Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority Item 11

13 September 2006

Corporate Aims

Report by the Chief Officer

Contact: David Howells, Director of Corporate Services. Tel: 02380 626833

1

Summary

1.1

Five corporate aims have provided the strategic direction for the Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plans (IRMP) since 2004. It is timely to review these aims and to consider how they might be revised in the light of progress made, and to take account of new and emerging responsibilities and priorities. The revised aims would then provide a sound basis for updating objectives and actions in the 2007 edition of the three year IRMP.

1.2

Good progress has been made on two of the aims - and the target of diverting 2% of current resources to prevention activities by 2008 has been achieved ahead of time.

1.3

The most significant change is the proposal to add an aim: "to work with others to reduce deaths and injuries on the road by 40% by 2010". This recognises the relatively new statutory duty we have (under the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004) `... to make provision for rescuing persons from road traffic accidents and for dealing with the aftermath of such accidents"; and it will provide a stimulus to explore innovative partnership activities to try and reduce the number of serious collisions on our roads.

2

RecommendationError! Bookmark not defined.s

2.1

To note the progress made in achieving the current corporate aims.

2.2

To approve the following revised corporate aims and targets for the next three years commencing 1 April 2007 to:

_ Reduce the number of fires by 20% by 2010

_ Reduce fire deaths and injuries from accidental fires by 20% by 2010

_ Reduce the number of deliberate fires by 20% by 2010

_ Work with others to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road by 40% by 2010

_ Be in the top 10 of best performing fire and rescue authorities in the country by 2010

3

Background

3.1

The current corporate aims, adopted in 2004, are to:

_ Reduce fire deaths and injuries in the home by 20% by 2010

_ Reduce fires started deliberately by 10% by 2010

_ Reduce the number of fires in buildings by 3% by the end of 2006

_ Divert 2% of our current resources to prevention activities by 2008

_ Be one of the top 20% of high performing fire and rescue services in the country

3.2

The first three aims are based on the national targets set out in the first Fire and Rescue Service National Framework (2004/05). These outcome-based targets have provided a clear focus for the development of specific objectives and actions set out in our Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) and medium-term functional and business plans. Considerable effort was put into publicising and communicating the aims - particularly internally - as part of our determination to modernise the Service and shift the emphasis of our service delivery towards `protection' and `prevention'. The fourth aim of diverting more resources to these activities reinforced this commitment.

3.3

It makes sense to review our progress against each of the aims (particularly as one of the national targets comes to an end this year) and identify whether any lessons have been learned which would help to shape future aims and objectives. The following section reviews progress on each of the current aims in turn.

4

Review of progress

4.1

Reduce fire deaths and injuries in the home by 20% by 2010

The Government set its Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for a 20% reduction in accidental fire-related deaths based on the national average numbers of deaths in the five year period 1994/95 to 1998/99. The expectation is that no fire and rescue authority should have a fatality rate more than 1.25 times the national average by 2010 (the `floor target'). Although the Government did not include a similar target for a reduction in fire-related injuries, it seemed reasonable for us to set a local target for an equivalent reduction of 20%. We use two (national) Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) to monitor our progress against this aim. To facilitate comparisons to be made between fire and rescue services, deaths and injuries are measured per 100,000 of the population. These two indicators are part of a suite of eight best value indicators which will be specifically reviewed by the Audit Commission under the `Service Assessment' component of the current `Fire and Rescue Service Performance Framework'. Upper and lower thresholds have been set for all indicators and authorities' performance will be judged against these.

Fire-related deaths

In the local context the annual number of accidental fire-related deaths is, thankfully, very small. This can make it difficult to identify underlying trends and to make inter-authority comparisons. Over the last five years, the annual total has ranged from 3 to 7 deaths. This converts to a range of 0.18 to 0.46 deaths per 100,000 of the population. In the last full year for which comparative information is available (2004/05), Hampshire was marginally better than the national average of 0.43 per 100,000, but was below the upper quartile (0.27) of best performing `Family Group 4'authorities. However, this was a year in which 7 deaths occurred. In future, we will present comparative information on the basis of a moving average over the last five years in order to smooth the fluctuations that occur when analysing small numbers. After adjustments for social deprivation, our average performance over the last 5 years to 2005/06 was 0.46 deaths per 100,000 of the population resulting in performance (rounded) equivalent to the Audit Commission's `upper threshold' of 0.5 deaths (per 100,000). While this is a good result we take the view that any death resulting from an accidental fire is unacceptable.

