There are 14 partnerships operating at County Level. These represent Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service’s support and involvement to make Lancashire safer. The topics covered include: children’s well being and education, road safety, older people and environmental issues.
In addition there are over one hundred partnerships active within the six Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Areas) which are: Western and Northern; Southern and Central, Pennine and Eastern). Twenty-eight partnerships have been established to generate Home Fire Safety Check referrals from hard to reach groups, twenty-five are involved in the education of children, eight are involved in environmental activities, fifteen consider issues affecting older people and fifteen targets the reduction of deliberate fire setting. These partnership arrangements are all considered to be non statutory in nature.
In addition to this we are involved in twenty-five statutory partnerships such as Local Strategic Partnerships, Community Sustainability Partnerships and Public Service Boards.
Some examples of our partnership working are: -
• Environment Agency
• Lancashire County Council – Adult and Community Services
• Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety
• Muslim Community Safety – Hajj
• Multi-Agency Data Exchange
• Red Cross
• Red Rose Hub
Environment Agency
The Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service acknowledges the fact that it has a responsibility to protect the environment of Lancashire. In recognition of this we have a partnership agreement with the Environmental Agency, in relation to responding to pollution control measures. When it becomes obvious that there is the potential for an incident to effect the immediate environment Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service call for the support of the Environment Agency; who will either provide advice and guidance on the phone or if the incident is thought to have serious consequences send a representative to become part of the response team. In deciding which route to follow, the first question to be asked is, is there danger to life or health?
Through the agreement there is also a requirement for Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service to inform the Environment Agency whenever: hazardous materials are spilt or involved; oil, petrol or diesel spillages have or threaten to enter drains; fire fighting foam is being used; radioactive materials, ammonia Gas or incidents occur adjacent to or on watercourses or associated structures. They also notify the Environmental Agency when they attend incidents that involve large quantities of tyres/rubbish/straw or fly tipped materials.
Lancashire County Council Adult and Community Services
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service work in partnership with Lancashire County Council to ensure that individuals who are deaf or are hard of hearing receive suitable Fire Education and Equipment to keep them safe whilst at home. A Free Home Fire Safety Check is undertaken – please see further information in relation to Home Fire Safety Checks.
Where the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service representative feels that an individual would benefit from additional support they could recommend the loan of a Visual Vibrating Alarm. Lancashire County Council would then carry out an assessment of need to either approve or disapprove the recommendation for additional equipment.
The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety
The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is a partnership between the County and Unitary Councils, the Constabulary, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service and the Health Authorities. It is committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries on Lancashire’s roads. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Peter O’Brien currently sits as chair for this partnership.
The Partnership has developed a strategy to deliver the Government’s 2010 road casualty reduction targets. The Project is about saving lives, reducing injury and disability and making Lancashire a safer place in which to: walk, cycle, ride and drive.
It concentrates on three primary causes of road casualties:-
• Speeding
• Drink Driving
• Non Wearing of a Seat Belt
The Project aims to create a long term shift in the public’s attitude and behaviour towards road safety. This will be achieved through intensive publicity and education initiatives supported by high profile enforcement.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service supports this partnership through supporting and/or running campaigns such as the Check it Don’t Chance Campaign. This focused on ensuring that child car seats were suitable for the vehicle in which they had been placed, and that they had been fitted correctly. Activities were planned and delivered at key stations, with appropriate training given to those taking part in the campaign.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s commitment to this agenda has been extended by the appointment of a Road Safety Officer. This role will research and map current road safety activity both within Lancashire as a whole and then separately for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. It will then seek to establish and develop links with other North West Fire Services identifying what can be used as best practice. All of this will then support the development of Road Safety Policy for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, which clearly sets outs Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s position in respect to road safety engagement and delivery.
Muslim Community Safety – Hajj
The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to making Lancashire a safer community. This project is aimed at providing safety information to the Lancashire proportion of the 7,000 Muslims in the North West who travel to Saudi Arabia to complete Hajj every year.
Prior to going on Hajj, pilgrims receive instruction on performing the rites of the pilgrimage. The NHS also promotes basic health advice on health matters. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service identified the opportunity to work with the NHS and the local Police to produce a more holistic approach regarding the possible risks in undertaking such a Pilgrimage.
‘Safety During Hajj’ is a PowerPoint presentation that aims to educate British pilgrims about safety issues when staying in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The content includes fire escape plans, advice on electrical safety and avoiding injuries and deaths during the ritual of stoning (Jamarat). There is also an emphasis on staying safe including how to avoid being crushed when in a large crowd of people.
The constabulary split their advice into 3 sections:
• Before your leave home,
• At the airport and
• During Hajji.
The NHS concentrated on ensuring that pilgrims understand the requirement for vaccinations and the timescales involved.
The project is supported by a DVD PowerPoint presentation and leaflet.
Visits take place in Mosques, Community Centres and Women’s Groups across Lancashire working with the Lancashire Council of Mosques and Faith Centres. In 2008 more than 700 pilgrims were shown the presentation.
For 2009 the Community Fire Safety team has continued to move the project forward by working with the agencies they engaged with previously; developing a leaflet and working more strategically which includes supporting the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Evaluation of a sample group indicated the following:
Families discussed their escape plan in both Mecca and Medina particularly in respect of afternoon prayers when women and children remain in the hotel. For the first time those travelling in groups of 50 to 100, made sure that they did not block exits with their suitcases, and were pro active in finding out the location of the sprinklers, fire exits etc. Everyone reported being careful not to leave mobile phone chargers plugged into sockets when not in use, and not to overload electrical sockets with many chargers using adapters. For the first time ever, a disabled Hajji discussed a personal escape plan for himself with family members. One of the sample reported that whilst staying in Saudi, and especially during the days of Hajj in Mina, scholars and group leaders did make reference to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s safety messages in Urdu, Gujarati and English.
