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Version Control
Version Date Owner Reason
0.1 28 Feb 2013 ACFO Ashford First draft
0.2 6 May 2013 ACFO Ashford Second draft following internal consultation
0.3 20 August 2013 ACFO Ashford Third draft for external consultation
0.4 15 September 2013 ACFO Ashford Fourth draft following further development
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Contents
Version Control 2
Introduction 4
Where are we now? 5
Where do we want to be? 16
How will we get there? Our Strategy and targets 18
Measuring our performance 25
Consultation and review 26
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Community Risk Intelligence
Integrated Development of Risk Reduction
Solutions
Planning of Service Delivery Activity
Delivery of Community Safety
Activities
Performance Management of
Targets and Action Plans
Evaluation of Outcomes
Introduction
This strategy sets out how Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) will protect the public and business
community in Northern Ireland from the dangers of fire and other emergencies. In particular we will describe how
we will:
measure the risk from fire and other emergencies to the people of Northern Ireland and describe how we
will use this information to help us decide on where how and when we deliver our services;
work to educate and inform the community of the dangers of fire and in doing so help prevent fires and
other emergencies from happening;
work in partnership with other services, stakeholders and volunteers to help deliver a safer community;
prioritise our prevention work to work most closely with those most at risk;
engage with all sections of our community, in particular those most at risk of becoming involved in
offending behaviour;
carry out a risk-based audit programme to measure fire safety in non-domestic premises;
take steps to educate stakeholders to help reduce the risk in non-domestic premises, and provide
professional advice on matters relating to Fire Safety; and
enforce The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and The Fire Safety Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2010.
This strategy will not be concerned with how we respond to fires and emergencies. However, where appropriate it
will outline how we will employ an integrated response to risk reduction as demonstrated below.
The strategy supersedes our previous strategy and will last until 1 April 2019; the implementation of the strategy
will begin in 2013–14 when it has been agreed following all necessary consultation.
Figure 1
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Where are we now?
Strategic Context
PESTELO Analysis
A PESTELO analysis is an established method of analysing the various elements of the operating
environment that an organisation exists in, with a view to making strategic planning decisions.
Political
The political environment for NIFRS is dominated by the devolved assembly. With full devolution completed
in 2011 there are 13 government departments each headed by a minister. NIFRS is included in the
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS).
The impact of the pending Review of Public Administration is still to be determined for NIFRS. Depending
upon the final make up of the council structure and decisions relating to council and NIFRS boundaries, the
structure and service delivery model of NIFRS is likely to need to be developed accordingly.
NIFRS is increasingly involved in cross-border engagement. The success of the “Driving Change”
programme and the North-South Fire Safety Week have led to increasing co-operation and the development
of Memoranda of Understanding between NIFRS and a number of Services from the Republic of Ireland.
Economic
Northern Ireland remains one of the most economically challenged regions of the UK. An increase in
unemployment and unoccupied properties is often associated with an increase in deliberate fires.
The NIFRS revenue budget allocation is currently around £75m per annum. During the life of the strategy
there will be a Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) that will impact upon all of the public sector in
Northern Ireland. The likelihood is that budgets for NIFRS will come under increasing pressure in the years
to come, and we will need to develop innovative ways of delivering our service to meet budgetary constraints
without cutting back on the service to the public.
The introduction of the Northern Ireland Community Safety College at Desertcreat will present an opportunity
to enhance our partnership working, and will develop economic benefits for the partners involved and
Northern Ireland in general.
The nature of Prevention activities is such that they are a cost to the organisation and the financial benefits
to the public purse are often not immediately apparent. NIFRS will need to produce accurate data to enable
the proper and accurate evaluation of prevention work.
Social
Society in Northern Ireland is changing. People live longer and are more likely to become vulnerable as a
result. People are more likely to live independently or, when unwell, be treated in the community than they
might have been in the past. This can lead to increasing difficulty around keeping people safe from fire due
to health and mobility issues.
The way in which we communicate as a society has changed significantly in recent years; the explosion in
the use of social media and ICT has led to a culture of instant information and scrutiny.
Northern Ireland is a community emerging from a long and difficult conflict. There is currently much less
likelihood of widespread public disorder and serious terrorist incidents than there has been in years gone by;
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however ,community tensions remain in some areas, and where this is the case there is always an increased
possibility of deliberate fire setting and more challenges in relation to community engagement as a result.
Technical
Fire Safety technology has improved hugely in recent years. Fire Safety equipment such as automatic
detection, sprinklers, and other forms of active and passive fire protection are more sophisticated and
effective than ever before. Technology which helps keep people safe in their homes, such as monitoring
devices, has also developed hugely in recent years and provides an opportunity to help get assistance
quickly to people who need it.
