OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
STRATEGY
// 2016 - 2020
protecting our communities
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
CONTENTS
Foreword................................................. 03
The Challenge.......................................... 03
Key Drivers.............................................. 04
Rising To The Challenge............................ 06
Our Operational Response
Business Model................................ 08
The Operational Risk Environment............. 09
Response Standards................................. 12
Our Reaction To The Operational
Risk Environment............................. 13
Fire and Rescue Station
Arrangements.................................. 15
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
02
FOREWORD
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has always enjoyed a reputation for being one
of the best fire and rescue services in the United Kingdom. In our combined Corporate
plan and IRMP, Towards 2020, we have agreed a range of operational and other change
proposals that will ensure that Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service can continue to
effectively deliver all of its statutory duties and continue to be an excellent fire and rescue
service. This Operational Response Strategy has been developed to set out how we will
deliver this commitment. The actions and changes set out in this strategy will be managed
and delivered by the Service Delivery directorate.
THE CHALLENGE
The nature and range of emergency incidents that we respond to has changed in recent
years. During the same period, the number of fires and resulting deaths and injuries have
reduced substantially. We want to ensure that when emergencies do happen, we are able
to respond in the most effective and safest way in order to protect and limit damage to life,
property and the environment. To achieve this we will continue to be innovative and flexible
in the way that we manage and deal with emergencies.
We recognise that it is very rare for us to respond to an emergency on our own and we will
continue to carry out joint planning with our partners to ensure we are prepared to deal with
all types of emergency on a local, regional and national scale. We will always ensure that
when we are required to respond, we will do so in a timely manner with the right staff, who
have the right skills, the right equipment and the right support.
One of our key priorities must be to always continue to deliver a highly effective and efficient
operational response capability. To achieve this we will have to change our operational
philosophy and implement ‘new ways of working’ that continue to secure public and
firefighter safety. There is a need to better balance our approach to deploying resources
and increase our flexibility to respond to the different kinds of emergencies we face.
We must also be prepared to think differently about the tactics we employ to deal with and
manage emergencies. Accordingly, this new approach must embrace a preparedness to
be more adventurous in learning from operational incidents and to think about different
approaches to dealing with emergencies. Finally, we must be prepared to be ambitious and
there is no reason why Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service cannot or should not achieve
excellence whilst at the same time, achieve our planned efficiencies and demonstrate
excellent value for money.
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
03
KEY DRIVERS
There are a number of reasons why our key strategies are so important and drive our business
and our approach.
Organisational Priorities
Our six core strategies are a vital pillar in our planning framework and each supports our
Corporate Plan and IRMP, Towards 2020. The plan has six priorities with a related aim – each
of these is covered by an individual strategy. This strategy covers all areas of operational
response as highlighted in the table overleaf. In addition to setting out how we will deliver
our aims, it also feeds into our planning cycle to inform our future priorities.
Legislative Requirements
There are a number of statutory functions and duties that we must carry out according to
law. The core legislation is summarised below:
The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
This is the core legislation for all fire and rescue services and it details legal powers and
responsibilities of Fire Authorities. A key element of the Act is that it makes the production of
a National Framework document by the Secretary of State mandatory. Fire Authorities must
have regard to the Framework in carrying out their functions.
National Framework Document
The Framework document sets out the Government’s priorities and objectives for the fire and
rescue service. It states:
• The Government’s expectations for the fire and rescue service
• What Fire Authorities are expected to do
• The support the Government will provide in helping them meet these objectives
The Framework is intended to be strategic and provides the foundation on which to build
local solutions, giving Fire Authorities flexibility to meet the needs of their communities.
Civil Contingencies Act
The Act is a key piece of legislation and arose in response to the terrorist threat, as well as
a number of other civil emergencies. It imposes a series of duties on local bodies (known
as Category 1 Responders) including a requirement to assess the risk of an emergency
occurring and to maintain plans for responding to an emergency. The fire and rescue
service is a Category 1 Responder.
The Act also creates a broader ‘concept’ of an ‘emergency’.
To satisfy this legislation, Local Resilience Forums have been established. These Forums must
establish and maintain effective multi-agency arrangements for major emergencies and
minimise the impact of those emergencies on the public, property and environment.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service plays a full and active role in the Leicester, Leicestershire
and Rutland Local Resilience Forum. The Director of Service Delivery represents fire and rescue
on the Executive Board and the Strategic Development Group.