Fire-related injuries

Our performance in reducing injuries has been variable over recent years. Although there is an underlying downward trend, when our data is compared with the average for other authorities the overall picture is somewhat disappointing. Over the last five years the number of injuries has ranged from 8.08 (per 100,000 of the population) to 10.23. The national and family group averages for 2004/05 were 8.0 And 7.6 respectively. We have not been alone in questioning whether data relating to injuries - which relies on officers in charge of incidents being able to obtain good information at the scene - is being collected in a consistent way across all authorities. For example, persons taken to hospital for a precautionary checks (but subsequently confirmed as having no related injuries) may or may not be included in the data. Nevertheless our average performance over the last 5 years of 6.6 injuries per 100,000 of the population (after adjustments for social deprivation) is comfortably within the Audit Commission's upper (6.3) and lower (10.9) thresholds.

Conclusion

There can be no argument that reducing fire-related deaths and injuries should remain as an essential corporate aim (as it will for all fire and rescue authorities). The only modification considered appropriate is to broaden the scope to include all accidental fires - not just those occurring "in the home". It also makes sense to retain the target of achieving a 20% reduction by 2010. It is recommended that the revised corporate aim should be to:

`Reduce fire deaths and injuries from accidental fires by 20% by 2010'

4.2

Reduce fires started deliberately by 10% by 2010

This corporate aim is taken directly from the National Framework. The Government's expectation is for a 10% reduction in the number of deliberate fires by 31 March 2010 from a 2001/02 baseline. It is widely recognised that only by working in partnership with other agencies can this ambitious target be achieved. It is therefore extremely pleasing to report that through our collaboration with the police and local authorities - and through enormous efforts in terms of youth engagement, education in schools, fire setters programme, car clear programmes, the `Life' projects and the various local Group-based initiatives - we have achieved considerable success.

We use four BVPIs to monitor our progress in reducing arson in the following categories: primary fires; primary fires involving vehicles, secondary fires, and secondary fires involving vehicles. Each is measured per 10,000 of the population: but because these indicators were redefined from 2005/06 reliable comparative data is not yet available. However, since 2001/02 all four indicators show underlying downward trends in arson with average year-on-year decreases of: 10.29% in primary fires; 6.17% in primary fires involving vehicles; 2.88% in secondary fires; 16.60% in secondary fires involving vehicles.

As part of the `Service Assessment' the Audit Commission is focusing on the first two indicators - the more serious deliberate `primary fires' in both buildings and vehicles. In order to achieve the target for a 10% reduction by 2010 requires combined year-on-year decreases of 1.25% over the eight year period. A lower threshold has been set of `no change or increase from 2004/05 to 2005/06', with the upper threshold assuming that a net reduction of 5% has been reached (i.e. 1.25% each year from 2001/02 to 2005/06). Our performance - a net 16.59% reduction - is more than three times better than the upper threshold.

Conclusion

Given the excellent progress already made, it would be appropriate to set a more challenging target and aim to achieve a net reduction (from the 2001/02 baseline) of 20% by March 2010. It is proposed that the revised corporate aim should be to:

`Reduce the number of deliberate fires by 20% by 2010'

4.3

Reduce the number of fires in buildings by 3% by the end of 2006

This corporate aim was also taken from the National Framework. Surprisingly, there is not a specific national BVPI to monitor progress against this target. However, there are two relevant BVPIs that can be used: the number of primary fires (serious fires in buildings and vehicles) per 10,000 of the population; and, the number of accidental fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings. In both cases we have experienced underlying downward trends. Primary fires (excluding vehicle fires) per 10,000 population have reduced year-on-year by an average of 6.99 % over the last five years, with the total for 2005/06 at 26.29% below the baseline figure for 2001/02. Similarly, the number of accidental fires in dwellings (per 10,000 dwellings) has reduced year-on-year by an average of 6.10% over the last five years, with the total for 2005/06 at 22.74% below the baseline figure for 2001/02. When compared with other authorities our performance on both indicators is very good: we have the lowest incidence of primary fires in our family group, and our figures for accidental dwelling fires are well below the average for all authorities. These indicators are also included in the Audit Commission's `Service Assessment' suite of indicators. On average over the last 3 years we responded to 5.6 primary fires per 10,000 of the population (after applying the agreed social deprivation factor). This is well above the Commission's upper threshold figure of 7.5 (the lower threshold being 15.2). In the same 3 year period we responded to 8.2 accidental dwelling fires per 10,000 dwellings (after applying the social deprivation factor). This is well within the upper threshold figure of 5.2 and lower threshold figure of 10.00.

