Agenda and minutes

Committee members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personalinterest in any business on the agenda. They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it.  If in doubt please contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

18.1     There were no declarations.

The Committee is asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2021 (cream paper).

19.1     Resolved – that the Committee agrees the minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2021.

The Committee is asked to note the responses to recommendations made at the 1 October meeting from the Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue.

20.1     Resolved – that the Committee notes the responses to the recommendations.

The statement provides assurance on financial, governance and operational matters and shows how the service paid due regard to the expectations set out in its Integrated Risk Management Plan and as part of the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.

21.1     The Committee scrutinised a report by the Chief Fire Officer (copy appended to the signed minutes).

21.2     Summary of responses to members questions and comments: -

·         Although sophisticated evaluation work took place, it was difficult to establish a correlation between prevention work and the number of fires

·         The Service received information from partners, including the NHS, to identify homes most likely to be at risk from fire and carried out Safe and Well visits to them advising on safety measures

·         The Service had worked with some parishes where there had been fires in thatched properties

·         Fatal fire reviews took place to identify areas of learning

·         More details of proposals in the Community Risk Management Plan would be discussed at the Member session on 8 December and by the Committee at its 13 January meeting

·         Seven 12-ton appliances were purchased and deployed around the county where they would be of most use

·         Not all fire fighters had taken the fitness test as some were on light duties and covid restrictions had limited the number of tests possible

·         The following suggestions were made for changes to the Statement of Assurance: -

Ø  Comparative data in the financial section

Ø  Commentary with the reporting statistics

Ø  Explanation of numbers on the Risk Ratings map

Ø  More narrative around recovery from major incidents such as the pandemic

21.3     Resolved – that the Committee requests: -

             i.        That future reporting ensures that the equalities and diversity section on cover reports is more detailed.

            ii.        That the Fire & Rescue Service provides further explanation on figures in the Statement of Assurance where possible, and provides comparative details on finance where available

           iii.        The Service extends information on thatched properties more widely in areas that may benefit from this

A report by the Director of Law and Assurance, setting out the finance and performance position as at the end of September 2021.

The Committee is asked to examine the data and supporting commentary for the performance and resources report and make any recommendations for action to the Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue.

22.1     The Committee scrutinised the end of September 2021 (Quarter 2) Quarterly Performance and Resources Report (copy appended to the signed minutes).

22.2     Summary of responses to members questions and comments: -

·         Retained fire fighter staffing levels had improved thanks to crew optimisation and county crewing, but more needed to be done, hence this was a priority for the next four years

·         Changes to technology and team structures when moving to the Joint Fire Control Centre had taken longer than anticipated leading to increased costs/overspend

·         Response times by retained fire crews improved during the pandemic – to keep improving, it was proposed to use some whole-time fire crews in areas covered by retained crews in line with risk need and budget

22.3     Resolved – that the Committee asks Democratic Services to work with the Service on the terms of reference for task and finish group on retained firefighters to include potential staffing issues.

The Committee is asked to review its current draft work programme taking into account the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and any suggestions from its members for possible items for future scrutiny.

23.1     The Committee considered its work programme and made the following changes: -

·         Corporate Risk Register/Operational Risks to come off the work programme as a separate item as it was covered by the Fire and Rescue Service Strategic Performance Report

·         Democratic Services and the Fire & Rescue Service to liaise to find a date for the Retained Fire Fighters Task & Finish Group to take place

·         To include updates on Horsham Fire and Training Centre on future Priority Programmes reports

The next meeting of the Committee will be held on 13 January 2022 at 10.30 am at County Hall, Chichester.  Probable agenda items include:

·         Fire and Rescue Service Strategic Performance Report Quarter 2

·         Priority Programme Update

·         Communities Risk Management Plan

Any member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the meeting must notify the Director of Law and Assurance by 24 December 2021.

24.1     The next meeting of the Committee will take place on 13 January 2022.