Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Chair confirmed to all present that the proceedings of the meeting would not be filmed.

Members are requested to consider the identification of:

a)  declarations of interest by individual Members in relation to any item of business on the Agenda

b)  any additional items of business which the Chair has determined should be considered as matters of urgency; and

c)  items of business which may require the exclusion of the press and public during consideration thereof because of the possibility of the disclosure of exempt information.

Members considered the identification of declarations of interest, any urgent additional items, and any business that may require the exclusion of the press and public and

Resolved that:

a)  no declarations of interest were made by individual Members in relation to any item of business on the Agenda

b)  no additional items of business to be considered as matters of urgency were determined by the Chair; and

c)  no items of business required the exclusion of the press and public during consideration thereof because of the possibility of the disclosure of exempt information.

The Minutes of the Previous Meeting, held on 19^th July 2016, are submitted for approval as a correct record and for signature by the committee chair.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 19^th July 2016 were agreed as a correct record and signed accordingly by the Chair.

To consider Report CFO/072/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, concerning scrutiny of performance against the Service objectives and the performance targets/ outcomes as set out in the Service Delivery Plan 2016/17 for the period April to July 2016.

Members considered report CFO/072/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer concerning scrutiny of the performance against Service objectives and the performance targets/outcomes as set out in the Service Delivery Plan 2016/17 for the period April to July 2016.

A presentation was delivered to Members by the IRMP Officer, which provided an overview of the progress against Service Delivery Plan and Functional Plan action points; and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) against the outcome targets.

Members were informed that MFRS had attended an increased number of incidents in comparison to the same period the previous year, however the number of primary and secondary fires had decreased.  A peak in incidents had been observed during May, which may be accounted for by grassland fires. 

In relation to the Attendance Standard of the first appliance attending incidents within 10 minutes, the performance was better than target with an actual achievement of 96.4% 

Other Performance Indicators where performance was better than target include: Fire Control answering 999 calls within 10 seconds; alert to mobile within 1.9 minutes; and the amount of CO₂ emissions per m².

Long term sickness reduced by over 50%, with performance being better than target.  However, an increase had been observed in short term sickness absence, with causes and solutions being investigated.

Performance in relation to Accidental Dwelling Fires for the period was good, with a reduction observed in the total number of Accidental Dwelling Fires, the number of injuries resulting from Accidental Dwelling Fires, and no fatalities to date.

There were 190 deliberate vehicle fires (DVF) (motorcycles accounting for 63) which is an increase upon the previous year but still within 10% of the target.  In July alone there were 48 DVF’s, 20 of which involved motorcycles. 

Attendance at false alarms was within 10% of target when discounting false alarms with good intent.

Attendance at special calls, such as road traffic accidents (RTAs), flooding, animal assistance and effecting entry/exit, had risen from 841 last year to 972 for the same period this year, resulting in the target being exceeded.  The largest proportion of these incidents were RTAs.

Members requested information with regard to the significant reduction in long term sickness and were informed that this was due to robust case management from Occupational Health and the introduction of the Capability Policy supporting employees back into the workplace.  However Officers were aware short term sickness absence requires closer management.

There was discussion over referrals received from Merseyside Police, the protocol around helping individuals locked out of their property and the increase in Special Service Calls.

More detailed information was provided to Members with regard to Special Service Calls and collaborative working with the Police on effecting entry to property. It was confirmed that the figure for Special Service Calls was not necessarily concerning as it highlights the important work that the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) does in the community, the continuing relevance of the FRS, the need for continued funding and our support of the Joint Emergency Services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To consider Report CFO/074/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, concerning the contribution of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority to the national Chief Fire Officers Association information sharing project “Sustained Action for Elderly Risk” (SAfER).

Members considered report CFO/074/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer concerning, the contribution of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority to the national Chief Fire Officers Association Information Sharing Project, “Sustained Action for Elderly Risk” (SAfER).

Members were informed that Merseyside and Cheshire FRS’s have access to NHS data on over 65’s, in order to focus preventative services to this group of people.  MFRS were successful in receiving funding for this project from the Fire and Rescue Service Research and Training Trust.

MFRS has aided other Fire and Rescue Services nationally to obtain this NHS data in order to change fire and rescue provision nationally.  Reassurance was given to Members that the data is kept and distributed securely.

Thanks were offered to the Strategy and Performance Directorate for their work on this project.

Members resolved that:

a)    The content of the report be noted.

To consider Report CFO/076/16 of the Chief Fire Officer, concerning MFRA’s active participation in supporting the Defence Employers Recognition Scheme.

Members considered report CFO/076/16 of the Chief Fire Officer, concerning MFRA’s active participation in supporting the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

Members were informed regarding the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award.  The Award, which was displayed, had been received for pledging, demonstrating and advocating support for defence and the armed forces community. 

Members were made aware of the commitment of MFRS to this pledge and the intention of working towards the silver and gold awards.

Staff were thanked for their work in obtaining the bronze award.

Members resolved that:

a)    The content of the report be noted and support be given for future applications for silver and gold awards.

To consider Report CFO/073/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, concerning the development of the Safe and Well Visit by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (MFRA) and the proposal to pilot the scheme in order to demonstrate and evaluate the impact of such activity and inform future undertaking and/ or commissioning. 

Members considered report CFO/073/16 of the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, concerning the proposal to pilot the Safe and Well scheme in Merseyside in order to demonstrate and evaluate the impact of such activity and to inform future undertakings and/or commissioning.

Members were reminded of the historical background to the delivery of Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC’s) and how these visits can evolve into Safe and Well (S&W).

The priorities and focus of the S&W visits were highlighted to Members informing them that the S&W visits have been promoted to the Health and Wellbeing Boards as being an assistance to all areas of the public sector particularly in relation to health care.

A pilot scheme was recommended in order to ensure that MFRS will not be overwhelmed by referrals and in order to ensure that crews are fully trained.  The results of the pilot scheme will be brought back to Members at a future date.

There was discussion around the morale of the staff that will be involved in the S&W pilot; and acknowledgment was made of the success of the introduction of HFSC’s in the past, which increased the value and relevance of MFRS in the community and helped save lives.

The NHS have been asked to commission MFRS to deliver S&W visits which will not only reach the vulnerable and ensure that the service can continue to deliver on HFSC’s, but may also bring in a financial benefit to the F&RS and the NHS.

Members resolved that:

a)    The proposals outlined in the report in relation to the implementation and evaluation of a “Safe and Well” pilot scheme be supported and approved. 

b)    A report on the results of the Safe and Well Pilot Scheme will be brought back to Members in the future.