Conclusion

These two measures confirm that that the Government's target for a 3% reduction in building fires has been substantially exceeded. It would be reasonable to assume that the significant reduction is largely attributable to increased levels of fire protection and prevention activities over the last five years and, in particular, the ongoing impact of the investment we have made in schools' fire safety education over the last ten years. While reducing fires in buildings will remain a clear priority, feedback from public consultation exercises suggests that we should have as a corporate aim a target to reduce all fires. This makes sense and it proposed to set a challenging target for a 20% reduction by March 2010 from a baseline figure of 10,070 fires or 60.9 per 100,000 of the population (which is the average number of all fires in the five years 2001/2 to 2005/6 and ignoring the highest and lowest annual totals to smooth the effect of weather-related peaks and troughs). The proposed new corporate aim will therefore be to:

`Reduce the number of fires by 20% by 2010'

4.4

Divert 2% of our current resources to prevention activities by 2008

Our commitment to modernise the Service and the practical need to provide more capacity to undertake protection and prevention activities - critical to the achievement of other corporate aims - is underlined by this objective. With the benefit of hindsight, a 2% efficiency gain proved to be a relatively cautious target because I am pleased to report that this has already been exceeded. Over £2m (3.3% of our budget for 2005/06) has been transferred to prevention activities.

Conclusion

Although we will continue to seek to put more resources towards protection and prevention activities, the aim has effectively been overtaken by the target for all fire and rescue authorities to achieve cashable efficiency gains for modernisation and the `Gershon' review of public sector spending of £105m by 2008. HFRS's share is £3.3m (5.7% of the budget for 2004/05). By the end of 2005/06 we had achieved £1.6m with plans to increase to £2.7m in 2006/07 and £4m by March 2008. The drive for greater efficiency is expected to continue and measured as a mainstream activity through audit and inspection. Indeed, a specific review of `use of resources' is a key element of the current Fire and Rescue Service Performance Framework which will be undertaken by the Audit Commission in addition to the regular `value for money' assessment. Given the implicit and explicit requirement for all public services to achieve improved cost-effectiveness, it is recommended that this corporate aim be removed.

4.5

Be one of the top 20% of high performing fire and rescue services in the country

There is not a single national performance indicator that determines the overall performance of fire and rescue authorities. However, `league tables' inevitably emerge from the results of external audit and inspection processes such as Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). Also, for each national BVPI, authorities are ranked in order of their relative performance - with performance in the `upper quartile' (25%) of authorities seen as the standard to aim for (or remain in). So, in terms of measuring our overall performance the ideal position would be for us to be in the top 20% of authorities across all national indicators. It is unlikely that any authority can readily achieve this position. Further, in common with many other authorities, we have frequently argued that some national (and local) performance indicators are more important to us than others in pursuance of our own corporate aims and if we are to deliver on Government expectations. With this in mind, the Corporate Management Team has recently reviewed which performance indicators we should primarily focus on. These are listed below and include the eight BVPIs that the Audit Commission will auditing as part of the 2006 `Service Assessment'.

· Total number of  'accidental fires' in dwellings attended per 10,000 dwellings (BV 142iii)

· Number of deaths arising from accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 population (BV143i)

· Number of people injured in accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 population (BV 143ii)

· Number of deliberate primary fires (excluding vehicles) per 10,000 population (BV 206i)

· Number of deliberate primary fires in vehicles per 10,000 population (BV 206ii)

· Number of Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSCs) conducted (LPI 1)

· False alarms caused by automatic fire detection apparatus per 1,000 non-domestic properties (BV 149i)

· Total number of  'primary fires' attended per 10,000 population (BV 142ii)

· The percentage of accidental fires contained to room of origin (BV 144)

· Total number of calls to malicious false alarms not attended; and 

· (ii) not attended per 1,000 population (BV 146)

· Speed of Response to All Emergency Incidents (LPI 20)

· The level (if any) of the Equality Standard for Local Government to which the Authority conforms (BV 2a)

· % Women Fire-fighters (wholetime or retained uniform operational staff)

(BV 210)

· Percentage of (a) minority ethnic uniformed staff, and (b) minority ethnic community population of economically active (persons aged 18-54) in the brigade area (BV 17)

· Working days/ shifts lost to sickness absence - All Staff (BV 12)

· All fires (LPI 22)

· Deaths and Injuries for Road Traffic Collisions (LPI 23)

We do not yet have sufficiently up to date comparative information available for 2005/06. As soon as this is available we will be able to report our current position.

