DRAFT Integrated Risk Management Plan 2012 - 2015

www.glosfire.gov.uk/irmp

Although we are facing difficult financial challenges, there is much to be celebrated about what is currently one of the highest performing and lowest cost-per-head services in the country.

Over the last ten years we have seen significant reductions in house and vehicle fires, and we continue to see drops in commercial and deliberate fires too.

Since our last plan, which we published in 2009, we have radically improved the way we respond to road traffic collisions by introducing extra specialist equipment on some of our fire engines so they can deal with both fires and road traffic collisions. We have made significant investment in our stations, with the building of four new community fire stations, three at new sites in the county, to ensure we have them in the right places to give the best response to growing urban areas. We have also looked at how we support those most vulnerable in our county by introducing Community Safety Advisers, who provide support and advice to those most at risk of fire through home fire safety checks and links to other organisations such as the Smoking Advisory Service.

We are now starting to look forward to how we can build on this positive work and make the communities of Gloucestershire even safer with our plan for 2012-15.

All Fire & Rescue Services have a statutory requirement to assess their local risks to life and how resources are used in response to those risks, at the same time providing value for money to the

local taxpayer – this is called an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP).

All Fire & Rescue Service’s have to produce a local IRMP that sets out their plan for:

Reducing the number and severity of fires, road traffic accidents and other emergency incidents occurring in the area for which it is responsible; Reducing the severity of injuries due to fires, road traffic accidents and other emergency incidents; Reducing the commercial, economic and social impact of fires and other emergency incidents; Safeguarding the environment and heritage (both built and natural);providing value for money.

However, as an organisation which is part of the County Council, Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service uses the IRMP to plan for risks well beyond the remit of a traditional fire service. Our IRMP is also about us working with our partners to tackle a much wider range of community safety issues - for example, safety in and around the home, medical emergency cover and environmental protection.

Add to this, the wide range of response functions such as water rescue, cliff rescue, mud & ice rescue, building collapse, hazardous materials and road traffic collisions. Also with major incident response such as wide area flooding and terrorism, the picture emerges of a highly skilled and safety conscious organisation focused on its vision of “Working Together for a Safer Gloucestershire”.

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•Jon Hall MIRM GIFireE Chief Fire Officer

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive Cabinet Member for Communities

Introduction

What have we achieved through our last IRMP?

One of our Community Safety Advisers (CSA) received a request from Social Services to visit a home in Cheltenham because of fire safety concerns.

The house was occupied by two middle aged brothers. Both had various health issues, were smokers and liked to smoke in bed. One had slept downstairs since their father had died some years previously. The property had fallen into disrepair with water coming in through the ceilings. There were no smoke alarms in the property.

The CSA carried out a fire safety risk assessment and fitted four smoke alarms to protect them in case of fire. Advice was given on overloaded electrical sockets and obstructions were removed from escape routes. Both brothers were given flame retardant bedding and advice on safe smoking.

During the following months the CSAs worked closely with their social worker, friends and Cheltenham Borough Homes to find safe accommodation for the men. They have now moved into a modern flat that is warm, dry and above all, safe.

A family friend “we would never have achieved all this, had it not been for your support and offering the chaps friendship in so many ways. Your personal skills have certainly come to the fore and you have been a very good role model and Mr X often says of you that you made him and Mr Y feel important, and needed in society”

”“New Community Safety Advisers visiting those at most risk in the county IRMP 2009/12 Objective What we have done

Refocus our resources to deliver targeted safety services to the people in the county most at risk from having a fire and/or accident in their home

We now have Community Safety Advisers operating across the county providing home fire safety checks and advice to those most at risk of fire. We also have new agency partnerships for the referral of vulnerable cases.

Expand our water and unstable surface rescue capabilities to meet local, regional and national needs

We have expanded our water and unstable surface rescue capabilities in order to provide a local regional and national response. Since the summer floods of 2007, we have significantly increased the number of Swift Water Rescue Technicians located around the County. Our rescue hovercraft also provide a capability on flooded areas and mudflats on the River Severn. October 2011 we launched the Tewkesbury Water Rescue Centre, which combines the rescue resources of Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) and GFRS. This joint emergency response now covers areas upstream as far as Upton Marina and Strensham Lock and links with Gloucester Station downstream

Ensure the Service maintains its ability to effectively respond to large scale incidents and work closely with its partner agencies in the process

We hold regular exercises with other 999 partners. practical exercises (e.g. Watermark), these include table top exercises with the Tactical Co-ordinating Group and Scientific Technical Advisory Cell training. Regular meetings with partners are also held at Gold, Silver and Bronze level.

