Agenda item

(To receive a report by Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, which describes and informs the Committee of the outcomes of the Lincolnshire Crewing Arrangements consultation)

Consideration was given to a report from Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer, which advised the Committee of the outcomes of the Lincolnshire Crewing Arrangements consultation with wholetime staff at Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Lincoln North, Louth, Skegness, Sleaford, and Spalding fire stations regarding the proposed changes to their contractual arrangements.  It was highlighted that most of the changes were purely contractual and therefore did not impact the way of working.

It was reported the most significant proposal were changes to Sleaford fire station; where wholetime personnel staff were suggested to be on site seven days a week during the day rather than 24 hours a day as night-time cover would be provided by on-call personnel. As part of the consultation, LFR presented recommendations to the Fire Brigades Union and Sleaford Town Council at public meetings. Within these consultations, special considerations were made to the impact of Sleaford town centre’s one-way system, and it was noted that the perceived savings of £30,000 would be used to reinvest into on-call staff at Sleaford.

The Chief Fire Officer expressed thanks to the close working relationship with the Fire Brigades Union throughout the consultation process. It was noted that the implementation would be delayed until 2023 to ensure staff remained in receipt of night-time allowances. Furthermore, FRS intended to maintain communication with staff to ensure their preferences were implemented such as asking where personnel wished to work and maintaining flexible shift patterns.

During discussion of the item, the following was noted:

·       Assurance was given that the amended crewing arrangements in Sleaford would not negatively impact response times or the effectiveness of service whilst still maintaining flexibility. For instance, personnel were able to respond from home if they lived within five minutes of the station, and the financial state of staff would be protected as opportunities would be available to move to stations which offered higher night-rates.The Chief Fire Officer advised the Committee that LFR was not anticipating seeing a detrimental effect on performance, and that a quarterly review of performance of Sleaford Station would be undertaken along with a deeper review on an annual basis.  The Committee requested that an update be brought back in the Autumn of 2023 after six months of implementation;

·       Members highlighted that there was no staff engagement data included in the report, however the Chief Fire Officer gave assurance that staff were heavily involved in the consultation process. Stations affected by the consultation had received regular visits and had facilitated engagement with staff through the Fire Brigades Union which ensured that feedback fed into future recommendations;

·       The Committee raised that only 63% of personnel completed the ‘Expression of Interest’ form, and whether those who did not complete it would be randomly assigned to a station. The Chief Fire Officer informed members that LFR was aware of staff who wished to relocate, and that this engagement would be an ongoing process subject to changes. Support would be provided by the Divisional Commanders who worked locally to ensure staff were satisfied with their location;

• The Chief Fire Officer highlighted that there was a national recruitmentchallenge regarding on-call firefighters, but targeted recruitment was underway in Sleaford. Additionally, he was confident that availability of on-call staff would be maintained at Sleaford and gave assurance that this station would be prioritised for recruitment in the future; and

·       Members raised questions around the length of the recruitment process for firefighters; resultantly the Chief Fire Officer clarified that typically, the process took six months to one year depending on the individual and their availability, and bespoke courses were offered in instances where several individuals could train alongside each other.

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee extended his thanks to the Chief Fire Officer for his presentation.

RESOLVED

1.      That the proposed changes be supported and the comments raised by the Committee be recorded.

2.      That an update on the new crewing arrangements be brought to the Committee in Autumn 2023 after six months of implementation.