Conclusion

It is felt appropriate to retain an aspirational aim of being one of the best performing fire and rescue services in the country. However, using a percentage figure has meant little to staff or the public. We therefore need to make this more explicit and feel it makes sense to change this to being in the `top 10' This is the equivalent of being in the top 20% of authorities in England and Wales. Importantly, this will remain a challenging aim and target. In future, we will measure this by calculating the average of our relative position across all the key indicators listed above. The revised corporate aim will there be to:

`Be in the top 10 of best performing fire and rescue authorities in the country by 2010'

5

New corporate aim - road safety

5.1

Feedback from staff on the original corporate aims questioned the absence of specific objectives to improve road safety. Given the very high numbers of deaths and injuries resulting from road traffic collisions (RTCs) - significantly higher than fire-related deaths and injuries - and the statutory duty fire and rescue authorities now have in respect of road traffic collisions, it is wholly appropriate to introduce a corporate aim to recognise our current and potential role in improving road safety. The suggested new aim recognises that other agencies take the lead in improving road safety and that our role should be to do all we can to support and work in partnership with them. The very challenging target to reduce deaths and injuries on the road by 40% by 2010 from a baseline figure of 1,314 averaged over the 5 year period from April 1^st 1994 until March 31^st 1999. This has been set from the government published document entitled "Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone" which listed the Governments road safety strategy and casualty reduction targets for 2010.

During consultation with all our stakeholders on the next revision to our IRMP, we will seek identify new and innovative partnership activities we can undertake as our contribution to achieving the aim to:

`Work with others to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road by 40% by 2010'

6

Contribution to Corporate Aims and Objectives

6.1

Providing clear, measurable, outcome-based corporate aims helps to communicate our role to the public and our inspire staff. Ensuring these aims remain relevant and current is itself a major contributor to setting corporate direction.

7

Risk Analysis

7.1

Failure to review aims and our performance against them represents a considerable corporate risk. Only by continually monitoring and managing our performance do we ensure effectiveness in our operation and efficiency in our use of resources. A focus on outcome-based corporate objectives is a key component of both CPA and the current Service Assessment. Failure to regularly review our aims, objectives and targets would leave the Authority vulnerable to criticism and damage to its reputation; and we would certainly not be regarded as one of the top 10 best performing fire and rescue services.

8

Resource Implications

8.1

There are no significant additional financial implications arising from this review of our corporate aims. The resource implications that might arise from any new initiatives or activities that arise in pursuance of the new aims will be subject to separate reports to the Authority.

9

Equality Impact Assessment

9.1

The new corporate aims have been considered by the Local Diversity Group for any possible adverse equality impact, but none have been identified.

9.2

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

10

Consultation

10.1

Major revisions to our IRMP is subject to a statutory 12 weeks consultation and part of this process will allow feedback on the corporate aims. We will also hold a number of staff seminars to discuss the corporate aims and provide ideas about how these can be achieved. This is part of a wider `bottom up' approach to the review and development of our future IRMP. The thrust is for station and group plans to align with the corporate aims and so influence the direction and achievement of the IRMP. In this way our plan is driven by a response to local needs and local risk.

11

Conclusion

11.1

The original corporate aims have served the Authority well both in terms of instilling a performance management culture by setting aspirations as to where the Service is seeking to improve. Progress and achievement in many areas means it is now timely to review these aims, both to set new challenges, and adjust corporate focus, particularly in relation to road traffic collisions.

11.2

In making this change there will need to be a careful communication strategy which seeks to highlight achievements, prevent de-motivation which could occur from setting more challenging targets and preventing any confusion that new targets might have been set before the achievement of original ones.

Background Information (Section 100D of Local Government Act 1972)

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; and (2) documents that disclose exempt or confidential information defined in the Act.