Crews from Stroud and Cirencester were recently called to a road traffic collision (RTC) with people trapped on the A417 Cirencester to Gloucester Road in the early hours of the morning.

Crews arrived to find one female casualty had been trapped following a collision with another vehicle at a crossroads. Crews needed to remove the roof of the vehicle to ensure she could be removed safely, avoiding further injury.

The presence of the appliance from Cirencester and the pump rescue vehicle from Stroud meant that 10 firefighters were at the scene within minutes which ensured that the rescue could be performed quickly and safely.

Afterwards, the Incident Commander commented “I believe that the presence of the pump rescue has greatly enhanced our rescue capability at RTCs. This incident is testament to that. I have been attending similar scenes for over 20 years and in my view, having 10 firefighters at the scene so quickly speeds the rescue and improves safety for crews and the casualty. More people are available to perform tasks which speeds the process and more firefighters are on hand to move the casualty which makes it safer”

IRMP 2009/12 Objective What have we done

Refocus our resources to deliver targeted emergency response to road traffic collisions across the county

We have introduced pump rescue appliances (fire engines with additional road rescue equipment on them) to Stroud, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Cinderford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tewkesbury and Gloucester. This enables us to get the right equipment and an increased number of firefighters to the scene.

Ensure all firefighters continue to have the appropriate operational knowledge, skills, procedures, equipment and training in relation to firefighting

We continue with our programme of training at Severn Park and provide additional training for stations though Station Support Officers. Earlier in 2011 we upgraded all of our firefighting kit to ensure firefighters are better protected. We are also in the process of upgrading our workwear to produce an integrated clothing solution.

Develop our ability to lessen both the short and long-term impacts of climate change on the county’s homes, businesses and infrastructure, as well as within our own organisation

We have invested in water rescue and flood response training and equipment. We have installed solar panels at Stroud and Cirencester, improved insulation at all stations and will be using rain water harvesting to supply water for training sessions at our new stations.

Ensure all identified heritage risks have been surveyed and appropriate fire risk management and response plans (including exercises) have been put in place

We now have 15 response plans in place for heritage risks. A complete review of heritage sites will be completed in 2012 with a view to improving communications with the private owners and working with them to produce fire fighting and salvage plans.

“ ”New pump rescues are providing a vital life saving service

IRMP 2009/12 Objective What have we done

Changing our structure to improve our delivery of services to local communities

We have Station Support Officers in place to support retained stations and staff. A change in road rescue capabilities at Stroud station has now released staff for our new fire stations.

Ensure all firefighters continue to have the appropriate operational knowledge, skills, procedures, equipment and training in relation to dealing with emergencies other than firefighting

We continue with our programme of training at Severn Park and have additional risk critical training for stations though our new Station Support Officers. Each station also carries out regular station based training exercises.

Back in 2005 when we looked at the best way to continue to protect our county we had two clear areas we wanted to improve:

1. Better located fire stations, which could respond quicker to life-threatening incidents.

2. An innovative way of preventing serious accidents and unintentional deaths, not just through fire or road traffic accidents.

Using the Government’s Private Finance Initiative we successfully secured a £multi-million project in 2010 to build four new community fire stations and a community life skills centre.

The new community fire stations are being built at Shepherd Road (including the life skills centre) and Cheltenham Road East in Gloucester, and Keynsham Road and Uckington in Cheltenham.

From the four new community fire stations we will be able to reach people trapped in their own homes or on the roads of the area far quicker than we can now from the current fire stations in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

The life skills centre, SkillZONE, will allow people of all ages and abilities to experience firsthand a range of risk/safety situations they may face on a daily basis. These may be in their home, on the streets/roads, or rural/urban situations.

Construction is well underway at all four sites and should be fully operational by mid 2012.

“ ”New fire stations will improve our response to local communities

An artists impression of Shepherd Road and our Life Skills Centre, ‘SkillZONE’

What have we achieved through our last IRMP?

Integrated risk management replaced the national prescriptive approach to the way Services set their standards within the UK. Each Fire Authority now sets its own standards which meet their local needs using a risk based approach of providing community safety.

Integrated risk management is the process which brings together a number of key considerations for the Authority, including the social and economic impact that fire and other emergencies have on

the county, the related legislative requirements and guidance and the budget.

