Archived decisions
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority |
Item 5 |
5 December 2001 |
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Additional Information About the Need for Extra Firefighters at Shift Fire Stations |
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Report of the Chief Fire Officer |
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Contact: |
John Bonney |
Deputy Chief Fire Officer |
Tel: 023 8064 4000 ext 207 | |
1 |
Introduction | |||
At the Personnel Committee on 14 November 2001, members agreed the recommendation that an additional 16 firefighter posts be provided (8 from 01.04.02 and 8 from 01.04.03). At the same time, members specifically requested that several issues arising from the debate surrounding the proposals should be submitted to the full Fire Authority in further support of the recommendations. | ||||
2 |
Extra Information | |||
2.1 |
Using a government formula to calculate the establishment on Wholetime Shift Fire Stations indicates a need for additional firefighters to meet national Standards of Fire Cover and Crewing Levels. The achievement of 'Standard Crewing' is required to ensure crew safety and effectiveness in dealing with incidents in the early stages. | |||
2.2 |
HFRS currently only achieves Standard Crewing on 65% of occasions, compared to the nationally accepted minimum standard of 75% laid down by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire Services. | |||
2.3 |
By providing 16 additional firefighters (8 from 01.04.02 and 8 from 01.04.03) it will help to significantly improve crewing standards overall, but especially at Fareham, Gosport, Redbridge Hill and St Mary's Fire Stations. | |||
2.4 |
The proposal to amalgamate the staff of Copnor and Southsea Fire Stations (which is subject to local consultation and Fire Services Act Section 19 Approval from the DTLR), if approved, would identify a saving of 1 officer post which could be offset against future growth bids. | |||
3 |
European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 | |||
3.1 |
The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. | |||