WF Hickin, London - your Shout

I refer to the recently published White Paper, Our Fire and Rescue Service. As a former member of the Fire Service I generally support its approach, with some reservations, but note that the two following issues have not been addressed.

There was almost no mention of medical coresponder work by the Fire Service. Bain recommended this development yet it appears only once in the White Paper, and then rather tentatively, in the box on pg 31 referring to collaboration with other emergency services. The suggestion being it would only apply where fire services attend a fire or other non-fire incident to which it would otherwise have been called.

Yet the introduction of this work is surely fundamental to the future of the Service because, if increased fire safety/prevention activity is successful, over the next 10 to 15 years, the number of actual fire calls would decline to the point where it may be difficult to justify a Fire Service in its present form.

In contrast, the White Paper makes much mention of formalising existing Fire Service involvement in non-fire emergencies, environmental assistance and potential terrorist-related work, but these activities, while important, are relatively infrequent. Medical coresponder work is virtually the norm in the US and Canadian fire services and works well. They provide rapid assistance, especially using defibrillation, pending the arrival of an ambulance.

In this country a handful of rural retained stations have successfully undertaken this work which could be extended throughout the country, both in wholetime and retained stations, to provide trained assistance to an overstretched ambulance service. Should the Fire Service now play a principal part in the lifesaving work rather than leave it to the police, trained retail staff and other public workers?

A national strategic partnership could be established with the ambulance service, whereby emergency medical calls would be automatically passed to the Fire Service from ambulance service controls, to which the Fire Service would immediately respond. At present, firefighters can remain in a fire station when a medical emergency has occurred a few streets away while the victim waits for an ambulance.

From a public service cost-effectiveness standpoint, this must be a more efficient use of resources as well as providing greater job satisfaction for firefighters. It is also appropriate lot a Service which includes 'Rescue' in its title.

A combined Fire and Emergency Ambulance Service would be the ideal structure, but this is probably a political step too for at present.

In discussing various duty systems the Bain report and the White Paper make no mention of the sleeping night watch and what arises from that--the secondary employment mentality that seems almost unique to the UK Fire Service. Although a firefighter, as many other employees, is entitled to have a second job in their own time, it is the opportunity to have a night's sleep when on duty which has facilitated and encouraged secondary employment to become institutionalised in the Fire Service.

The Fire Service must be the only job where beds are provided when the working week is of normal duration and it is understandable why many firefighters have taken advantage of this opportunity afforded by their employers. The police, ambulance service and airport and industrial fire services are expected to remain awake on night shift, so it is unclear why the Fire Service is seen as an exception.

The sleeping night watch originated in 1920 when the continuous residential duty system was replaced by the two-watch system in London and, given that personnel then went onto an 84-hour week, the sleeping night watch was a reasonable concession. However, as Fire Service duty hours have steadily reduced over the years it is now possible, calls permitting, to sleep 15 hours out of the standard 42-hour week. Although the proposed reduction in night cover will tend to make the remaining duty personnel busier, is it not time for this anachronistic hangover from an earlier era to be finally abolished?

As there will not be another opportunity to reform the Fire Service for another generation, serious consideration should be given to those two fundamental issues if the Fire Service is to genuinely reform for the 21st Century.

If you would like to comment on any issue mentioned, contact The Editor, FIRE Magzine, Queensway House, 2 Queensway, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1QS; or email: andrewlynch@uk.dmgworldmedia.com; tel: 01737 855 431; fax: 01737 855 418

COPYRIGHT 2003 DMG World Media Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group