Technology also creates expectations amongst the public in relation to how we deal with them. There is a
growing expectation that NIFRS will provide a range of contact options and as well as the expected
involvement with social media, tools such as specialised phone applications and Bluetooth messaging allow
communities to communicate in new and innovative ways.
Environmental
Changes in our environment are leading to challenging conditions for NIFRS. In recent years we have seen
an overall increase in the numbers of calls where we are called to attend flooding incidents or those involving
large rural areas.
We have also seen other weather-related incidents caused by such as prolonged cold spells leading to
difficulties with water supplies and gaining access to people due to road conditions.
Legal
The legal framework that governs much of the work of NIFRS is captured in The Fire and Rescue Services
(Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.
The job of the Fire and Rescue Service can be difficult and dangerous, making it even more important than
ever that we take cognisance of the need to keep our people safe at work, as well as protecting the safety of
the public. In doing this we are always working to ensure that we meet the requirements of a range of health
and safety legislation/guidance, chiefly the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern
Ireland) 2000 and the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, while following the guidance
set out in the Health & Safety Executive guidance HS (G) 65.
Organisational
NIFRS is undergoing a period of sustained and significant organisational change. In recent years there have
been a number of changes of senior personnel and the NIFRS Board. It is proposed that there will be a
fundamental review of NIFRS. This is likely to lead to a programme of reform and possible restructure of the
organisation.
Incidents, deaths and injuries in the last five years
Between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2012, NIFRS received 198,031 calls through its Regional Control Centre
(RCC) and subsequently attended 146,0901. Of these incidents, 19,140 were Primary (Major) Fires and
9,685 Special Service Calls. The tables that follow provide a summary of the types of incidents that NIFRS
has attended.
1 Excludes Exercises, Tests and Standby mobilisations
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Table 1 – Mobilised Calls
Type Description Calls Fatalities Casualties Rescues
MF Major Fire 19140 91 2572 703
FG False Alarms with Good Intent 14270
FM False Alarm Malicious 4882
CF Chimney Fire 7483
FD False Alarm Due to Apparatus 38901
SS Special Service Call 9685 374 6774 5097
SF Secondary Fire 51729
Total 146090 465 9346 5800
Primary Fires
Table 2 – Primary Fires by Supposed Cause
Year Accidental Deliberate N/A2 Total
2007/08 1863 2646
4509
2008/09 1757 2167
3924
2009/10 1775 2026 1 3802
2010/11 1793 1823
3616
2011/21 1698 1589 2 3289
Total 8886 10251 3 19140
Table 3 – Fatalities Incident Type3
Incident Type 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
Aircraft 3 3
Car – No RTC 1 1
Care Home 1 1
Dwelling 204 12 8 11 10 61
Late Call – Fumes 2 2
Private Garage 1 1
RTC – Fire 2 8 4 14
Suicide 1 1 3 3 8
Total 24 21 14 17 15 91
2 Not Applicable incidents – No Fire Classed as MF due to Firefighter Injury 3 Cause not determined deemed as Accidental as per Home Office (CLG) guidance for Primary Fires 4 Includes multiple fatalities at Lammey Crescent Incident
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Table 4 – Casualties Incident Type
Incident Type 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
Boiler House 1 2 3
Defective Flue 1 8 11 20
Domestic Oil Tank 1 1 2
Domestic Shed 1 1 2 1 6 11
Dwelling 392 372 361 419 379 1923
Miscellaneous 33 29 37 37 21 157
Other Residential 6 10 3 3 26 48
Police Station 11 11
Prison 4 1 4 10 19
Private Garage 2 8 2 5 11 28
RTC – Fire 32 18 12 20 9 91
Sheltered Housing 5 6 7 20 20 58
Vehicle – non RTC 15 27 22 21 14 99
Workplace 20 15 23 16 28 102
Total 512 494 481 547 538 2572
Dwellings
Over this period, NIFRS has attended 4,0855 accidental fires in dwellings (Figure 7). 49 people (Figure 8)
lost their lives as a result of these fires with a further 1,549 (Figure 9) being injured. Of the 49 fatalities, 23
were over 65.
Table 5 – Accidental Dwelling Fires6
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
859 843 820 813 750 4085
Table 6 – Accidental Dwelling Fires (Fatalities)
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
10 11 7 11 10 49
5 There were a further 1,589 deliberate dwelling fires (28%) 6 Excludes Domestic Oil Tanks, Defective Flues, Boiler Houses and Sheltered Dwellings.
