Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority Item

15 September 2004

Corporate Plan - A New Approach

Report of the Chief Officer

Contact: John Bonney, Chief Officer - Tel: 023 80 626830

1

Summary

1.1

This paper recommends to the Authority a new approach to the structuring of the Service's Corporate Plan in order to satisfy a range of demands emanating from the National Framework, the Fire Service Act 2004, Comprehensive Performance Assessment as well as the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP).

1.2

The report also describes new key objectives for the Service in order to meet its overall aim to "Make Hampshire Safer".

2

Introduction

2.1

The government expectations laid out in the recently published National Framework requires each Fire and Rescue Authority to develop an integrated risk management plan and associated action plans. The purpose of the plan being to drive down the risk from fire and other emergencies in each Fire and Rescue Service's area of jurisdiction.

3

Report

3.1

Members will be aware that the development of the IRMP involves a 12 week consultation process with both internal and external stakeholders. In addition to this, the Service, like all public sector bodies, is required to publish a Best Value Performance Plan designed not only to publicise its performance against key indicators, but also articulate how it intends to improve efficiency and effectiveness within its operations.

3.2

The National Framework also directs the work of Fire and Rescue Authorities beyond the production of the IRMP to include regional collaboration and providing a civil resilience response. From 2005, Fire and Rescue Services will also be subject to the Comprehensive Performance Assessment regime which scrutinises the Authority's ability to produce clear aims, order its priorities in light of those aims, deliver against those priorities and learn from the experiences in order to drive improvements.

3.3

Whilst these four main themes appear to be separate influences on the Corporate Strategy and work of the Fire Authority, they are in fact interrelated and in many cases, reinforce the same issues. In essence, it is vital that we are clear as to our corporate aims, particularly in relation to driving down risk and how we intend to order the plethora of competing priorities. Moreover, we must focus on those areas which offer the best return in terms of risk reduction as well as making it clear how progress is measured. Learning from our success and failures will be increasingly important in developing our new role.

3.4

In light of this and in order that we minimise the burden of our planning process, my intention has been to review the Corporate Plan in such a way that it meets the requirements of both the Audit Commission, the National Framework and most importantly, the specific risk faced in Hampshire. Appendix 1 demonstrates how the new Corporate Plan is constructed.

3.5

The overriding aim of the Service remains, as before, to "make Hampshire safer" which ultimately should be the outcome of all of the objectives and work which underpins them. Five key objectives support the aim. These are deliberately simple and tangible to ensure they are easily understood as well as measurable.

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To reduce the average number of fire deaths by 20% by 2010*

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To reduce deliberate fires by 10% by 2010*

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To be one of the top performing Fire and Rescue Services in the country**

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To transfer 2% of resources into protection and prevention by 2008

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To reduce building fires by 3% by 2006*

* These are government public service agreement targets set for the Fire and Rescue Service.

** In the 20^th centile and "good" status under CPA.

3.6

A variety of projects support these aims, many of which are interrelated, but fall into broadly four categories; preventing, protecting, responding and managing our resources. This helps order the work the Service intends to undertake, whilst nationally and locally set performance indicators help to focus the projects and measure progress. The first three categories also form the integrated risk management plan since they define how through preventive, protection and response activities we will directly drive down the risks identified in Hampshire.

3.7

Below has been included the key objectives falling under each of the headings.

3.7.1

Preventing

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To provide general safety advice to the whole population but with specific targeting of the most vulnerable, particularly the aged.

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To ensure every home will receive a home safety visit by 2010.

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To ensure every child in Hampshire has received fire safety education at least once by the time they reach Key Stage 3.

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To drive down arson in buildings in partnership with other agencies.

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To reduce fires in abandoned cars by working in partnership with the Police and other local authorities.

3.7.2

Protecting

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To have a working smoke detector in every household in Hampshire by 2010.

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To install sprinklers in premises we consider high risk.

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To work with the public and other partners to drive down deliberate fires.

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To work in partnership with the Police to reduce hoax calls by 5%.

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To work with property owners and users to reduce false calls from automatic detection systems by 10% by 2010.

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To continue to offer fire safety protection advice, taking enforcement action to comply with regulations when necessary.

3.7.3

Responding

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To set a county response standard of eight minutes on 80% of occasions.

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To flexibly deploy our resources to better respond to risks in Basingstoke, Havant and Winchester.

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To develop a `co-responder' programme to allow Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service staff to respond to medical emergencies.

3.7.4

Managing our resources

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To commit to a major investment in our ICT network.

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To introduce the Integrated Personal Development System by 2007.

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To collaborate with our regional partners in relation to;

* Civil Resilience

* Regional Controls

* Common and Specialist Services

* Procurement

* Human Resources

* Training

3.8

Each of these priority areas contain numerous projects for which specific outcomes are sought. The rationale and priority for these projects will be explained in a simple business plan which has a three year timescale. Whilst each main project due to be completed in the next 18 months will be set out in a timeline format so that key milestones and deliverables are easily identifiable. The approach also allows lead officers to be easily identified and the interrelated nature of various projects simply described. The use of the timelines has been reported to the Authority on a number of occasions and the approach has been endorsed by the Audit Commission.

3.9

As before, the Corporate Plan (which now incorporates the IRMP) will be principally web- based allowing the document to be dynamic rather than subject to annual revisions. Only the IRMP component will be aligned to an annual cycle, since this is currently subject to a formal consultation process which is fixed yearly.

3.10

For simplicity and access, both the Corporate Plan and IRMP component will be produced in précis form to enable internal and external stakeholders to identify quickly the key priorities for the Authority. The précis version of the plan will also form an important tool in the Authority's consultation strategy around Integrated Risk Planning.

4

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

4.1

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.

Recommendations

1

To endorse the new approach to structuring the Corporate Plan in order to incorporate the Integrated Risk Management Plan and prepare the Authority's strategy for Comprehensive Performance Assessment.

2

To recommit to the overarching aim to `Make Hampshire Safer'.

3

To endorse the key objectives of:

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Transfer 2% of resources to protection and prevention by 2008

-

To reduce fire deaths by 20% by 2010.

-

To reduce deliberate fires by 10% by 2010.

-

To reduce building fire by 3% by 2006.

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To become one of the top performing fire and rescue services in the country.

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