We also need to consider flexibility and working in partnership, the relationships with neighbouring services and a regional / national perspective in meeting our protection, prevention and response aims.

Over the next few pages we describe the step-by-step process of planning that we have gone through.

Planning for our new IRMP

Our risk information comes from various sources. It informs our professional judgments when we decide on the most suitable protection, prevention and emergency response arrangements to put in place, to maintain that risk at an acceptable level.

What are the risks?

Injury or death to residents and visitorsDamage to propertyImpact on the economy of Gloucestershire and disruption to businessLoss of built and natural heritageSocial impact on communitiesFirefighter safetyLoss of infrastructure

About our County

Gloucestershire is made up of six districts. It has two urban districts - Cheltenham and Gloucester

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and four rural districts - Stroud, Tewkesbury, Cotswold and the Forest of Dean.

The population of the county is growing and is now reaching 600,000, with an ageing profile. Around 70% of the population live in the towns and cities but as a rural county the population is widespread.

The county is a diverse one with affluent and deprived areas. Eight neighbourhoods in Cheltenham and Gloucester fall into the bottom most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

Over half of the county is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty with the Cotswolds forming the eastern side of the county. This overlooks the flood plain of the river Severn running through the centre of the county, with the major urban centres of Cheltenham and Gloucester sitting on the plain. The Forest of Dean is on the western banks of the river and is a key tourist attraction covering some 35sq miles.

Our existing and potential risks

Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Dwelling fires have dropped by 22%

Factors contributing to the county’s risk profile

National Risk Assessment The National Risk Assessment is intended to capture the range of emergencies that might have a major impact on all, or significant parts of, the UK.

It provides a national picture of the risks we face, and is designed to complement our local Community Risk Register.

The driver for this work is the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which defines what is meant by emergencies, and what responsibilities are placed on us so that we can prepare for them.

Risks covered in the assessment include – severe weather, pandemics, animal disease, major accidents and malicious attacks including cyber attack and acts of terrorism.

Local Community Risk Register Our Local Community Risk Register looks at the likelihood and potential impact of a range of hazards occurring in specific areas. It is approved and published by our Local Resilience Forum (LRF) which includes representatives from local emergency services, and public, private and voluntary organisations.

In order to produce the Community Risk Register, the LRF use a combination of local knowledge about each risk, as well as guidance provided by central government drawn from the National Risk Assessment.

Critical National Infrastructure With its national resilience capability, the Service is part of the response to maintain critical infrastructure in the event of any of the identified risks becoming a reality. There is work with utilities and private businesses through the LRF and fire

safety enforcement work to increase the business continuity resilience.

Population Trends Currently, the county has a population of 600,000 people, half of whom live in Cheltenham and Gloucester. The remainder are spread over a number of market towns, as well as many small villages and hamlets. Population growth is steady and is predicted to rise by another 11% by 2025. However, Gloucestershire is predicted to have a higher than average number of over 65 year olds rising by 55,000 to reach 158,000 by 2025. This increase is coupled with new legislation and the government desire to deliver ‘personalised’ services to the elderly. There will be a direct impact on the county’s ability to support and deliver services, such as nursing and social care, that support safe and independent living.

Economic Climate The United Kingdom as part of the global economy continues to face many challenges. The private and public sector are going through many changes to manage in these times. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service will undertake to be as efficient and as effective with its resources as it possibly can.

Climatic Event As the devastating floods of 2007 demonstrated, communities in Gloucestershire are at risk from the on-going effects of the climate. Recent events have shown the weather extremes with one of the coldest winters for 31 years extending over a significant period. The Service has to be prepared to respond to these extremes at whichever end of the scale they may be.

Some Heritage Risks

Gloucester Cathedral, Docks, City Centre.Cheltenham Regency Town Centre.Forest of Dean Royal Forest, Victorian Industrial sites, Little Dean Hall (near Cinderford).Cotswolds Kelmscott Manor (Lechlade), Sezincote House (near Moreton-in-Marsh), Snowshill Manor (near Moreton-in-Marsh), Chavenge House (near Tetbury), Rodmarton Manor (near Cirencester).Stroud Berkeley Castle, Woollen Mills, Owlpen Manor (Uley), Woodchester Mansion, Newark Park.Tewkesbury Abbey, Town Centre (including Merchant’s House), Stanway Estate (near Winchcombe), Sudeley Castle.