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Table 7 – Fatal Dwelling Fires by Cause
Source of Ignition Total
Open Fire 5
Smoking Materials 18
Chip Pan 4
Electrics 3
Electric Blanket 2
Child 1
Clothes near Source 2
Gas Appliance 1
Other 8
Cooking Appliance 1
Non-Cooking Appliance 2
Candles 2
Total 49
Table 8 – Accidental Dwelling Fires (Casualties)
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
316 298 288 332 315 1549
Table 9 – Casualty Sex and Age range where known.7
Age Range Female Male Total
≥ 65 148 112 260
0 – 18 60 83 143
19 – 29 107 170 277
30 – 49 206 271 477
50 – 64 126 179 305
Total 647 815 1462
Whilst attending dwelling fires (All Causes), personnel recorded 1,209 homes where there was no smoke
alarm fitted, or where the smoke alarm was defective, disconnected or had the battery removed. Over the 5
year period, the main causes of accidental fire in the home have been smoking materials, chip and grill pan
fires, cooking appliances and other electrical appliances.
Special Service Calls
Table 10 – Special Service Call Fatalities and Casualties
Type Description 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
SS Special Service Call
Fatalities 82 73 97 56 66 374
Casualties 1495 1407 1456 1263 1153 6774
7 Date range not known for 87 Casualties
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Table 11 – Special Service Call Fatalities (Incident Type)
Incident Type 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
Aircraft 4 4
Carbon Monoxide 1 3 1 5
Effecting Entry 2 4 6 1 3 16
Miscellaneous 7 4 7 5 10 33
Railway 1 1 1 3
RTC 60 50 64 29 33 236
Slurry 1 1 2
Suicide 9 8 10 3 14 44
Water 3 6 9 9 4 31
Total 82 73 97 56 66 374
Table 12 – Special Service Call Casualties (Incident Type)
Generic Type 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
Non RTC 221 204 238 245 232 1140
RTC 1274 1203 1218 1018 921 5634
Total 1495 1407 1456 1263 1153 6774
NIFRS has dealt with 236 fatalities at RTC incidents over the period, 180 male and 56 female.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0_18 18_30 30_45 45_65 Over 65 NotKnown
26
84
39 48
28 11
RTC Fatalities
RTC Fatalities
Figure 2 RTC Fatalities by age range
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Wildland Fires and Secondary Fires
Over the period, NIFRS has attended 51,729 secondary fires, 49,036 (95%) are believed to have been
started deliberately. A considerable amount of time and resources has been tied up dealing with
‘Wildland Fires’8.
Table 13 – Wlidland Fires
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
3887 3882 3288 5192 3653 19902
Table 14 – Hoax Calls
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total Received 4188 3744 3179 3037 2778 16926
Mobilised 1204 1099 989 820 770 4882
Over the period NIFRS has attended 35,7869 Unwanted Fire Signals (UFS). These are calls received from
an automatic fire alarm which resulted in a false alarm.
Table 15 – UFS
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total
6943 7082 7287 7280 7194 35786
Attacks on Firefighters
NIFRS records attacks on personnel for the following categories:10
Hostile Crowd
Damage to Appliance
Damage to Appliance and Injury
Injury Only
Table 16 – Recorded Attacks
2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Total Hostile Crowd 217 170 156 145 117 805
Damage to Appliance 42 35 31 27 22 157
Damage and Injury 1 2 0 4 2 9
Injury Only 3 2 4 2 3 14
Total 263 209 191 178 144 985
8 Includes all agricultural type fires from area of grass – forestry 9 Includes domestic and non domestic premises (BVPI only non domestic) 10 Categories are different in IRS
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OUR CURRENT ACTIVITIES
LIFE Scheme
The LIFE Scheme is delivered by personnel based at
local operational Fire Stations. It is a 5-day course
requiring demanding physical activity, and includes work
similar to that expected of trainee Firefighters. The day
starts at 8.00am and finishes at 3.30pm Monday to
Friday, working towards a ceremony on the Friday at
which all the young people who have successfully
completed the course graduate.
One of the main aims of the scheme is to build a better
understanding between young people within our community and personnel within NIFRS.
The scheme is targeted at any young person, male or female, aged between 13 and 19 years, who could
benefit from it, and includes young people from all sections of the community. It focuses on building
essential life skills such as teamwork and the need for personal responsibility and helps to develop
leadership skills and confidence.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety funds NIFRS annually each year, and the
Community Development Department within NIFRS allocates funds to provide the LIFE Scheme and youth
engagement programmes listed below.
