Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mark Baxter, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, on the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) to cover the period 2020 to 2023 which is being presented by the Executive on the 6 October 2020. The views of the Scrutiny Committee will be reported to the Executive as part of the consideration of this item)

The Committee received a report from the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, on the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) to cover the period 2020 to 2024 which was being presented by the Executive on the 6 October 2020. The views of the Scrutiny Committee would be reported to the Executive as part of the consideration of this item.

The report provided a full update on the work to develop a newly constructed Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) covering the period up to April 2024 and sought approval of the IRMP and associated documents, including the Community Risk Profile and five supporting Framework Documents for: people, response, prevention and protection, resourcing and evaluation. The adoption and publication of an IRMP was a requirement of the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England 2018 and allowed the Service to focus its plans and resources on the basis of a thorough assessment of the risks facing its communities.

Members discussed the report, and during discussion the following points were made:

·         The Committee welcomed the comprehensive report and presentation on the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2020-2024 and its proposed publication. The Committee welcomed the proposal for a yearly review of the progress and outcomes of the Integrated Risk Management Plan and supported this being reviewed through the scrutiny process.

·         It was confirmed that this would be a 'live' plan and be updated when necessary.

·         It was noted that risk slightly increased at certain points in the year and specific reference was made to university term times.

·         Members were disappointed at the response rate to the consultation on the fire service and it was noted that the service was looking at new ways of engagement with the public and partners to enable better response rates in the future. This included those members of the public for whom English was not their first language. It was suggested a low response rate could indicate that the public were generally satisfied with the service.

·         It was noted that response times in very rural areas were lower and it was also noted that these areas were often classified as lower risk areas. The Committee supported the approach of these areas being targeted with a greater level of prevention and protection approach to aid in reducing risk. 

·         The County risk profile information was particularly welcomed for giving information on what the main risks were and that resources were matched to these in the most appropriate parts of the County.

·         Reference was made to the processes for raising concerns and support available for any staff members who felt that they were subjected to bullying and harassment.

·         Work was on going with agencies and other partners to identify trends in the statistics, particularly in relation to incidents relating to drink, drugs and the use and manufacture of illegal cigarettes.

·         The report should use the term 'fire stations' where appropriate and not 'stations'.

·         The Committee enquired why the population figures for Lincoln didn't include the student population as a possible oversight. Officers confirmed that including the student population could result in a disproportionate focus of resource. It was confirmed that the student population were the focus of a more targeted prevention and protection approach to mitigate this.

(Councillors Mrs C Lawton and Ms K Cook gave their apologies for the remainder of the meeting)

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Committee supports the recommendations to the Executive, as set out in the report on the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2020-2024;

2.      That a summary of the above comments be passed on to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item.