Issue - meetings

The report and appendix are attached.

Barnaby Briggs (Assistant Chief Fire Officer) introduced the report which covered the period between April 2020 and March 2021. He stated that COVID-19 was present throughout this period. The report showed a reduction in operational activity due to lockdown; a reduction in face-to-face engagement with the public was also discernible for the same reason.

Barnaby Briggs stated that at the time of publication of the report, a coroner’s verdict was anticipated; he confirmed that there had been no fire-related deaths during the period of the report.

Barnaby Briggs advised that 86% of accidental dwelling fires had been confined to the room of origin. He commented that this represented an insightful indicator of Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service’s (WFRS) performance.

Barnaby Briggs advised that response times had been affected by the Pandemic. Early on, WFRS had taken the decision to create protective ‘bubbles’ to limit transmission of the virus. This had restricted scope to move personnel between stations. He stated that, overall, it had been possible to maintain response availability. However, the Pandemic had impacted upon individual stations where minor outbreaks had been experienced.

Barnaby Briggs reported that the Pandemic had impacted upon training programmes. Delays had been experienced due to the requirement to hold training in a covid-safe environment.

Barnaby Briggs reported that the Hospital to Home initiative had proved to be a success with a significant increase in collections throughout the Pandemic. WFRS was considering increasing capacity in this area.

In response to Councillor Phillips, Rob Powell (Strategic Director, Resources) advised that the Authority did not have reason to anticipate cancellation of the government’s Better Care Fund, which funded the Hospital to Home scheme.

The Hospital to Home scheme was widely praised; it provided valuable support for elderly and vulnerable individuals and relieved pressure on the health service. The initiative provided a means to undertake safe and well checks, enabling support from other agencies to be made available to individuals who may be reluctant to seek help and could otherwise be overlooked.

In response to Councillor Boad, Barnaby Briggs advised that there had been a decline in community safety contacts due to COVID-19. Opportunities for prevention and protection work were becoming available; a return to pre-pandemic levels was anticipated soon.

Resolved:

That the Committee notes the contents of the report.