Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Buildings Land and Procurement Panel Item

3 October 2006

Hampshire County Council/Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service Partnership

Arrangements

Report by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services

Contact: Steve Clow Ext: 7858 e.mail: [email protected]

1

Summary

1.1

This report outlines the progress of the first year of the Partnership between Hampshire County Council and the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service. At its meeting on 30 June 2005, the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel endorsed the content of the Partnership Agreement which was signed by both parties in the Autumn of that year. The Partnership Agreement consolidated an informal arrangement that had been operating with the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services for some time prior to 2005. Significant benefits were noted by both parties in terms of joint working on a range of activities where common goals and objectives existed in making the County Council and its buildings as safe as possible.

1.2

The completion and identification of fire safety improvements within the County Council's built estate and the positive partnership working with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) will improve the safety of building occupiers and users.

1.3

This report:

· Summarises the processes, policy and procedures that resulted from the Partnership Agreement.

· Sets down the objectives and action plan arising out of the first year of the Partnership.

· Identifies future objectives and issues which will be tackled in year two.

2

The Agreement and its Application

2.1

The Agreement (see Appendix 1) states a number of common objectives for Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service as follows:

· To reduce the risk of fires in Hampshire County Council premises.

· To increase the awareness of key issues in Fire Safety Management within Hampshire County Council premises, including arson prevention and the reduction of unwanted fire alarms.

· To concentrate resources on reducing risk from fire in high, life-risk premises.

· To mitigate the effects of fires that do occur by ensuring appropriate human responses through local management, the provision of appropriate improvements to structural fire precaution measures and, through a risk based assessment methodology, the installation of automatic sprinkler installations into new and refurbished buildings, where resources permit.

2.2

The following arrangements have been put in place by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services in partnership with the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service on building projects and other matters.

2.2.1

Following approval by the County Council to risk assess all projects for the installation of sprinklers and the identification of other structural fire precaution improvements, some 224 projects have been risk assessed since the policy's inception and 28 projects fitted with sprinklers.

2.2.2

Management and review arrangements in Property Services are well established to review risk assessments and determine a consistent approach to fire precautions and the installation of sprinklers.

2.2.3

A Seconded Officer from the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service has been based in the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services' offices since the beginning of the informal partnership. This post, initially funded by the County Council, reviews projects and comments on fire safety matters; takes part in training of staff and managers; acts as a single point of contact with the Fire Service for a co-ordinated response on a range of matters and assists with the strategic formulation of the approach to risk, fire surveys and local manager engagement. It has recently been agreed that this role will be extended to undertake joint surveys of the existing estate and review projects for compliance with Building Regulations. As a result, a cost sharing arrangement has been agreed between the parties proportional to the tasks proposed. This is to be 60% Hampshire County Council funding and 40% Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service funding for the 12 month period commencing 1 September 2006 and will be reviewed in the light of the next Action Plan.

2.2.4

A Steering Group has been established which meets quarterly and is jointly chaired by senior managers from both organisations. This includes representatives from Children's Services, Adult Services and Recreation & Heritage which were selected by Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service on the basis that these services represent the higher risk areas for fire safety and local management. A joint Annual Action Plan has been prepared and good progress has been made on this for the first year. (See Appendix 2.) Highlights from this include:

· Getting corporate awareness and buy-in to the Partnership by engagement with key departments.

· The formulation of an arson reduction strategy (see 2.3).

· The preparation of an updated Fire Safety Manual applicable to the latest legislative framework and tailored to suit local management arrangements.

· Sharing of proposed fire precaution improvements to buildings through project risk assessments.

· Joint training initiatives.

· Joint risk assessment of placements in Adult Services.

· Joint publicity initiatives.

2.3

Arson Reduction Strategy

2.3.1

As part of this year's Action Plan, a joint arson reduction strategy has been developed and is well advanced. Focused on schools in the Basingstoke area, all sites have received an arson reduction advice visit from the Seconded Officer. All findings have been categorised as priority one, two or three (P1, P2 and P3). A £50,000 joint funding initiative between PBRS and Children's Services will address the highest concerns this year. Schools are also being approached directly to contribute towards this initiative. The highest priority on all sites visited is to relocate bin storage away from buildings into a secure compound.

3

Future Objectives

3.1

Discussions are underway to define the next joint action plan. The following represents a selection of future objectives for the second year of the Partnership.

3.2

Responding to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, which was fully introduced on 1 October 2006 will lead to some key joint actions. Defining the role of "responsible person" as defined in the Order; improving local management arrangements; improving guidance and training across the County Council will be reviewed jointly under the partnership. There are likely to be some significant implications for the County Council resulting from this new legislation and a further update will be presented to Members at the appropriate time.

