POLICE, FIRE AND CRIME PANEL REPORT
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Meeting Date |
10th October 2024 |
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Report Title |
Risk and Resource Model Update |
Information should be accessible for all. If you require this information in a different language or format, please contact the Office of the Police, Fire, Crime and Commissioning at info@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk.
1.0 Purpose of this report
To provide an update on the implementation of the Risk and Resource Model (RRM) proposals which were approved in September 2022, following extensive public consultation.
2.0 The Risk and Resource Model (2022-25)
The Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), known locally as the Risk and Resource Model 2022-25 sets out the risk in York and North Yorkshire, and the services and resources provided by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS) to prevent and respond to emergencies and protect our communities.
The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) is delegated to prepare the RRM for approval of the Commissioner. In future, this will be for approval of the Mayor.
2.1 RRM Resource Change Proposals
In March 2022 NYFRS published its Community Risk Profile (CRP) based on an extensive methodology which underpinned the Risk and Resource Model. This was the most comprehensive assessment of risk ever conducted by NYFRS, taking into account not only five years of incident data, but also demographic, socio-economic and infrastructure data, including partner data, to ensure a robust understanding of risk in communities.
NYFRS brought change proposals for the new Risk and Resource Model to the Commissioner’s Executive Board in March 2022.[1] These proposals were based upon extensive analyses of risk and data, together with resource modelling and rationale. At this meeting, the Commissioner adopted five options to be taken to formal consultation (framed as four proposals given the similarity of the changes proposed at Harrogate and Scarborough).
Following a three-month public consultation, the Commissioner made the decision to approve all the former Chief Fire Officer’s change proposals with any efficiencies from the changes being re-invested into vital Service areas. Full details on the Commissioner's decisions can be found in the Decision Notice.[2]
1. Improving our prevention and protection work
Permanently increase the specialist staff in our prevention and protection departments and increase prevention and protection activities across NYFRS.
Over half of the savings from the RRM changes to date (c£700k) have been reallocated to Prevention and Protection functions. This has allowed the design and implementation of a sustainable infrastructure, with investment in people and roles (operational and non-operational), vehicles, estate and equipment. As a result, all Prevention and Protection objectives in the RRM are being delivered effectively through new strategies[3] for both functions.
There are significant benefits to the increase and expansion of roles across these functions, including the increased provision of training and competency of all frontline staff to deliver interventions in domestic and commercial settings. The improved use of data means better targeting of individuals and premises that present the greatest risk, especially those furthest away from an emergency response.
Further information on the investment into the Protection and Prevention teams and interventions and activities to help keep our communities and buildings safe was presented at the Deputy Mayor’s last Online Public Meeting4 on 19 September 2024.
It is worth noting that resourcing of the Prevention and Protection functions is lower than many other fire and rescue services.
2. Managing attendance to Automatic Fire Alarms
Reduce response to low-risk Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) which are often unwanted fire signals (an alarm activated by something other than a fire).
At the start of the last financial year (from 1 April 2023), the Automatic Fire Alarm attendance policy was changed to reduce fire engine attendance to unwanted automatic fire alarms. Crews have also increased the level of advice and education to building owners to reduce unnecessary attendance.
Positively, as a result, there has been a 20% reduction in AFAs attended at commercial and retail properties over the last financial year (2023/24) when compared to the previous 12 months (2022/23).
Work is ongoing to finalise a charge for repeat, unnecessary callouts.
3. Response resource in the York area
Change Huntington to an On-call fire station to rebalance the emergency response resource with the risk that exists in the York area.
Huntington changed to an On-call fire station in November 2023. However, the first wholetime appliance was removed entirely at the end of January 2024. Positive staff engagement with Huntington’s wholetime firefighters and representative bodies led to their successful redeployment to alternative locations.
NYFRS expressed within the public consultation document, a predicted average additional response time of 3 minutes and 47 seconds to incidents in the Huntington station area. This was to account for the crew turn out time of the On-call fire engine.
The average response time in the Huntington station area since the change to On-call only (between 1 February and 31 July 2024) was 13 minutes 30 seconds, an average increase of 3 minutes and 3 seconds (compared to 1 April 2023 - 31 January 2024). The wholetime fire engines at York and Acomb have continued to provide a primary emergency response (i.e. the first engine to respond to an incident), across the whole Huntington station area.
Since the start of the financial year (1 April – 30 June 2024), the average response time to all incidents across York and North Yorkshire was 12 minutes and 7 seconds compared to the year previous which was 13 minutes and 4 seconds.[4] . In York and Selby districts the average response time was 10 minutes and 46 seconds in the same period.
The table below shows the number and type of incidents in the Huntington Station area that North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has responded to over six months between 1 February and 31 July 2024. This reflects a similar level of demand and incident profile to that of other On-call fire station areas across York and North Yorkshire. The most recent assessment of risk and demand supports the rationale for this original proposal.
Table 1: Incident Profile: Huntington Fire Station Area
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Incident Type |
1 February - 31 July 2024 |
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False Alarms |
65 |
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Fires |
29 |
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Special Services (non-fire incidents) |
48 |
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Total |
142 |
Huntington’s on-call fire engine availability was at 71% for the month of November 2023, prior to removal of the wholetime appliance. In August 2024, availability was at 56%. The average on-call station availability across York and North Yorkshire for the first financial quarter of the year was 68%. Availability has been monitored closely since the station change and a targeted recruitment exercise has taken place in the Huntington area.
The recent recruitment campaign has resulted in an additional 11 On-call firefighter applications for Huntington. As an additional measure, Acomb (the nearest supporting fire engine) have 14 firefighters (equating to an FTE of 10.5).
Huntington currently has 8 On-Call Firefighters providing a full time equivalent (FTE) of 5.75. The station has a full complement of supervisory managers, with 1 Watch Manager, and 2 Crew Managers.
The Aerial Ladder Platform has been retained in York at Acomb fire station.
Prevention and Protection activities with higher risk individuals and premises in the Huntington area have continued and several focussed prevention activities have been undertaken in Huntington, in line with the risk-based inspection and intervention programmes.
4. Response resource in Harrogate and Scarborough
Replace the Tactical Response fire engines with the usual B-type fire engines crewed during the time when emergencies are most likely to happen.
This change will take place at Harrogate first and, on completion of a full review of the implementation, this will be extended to Scarborough. NYFRS Managers are engaging with staff and the representative bodies to design an option which provides a workable crewing model for the second fire engine at Harrogate fire station. The length of this engagement period is delaying the implementation of this proposal.
3.0 OPFCC activity
The Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning (OPFCC) supports service improvement and effective holding to account arrangements, as part of the broader assurance framework of the OPFCC.[5] Regular Service updates are sought on the implementation and impact of the proposals.
RRM Implementation progress is detailed in the Annual Report 2023-24, which the Panel has had sight of. In addition, performance is regularly monitored at the Deputy Mayor’s Online Public Meetings[6].