Infrastructure Risks

Gloucester HM Prison, Royal Hospital, M5, council infrastructure. Cheltenham GCHQ, General Hospital, Racecourse, M5.Forest of Dean County infrastructure sites.Cotswolds RAF Fairford.Stroud Berkeley Power Station, Royal Residence, Sapperton Railway Tunnel, M5, county infrastructure sites.Tewkesbury Mythe Water Treatment Works, Gloucestershire Airport, RAF Innsworth, M5.

Look at how we currently manage riskWe deliver our service and the management of risk, through a balanced approach to keep our communities safe.

This is done in three ways:

PREVENTIONThe Service is built around a key principal that preventing fires and accidents happening in the first place is a fundamental priority to effectively protect the people of Gloucestershire. We pride ourselves on the efficiency and professionalism of our emergency response. However no matter how effectively we operate in this context, a fire or road accident has a devastating effect on those people involved. We believe it is far better to educate, raise awareness and provide advice to ensure these emergencies are avoided wherever possible.

We have put in place a complete package of care that is aimed at providing advice and education for every age group from the very young to the elderly and vulnerable.

Children and Young People (C&YP) We have a team based at the Fire Service HQ in Quedgeley, who visit Schools, Family Centres, Children’s and Sure Start Centres. This is backed up with comprehensive internet materials that will enable a visit from the Service to be followed up with detailed lesson plans and resources for use by Teachers, Playgroup Leaders or ‘Centre’ staff. These are used in either Citizenship, Personal

Social Health & Economic education (PSHE) lessons, or follow up work with other referring agencies.

The programme of work Includes:-

Under 5’s Children`s and Sure Start Centres are visited at least once. We use ELFS, (Early Learning Fire Safety) as a new delivery tool for our work with pre-school and reception classes. ‘Colin the Collie’, a hand puppet is also used to engage children to deliver effective fire safety messages.

Key Stage Education Our work across other Key Stages will continue to be based on our 5 key messages, complemented by our section on the GFRS website,

Key messages:Fire prevention in the homeDetection of and escape from fireFire settingCalling 999Road safety

Firesetting (arson) One to one work addressing firesetting issues (children who have a fascination with or a history demonstrating inappropriate behaviours with fire).It is becoming clear that reported cases of firesetting are dropping with the increased educational input from pre-school upwards. Unfortunately there are still a small number of

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cases of older firesetters who are more likely to be classed as delinquent or attention/thrill seeking. Firesetting will never be completely eradicated, but it is pleasing to note that the schools` education programmes appear to be acting as a preventative, meaning less incidents.

Firepups A course targeting the transitional stage in a young person’s education between year 6 and 7. The course is primarily aimed at assisting young people who are struggling with low self esteem and/or experiencing difficulties adapting to experiences in the larger school setting.

Firescape A programme designed to offer Key Stage 3 and 4 students an opportunity to take part in a learning experience outside the school environment. To be seen as part of the alternative curriculum.

Students are encouraged to develop a sense of pride and diligence in their approach to work and to acquire greater self-esteem.

The course also aims to provide vital life skills e.g. communications, teamwork and self-confidence.

During courses, students take part in activities aimed at improving self-esteem, self-discipline and responsibility. This is achieved by employing fundamental Fire Service principles of leadership, teamwork and discipline.

Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Fire injuries have dropped by 23%

Due to open in 2012, this is a revolutionary Safety Education Centre. The centre will provide realistic scenario based learning environments, to provide people with essential life skills.

Working closely with agency partners and community groups, the centre will promote safety and develop education materials.

The centre will have three overarching aims:

To help people of all ages acquire essential life skillsTo promote safety in partnership with other agencies and organisationsTo provide a centre of excellence for everybody in all aspects of safety, health and wellbeing

Community Safety Advisers (CSAs) First appointed in 2009, CSAs are part of the Community Safety Team based at the Fire Service HQ in Quedgeley. They carry out Home Fire Safety checks to householders in the county.

They visit homes and give advice to the most vulnerable members of the Community who

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need smoke alarms and fire safety advice. They also give advice on behalf of other agencies, including Trading Standards and Gloucestershire Smoking Advisory Service.

This work is targeted to people at risk within the community and is often in conjunction with agencies that are engaged with the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Residents targeted by the team include:

People over 65 years of agePeople living alone People with disabilitiesSmokersThose without existing smoke alarmsIndividuals with drink or drug dependency

If individuals are identified who are at risk, they are referred through a ‘safeguarding process’ to ensure that appropriate agencies are informed and any issues identified receive appropriate support or intervention.

