Safer communities
Priority 1 - we will have sustainable and scalable interventions in place to mitigate the impact of changing communities
The service continued to strengthen prevention activities with resources targeted to individuals and communities most at risk. Over 9,000 HFSVs took place with over 90% of visits to households with at least one vulnerable occupier.
The National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) online home fire safety check tool was embedded for members of the public to self-assess. This allows residents to undertake an initial assessment of their fire risk and make sure face-to-face resources are prioritised towards those identified as being most at risk.
The prevention team has continued to embed the water safety, deliberate fire reduction and wildfire reduction strategies within routine service delivery. Targeted campaigns, community engagement activities and partnership initiatives have been delivered throughout the year, with outcomes monitored to assess effectiveness and inform future interventions.
Priority 2 - we will optimise the use of data to prioritise and target people who may be at greater risk of fire and other emergencies
This year the risk and intelligence team within LFR worked across the servuce to strengthen the use of data in decision making, planning and performance.
The digital and data roadmap has been developed to set out the approach the service takes to how information is collected, managed, analysed and utilised. This supports the services ambition to become data-driven in order to ensure that decisions are based on timely and accurate information.
Power BI has been further embedded and used to enable the service to:
- monitor performance
- identify trends
- target resources
- evaluate outcomes with greater accuracy and efficiency
Priority 3 - we will ensure we have skilled professionals in place to monitor (and enforce non-compliance) relevant to fire safety legislation in the built environment
The fire protection team delivered against the risk based inspection programme (RBIP). They carry out fire safety audits, targeting those premises identified as high risk.
Progress has been made in upskilling operational crews to support protection activities. After enhanced training operational personnel have carried out fire safety checks to gather valuable information from lower risk premises. This means specialist inspectors can focus resources on higher risk premises.
The fire protection team have reviewed and updated policies and procedure to ensure alignment with legislation, guidance and best practise. Particular focus was given to:
- developments in the Building Safety Act
- Fire Safety (England) Regulations
- national building remediation programmes
The service have continued engagement with responsible persons, building owners and managers to ensure their compliance with new requirements relating to high-rise and higher-risk residential buildings.
Priority 4 - we will monitor, support and carry out duties as required under the Civil Contingencies Act
A key focus this year was continuing development of the community resilience plans across the county. The service have worked with partners to provide support and guidance to communities to:
- identify local risks
- understand available resources
- develop practical arrangements for disruptive events
Emphasis was placed on communities at risk of flooding, severe weather and other local risks to build resilience and reduce the impact of emergencies.
Within the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum, LFR have worked collaboratively with:
- emergency services
- local authorities
- health organisations
- utility providers
- voluntary agencies
- other key partners
To support a co-ordinated approach to emergency preparedness, response and recovery and ensure resilience arrangements remain effective.