To consider a report relating to the performance of the Service over the last ten years (CFO/60/24).

The Chief Fire Officer, Phil Garrigan presented the report which provided a ten-year review of the Authority’s performance.

The Chief Fire Officer acknowledged the importance of this data and recognised the hard work of the Strategy and Performance team, as this kind of information aided the Authority in directing its resources effectively.

The report provided a high-level overview of the incidents attended by the Service over the last decade noting that there had been an increase in incidents. This was in part attributed to the Service’s collaboration with other blue light services on special service calls. With regards to an increase in false alarms, it was noted that the Authority continued to encourage ‘good intent’ calls and had made a policy decision to always attend domestic properties in those instances.

It was reported that the number of accidental dwelling fires blighting communities was at an all-time low as a result of the preventative work the Service had undertaken. In particular, the Service had aimed to engage with Merseyside’s most vulnerable and impoverished residents and provide safety advice through Home Fire Safety Checks.

The Chief Fire Officer noted that there had been a fire fatality over the period, and although that in itself was a tragedy, there had been a significant reduction in fire fatalities in Merseyside.

There had also been a significant reduction in the number of fires in non-domestic properties, wherein the Service’s advice and support had proven effective. Overall, it was explained that the Authority was performing well in preventing and reducing fires and other emergencies in the community and that was evident by a drop in the number of deliberate fires.

Members were advised that the data outlined that there were more incidents during the day than in the night. This intelligence had impacted how the Authority allocated resources and also formed part of the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) planning process.

With regards to response times, it was noted that for the third year the Service’s call handling time had reduced with quicker mobilisation and an improved response time, bucking the trend nationally.

The report provided a comparison with other metropolitan Fire and Rescue Services in the country which outlined that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were performing exceptionally well, particularly in response to accidental fires, nondomestic property fires and staff absence.

The Vice Chair, Councillor Kenny, welcomed the report and asked for further information relating to the increase in domestic false alarms. The Chief explained that these were largely accidental and related to things like setting the alarm off when cooking. If the alarm was linked to a call received by Control, then resources would be mobilised as individuals with alarm systems tended to be particularly vulnerable and crews could provide advise on cooking safety and utilise the opportunity to do a Home Fire Safety Check if it was not an actual fire.

With regards to accidental secondary fires and special service data, Councillor Bell asked for further detail about whether the Service sought to increase preventative measures in those areas. It was explained a change in how these incidents were reported had in part led to an increase in reporting and that preventative work did take place (as Councillor Bell suggested) to try and reduce the number of deliberate fires.

Members were advised that response to special service calls was not performance managed because the Authority had a duty to work with other blue light agencies to collaborate.

Councillor Hanratty thanked officers for the comprehensive report, identifying automatic fire alarms as an area of concern. The Chief Fire Officer assured the Members that the Authority was liaising with alarm receiving companies to ensure that they were working to avoid unnecessary deployments where possible.

Councillor Hanratty also raised concerns over road traffic collisions, referencing a recent tragedy in Wales wherein there had been four fatalities. The Members had received a demonstration of the Authority’s virtual reality (VR) headsets as part of a review of its preventative work and Councillor Hanratty wanted to understand the influence that MFRA had on this issue nationally. With regards to road traffic collisions, it was reported that the Authority focused on young drivers aged 16-25 and utilised VR to highlight the dangers of careless driving. Nationally, the Chief Fire Officer assured Members that encouraging behavioural change in terms of driving safety, would be part of his new role at the NFCC.

Councillor Makinson noted that the report showed an increase in incidents involving hazardous materials as well as instances of flooding. He noted that there had been significant work undertaken around lithium battery fires, and he asked if there were plans for similar efforts in relation to flooding. Members were assured that flooding featured in the CRMP and that there was also a role for the Service to play in terms of educating the public. Nationally, environmental change was a significant risk for the sector and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Nick Searle was working with other Fire and Rescue Services on wildfire and flooding.

RESOLVED that:

a)             the contents of the report be noted; and

b)             publication of the reports on the website be approved.