Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Personnel Committee Item 10

8 September 2004

Control Staff - Recruitment, Retention and Training

Report of the Chief Officer

Contact: A House, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Tel - 023 80 626 831

1

Summary

1.1

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to Members regarding the strategy for Control Staff employee retention, recruitment and training that may be required during the transition to Regional Control Rooms.

1.2

The scale of the changes this national project will bring, combined with the extended period over which they are to be implemented, is expected to result in increased Control Room staff turnover rates during the transition period. There is anecdotal evidence from Chief Fire Officers and others that this is already happening in other Brigades across the country. Against this reality is the fundamental requirement for HFRS to be able to support the amalgamation of control centres without reducing service availability or quality during the transition period.

1.3

There is a clear need for the implementation of a retention strategy that uses various incentives and other techniques to reduce the likelihood of employee turnover amongst those who are key to business continuity before and during transition and into the early part of the transfer.

1.4

These incentives and strategies should be supportive and inclusive of any proposals that are supplied and supported by the FiReControl project and the ODPM.

1.5

This paper will only cover the initiatives and strategies required during the "Transition" period. The FiReControl project defines this as :-

"The period between January and the transfer of employees to a Regional Control Centre".

2

Retention of Control Staff

2.1

The FiReControl project has issued guidance on Employee Retention. This places the emphasis on the Regional Management Boards for the implementation of a strategy.

2.2

Retention incentives will exclude those employees located within the Service who support Control Room activities or those who have been appointed Control Operators for the transition period.

3

Recruitment of Control Staff

3.1

The establishment figure for Watch based staff in Control is 32 units.

3.2

To maintain this figure, the Service is recruiting new staff on temporary contracts. This is currently a two year control which will change as the time scales for transfer to the Regional Control become clearer.

3.3

The Service is currently attracting applicants for vacancies on temporary contracts. Our ability to maintain this position as the employment period is shortened because of the transfer to a Regional Control, is debatable. It is envisaged that a point will be reached during the transition period when recruitment of new staff is no longer a viable proposition. Before this point is reached, new initiatives for crewing the Control Room will need to be developed.

4

Training and Development

4.1

Control staff are faced with the possibility of redundancy if they do not transfer to the new Regional Control. Some staff may not want to transfer and some who want to, may not be successful in securing a position in the new structure. As part of HFRS's commitment to staff who face the prospect of redundancy, we will endeavour to support them to secure other employment.

4.2

As well as providing internal development opportunities that are already covered in Service Orders, the Service will commit additional finances to enable Control Staff to explore development opportunities for a new career outside the Fire Service. This will be an annual non-transferable sum of money per person in Control.

5

Financial Implications

5.1

The Service has agreed to fund this additional Training and Development up to a maximum of £500.00 per person which will require an annual allocation of £18 500.00 per year. This provision will be funded from within existing Service budgets.

6

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

6.1

The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 and considered in the light of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Recommendation

1

That the Committee endorses the approach taken by the Service in attempting to support and retain our existing Control staff prior to the implementation of the Regional Control Centres.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Papers

The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report.

None

Note: The list excludes:

(1) Published works

(2) Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act