Cadet Firefighter Scheme
The Cadet Firefighter Scheme is a completely voluntary youth organisation
formed within NIFRS. The aims of the scheme are:
to provide a varied and interesting programme of activities for
young people, both male and female, from all sections of the
community;
to raise their awareness of the activities of the Fire & Rescue
Service;
to instil a sense of community spirit; and
to provide an opportunity for personal development.
The Cadet Firefighter Scheme is open to young people both male and female from all sections of the
community aged between 14 and 15 years, who live or go to school within a specified area.
The Cadets meet one evening per week throughout the school year, normally from 7.00pm to 9.30pm.
Activities are designed to be informative, educational and enjoyable, allowing for both practical and
theoretical work.
Firesetters Scheme
Both statistical and anecdotal evidence has shown that more
than 90% of deliberate fires are started by children and young
people. It is now accepted throughout the Fire & Rescue Service
that to reduce the risk and financial burden these deliberate fires
cause, we must work with the young people starting them.
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The Firesetters Scheme is an early intervention and education programme for children and young people
who are firesetting, and can greatly reduce the chances of firesetting recurring.
The aim of the Firesetters Scheme is to achieve a “Fire Safe” person and environment. By reducing
firesetter reoccurrence rates, the risk to the young person and members of their household and community
is minimised. This is accomplished by:
identifying, then addressing the behaviour of young people developing a fascination with fire;
helping them understand the potential consequences of their actions;
working with parents or guardians to dissuade fire playing or firesetting; and
working in partnership with other organisations to help deal with this problem.
SCHOOLS’ PROGRAMMES
It is recognised that in order to effectively promote fire safety, education should begin with the young. With
this in mind, NIFRS has developed a three-tiered educational programme that is delivered along with the
educational curriculum, reflecting and supporting community safety campaigns.
Frances the Firefly
Frances the Firefly is an educational initiative targeted at pre-school children aged
between 3 and 5 years, promoting fire safety along with the dangers of playing with
matches. It is presented by visiting Firefighters, teachers or parents in story book or
DVD form.
Safety Team
Safety Team is NIFRS’ Key Stage 2 children’s educational package targeted at all
Primary 5 classes within the province.
The concept, involving a set of 15 cartoon characters, was designed by NIFRS’
Community Development Department in association with its media agency.
Safety Team is delivered to all primary schools within Northern Ireland who have
accepted NIFRS’ offer to present the package with the aim of reaching at least 95% of
schools. It is presented by NIFRS personnel within the classroom over a 40 minute
period and positively links NIFRS with the community at an early stage.
The presentation aims to teach children the following aspects of fire safety in the home:
knowledge of how to maintain and test smoke alarms
knowledge of the main causes of fire in the home
knowledge of how to carry out a night-time fire safety check
knowledge of how to prepare a fire escape plan.
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Firestorm
Firestorm is NIFRS’ most recent Key Stage 3 Secondary Education
Programme targeted at Year 9 (second year) pupils throughout the
province.
The aim of Firestorm is to emphasise the importance of fire safety, with
particular regard to responsibility for the consequences of arson and hoax
calls. It is also designed to forge closer links between NIFRS and the
younger community.
Roadsafe Roadshow
Roadsafe Roadshow has been developed by the Road Policing Department within the Police Service of
Northern Ireland (PSNI) who wanted to address the problem of injuries and deaths to young drivers aged
between 17 and 24 years. They are responsible for 41% of fatalities and 34% of serious injuries in
collisions where a car driver was responsible, although they comprise only 15% of current car licence
holders.
The PSNI, NIFRS, Ambulance Service, an A&E Consultant, Road Trauma Support Group and a local
commercial radio station came together to produce a theatre style show which highlighted the sequence of
events, the resources used and the impact on the emergency service personnel when a road traffic
collision (RTC) occurs.
Show venues are usually in schools and are directed at year 13 and 14 pupils.
RACE Scheme
The aim of this initiative is to encourage young people to understand the consquences of an RTC and,
subsequently, reduce the number of young people involved in RTCs on our roads. NIFRS recognises that
young people are the most vulnerable on our roads and have therefore developed the Road Accident
Consequences Education programme (RACE) imparting the principal message "cut it out before we cut
you out".