3.3

As part of this year's Action Plan, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service will deliver training and guidance on the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 across the County Council. Work to develop training on Building Bulletin BB100 (DfES publication on Fire Safety in Schools) and designing for access and egress of people with disabilities in a fire, is also underway within this year's Plan. It is envisaged that training on these two subjects will be delivered as part of the next joint action plan.

4

Development of Fire Management in Relation to the Built Estate

4.1

The process of risk profiling the estate, starting as a pilot in the secondary schools, has now been established and previously reported to Members on 7  December 2005. This process is currently being extended across the rest of the estate and will be used to prioritise further detailed structural fire precaution surveys.

4.2

Full structural fire precaution surveys have been completed in the Elderly Persons Residential buildings and all "other residential" buildings. Significant progress has been made to address many of the reported issues raised, although further work is still needed to reach the benchmark position on all these buildings.

4.3

A new fire safety guidance manual is being produced to reflect the changes in the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and also to make the production of Fire Safety Management Plans across the County Council more consistent, comprehensive and easier to produce. Subject to successful trials at building manager level it is hoped to launch this new manual in the autumn.

5

Publicity

5.1

An event and press release is planned to publicise the establishment and success of the Partnership coincident with the official opening of the last ENHANCE Nursing Care home later this year.

Recommendations

That the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that approval be given to:

1

The fire safety improvements completed during the first year of the Partnership between Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

2

The continuation of the Partnership arrangements and the objectives and actions for the forthcoming 12 months.

LINK(S) TO CORPORATE STRATEGY

Yes

No

Hampshire safer and more secure for all

_

Maximising well-being

_

Enhancing our quality of place

_

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose 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 this report.

NB the list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

........................

........................

 

BL&PP1006C

Agreement Between Appendix 1

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire County Council

For the Effective Reduction of Fire Risk in Hampshire County Council Premises

October 2005

1. Introduction

This document forms an Agreement between the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and Hampshire County Council (HCC) designed to ensure that both parties contribute their available resources to maximum effect in a structured and focused way to achieve the desired outcomes of effective reduction of fire risk in Hampshire County Council premises and service delivery. This Agreement is not intended to create a legally binding relationship between the parties.

2. Relevant Key Objectives

The key objectives of the HFRS Integrated Risk Management Plan which are relevant to this Agreement are to:

· Achieve a reduction in the number of fire deaths and injuries.

· Achieve a reduction in the number of fires started deliberately.

· Achieve a reduction in the number of fires and unwanted alarms of fire that occur.

The key objectives of HCC are:

· Improvement in the management of risk to all personnel using or entering

· HCC premises from injury and loss of life due to fire.

· To minimise the risk of losses from fire.

· To maximise the awareness of fire in corporate and local management and operational activities.

· To ensure the safety of staff and building users consistent with the County Council's Corporate Risk Assessment for Buildings.

3. Common Objectives

Analysis of the key objectives from each organisation shows that a set of mutual objectives can be defined as follows:

· To reduce the risk of fires in HCC premises.

· To increase the awareness of key issues in Fire Safety management within HCC premises including arson prevention and the reduction of unwanted fire alarms.

· To concentrate resources on reducing risk from fire in high life risk premises.

· To mitigate the effects of fires that do occur by ensuring appropriate human responses through local management and the provision of appropriate improvements to structural fire precaution measures and through a risk based assessment methodology the installation of automatic sprinkler installations into new and refurbished buildings, where resources permit.

4. Resources Commitments

HFRS will incorporate into its Risk Management activities the use, where deemed necessary, of specialist officers dedicated to HCC premises on a consultancy basis, this may include arrangements for permanent secondments. The remit of these Officers will be to support local managers in identifying fire risks and improving responses together with advice and guidance on risk assessments for building projects. It is envisaged that this will be complementary to the traditional inspections and enforcement role that the HFRS has. Any secondment or consultancy arrangement will be the subject of a specific formal appointment between the parties to define the scope, definition and any fee arrangements.

HFRS will provide support to, and engage in, training for HCC staff where necessary to achieve the objectives. The cost of this will be determined over time and agreed between the parties.

HCC will incorporate into its general Health & Safety Management activities a Fire Safety Agenda to compliment the HFRS Risk Reduction activity by concentrating on training and cultural issues.

HCC will ensure that fire safety is a priority in the design and refurbishment programmes of its premises and both parties will take a proactive stance in early consultation with the HFRS Officers when considering potential design solutions.

Resource commitments, both staff and financial, will be subject to availability and prioritisation as agreed by the respective members and executives.

