Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Magnificent reponse to floods but more needs to be done says chief fire & rescue adviser
The most senior fire and rescue service expert in the country, Sir Ken Knight, is publishing his report today on the service's operational response to the floods of summer 2007.
He concludes that the service responded magnificently - working tirelessly in difficult conditions to rescue countless people trapped in their homes, and successfully deploying new high volume pumps to help protect vital infrastructure. However, there are aspects that can be improved upon, including responding to 999 calls from the public.
Sir Ken Knight said:
"My review shows that there was a magnificent response by the Fire and Rescue Service's firefighters, control room and support staff. Firefighters responded with their renowned professionalism and complete dedication to the challenges faced in very difficult conditions. The national coordination of the high volume pumps across the country worked well, helping to protect infrastructure and homes. However, it is clear that improvements can be made and lessons learned. One of the critical issues was the difficulties of dealing with the high number of calls from the public especially during periods of peak demand. My findings underpin the rationale for the new nationally linked network of fire control centres being established that will significantly enhance the existing service to the public and the response from the fire service."
In his review, 'Facing the Challenge', Sir Ken makes 28 recommendations, including covering coordinating responses, sharing of information co-ordination, resources, training and health issues.
His review includes the following observations and conclusions:
FRS control room staff worked tirelessly in the face of enormous call volumes but the operational response was hampered by outdated, disparate and overloaded equipment in the 46 individual control rooms.
While there is no total for the number of calls received from the public on the 999 system, there are some striking statistics:
* Humberside FRS's control room received over 3,000 calls in one 18 hour period compared to the usual 56 for the same period - 55 times normal for the period.
* In one 24 hour period, service providers tried to route 72,000 calls to one control room.
* BT call connections to the service nationally are normally at a rate of 180 calls per hour but this increased to 2,700 calls per hour at its peak.
* Some calls were rerouted to other FRS who themselves were facing greatly increased call levels. The current system was never designed to cope with this level of demand.
During floods the firefighters often worked in hazardous conditions often wading waist deep in water, which raised both health and safety issues and questions around the statutory responsibility for flood rescue.
Sir Ken believes, however, that the FRS should be given even greater capability to undertake flood rescue and that local Fire and Rescue Authorities should ensure that firefighters have appropriate personal protective equipment and training. But he does not believe that a statutory duty for flood rescue for the fire service is needed, particularly as it does not guarantee interoperability between FRS around the country.
Furthermore, he believes that common standards of training with multi agency accreditation for inland water rescue operations should be considered by the appropriate Government Skills Council within the skills business network.
His report also makes recommendations for the sharing of information on flood planning and weather risks, media and communications. The review also supports an initial finding of the Sir Michael Pitt's Review on the floods, that utilities providers such as gas and electricity should consistently take part in the coordination arrangements for responses to major emergencies.
The recommendations will feed in to the final Pitt Review and will be for Government, regional and local resilience forums, individual Fire and Rescue Authorities, utilities and other bodies to take forward.
Notes to Editors
1. The report 'Facing the Challenge' ISBN 978185112891-4, is published on the Communities and Local Government http://www.communities.gov.uk It is also available priced £10.00 through the Publications Centre, PO Box 236, Wetherby, LS23 7NB. Tel 08701 226 236. It is being sent to all Chairs and Chief Officers of Fire and Rescue Authorities and those who contributed to it.
2. Biographical details Sir Ken Knight took up the new post of Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser in October 2007. Sir Ken heads a new unit, the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser's Unit, which has been established to provide independent, professional advice on fire and rescue issues to ministers and civil servants. The unit, established by Communities and Local Government, will have a key role in further developing the improving FRS to meet the challenges of today's world. Prior to his appointment, Sir Ken's long and distinguished fire service career included periods in Surrey, Devon, Dorset, West Midlands and finally London Fire Brigade where he headed Europe's largest FRS. He was honoured with the Queens' Fire Service Medal (QFSM) in 1991, CBE in 2001, Knighted in 2006 and appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London in the same year.
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