The RACE Scheme has been developed to give young people aged between 14 to 25 years the
knowledge of the destructive consequences and potentially life changing ramifications of an RTC. The
programme is consolidated with a strong technology component to engage the 14 to 25 year old target
group. Innovatively, we have combined a variety of multi-media learning tools such as high tech animation,
utlising characters and soundbites many young people can relate to. Powerful testimonials from people
directly affected by RTCs and practical sessions with NIFRS personnel bring home the raw reality of the
consequences of RTCs. The RACE Scheme engages with young people to:
raise the profile and awareness of the consequences of RTCs;
increase community awareness of the factors that cause RTCs;
engender a responsible attitude to road use; and
improve current/future road user behaviour.
http://www.nifrs.org/fire-storm/
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Home Fire Safety Checks
The Home Fire Safety Check (HFSC) initiative has been running in all
NIFRS Area Commands, who work in partnership with groups such as
Home Accident Prevention groups, Local District Councils, Police and
Community Safety Partnerships and Investing for Health groups.
These partnerships have been very successful in raising the level of
smoke alarm ownership in Northern Ireland to 97% in 2012 (MRNI
Research survey March 2012).
The aim of the HFSC initiative is to identify those most at risk from
fire in the home and to reduce the risk by raising awareness to the
danger, providing appropriate advice and,
where necessary, fitting a smoke alarm.
During the reporting period April 2011 to
March 2012, NIFRS completed 10,893
HFSCs and fitted 4,812 smoke alarms
(10 year battery operated).
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Where do we want to be?
Our mission, vision and key areas of focus.
The Mission of NIFRS is:
To deliver a fire and rescue service and work in partnership
with others to ensure the safety and well-being of our community
Our vision is:
Protecting our Community
In order to achieve our vision NIFRS is committed to educating and informing our communities that we serve
in order to reduce risk within homes, businesses and workplaces. We will continually monitor what we do in
order to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible service. The strategy will help us to achieve our
vision and mission and lead to better performance in our key areas of focus, we hope to achieve:
1. Fewer deaths and injuries caused by fires and other emergencies
2. A reduction in the numbers of accidental fires in homes
3. A reduction in the numbers of deliberate fires
4. Fewer deaths and injuries on our roads
5. Less damage to property and to the environment
6. Decreased levels of anti-social behaviour
7. Increased partnership working between NIFRS and other stakeholders
8. Safer business premises
9. Reduced numbers of false alarms
10. Efficient services that are good value for money
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How will we get there?
Our Strategy and targets
Defining and measuring the risk (Key area of focus 1)
In NIFRS we will deliver our Prevention and Protection activities using a risk-based approach. A key element
of this is our Integrated Risk Management Plan, (IRMP). NIFRS has developed and consulted upon an IRMP
during 2012. This IRMP will ensure that local arrangements are put in place to manage the risks in Northern
Ireland. As part of our IRMP process we will continue to:
identify the risk to our community;
evaluate our current arrangements;
identify opportunities to improve our service and make the community of Northern Ireland safer;
decide what resources we need and where they need to be; and
make arrangements to monitor and review our service.
Measuring the risk to our community is a sophisticated process. To do this we will make use of the Fire
Service Emergency Cover (FSEC) tool. We will use this in conjunction with our existing processes for
gathering risk-critical information and historical incident information, as well as established indicators such as
lifestyle data to build a rich picture of the risk to our community and the resources required to mitigate the
risk. It is also important to remember that the risks will change, and for this reason we will build in a
programme of monitoring and review to ensure that our Community Risk Assessment remains valid.
A fundamental element of our Prevention and Protection Strategy is the importance of linking these aspects
of our work to the Operational Response that NIFRS provides. Prevention, Protection and Response must
complement each other in order for NIFRS to provide the best possible service for the public of Northern
Ireland. We will achieve this through the application of our risk modelling processes and utilising our
Operational Management Framework to address the risk in a consistent and professional manner.
Home Fire Safety Checks
A key part of many of our prevention activities is the free HFSC as mentioned earlier. NIFRS will review our
policy and procedures for the delivery of HFSCs and implement the findings. NIFRS will introduce a new
programme of risk-focused HFSCs to supplement our operational response and ensure that we provide an
integrated focused service.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
1. Devise publish and implement a Community Risk Assessment for Northern Ireland
2. Review, revise and implement an updated risk-focused programme of HFSCs
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Central direction, local priorities (Key area of focus 10)
NIFRS will develop policies and procedures that will allow Prevention and Protection activities to be delivered
in a professional and consistent manner. However, they will be designed in such a way that they can be
delivered to meet local priorities. Areas and Districts will publish local plans in relation to prevention and
protection and these will be displayed in NIFRS premises. To ensure a consistent and professional
approach, NIFRS will develop a register of approved interventions along with a methodology for evaluating
the effectiveness of our activities.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
3. Publish Local Prevention and Protection plans in each NIFRS district
4. Display the plans on NIFRS stations
5. Develop an electronic register of approved prevention activities including evaluation methodology
Partnership working (Key area of focus 7)
In NIFRS we recognise the importance and the benefit of working in partnership with other stakeholders in
order to improve the service that we provide to the public. There are a wide range of partners that we may
engage with, and many potential benefits. We also want to make sure that the service we provide is
consistent and professional; in order to do that we will create a partnership register, closely linked to the
approved activities register mentioned above. We will also appoint a partnership co-ordinator who will
manage our connections with our partners and ensure a consistent and professional approach. We will
constantly review the effectiveness of partnership working and consider partnerships as an opportunity to
allow local communities to help develop our strategy.