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Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Vehicle fires have dropped by 53%

Partnerships To be effective in preventing fire and accidents involving vulnerable people within the community, we need to work closely with agencies that have day to day contact with individuals who are at risk. The Community Safety Team has established close working relationships with numerous agencies that refer individuals to us who are at risk from fire, or who carry out joint visits with our Community Safety Advisers (CSAs)

These agencies include:Age UK Community Steps Fostering Services The Red Cross Social Care Housing Associations Sanctuary Schemes Gloucestershire Deaf Association Sensory Services Family Information Service NHS Mental Health Team FOD

These visits are delivered by the CSAs or by Firefighters operating from our Community Fire Stations located throughout the county. CSAs will also refer vulnerable adults to other Gloucestershire County Council agencies, with their permission, to ensure they access the full range of services and support available.

Road Safety Partnership The Service attends over 400 road traffic collisions every year. Crews are highly skilled in dealing with the aftermath of these incidents, but prevention remains a paramount priority. The Road Safety Team within the Service ensure a co-ordinated and joined up approach to Road Safety prevention activity. With a pooling of expertise and a range of activities, they target reducing the number of deaths and injuries resulting

from road traffic collisions.

Community Fire Stations Much of our prevention and education activity is delivered by front line firefighters who have first-hand experience of dealing with the devastating effects of fires and road accidents.

Working from our Community Fire Stations, these staff deliver Home Fire safety checks giving advice and fitting life-saving smoke alarms to those in need and giving advice to people in their homes.

Firefighters regularly attend community events to raise awareness and educate about fire safety issues. Stations also regularly hold ‘Open Days’ where Community Fire Stations open their doors to the local community. These have traditionally been fun days out for the family, but they are also an opportunity for the Service to deliver important safety messages.

Our Performance The Complete Package of care delivered by these prevention activities has made a significant contribution to reducing fires and accidents within the county and the number of deaths and injuries resulting from such events.

“We are proud of our record and Gloucestershire is one of the

highest performing Fire and Rescue Services in the country. Over the last

10 years the total number of fires has dropped by over one third. Our

proactive community strategies have contributed to significant drops in

injuries, dwelling fires, property fires, fires in vehicles and deliberate fires as

well as malicious calls”

Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Hoax calls have dropped by 69%

PROTECTIONEnforcement As well as preventing incidents in the domestic setting, GFRS has a statutory duty to ensure people are protected from fire when at work. We have a highly experienced team of officers working across the county, delivering advice and guidance to the commercial sector as well as enforcing fire safety law and bringing prosecutions when employers commit serious breaches of fire safety legislation.

This combined approach of a customer focused service to advise and guide when appropriate, along with the knowledge and expertise to enforce law through prosecution if necessary, is key to our success in driving down the number of fires in commercial premises.

False Alarms It is essential that fire crews across the county remain available to deal with true emergency situations as they arise and do not spend time responding to calls that turn out to be false alarms. This not only makes sound financial sense, but even more importantly ensures firefighters remain available to respond to real incidents in their community. GFRS has been very proactive in driving down the number of false alarms we attend.

We have done this through two key strategies.

1. Automatic Fire Alarms Policy (AFA)

Our AFA policy has seen a significant reduction in the number of appliances we send to AFAs in commercial premises. However, to ensure safety is not compromised, a full emergency response is still sent to premises with sleeping

risks. Crews responding to an AFA examine the effectiveness with which the occupier of the premises manage their alarm system, to ensure false alarms are eradicated wherever possible and our enforcement team will follow up when shortfalls are identified.

2. Malicious Calls

Like all Fire Services across the country, occasionally we receive hoax 999 calls from individuals falsely claiming there is a fire. Our Control Team, who handle all 999 calls to the Service, have developed robust methods to challenge the caller wherever possible, if it is suspected that it is a hoax. In this way we prevent the crew being turned out, not only saving money, but also keeping the crew available to protect their community should a real incident occur. We also work closely with the Police when investigating hoax callers.

Fire Investigations Fire investigation is a statutory duty, and it is an essential part of our role to identify the causes of fire to inform future prevention activity.

Such work will often assist the Police bringing about prosecutions where arson is suspected, or be required for a Coroner’s Inquest.

The results of a Fire Investigation may also be valuable to the wider Fire Safety Community or research establishments to assist developing future prevention safeguards.