In addition, as a result of a satellite broadcast the message from Lancashire had a worldwide audience and it appeared that the majority of Hajjis of all nationalities were more aware of fire safety issues from having watched the broadcasts.
The project as led by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has also received recognition from several other Fire Services and Lancashire Constabulary is promoting the project as best practice to other police forces. The project was also endorsed by Lord Patel and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and received the Highly Commended Award at the National Equality and Diversity Awards.
Multi-Agency Data Exchange(MADE)
Do you want to know more about where you live? If so you can access information held on Multi-Agency Data Exchange (referred to as MADE). The MADE project team collect and process data on behalf of the agencies responsible for working towards a Lancashire that is a safe place to grow, live and work. Follow this link for more information: – www.saferlancashire.co.uk.
The 1998 Crime & Disorder Act recognised that by working together, local authorities, police, fire and health services could tackle crime and disorder more effectively and set up Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in each district. In 2006 the Police and Justice Act required Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to produce an annual strategic assessment and community safety plan. In addition, the agencies who work at a county level are also obliged to produce a community safety agreement, detailing where value is added by working together to support the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. The local community safety plans and the county community safety agreement are used to direct resources from the partnership into the areas where they will be most effective.
Data from across the partnership is required In order to inform strategic assessments and monitor the progress of interventions. Each partner has its own computer systems and data collection techniques, therefore the MADE project was set up to provide a central data collection and processing function. Partners can download spreadsheets containing ward profiles or query the on-line database from the restricted access MADE website.
It was recognised that there was a demand for unrestricted access to some of the data collected by the MADE. Therefore, Lancashire MADE Public was developed to publish selected data from the MADE partners. The intention behind providing this data is to ensure that people within Lancashire can make a more informed decision about community safety issues in their neighbourhood and to provide a resource for community groups and neighbourhood watch schemes.
The MADE project team are tasked by senior officers from the key organisations involved in the partnership and funded by local authorities (Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool unitary authorities and the 12 district councils), Lancashire Constabulary, the Primary Care Trusts and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
For further information please contact the MADE Project Office
Care/of Lancashire County Council
Policy Unit
3rd floor CCP
PO Box 78
County Hall
Preston PR1 8XJ
Telephone:- 01772 532864/530732
Red Cross
We work in partnership with the Lancashire branch of the Red Cross to provide a Fire and Emergency Support Service. The purpose of the service is to provide immediate practical and emotional support to the victims of domestic fires or other domestic incidents. The service is provided at no cost to the victims.
The service is available 19:00 – 06:00 hours each day, including bank holidays and from 06:00 Saturday and Sunday therefore providing full day and night cover at weekends.
At one end of the scale fire damage may be so severe that it is obvious that assistance for occupant/s is required. Alternatively, it may be a small fire with little damage however, the distress caused to the occupant and the lack of support from other sources warrants assistance.
The service is staffed by volunteers who can offer a wide range of support services to victims, including: – temporary shelter in the Fire and Emergency Support Vehicle, washing and toilet facilities, telephone communications, replacement clothing, short term supervision of children, provision of a list of helpful numbers and local contacts as well as being provided with a copy of the Fire Victim Assistance Manual which includes information on: Loss of Birth and Marriage Certificates, checking electrical appliances for safety and an inventory procedure for insurances purposes.
Red Rose Hub
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service are keen to engage with individuals who are at higher risk of an accidental fire at home leading to the most calamitous results – injury and death. It is core to our day to day business to prevent such fires, work that contributes towards the National fire reduction targets as follows: -
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service entered into a contract with the Lancashire County Red Rose Hub, Lancashire’s electronic and telephone information service with the aim of generating up to 10,000 HFSC referrals. The go live date was the 13th August 2008.
Referrals are drawn from Hub clients requesting the Blue Badge Scheme which provides a national arrangement of on-street parking concessions enabling people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers to park close to their destinations. The Scheme also applies to registered blind people, people with severe upper limb disabilities in both arms who regularly drive a vehicle and children under two with specific medical conditions. Also clients requesting the NoWcard which has been set up jointly by Cumbria and Lancashire County Councils; and Blackburn with Darwen Borough and Blackpool Councils in conjunction with the Local Authorities of Lancashire and Cumbria. Working closely with bus operators and other agencies, each local authority will be issuing NoWcard English National Concession Travel Passes and equipping buses with new upgraded ticket machines all under the NoWcard banner. The NoWcard Concessionary Bus Pass was the first stage of this exciting new concept. NoWcard are now issuing English National Concession Travel Passes, these are plastic and have an expiry date, usually five years from date of issue.
These clients will predominantly be from groups of people that are most likely to be at risk from fire. The call handler will offer a Free Home Fire Safety Check on behalf of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. They will take their details at the end of the call. Each referral is prioritised in line with current practice before it reaches the Fire Station. The referrals are automatically sent to the Fire Station responsible for the clients address.
Referrals were on the increase at the end of the original contract term. With the availability of new services and expansion of existing services it was felt that the quality of referrals was increasing. As a result of this and the expanding list of services that the HUB facilitates Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is currently receiving referrals from: -
• Blue Badge and NOW Card (inc. leaflet with renewals)
• Birth registrations
• Article in bereavement brochure
• Social care
• Welfare rights teams
• Face to Face which includes:
o Disabled
o Disadvantaged
o Rural
o Over 65’s
o BME
Once the initial contract has been concluded there will be another opportunity to review the project and consider plans for the future.