CRP Quarterly Briefing – Issue 10

Welcome to the latest quarterly briefing

Programme Update

The Community Risk Programme (CRP) held two round table events during March to provide updates on the projects within the programme and the development of new products.

Thanks to West Midlands Fire Service HQ, for hosting the events and providing the option to join via Teams for those who were unable to attend in person.

The first event, which was for Fire and Rescue Principal Officers, took place on Monday, 7^th March. Over 80 people joined the event either in person, or online.

The second event, for those responsible for the development of the Community Risk Management Plans (CRMP) in Fire and Rescue Services (FRS), took place on Thursday 10^th March, with around 30 people attending in person with 50 more joining online.

There was great engagement at both events, both by individual questions, and through use of online surveys. We were able to preview the four pieces of approved CRMP Guidance that is now available on the website and to discuss the progress and development of the remaining pieces of guidance. The great level of engagement highlights just how useful these events are, both for the programme team, and for the UK FRS.

The programme received some fantastic feedback from attendees, who felt the event helped to build upon their understanding of the programme and its products, and who reported that they found the new guidance timely and useful for development and review of their CRMP.

Both events were recorded and will be available on request by contacting the programme team.

Project updates

Definition of Risk Project

Project Executive: CFO Ian Hayton, Cleveland Fire Brigade.

Project Manager: Hannah Begum, NFCC Central Portfolio Office.

The project has a very busy and ambitious year ahead as we continue our work to support the understanding and mitigation of community risk and bringing national consistency in this important area of fire and rescue work.

As part of Phase 2 of its work, the project delivered the Developing a National Risk Methodology Proof of Concept Report. The report provides two approaches to analysing risk of Domestic Dwellings Fires, the first using Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level data, and the second using Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) data. In December last year, 34 UK FRSs responded to the consultation on the report, with 89% of respondents saying they would be implementing the methodology. Since then, a number of FRSs have advised that they have already applied the methodology locally. The report has been shared with all UK FRSs and will be published in coming weeks on the NFCC website.

To support the adoption of the methodology in FRSs, the project will be providing regional training workshop sessions and webinars in the summer. Dates for the upcoming workshops will be shared with CRP SPOCs next month.

The Project is delighted to advise that DCFO Dan Quin of Surrey FRS, who is also the National Lead for Transport (Road), will be joining its Board. Dan will be leading on the development of a national risk methodology for Road Traffic Collisions.

Work is also underway on developing a national risk methodology for fires in non-domestic dwellings.

These methodologies will be the basis for a digital solution that will make the process of risk analysis more efficient and support consistency nationally. This work will begin in Q3.

Economic and Social Value of the UK FRS Project

Project Executive: Dan Quinn, Assistant CFO, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Project Manager: Ian Greatbatch, NFCC Central Portfolio Office.

The Economic and Social Value of the UK FRS project has completed the Phase Two: Part One report, which evaluates economic and social value for the English Fire and Rescue services. An addendum to that report, containing value estimations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will be produced within the next 12 months. The findings of the report were presented at the recent CRP roundtable and received positive feedback.

Procurement for a software tool to enable Fire Services to calculate their own value estimations has been completed, but the awarding of the contract is awaiting clarification around budgets and priorities within the programme and portfolio. Finally, a project to recalculate clustered geographies of fire services (family groups) is nearing completion and the consultation process will start within Q3.

Guidance

Project Executive: Nikki Richards, Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Corporate Services, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Project Manager: Paquita Lamacraft, NFCC Central Portfolio Office.

At the recent CRP roundtable events, 98% of attendees advised that they intended using the guidance developed by the CRP programme to support their CRMP process. At that event, the following guidance was launched: Defining Scope, Data and Business Intelligence, Stakeholder and Public Engagement, and Equality Impact Assessment (which is a signposting document to other NFCC Guidance). These elements of guidance have been uploaded to the FRS and NFCC websites, together with downloadable pdfs. A project is underway to make all the links in the pdfs ‘clickable’ and to correct any accessibility issues.

Pending budget approvals, work is underway to develop the supporting videos for the approved guidance.

The outstanding guidance for Hazard Identification, Risk Analysis, and Decision-making all intersect with other guidance and are in the process of being scoped and drafted. Hazard Identification guidance should be drafted for Technical Working Group (TWG) review in April.

Following a meeting to present Guidance on Evaluation of the process of developing a CRMP to the FRS Consultation, to the Research and Evaluation Officers (CREO) Group, they decided that there was a need to hold two future events with a focus on just the CRMP: one in person and one online.

Attendance at the PPRU in person workshop at West Midlands, representing Guidance, meant participation in the development of future PPRU products and developing an understanding of the ability to include relevant PPRU needs and knowledge in future guidance and in review of existing guidance as a gap analysis.

Competencies for Risk Managers Project

Project Executive: DCFO Gavin Ellis, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

Project Manager: Lucy Cooper, NFCC Central Portfolio Office.

Exact Consulting have been working with the Project Board and SPOCs to develop draft Community Risk Management Planning Competency Frameworks. The frameworks identify the competencies required for strategic level (FRA members, PFCC, CFO, chief officer team) and risk analysis and implementation level development of the CRMP.

It is hoped that in Q1 the draft frameworks will be signed off by both the project and programme board, after which the project board will consider how best to support the use of the frameworks for the benefit of UK FRS.

Additionally, efforts have been made to expand the project board, and it is hoped that 5 new board members will be joining the project in Q1.

Evaluation of Fire Interventions Project

Project Executive: A-CFO Niall McKiniry, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.

Project Manager: Lucy Cooper, NFCC Central Portfolio Office.

Following a disappointing response to the initial tender at the start of Q4, the project Board worked hard to reformulate the deliverables and the tender was relaunched by the end of the quarter.  It is expected that a consultant will be identified by the project board in Q1 to undertake a research/gap analysis by Q3.

In addition, the project board has been expended to include representatives for protection, prevention, and response.