Income generation
An important aspect of partnership working is the potential for income generation and the benefits that this
may bring. NIFRS does not currently generate income to deliver services. However, over the life of this
strategy NIFRS will examine the potential benefits of delivering Prevention activities based upon income
generation.
Policing and Community Safety Partnerships
As part of the devolution of Justice to the NI Assembly, 2012 saw the introduction of Policing and Community
Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) in Northern Ireland. These bodies are based upon council boundaries and
include representation from statutory agencies, the voluntary sector and community groups. In January 2013
NIFRS was formally designated as a partner in the PCSPs and as such have representation on all of the
PCSPs in Northern Ireland.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
6. Create and publish a Prevention Partnership register for NIFRS
7. Appoint and maintain a Partnership co-ordinator for NIFRS
8. Provide a representative to all PCSPs in Northern Ireland
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People at Risk (Key area of focus 1)
In Northern Ireland in recent years the majority of people that have died or been injured in accidental fires
have been older people or those who would be vulnerable for another reason such as impaired mobility or
mental health. NIFRS has recently introduced a separate sub-strategy aimed at protecting those most at risk
in our society. The objectives targets and workstreams of the People at Risk Strategy are designed to
complement the overall Prevention and Protection Strategy.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
9. NIFRS will implement the People at Risk Strategy through the creation of a project board and four workstreams a. Partnership working b. Advertising and publicity c. Assistive technology d. Regulatory and legislative requirements
10. To reduce accidental fire deaths in dwellings amongst people at risk by 20% from the 2012-13 baseline year on year over the lifetime of the strategy
11. To reduce fire-related injuries in dwellings amongst people at risk by 10% from the 2013-14 baseline year on year over the lifetime of the strategy
Youth Engagement (Key area of focus 6)
NIFRS has an established youth engagement programme as previously outlined. To supplement this
strategy we will review all of our youth engagement activities, and update our approved activities register.
Early in 2013 NIFRS delivered a pilot Team programme for the Prince’s Trust organisation. We will carry out
an evaluation of this and other Prince’s Trust programmes and incorporate them into our youth engagement
activities. Our aim is to become a full delivery partner for Prince’s Trust and consider a range of funding
options to enhance all of our youth engagement programmes.
NIFRS will also continue to contribute to the development of the multi-agency RADAR Safety Centre project
with a view towards opening the centre in 2014.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
12. Become a full delivery partner for Prince’s Trust programmes
13. Contribute to the delivery of the RADAR Safety Centre project opening in February 2014
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Education Programmes (Key area of focus 2)
NIFRS has a successful and well established schools education programme, with programmes delivered at
pre-school, Primary 5 and Key stage 3. During the life of this strategy NIFRS will review and revise as
necessary all of our education programmes.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
14. Review and revise as necessary NIFRS’ schools education programme
Advertising (Key area of focus 1)
NIFRS has a statutory duty to educate the public in relation to the dangers of fire. Campaign advertising has
been proven to be an effective tool in delivering messages to a wide audience. NIFRS has a substantial
library of advertising material and we intend to develop new creative material for delivery in conjunction with
an advertising provider.
Social media/technology
We will use our Social Media Strategy to ensure that we can communicate with the public in a relevant and
professional manner; we will introduce local social media contributors so that Area and District Commanders
can communicate with local people on local issues. We will exploit technology to further enhance our
message and we will explore the possibilities of utilising smartphone applications and Bluetooth messaging.