5. Key Objectives

This Agreement is intended to build on the partnership working already commenced between the two parties in relation to fire precautions and fire management improvement.

The Agreement aims to deliver the following outcomes over a three year period:

- A reduction in the risk of deaths or injuries due to fire in HCC premises.

- A raising of awareness and skills of the Service Managers in relation to fire safety and unwanted fire alarm signals.

- A reduction in the risk of fires in HCC premises and an improvement in the detection and containment of fires in HCC premises.

- A reduction in the number of deliberate fires in HCC premises.

- A continuing improvement in risk assessment in relation to structural fire precautions in building projects and a continuing commitment to consider automatic sprinkler installations, where relevant, based on established methodology.

- A facility within the HFRS risk management information system to demonstrate the effectiveness of this agreement

6. Signatories

Signed ............................................................... Date .................

    Charlie House, Head of Safety and Risk Management

    On behalf of Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service

Signed ................................................................ Date ................

    Steve Clow, Head of Architecture

On behalf of Hampshire County Council

Actions

By whom

By date

Performance Indicators

Comments

Corporate Level Buy-in

    · Corporate Steering Group to be established

    · Reporting mechanisms to be developed in both HFRS and HCC

S Clow

Steve Clow/C House

April 06

April 06

The fire safety agenda is given priority by all departments of the County Council

Inaugural meeting 4.4.06

Second meeting 25th August 2006

Seconded Officer Role

    · Define the role profile

    · Avoidance of Conflict of Interests

    · Joint Inspections (agree protocol)

    · Building Regulations Role

    · Arson reduction visits

    · Cost of role to be apportioned once agreed

M Kent/ S Hamm

April 06

Revised to mid May

The role is defined and focused for both partners.

Improved Fire Safety Action Plans

MK to initiate with target agreement mid May 2006.

Role defined, split of costs proposed and agreed with HFRS

B Regs role agreed, Joint inspections protocol agreed. Arson reduction visits complete at Secondary, and Primary. Resultant work on going but this action now COMPLETE 25.8.06

Arson Reduction Strategy

    · HCC to propose a geographic response for HFRS agreement.

    · Seconded Officer arson reduction visits to target area.

    · Agree possible physical Improvement programme for Implementation.

M Fitch/ Seconded Officer

December 06

Commence April 06

May 06

A strategy for arson reduction is in place and implemented.

Strategy being implemented commencing with Arson Reduction advise and audits to all Secondary Schools in Basingstoke. Primary visit complete. Programme of work to be agreed and implemented, likely to be focused around new bin stores on school sites.

HCC Fire Safety Manual revision to bring in line with RRO. SO involvement.

M Kent/ Seconded Officer

April 06

Revised to October 06

Updated guidance is issued to all "Responsible Persons"

Due to FSO moving to October. Three sections have now been drafted and a MS word based approach is currently being trailed. On going.

Progressing well. Likely to be ready to trial will some building mangers in September. Full launch likely to slip into later autumn 06.

Sharing of Information on Proposed Fire Precaution improvements. Monthly reports to HFRS.

A Upton (HCC) to S Hamm (HFRS)

Commence December 05

HFRS are aware of the fire safety improvements to buildings which are being considered and progressed within PBRS

On going commenced December 2005. COMPLETE and on going

Training

    · FSO training to PBRS Staff by HFRS

    · Pre audit training (HCC/HFRS)

    · Workshops with "responsible persons"( HCC/HFRS)

    · BB100 for PBRS staff. (HFRS)

    · Fire Design "for the disabled" to PBRS design staff. (HFRS)

S Hamm to lead

April 06

April 06

April 06

October 06

October 06

Training programmes are established benefiting from the expertise within HFRS.

Awareness of good fire design and fire safety management is promulgated across HCC.

    · Dates set for FSO training in Property management and Design Unit.

    · Awaiting the final version of BB100 prior to finalising any training now expected October 2006

    · Fire Design (disabled). M Frangos involved and A Upton. Likely to result in a practice note. Next meeting 20.6.06.

Adult Services

    · Development of Existing Adult Placement Risk Assessment work by HFRS/Adult Services staff.

Steve Hamm

February 2006

All new Adult Services placements to be suitably risk assessed in line with published guidance by adult services staff.

COMPLETE and on going

Publicity

    · An event to be arranged around one of the Nursing Care units.

    · Trade press interest to be explored

    · Both press offices to explore other options.

S Clow and C House

February 06

Awareness of the Partnership is recognised by members of the public in Hampshire and across the country.

This action requires further work. Proposed meeting with John Bonney 20.7.06 may result in joint press release.

On going.