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Agenda item

To receive a presentation by the Chief Fire Officer, North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.

Minutes:

The following officers from the Fire and Rescue Service were welcomed to the meeting to give a presentation and answer members' questions:

 

·         Richard Fairhead (Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Fire Service) (responsible for operational aspects)

·         Shân Morris (Assistant Chief Officer) (responsible for policy and corporate planning)

·         Helen MacArthur (Assistant Chief Officer) (responsible for finance and resources)

 

Following the presentation, the following points by individual members were noted:-

 

·         The service was thanked for its work on behalf of the residents of Gwynedd and it was noted that the presentation, which showed the importance of the service and the difficulty of operating in this difficult financial climate, was very powerful) 

·         It was noted that any increase in levy in 2018/19 would mean that every Council would have to make further cuts to their services and it was asked whether the Fire and Rescue service was moving forward with the cost saving plan by 2019/20. In response, it was noted that all managers had to review their budgets and that they were aware of the need to reduce their basic costs.  The aim was to manage the costs without changing the front line services. As part of the work of planning for 2019/20, a meeting was held with the Authority's Members at which many cost-reducing options were considered, including closing part-time stations, changing 24-hour stations to daytime stations and changing daytime stations to part-time stations. However, the decision made by Members in June of this year was not to change the service delivery model in North Wales at present.

·         Confirmation was sought about the situation of the Caernarfon Fire Station and the service to rural areas of Gwynedd. In response, it was noted that Caernarfon was a daytime station (staff present between noon and 10pm, which are the busiest times) and that the service was staffed by part-time and full-time workers, on duty at home outside those hours. It was confirmed that the aim was to keep the station at that level this year. It was also confirmed that the new high volume pump located in Caernarfon would be used for large fires and floods across the whole of Gwynedd.

·         The need to fill the deputy post was questioned, since the post had been vacant for a whole year. In response, it was explained that the current post did not correspond exactly with the old post. The practicality of the role and internal skill set was considered, but a Certified Accountant was needed to complete the work.

·         It was suggested that the service could save £250,000 (which corresponded to 7.5% of their administrative costs) through reverting to the old arrangement where the firefighters themselves would clean the stations between fires. In response, it was explained that the workers used to receive additional pay for this work, so there was a cost to the service anyway.  It was further noted that much of the preventative work was now being carried out by ancillary staff, rather than the firefighters themselves, and that this was more cost effective for the service.

·         Appreciation for the perseverance and the highly professional, inventive and effective way the Fire Authority dealt with all the challenges it faced was noted.  Over recent years, the Authority had extended its services to include dealing with the effects of climate change and preventative work, which not only made the service more effective, but had also saved hundreds of lives across north Wales.

·         The service was thanked for its work in dealing with the severe fire on Mynydd y Cilgwyn in July and it was noted that there was no desire for them to receive less funding from the Council.

·         In response to an enquiry, it was confirmed that the Fire and Rescue Service shared several hubs with the Ambulance Service across north Wales and that it was considering similar arrangements with North Wales Police and other partners.

·         An enquiry was made into what the service did to convince people that the practice of lighting fires on the uplands was entirely antisocial and how could the Council and Members assist with this. In response, it was explained that the service worked closely with the farming community to advise it about controlled fires. Discussions had been held with the National Park Authority to ensure the appropriate advice was given to visitors and regular discussions were also taking place with the schools. Additionally, it was noted that the service would appreciate all the help it could get to spread the message.

·         In response to an enquiry, it was noted that the phone number for contacting the service in a non-emergency was 0800 169 1234. It was also possible to contact the service via Facebook, Twitter, etc.

·         In response to an enquiry, it was noted that recruiting part-time firefighters was difficult in all parts of the UK. There had been success with recruitment in some areas, but the challenge continued.

·         It was enquired as to how prepared businesses were to release people to be fire fighters. In response, it was noted that the pressure on businesses was understandable but that the service worked closely with them to promote the benefits of having a fire fighter work for them, e.g. experience with first aid, fire safety and health and safety.

·         Concern was expressed that narrow streets and parking problems could create barriers to a fire engine responding to an emergency call.  In response, it was noted that the service had special vehicles for narrow accesses and that they had identified those areas where access was difficult. A request was made that any member who was concerned about somewhere in his/her ward contact the service so that the service could attend to make an assessment.

 

The Chair thanked the officers of the Authority for their fascinating presentation and added that copies of the presentation slides would be sent to the members.