Straightforward investigations are carried out by the crews that initially respond to the incident. More complex investigations are carried out by an officer who has specialist skills in fire investigation.

Environmental Protection As well as protecting the people of Gloucestershire from harm, we have a legal obligation, to protect the environment in which they live. Living in a county with extensive areas of outstanding natural beauty, presents significant additional challenges for the Service.

Many of the emergency incidents we attend have the potential to cause extensive and long term harm to our environment. This can be through air pollution from the smoke produced by a large fire, pollution from firefighting water entering streams and rivers, or the presence of a hazardous substance that has been involved in an incident.

We have a team of specialist Hazardous Material and Environmental Protection officers providing full time cover to respond immediately to such incidents throughout the county. The officers are trained to deal with chemical, biological and radiological incidents and work with appliances and equipment that is used locally and nationally.

The Service has established a partnership with the Environment Agency (EA), where early contact is made with them when there is potential for the environment to be harmed as the result of an incident. The EA will provide us with advice over the phone or attend the scene if necessary.

Front line appliances carry equipment supplied by the EA for first aid environmental protection and the Service has a dedicated vehicle, the Environmental Protection Unit, based at Stroud. This carries large scale environmental protection equipment supplied by the EA and a firefighting crew who have received specialist training.

Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Other Property fires including

commercial premises have dropped by 45%

RESPONSEThe Service is soon to have 22 community fire stations as the existing stations in Cheltenham and Gloucester are replaced. In Gloucester, one at Shepherd Road and one at Cheltenham Road East, will replace the existing station on Eastern Avenue. In Cheltenham, a new station will be built at Uckington and the current station at Keynsham Road is being demolished and rebuilt. These 22 community fire stations across the county enable us to provide an effective emergency response, taking account of the developing urban areas.

The number of firefighters with specialist skills and vehicles at each station reflects the existing risks within the area, giving the most efficient and effective emergency response to the local community, as well as county wide resilience for larger scale incidents.

Of the 22 stations, five are crewed permanently 24 hours a day and one is crewed during the day with retained firefighters at night. The other sixteen stations, located in the smaller towns are crewed by retained firefighters only (where firefighters respond to emergencies from their main jobs or from home as and when required).

The Service has stations which are located in towns across the county and together they provide an emergency response to any incident. Some of these stations have one fire engine, others have two or more. Because of where our fire stations are situated they provide support and assistance to each other when required. It also allows the Service to manage larger scale incidents by giving the right number of fire engines immediately along with the right number of firefighters to tackle the incident safely.

Specialist Capabilities The nature of rescue incidents we attend are influenced by the geography of the county as well as the recreational activities enjoyed by our community. Together with firefighting, GFRS has developed specialist skills and procured equipment that reflect the particular geographical risks present within the county and the nature of emergency calls we receive.

Road Rescue Over the past 18 months we have made major changes to the way we respond to Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) and how we use our rescue appliances.

We have increased the RTC equipment on some of our fire engines by making them into a pump rescue vehicle (a fire engine that can attend both fires and RTCs). We now have seven pump rescue vehicles located at different fire stations around the county as well as specialist rescue appliances. The pump rescue vehicles allow us to get to the scene of a collision quicker, with the right equipment and 10 firefighters instead of the seven we had before.

We have rescue appliances which provide specialist equipment when required such as at rail incidents or animal rescues. In addition to the equipment for rescuing people trapped in cars, further equipment is going to be utilised to respond to building collapse.

Water Rescue/Flood Response The River Severn presents a particular risk for GFRS and we have historically had a boat rescue capability. The floods of 2007 brought into focus the need to develop our capabilities for water rescue and particularly flood rescue, with the likelihood that this type of call would increase due to climate change. With new national standards now agreed there will be a need to review what we currently provide

Did you know? in the last 10 years...

Deliberate fires have dropped by 43%

to ensure the best response to incidents while managing the safety of our firefighters.

We currently have river boats at Gloucester and Tewkesbury stations and hovercraft donated by Severn Trent Water at both Newent and Dursley stations which respond across the county. We also use six flood boats which were donated by the Rotary Club.

We also have firefighters trained in wading, for wide area flooding in Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Lydney, Newent, Dursley and Fairford stations.

Rope Rescue The Forest of Dean is popular with climbers and pot holers alike, but occasionally such recreational activities don’t go as planned and we are called to perform a rescue from a cliff face or assist with a cave rescue deep underground. We have teams at both Lydney and Coleford stations that have expertise and equipment to perform these challenging and highly skilled rescues.

