Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Performance Review & Scrutiny Committee Item 7

27^th February 2009

Progress report on the Best Value Review of Environmental Impact

Report of the Chief Officer

Contact: Eunice Mabey, Environmental Impact Project Co-ordinator

Telephone: 023 8062 6850

E-mail: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 The two year Best Value Review of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's Environmental Impact, is due for completion in March 2009. From this Review a full report will be issued in September 2009.

1.2 Due to the success of the review, and the corporate and social responsibility within the environment, in December 2008 a permanent position was allocated, as the Environmental Impact Project Co-ordinator, to Eunice Mabey.

1.3 From the details, within the progress to date, many quick wins have taken place. Also longer term projects have started with ISO14001 and Salix funding. HFRS are making good progress on their environmental impact, but with plenty more scope for continual improvement and education.

2 Recommendations

2.1 That the Committee approves the progress to date and agrees to receive future updates.

3 Progress to date

3.1 Progress to date has included the following:

3.1.1 Energy Audit at Headquarters

An evening energy audit for Headquarters took place in October 2008. It is encouraging to note that the total amount of electrical equipment being left on is decreasing. The first audit in 2007 recorded 89 items, in March 2008 there was 79 and in October 2008, 76. The main items still being left on are monitors and PC's equating to 75% of the total figure in October 2008. More staff awareness campaigns are scheduled, with the next audit in March 2009.

3.1.2 Bright Sparks

In September 2008, the Suggestion Scheme was launched. To date there have been 266 suggestions of which 19% fall under the environment category. With such a encouraging percentage of ideas, it clearly shows staff's commitment to help HFRS reduce its environmental impact.

3.1.3 Transport

Internal Audit have completed a review of the car user scheme in respect of value for money and energy efficiency. The report will be delivered to the Senior Management Team (SMT) in the near future, for agreement in taking the recommendations forward.

HFRS Cycle Scheme was launched in June 2008. There has been an overwhelming amount of interest. To date 272 members of staff have purchased a bike via the scheme.

A green travel plan is under way for the Headquarters site. Hampshire County Council (HCC) and Eastleigh Borough Council will be helping construct the plan, which will include engaging with local partners with the hope of raising a shuttle bus service departing from the train station.

3.1.4 Energy Usage

All fire stations have been issued with targets for the consumption of gas, electricity and water for the year 2008/09. These targets contribute to one of the performance indicators for achieving `Beacon Status', which is a service delivery initiative for performance management. Stations continue to record all of their meter readings on a monthly basis and have been supplied with a poster to record these readings and help to monitor their performance against target. To date most stations are on target for their gas and electric consumption. Water readings have been problematical due to heavy covers and flooded water pits. With a years worth of actual data being completed by March 2009, next years consumption reduction percentage will be a lot more accurate.

The Carbon Trust have agreed to fund staff training sessions, which will take place in April 2009. This will include a higher level to the working group, SMT and a general awareness presentation to all group managers to cascade to all staff. A lecture pack and DVD will be produced from this Carbon Trust training.

A review of the lighting strips is underway to achieve a cost benefit and environmental impact analysis on changing from the current T8 compact fluorescents to an energy saving alternative.

Salix funding, established by the Carbon Trust, provides funding for low carbon capital projects in the public sector. At present we are investigating the scheme and have commissioned a review of the boiler system, at the Headquarters site, requesting recommendations on more efficient and environmental friendly alternatives. The Salix scheme match fund investment in to a project. All energy savings results from that project are then placed in a revolving fund for further improvements.

3.1.5 Office Consumables

The printer project has been completed with approval. All Lexmark E323 single sided printers will now be replaced with a Duplex printer. The project covers approximately 70 printers over all fire stations. The roll out will commence in April 2009. It has also been agreed to default to draft print, along side the already established Duplex and black and white option on other models. The project showed a positive best valve review, with a reduction in cost, changing to the newer Duplex model.

3.1.6 Recycling

Recycling at Headquarters and wholetime stations is going well. Paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, batteries, ink cartridges, strip lights, kitchen oil and old electrical items are all continually being recycled.

A mobile phone recycling envelope is in the process of being printed. 25,000 envelopes are being produced free of charge with the pledge of £2 per phone being donated to the Fire Fighters Charity. The envelope also holds a fire safety message and will be issued with home fire safety visits.

Work has been commissioned, and is in progress with HCC, to have a recycling page within the Kids Zone of HFRS's website. Internal and external environmental pages for the website are also under construction, with the goal to go live in March 2009.