NIFRS will use our website and do all that we can to ensure that our messages are widely available and
accessible to the public.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
15. Introduce a programme of campaign advertising to complement the Prevention and Protection Strategy and in line with Government Advertising Unit guidelines
16. Develop a Smartphone Fire Safety Application
17. Review and refresh the NIFRS website
Fire Investigation (Key area of focus 5)
NIFRS has a statutory duty to investigate the cause of fires and has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with PSNI that deals specifically with Fire Investigation (FI). In order to maintain an
effective FI capability NFRS has trained a number of Level 2 Fire Investigation Officers (FIOs) who are
distributed across the 4 Areas and in HQ. The established number of FIOs is 52, distributed as follows:
Eastern 10
Northern 12
Southern 12
Western 12
FRSHQ 6
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NIFRS will:
maintain an effective FI capability within NIFRS;
obtain information through FI which will be used by NIFRS to:
inform risk-profiling and help reduce the incidence of fire and other emergencies by the provision of a
targeted efficient and effective safety education, advice and legal enforcement service;
drive inter-agency partnership working to ensure the safety and well-being of the vulnerable in our
community; and
identify fires of special interest which have the potential to impact upon Firefighter safety;
develop profiles of fire behaviour in the built environment to inform tactical response and protect both the
public and our Firefighters;
inform the inspection process of potential legal enforcement issues identified through Fire Investigations
in conjunction with After the Fire audits; and
develop and implement a process of audit and review to provide assurance that FIs cover all aspects of
the incident that may have contributed to the cause of the fire and final outcomes.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
18. Review and revise as necessary the protocols for deploying Fire Investigation Officers
19. Create a central database to record analyse and share information gathered in the Fire Investigation process
20. Develop a quality assurance process for FI
Road Safety (Key area of focus 4)
NIFRS has developed a bespoke Road Safety Strategy which is designed to complement this overall
strategy, as well as Northern Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy to 2020. It is anticipated that our Road Safety
Strategy, in conjunction with the work of other road safety stakeholders will contribute to Northern Ireland’s
targets for 2020 (measured against a baseline of the 2004–2008 average figures) which are:
to reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by at least 60% by 2020;
to reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions by at least 45% by 2020;
to reduce the number of children (aged 0 to 15) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least
55% by 2020; and
to reduce the number of young people (aged 16 to 24) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at
least 55% by 2020.
Volunteering (Key area of focus 10)
In order to improve the service we provide and make the best possible use of limited resources, NIFRS will
give consideration to the use of volunteers to deliver some of our community engagement activities.
Volunteers that work for us will be drawn from all areas of our community and will receive appropriate
training and uniform.
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We will take a staged approach to developing the use of volunteers, beginning with a small-scale pilot
scheme before determining the extent to which we will incorporate volunteers into our mainstream activities.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
21. Implement a pilot scheme for 20 volunteers
22. Carry out an evaluation of the pilot scheme
23. Create a volunteering policy/procedure for wider adoption in NIFRS
Advocates (Key area of focus 1)
NIFRS needs to ensure that in engaging with the public, we are relevant and focused upon the needs of the
community. To enhance this aspect of our work we will examine the possibility of introducing Community
Safety Advocates (CSAs) to help deliver the Prevention Protection and Road Safety message. CSA
employees will be non-operational personnel, but they will wear a uniform. We will recruit CSAs to help us
manage our partnership and community engagement work, and we will specifically look for people who can
demonstrate their ability to make contact and engage with everybody in our community. We will fund the
CSA programme by reallocating part of the retained Fire Safety budget; this will make better use of our
resources and improve the availability of our retained Firefighters. We will initially run a three-year pilot
scheme and base future decisions relating to CSAs upon the evaluation of that scheme.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
24. Run a three-year pilot scheme for CSAs in Western, Southern and Northern Area Commands
Regulation (Key area of focus 8)
NIFRS has a duty to enforce The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 and The Fire and Rescue
Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. It is our aim to ensure that all non-domestic properties are safe for
the public and the people who work in them. This is an important area of our work, not only for the safety of
the people involved in non-domestic premises but also for the business community and the wider economy.
Many businesses that experience a fire will never recover from the experience. We will work with the
business community to inform and educate them as to the dangers of fire and help them to meet the
requirements of the regulations in a proportionate and consistent manner, only resorting to enforcement
when absolutely necessary to do so.
Risk-based audit programme (Key area of focus 8)
A key element of our statutory duty is the implementation of a risk-based programme of audits of non-
domestic premises. We will carry out a programme of audits based upon the risk profile of the premises
involved; for our planned audits we will ensure an appropriate spread across each of the 17 categories of
premises used in the FSEC risk management model, with emphasis being placed where there is the most
risk to life and property. We will also carry out “Post-Fire” audits, where appropriate, in non-domestic
properties that have experienced a fire to help them learn from the experience and prevent further instances.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
25. Run a risk-based programme of audits of non-domestic premises
26. Utilise at least 40% of the available working time of specialist Fire Safety Officers in delivering the audit programme
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Unwanted Fire Signals and False Alarms (Key area of focus 9)
Unwanted Fire Signals (UFS) are alarm signals generated by automatic systems indicating that there is a fire
in non-domestic premises. Our experience shows that the vast majority of these are false alarms. We will
implement our revised UFS Policy and, working in partnership with the relevant stakeholders, we will reduce
the number of alarms generated and the movements of Fire Service resources to deal with these incidents
when they do occur.