Medical Assistance Over a number of years we have invested in training all our firefighters in emergency medical assistance. We can use these skills at incidents to assist the ambulance service and provide support for our own staff. The training ranges from the standard ‘first aid at work’ courses, to higher level trauma training provided through St. John ambulance.

On some stations this has been supported by providing a co-responding medical response supporting the ambulance service during busy periods. This means that if a local paramedic is not available at the time of call, the ambulance would request a qualified firefighter to attend.

We carry a range of medical equipment from

bandages to defibrillators on our fire engines. Our firefighters across the county have the skills to provide emergency medical assistance at incidents, until a paramedic has arrived. Then, if required, they can help them stabilise the casualty.

We also have a co-responding medical response from Lydney, Coleford, Tetbury, Wotton Under Edge, Chipping Campden and Newent.

In the last 12 months our co-responders have been called out 444 times (1st April 2010 to 31st March 2011.)

Large Animal Rescue Gloucestershire has a predominantly rural community and consequently firefighters regularly turn their skills to an array of different rescues involving pets, livestock and wild animals. The larger animals more commonly rescued are horses, cattle, pigs and sheep that find themselves trapped in machinery, bogs, slurry pits, rivers, pools, ditches or victims of road traffic collisions.

Every animal rescue is unique, which means the procedure and type of equipment used depends on the animal and where they need rescuing from. For many years we have responded to these incidents using ingenuity and traditional methods. Large animal rescues however are recognised as one of the most dangerous activities a firefighter will do and so to protect firefighters and members of the public, specialist training and equipment is essential.

Over the past years we have invested in large animal rescue equipment and currently respond with five firefighters from the local station plus support from our rescue appliance carrying specialist equipment and an officer.

National Resilience Within Gloucestershire, we have a range of vehicles and equipment that form part of a national framework of assets. These assets are positioned within Fire Services across the country to provide emergency response and have the capability to deal with large scale and widespread incidents. They are mobilised as part of a national structure and each type of vehicle is identical to others held in other Services so that they can be staffed by any crew who have received the appropriate training. These vehicles and the associated equipment, can also be used locally for incidents when appropriate and provide a valuable additional resource for the county.

We have an Incident Response Unit and High Volume Pump at Cirencester Station that can be used for widespread flooding incidents where greater pumping capacity is required. This vehicle has been used on a number of occasions already this year ensuring minimum resources were engaged when dealing with larger flooding incidents.

Dursley station has a Mass Decontamination Unit which provides a shelter and disrobing kits to support incidents where large numbers of casualties may be involved.

Cheltenham is home to the Enhanced Logistical Support Vehicle, which provides support for the Command and Control functions at larger incidents locally and nationally.

Crews within Gloucestershire have received extensive training in the use of this equipment and are highly skilled in their specialist role. Regular refresh training takes place within the Service to ensure crews are ready to respond should they be called upon.

Fire Stations in Gloucestershire

© Crown Copyright and Database Right 2011 Ordnance Survey 100043365

Tewkesbury Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - water rescue Vehicles: 2 x fire engines, boat, 4x4.

Winchcombe Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 x fire engine

Chipping Campden Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - co-responder Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, BA support unit,

Moreton In Marsh Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 x fire engine

Stow on The Wold Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 2 x fire engines

Northleach Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 x fire engine

Fairford Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - water rescue Vehicles: 1 x fire engine

Cirencester Community Fire Station Staffing: Day Crewing Vehicles: 1 x fire engine,1 x pump rescue, 1 x incident response unit,1 x high volume pump, 1 x prime mover,1 x 4x4 vehicle

Tetbury Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - co-responder Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, incident support unit

Lydney Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - rope and water rescue, co-responder Vehicles: 2 x fire engines.

Coleford Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - rope rescue, co-responder Vehicles: 2 x fire engines.

Cinderford Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, 1 x pump rescue, 1 x landrover rapid-response pump

Newent Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - hovercraft water rescue, co-responder Vehicles: 1 x fire engine,

Painswick Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 fire engine

Gloucester (Existing - Eastern Avenue) Staffing: Wholetime and Retained - water rescue Vehicles: 1 x pump rescue, 2 x fire engines, rescue appliance, aerial ladder platform, 4x4, boat, multi purpose vehicle.

