June 2005
IRMP 2004/5; IRMO 2005/6

Contact Officer: Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mike Smyth, (Tel: 01865 855205)

25 October 2005

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