Local people are being invited to have their say on Avon Fire & Rescue Service’s new draft Service Plan 2019-22, which outlines how it intends to use its resources to help protect the public for the future.
Photo courtesy of Avon Fire & Rescue Service
All fire and rescue services across the country are required to have an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP), which assesses local and national risk and states the services’ commitment to saving lives, improving public safety and reducing emergency incidents.
AF&RS’ new draft Service Plan outlines their vision for the future of Avon Fire & Rescue Service in preventing, protecting and responding to the needs of local communities.
The plan identifies the main risks that the service needs to consider when planning for the future, and in particular the way it responds to emergencies and non-emergencies, their ‘response standards’, and their response to automatic fire alarms.
AF&RS says it is committed to continuous improvement and it is important this is done in consultation with local people, who are being invited to share their views on the plan as part of an eight week consultation period which will run until 1st March 2019.
Mick Crennell, Chief Fire Officer for AF&RS, said: “If you were to ask people to describe the work of firefighters, most people would probably talk about us fighting fires and possibly dealing with road traffic collisions.
“In fact, the Service is attending a high level of false alarm calls that are providing a large drain on our resources, taking firefighters away from lifesaving activities or risk reduction work in the community.
“Our risk analysis indicates that we will have to develop new ways of working to ensure that we continue to provide a first class emergency service.
“Avon Fire & Rescue Service exists solely to serve our community and everything it does is aimed at making our area a better place to live and work.
“As a Service, we have to consider how we make the best use of our resources and how we maintain and increase the amount of preventative work we carry out.
“Together, through the commitments laid out in this Plan, we aim to provide an outstanding service that our staff and local people can be proud of and will continue to work hard to make our communities safer and make our Service stronger.”
To download and view the draft Service Plan 2019-22, click here.
To complete the survey, click here.
Councillor Donald Davies, Chair of Avon Fire Authority, said: “As an Authority, we are responsible for providing the community with information and fire safety advice, making our roads safer and ensuring an effective response to emergencies across the area.
“Most importantly, we are here to represent our local communities covering Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset, ensuring Avon Fire & Rescue Service is operating effectively and efficiently when our communities need us most.
“In the demanding financial and political climate we continue to face, there has never been a more important time to share with our communities what we are doing as a Service, how we are doing it and most importantly why.”
1 Comment
Rosalie Walker
Saturday 12th January, 2019 at 12:54I hope you will spend less time and money on interviewing people like Terry Walker who served the Authority for 34years.I served for over 20 years.We represented the public and hope that the Authority will remain accountable to public opinion.I t should be made clear that gov.austerity since 2010 has made it difficult to run an efficient service.Extensive enquiries are counterproductive and demoralizing for the staff.I believe in diversity and this took place in the past whenever possible.Praise is more productive than criticism.School talks promoting the service would be welcome.