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Fire and Rescue Service announces changes in response to savings target

Tuesday, 15 July 2014

The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is reorganising its management structure and service provision in order to meet current and future revenue savings targets.

Chief Fire Officer Kevin Groom has today announced a package of measures aimed at maintaining public safety against a backdrop of increasing budgetary constraint.

The changes
include –

    • A streamlining of the operational management structure
    • The redeployment of the community safety team
    • A reduction in the number of wholetime firefighters and retained duty system staff
    • A scaling down of community partnership work
    • A different approach in the response to unwanted automatic fire alarm activations

Resources will be focused on delivering core statutory functions, with work in other areas being scaled back or stopped. The proposals are intended to achieve cost savings while protecting frontline operational services as far as possible.

The Chief Fire Officer said:

‘Service delivery and staffing levels are kept under constant review and balanced against revenue funding. In common with other areas within the Department of Home Affairs, the Fire and Rescue Service is taking this  opportunity to reorganise the way it works. It’s an honour to lead such a team of dedicated professionals and I’m proud of their continued efforts to help protect vulnerable members of the community.’

He added:

‘It is clear that we have now reached a critical point in terms of  maintaining existing levels of service while balancing our finances. The changes I am announcing today are designed to prioritise our services to help safeguard the community.’

The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service has evolved over recent years to provide a broader range of emergency and community safety functions.

As well as attending fires, firefighters deal with road traffic collisions and support the
response to environmental emergencies such as the recent snow storms and coastal flooding. There is also a commitment to saving lives and preventing fires by  providing education and advice, enforcing fire safety legislation and investing in its people through training.

A short film titled ‘FireProud’ has been produced in-house to highlight the work of the Fire and Rescue Service and outline its future. It will be available to view shortly
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDUg7eRv1-s and via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/iomfire

The Chief Fire Officer said:

‘We will continue to concentrate on the provision of our core statutory functions of preventing, protecting and responding. This means, sadly, that the majority of our partnership work with Government  Departments, private enterprise and the voluntary sector will have to be scaled down as members of our community safety team will be redeployed to other operational roles. The reductions in staffing levels will be achieved through retirement or voluntary resignation.’

The Fire and Rescue Service has reviewed its policy regarding call-outs resulting from unwanted automatic fire alarm activations. In the 2013-14, the cost of
responding to these types of call-outs to premises exceeded £144,000.

The Chief Fire Officer said:

‘This is clearly unsustainable. People and businesses must now take responsibility for the safe management of their premises. An unnecessary call-out can divert crews away from genuine emergencies and result in additional expense being incurred. I must stress that we will continue to respond to 999 calls and understand there may be occasions when an incident turns out to be less serious than initially thought.’

As part of its future plans, the Department of Home Affairs is also considering the
introduction of charges for non-emergency services. The proposal was included
in a recent consultation on a Bill to modernise fire and rescue service legislation.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK said:

‘The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is actively engaged with the budgetary rebalancing process and the economic challenges facing the Isle of Man Government. We will continue to assess the future strategic needs of the Island and work as effectively as possible within the resources available to us. The Fire and Rescue Service is an essential part of our efforts to promote the Island as a safe place to live and do business, and the public can have every confidence in the continued delivery of a first-rate emergency service.’

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