Towards 2020: An integrated risk management plan for Kent and
Medway
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is
proposing a redesign of its operations to meet the challenges of
the 21st Century and ensure it has its stations and equipment in
the right locations to deal with emergencies across the county.
Although this means changes to the way KFRS works, there will be no
compulsory redundancies among firefighters and public safety will
be maintained across the county.
The proposals follow a three year review that began before the
economic downturn with the aim of improving the Service, not making
savings. The review was prompted by a 25% drop in fires and other
incidents since 2005, and the need to tackle the fact that the
Service has more fire engines and stations than it needs. The
proposed government reduction in funding (expected to be £12m over
the next three years) has also been taken into account.
Using extensive data gathered over the past five years, the
review looked in detail at the number of fire engines needed,
whether stations were still in the right locations and where there
was any unnecessary over-provision with another station covering
virtually the same area. It also looked at future developments such
as new housing, predictions of more severe weather and higher
numbers of vulnerable and elderly people living alone.
Proposals include:
- No compulsory redundancies of any
firefighters
- Taking a more flexible approach - standing up engines during
busy periods e.g. during a dry summer or standing them down when
demand is low
- Investigating using new kinds of vehicles such as fast response
units, 4x4s and quad bikes for certain types of incidents such as
bin or grass fires, or road traffic collisions, so saving money and
improving emergency response times
- Continue the investment in helping local people and businesses
to keep themselves safe, which has contributed to a 25% fall in
incidents over five years
- In considering both local needs and major incidents all the
evidence shows that KFRS has eight more fire engines than it
actually needs
- As a result it is proposed that four stations are closed and at
four others, existing staff are redeployed to other nearby stations
or offered alternative contracts. It is also proposed that one
station should lose its second fire engine. Some of these stations
were established in Victorian times to deal with risks such as
mills or factories that have now closed, while others are so close
to another station that all the evidence shows that they are just
not needed.
- It is proposed that two new stations are built in New Ash Green
and Herne Bay, along with the new station planned for Ramsgate and
two in the Medway Towns.
- False alarms caused by automatic fire alarms (AFAs) will also
be tackled. In 2010, nearly a third (5,307) of the total number of
incidents we attended were to automatic fire alarms. These are
often triggered by dust or just poor maintenance and in 98% of
cases there was nothing for firefighters to do. After in-depth
discussions with AFA owners KFRS is proposing continuing attending
AFA calls at night for a limited period to allow owners extra time
to make necessary changes to their systems. However from April 2012
KFRS proposes no longer attending AFAs during the day unless they
receive a 999 call to confirm there is an actual fire.
We have used data covering 2005 to 2009 when developing any
proposals, [except for the simultaneous demand analysis]. This is
because we wanted to be consistent and use the same data set on
which decisions were taken in Thanet and Medway last year. We could
have used 2006 to 2010 data, but as demand for emergency services
dropped significantly in 2010 again, this would not have changed
the outcomes. Using five years' data smoothes annual
fluctuations and allows us to see trends develop.
We have published all the information we have used that has
resulted in these proposals being made. This information
was available from November 2011 to 16 January 2012. A final
decision will be taken at the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue
Authority meeting in February 2012.
If you’d like a printed copy of any of the information, call us
on 01622 212 428, email irmp@kent.fire-uk.org or write
to us at:
Kent Fire and Rescue Service
FREEPOST NAT 9369
Maidstone
ME15 6BR
Addendums
As part of the consultation process, we have committed to
correcting information which is highlighted to us as not being
clear, or is incorrect.