The increasingly holistic roles of a modernised fire and rescue service in terms of addressing prevention, protection and response was the theme running through Phil Toase’s CFOA presidential address at the Fire and Rescue 2007 conference in Birmingham last month.
Mr Toase focused on aspects of the day-to-day work carried out by fire and rescue services and the importance of maintaining a balance between operational response and other activities.
Paying tribute to the firefighters who died in the East Sussex fireworks incident and reminding delegates of the dangers faced by firefighters daily, he said: “We must never lose sight of our responsibility in ensuring our staff are well trained, well equipped and able to deal with the risks they are presented with.”
He went on to highlight the prevention work carried out by fire and rescue services but said that the workforce must better reflect the social make up of communities in order to truly engage with them to reduce risk.
Community activity, including home fire safety checks and work with partners to prevent anti-social behaviour, is benefiting communities. But noting the latest fire statistics indicating the lowest number of fire deaths since 1958, he warned against any complacency in delivering services.
Notable developments in protection included the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order in England and Wales and the Fire (Scotland) Act in Scotland. Approved Document B introduced key improvements to fire safety in buildings through greater recognition of the role of sprinklers and more help for firefighters dealing with fires in tall buildings.
In welcoming new requirements for those who are building or refurbishing schools paid for by public funds to carry out a risk assessment for sprinklers, Mr Toase thanked Jim Knight and Angela Smith for their support on this issue. “The introduction of a risk assessment tool is a sound idea. However, I would urge that [fire and rescue authorities] be fully engaged when the analysis of the fire risk threat to a school is being considered in their areas.”
He concluded by saying: “Our fire and rescue service continues to be vigorous and dynamic and we should proactively pay tribute to and praise our firefighters and all our fire and rescue staff, who work tirelessly to make our communities safer places to live and work.”
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