The old office furniture bank, set up to encourage staff to reuse good condition old stock, is going extremely well. To date over 100 items of furniture including tables, filing cabinets, lockers, pedestals etc. have been recycled. With stock depleting quickly, staff send requests to the furniture bank first, now as a matter of course, rather than going straight for new, a real success.

3.1.7 Environmental Management System (EMS) accredited to International Standard ISO 14001

Work is being progressed towards the implementation of an Environmental Management System which ultimately will be accredited to the International Standard ISO 14001.

At present the Aspect and Impacts Register for the Environmental Management System is being developed. This Register will record everything that we do with a score of the environmental implications for each activity.

In conjunction an Environmental Strategy and Policy are also in the process of being compiled. We have the goal of achieving ISO14001 by 2010.

3.1.8 Environmental Working Group

The working group are still tasked with the projects as listed

· Lighting

· Radiators / Heating

· Website

· Staff awareness / Surveys / Themed Days

· Renewable energy

· Policy / Strategy

· Green travel plan

The projects will look into the feasibility and payback period of changing our current systems to more energy efficient systems. This will include recommendations from the Carbon Trust and requests from station managers, from particular low energy efficient infrastructures. To date progress is slow due to workloads and the group consisting of purely volunteers.

3.1.9 Display Energy Certificates

As set out by government, those of our sites, that require a Display Energy Certificate and Advisory Report, now have them. The ratings for the buildings that resulted were as follows:

Station	Score	Rating
Hightown	64	C
Gosport	70	C
Fareham	72	C
Southsea	72	C
St Marys	75	C
Eastleigh	79	D
Basingstoke	82	D
Rushmoor	89	D
Service Headquarters	163	G
Workshops/Store	200	G

The typical rating for a fire station scores 100 or a D rating ("A" high efficiency, "G" low efficiency). So good news that all the fire stations are above the government standard. Workshops/Stores data is incomplete so had to default to a G. Service Headquarters obviously has the lowest rating and this needs to be addressed accordingly. Other wholetime stations, that fall out of the requirement criteria, will be completed by March 2009.

3.1.10 Public Sector Sustainable Development Group

Members, from an array of public sector organisations, meet on a quarterly basis to report back to government, via HCC, on the national indicators 186 and 188. The group also benefits from the networking, ideas and presentations on reducing environmental impacts within the public sector. Eunice Mabey was honoured to be asked to Chair the group in January 2009 for a two year period.

3.1.11 Carbon Footprint

HFRS carbon footprint has been completed for 2007/2008. This includes gas, electric consumption and business mileage (from bunker stock, card purchase and travel claims). The carbon emissions total just over 4,000 tonne of CO2 or 2 tonne per member of staff. To make more sense of this, the total figure would be equivalent to 23 Royal Albert Halls filled with CO2 or the same amount of CO2 produced by travelling to the moon and back 26 times ! The 2 tonne per staff would equate to 476 red telephone boxes filled with CO2 per person.

4 Conclusion

4.1 Progress is being made towards the Review of the Environmental Impacts and Members will continue to be regularly updated.

5 Contribution to Corporate Aims and Objectives

5.1 Undertaking a review of the environmental impact of the Service will contribute to the Service being one of the top Fire and Rescue Services in the country. It will also enhance the Service's corporate social responsibility.

6 Resource Implications

6.1 The major resource requirement for this review continues to be staff time. A working party of staff is undertaking some activities over and above their normal roles.

6.2 There is a budgetary requirement for the cost of consultancy advice from the Environment Centre. Costs have been, and should continue to be, contained within the Performance Review Team budget.

7 Consultation

7.1 The review will involve considerable consultation with other Fire and Rescue Services and external organisations, and identify examples of best practice suitable for inclusion in our own procedures and practices. The views and aspirations of our own staff will also be sought.

8 People Impact Assessment

8.1 Carrying out People Impact Assessments will strengthen our Best Value Review practices by ensuring that the consequences of our proposed policies and actions comply with current legislation and expectations for improving equality and diversity in the workplace and in our delivery of services to the public.

8.2 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.

9 Risk Analysis

9.1 During the review, a risk analysis will be undertaken of issues encountered, in order to inform the review team of the areas to concentrate on in order to utilise resources effectively. It will help to mitigate the risk of the failure to adequately protect the environment in our activities.

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:

Report from the Environment Centre: Phase 1: An Environmental Review of the Eastleigh Headquarters and Four of their Fire Stations for the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.