Gloucester North Community Fire Station Staffing: Wholetime - water rescue Vehicles: 2 x fire engines, aerial ladder platform specialist incident support unit

Gloucester South Community Fire Station Staffing: Wholetime - water rescue Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, 4x4, boat

Stroud Community Fire Station Staffing: Wholetime Vehicles: 1 x pump rescue, 1 x fire engine, narrow access vehicle, environmental protection unit, damage control unit

Nailsworth Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, 1 x narrow access vehicle

Wotton Under Edge Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained - co-responder Vehicles: 1 x fire engine

Dursley Community Fire Station Staffing: Retained Vehicles: 2 x fire engines, mass decontamination vehicle, hovercraft

Cheltenham West Community Fire Station Staffing: Wholetime Vehicles: 1 x fire engine, multi-role lorry, foam carrier

Cheltenham East Community Fire Station Station Commander: TBC Staffing: Wholetime Vehicles: 2 x fire engines, enhanced logistical support vehicle, aerial ladder platform, water carrier

Cheltenham (Keynsham Road) Staffing: Wholetime and Retained Vehicles: 1 x pump rescue , 2 x fire engines, rescue appliance, aerial ladder platform, water carrier, enhanced logistical support vehicle

Last year the Service attended 6579

incidents including:-959 property & vehicle fires753 small fires

413 calls to road traffic collisions62 water related incidents

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As part of this IRMP it is proposed that the Service undertakes a review of its response standards, appliances, their location and resources available to meet the prevention, protection and response standards.

We are looking at a number of areas to change resources and standards which have been highlighted as proposals within the IRMP consultation document:

Revise our response standards

Review the availability of firefighters at each retained fire station

Remove one specialist rescue appliance

Change the crewing for our aerial appliances

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Determining resource requirements to meet these policies and standards

Identify the opportunities for improvement, set policy and standards

The Service is continually evolving as the risk and financial situation changes.

We are looking at a number of areas for improvement which have been highlighted as proposals within the IRMP consultation document. These have been matched against the response to risk:

Improve our water rescue response to meet local, regional and national requirements for wide area flooding and water rescue incidents

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Improve how we carry out large animal rescues

Provide extended emergency medical assistance to the public when required

These proposals cut across the full range of fire service activities and roles. Many of the enabling issues such as day to day staffing and service structure are considered to be part of the normal management of the Service and whilst they will be subject to appropriate internal consultation, they are not detailed in this plan.

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ConsultingHave your sayA separate consultation and questionnaire document is published with this draft with the seven key proposals to assist delivery of our new IRMP

The consultation outlines proposals which we believe will:

improve the service delivered to the public

contribute to improving public safety

present savings

We want to hear your views, whether you wish to comment on all of the proposals, or just those that you are interested in. The comments we receive will inform the decision-making process for determining the future implementation of the proposals.

To make it as easy as possible for you to submit your views, we have the following options for you to get involved. You can:-

1. Complete the paper questionnaire (pictured) available separately and return it to:-

Communications Manager Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Waterwells Drive, Quedgeley, Gloucestershire. GL2 2AX

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2. Visit our website www.glosfire.gov.uk/irmp to view videos on our proposals, leave comments and complete the questionnaire online

3. Write and send your comments to the address below:- Communications Manager, Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service, Waterwells Drive, Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, GL2 2AX or email: irmp@glosfire.gov.uk

4. Attend an information event at: Cirencester Fire Station, 6pm, 30th Nov. Tewkesbury Fire Station, 6pm, 2nd Dec. Coleford Fire Station, 6pm, 5th Dec. Gloucester Fire Station, 6pm, 14th Dec. Cheltenham Library, 6pm, on 15th Dec. Stroud Fire Station, 6pm, 8th Dec.

If you wish to request extra paper copies of this document and the consultation and questionnaire document please telephone on 01452 753333 or email: irmp@glosfire.gov.uk

The consultation period ends on 18th January 2012.

Thank you for taking the time to read our proposals and we look forward to receiving your comments.

What happens next18 January 2012 – 25 January 2012: Evaluation of consultation feedback25 January 2012: Proposed new IRMP papers published1 February 2012: Cabinet meeting to agree IRMP22 February 2012: Full council to agree IRMPMarch 2012: Publication of final IRMP with year one action plan

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Waterwells Drive

Quedgeley Gloucestershire

GL2 2AX

If you wish to request further paper copies of this document and the questionnaire please telephone on 01452 753333 or email: irmp@glosfire.gov.uk

You can also complete a questionnaire and view videos online at:- www.glosfire.gov.uk/irmp