Appendix 1
This Appendix
lays out the detail of the 5 areas of bids for additional budget, and also
lists other areas of future budgetary pressure which cannot yet be quantified.
Fire Service
Emergency Cover (FSEC) - £20k
pa on-going and £46k pa initially for 2 years
This is a first priority for funding.
FSEC is a computer system and model which contains details of local population, buildings, road systems, fire stations and appliances, response times etc, and the last 3 year's incidents statistics for fires and road traffic accidents. It enables an objective risk-based approach to providing Fire and Rescue cover for both intervention and prevention work.
We are not being
forced to adopt FSEC, but we are required to adopt a fire cover modelling
system which is more risk based than the current "A to D"
categorisation system. FSEC is undoubtedly the best option.
We have been
provided, free of charge, with the hardware & software to run the system,
and require dedicated staff to set it up and run it, this would make possible
the beginning of a risk-based approach within 6 to 12 months.
This would
require on-going funding of £20k pa for a data in-putter with support costs.
For a 1-off
period of 2 to 3 years, it would also require funding for an ADO of £46k pa.
Redeployment of
part of the current IRMP liaison officer would complete the team.
It is essential
that there is wide involvement of other staff during the development, so that
everyone will understand and accept the outcomes.
It is recommended
that the ADO post is initially funded for 2 years, with close monitoring of
progress to help assess the need for a further year.
Software
maintenance & support
In 18-24 months time the ODPM will stop support and
development of the software, and will be negotiating with private companies to
provide that support, to be directly paid for by brigades. No figures are
available at the moment, but the cost to the IW is not anticipated to be very
high.
Integrated
Personal Development System (IPDS)
IPDS is a
structured approach to develop all members of staff (from Firefighter through
to Chief Fire Officer), and this bid is
for the training programme and associated resources element.
IPDS is one of
the central planks of reform for the Fire & Rescue Service and cannot be
avoided.
Some work has
been carried out to prioritise the training, and to match that against the
current budgets available. However more work is needed:-
A realistic
strategy is required for training retained staff who will not be available for
the same amount of training time as whole time staff, and to address the
problems of cover required for both whole time and retained staff while they
attend training.
Work is needed to
find alternative providers of some courses to reduce the costs, and alternative
methods of training to provide more flexibility.
Budget Available
for 2004/05 (including one-off training reserve) is £278,353
The on-going
budget is £174,334
Current Bids –
On-going Training Needs Assessment £432,000
In year bid to
meet immediate training needs
Instructor for competence training £17,000 (in 2004/05) £33,000 pa on-going
Associated retained staff salaries £9,000 (in 2004/05)
These bids would
provide improvements in management & planning information as well as
operational information, but in order to achieve their full benefit, a range of
other issues need to be addressed.
Assistance is
needed with the planning of information and operational ICT systems within the
Fire & Rescue Service, to make the most use of the available resources and
provide technical ability.
Investigate the
existing network connections between Fire HQ, the Training Centre and Fire
Stations and their suitability for future use.
Business process
re-engineering required associated with the changes from paper to ICT based
systems.
Current Bids - Capital £180,000 over 4
years
Revenue £47,000
in 04/05
£50,000
in 05/06
£44,500
in 06/07
£44,500
in 07/08
This is not seen
as an immediate priority.
Funding for an
extra ½ post for fire safety education in schools £13000 pa
This is not seen
as an immediate priority.
Community Fire
Safety (Retained staff)
Additional input
for retained staff carrying out fire safety checks £10000 pa
This is not seen
as an immediate priority.
The recently
formed Regional Management Board have 6 areas for development, each of which
may require funding.
The rank to role
initiative will involve some pay adjustments (not yet calculated).
There may be
other training requirements to operate new types of equipment.
A plan needs to
be developed to ensure the operation of the local Control Room in the lead-up
to a regionalised set-up in 2006.
There may be
budget savings required as a result of the 2005/06 budget process.