Objective 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17
27. Implement a revised UFS Policy including the necessary training for RCC and operational crews
28. Reduce UFS mobilisations by 20% over the life of the strategy using the 2012–13 year as a baseline
Legislative development (Key area of focus 8)
NIFRS recognises the value of developing legislation and regulations to meet changing circumstances.
During the life of this strategy we will lobby the Northern Ireland Assembly to review the need for new
legislation, particularly in the area of incorporating assistive technology such as the use of domestic
sprinklers in new-build properties.
Competence framework (Key area of focus 8)
Successful delivery of our strategy will depend upon us having properly trained people available and properly
equipped to carry out their duties.
To ensure that this is the case, all of our people who are involved in the delivery of Prevention and Protection
activities will be trained to the appropriate level in accordance with our development framework. We will use
a variety of providers both internal and external and where possible we will seek to carry out joint training
with relevant agencies such as local authority licensing authorities, building control etc.
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Measuring our performance
We will measure our performance utilising information collated from a number of relevant sources. These
will include for example:
Incident Recording System
Financial records
Our enforcement records
Public opinion/surveys.
Performance Indicators
The following table shows the performance indicators that will show how well we are meeting the targets
outlined in this strategy.
No Indicator What does this show? Target
1 The number of accidental fire deaths in domestic premises per 100,000 of population.
How well we are carrying out our duty to prevent fires in the home and respond quickly and appropriately when a fire occurs.
We would like to eradicate accidental fire deaths in Northern Ireland. We believe that this will one day be achievable. In the interim we have set ourselves a target of 0.1 per 100,000 of population which in Northern Ireland is equivalent to 2 accidental fire deaths per year.
2 The number of Fire Safety messages received by the public.
How well we are meeting our statutory duty to inform the public of the danger of fires and other emergencies.
That every member of the Northern Ireland public has access to at least 24 appropriate Fire Safety messages per year
3 The number of hours spent by specialist officers on our risk-based audit programme.
How well we are meeting our requirements in relation to The Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010
That 40% of all specialist officers’ hours available are spent on the Fire Safety audit programme.
4 The number of NIFRS mobilisations to Unwanted Fire Signals (UFS)
How well we are engaging with the business community to reduce UFS
Reduce UFS by 20% over the life of the strategy based upon the 12–13 year baseline.
5 The overall cost of delivering our Prevention and Protection strategy.
How efficiently we are delivering our Prevention and Protection programme.
TBC
Reporting our performance
NIFRS will report on our performance through our annual report. The NIFRS Board meets monthly in a public
meeting. We will report our performance monthly to the Board based upon the indicators outlined above.
Responsibilities
Responsibility for delivery of this strategy lies with the Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) who is
Director with responsibility for Prevention and Protection.
Amendments to this strategy will be subject to the approval of the NIFRS Corporate Management
Team and the NIFRS Board.
Delivery of sub-strategies referred to in this document are the responsibility of the appointed lead
Officer/Chair for that work stream.
Delivery of day-to-day Prevention and Protection activities are the responsibility of nominated
individuals.
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Consultation and review
This strategy will be consulted upon in line with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act. We also want to allow
the public to have their say in relation to what we are planning for their service, so we would like to invite
everybody to make contact and share their opinions with us.
Contact Methods
Telephone: 028 9266 4221
Fax: 028 9267 7402
Email: [email protected]
Next Review
NIFRS will review this strategy 12 months after implementation and at any time when there is reason to
believe that the strategy is no longer fit for purpose.
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Headquarters Northern Area Headquarters Eastern Area Headquarters
1 Seymour Street 22-26 Waveney Road 6 Bankmore Street Lisburn BT27 4SX Ballymena BT43 5BA Belfast BT7 1AQ
T 028 9266 4221 T 028 2564 3370 T 028 9031 0360 F 028 9267 7402 F 028 2564 5673 F 028 9031 3226 Training Centre Southern Area Headquarters Western Area Headquarters
79 Boucher Crescent Thomas Street 10 Crescent Link Belfast BT12 6HU Portadown BT62 3AH Londonderry BT47 5FR
T 028 9038 9800 T 028 3833 222 T 028 7131 1162 F 028 9066 4888 F 028 3835 0341 F 028 7134 1926
www.nifrs.org
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