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
04
LFRS 2020: A PROUD AND INSPIRATIONAL FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
Working
Together
Governance
People
Finance
Community
Safety
Response
PRIORITY
AIMS
By 2020
we want to
achieve:
OUTCOMES
What success will look like:
1. A modern, safe and
effective response to
emergencies
• The attendance of the quickest, most appropriate and available response vehicle; with a competent crew, arriving within our
target attendance times
• The attendance of s killed incident commanders who will make risk-based decisions to achieve the best possible outcomes at
incidents
• The maintenance of the highest level of safety for the public and firefighters alike
• Always being fully prepared to respond to local, regional, national and international incidents when required
2. Improved safety for
our communities
•
•
•
•
•
3. Making the most of
financial resources
• Financial resources better aligned to risk
• A balanced budget up until 2020
• Financial resources placed where they can be most effectively managed by budget holders who are accountable for
performance
4. Staff are skilled,
equipped and
motivated to deliver
our vision
•
•
•
•
•
All of our staff appropriately developed and effectively trained to do their jobs
All of our staff engaged positively with high levels of staff satisfaction, retention and low levels of sickness
All staff treated fairly
A fire and rescue service rated as excellent against the Equalities Standard
High levels of public satisfaction and low levels complaints
5. Effective governance
and openness to the
community
•
•
•
•
•
We will be transparent and open about our decision-making at all levels
We will publish information to meet the requirements of the Transparency Code
All major changes affecting the organisation will be consulted on
Efffective governance of the service through the Combined Fire Authority and its committees
The achievemtn of an unqualified opinion on our Statement of Accounts every year
6. A better service
through working
together
• Smaller, more efficient support services, that cost less
• Reduced levels of duplication of effort and processes across partners, achieving maximum efficiencies via joint working and/or
shared services
• An increased number of partnerships
• More staff who are multi-skilled
• Improved procurement across partnerships
A community safety programme that is targeted and based on vulnerability (of people) and risk (of buildings) and tailored to the audience
Safer communities that are healthy and secure
A reduction in the number of emergency incidents, deaths and injuries
Improved working with other regulators to reduce the regulatory burden and minimise duplication of effort
Community safety activities carried out by our staff, and funded by other agencies where applicable
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05
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland covers an area of more than 250,000 hectares. It contains
a network of major motorways, an international airport, large scale businesses, buildings of
historical importance and protected wildlife sites. This demands a pre-planning and response
capability that extends far beyond the traditional firefighting and fire safety activities.
It comprises a mixture of urban, semi-rural and rural localities. The population is growing and
ageing, and at present stands at just over 1 million people residing in over 420,000 domestic
properties. There are over 45,000 businesses at local unit level.
Our society is diverse and multicultural with varying degrees of affluence and social
deprivation. The Index of Multiple Deprivation identifies that our top ten deprived areas
are in Leicester City. The least deprived wards fall within the south of Leicestershire around
Market Harborough, Kibworth, Oadby and the County of Rutland. Approximately 22% of the
population in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are from minority ethnic communities. At
49% representation, Leicester City has the highest proportion of Black, Asian and mixed race
communities. It is the most deprived local authority in our area, and the 27th most deprived
in England. There are enormous differences in the economic and social make-up of Leicester,
Leicestershire and Rutland. In respect of earnings, more than 20% of Leicester City’s population
claim income support against approximately 6.5% of the rest of our population. The figure
across the whole of the East Midlands is around 11.4%.
Our mission statement is ‘protecting our communities’. Therefore, if risk is understood as being
the likelihood of occurrence (probability) multiplied by the consequences of the event
(severity), it can be defined as follows:
PROBABILITY x SEVERITY = EXTENT OF RISK
In terms of ‘Probability’, we now receive around 10,000 requests* for emergency assistance
every year and respond to around 8,000* of these. Our successful prevention and partnership
work over the last decade has significantly changed the volume and frequency of
emergencies and we have seen reductions in every measured area of performance.
* Response statistics also include turn backs, and are based the on average of 2013-15 (Remsdaq).
We also assess our risks using our own Community Risk Model (CRM). This model combines
historical incident data with social, economic and lifestyle information to predict where a
serious incident is more likely to occur, relative to other locations in our area.
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The reductions in numbers of incidents is good news but we have to recognise that
‘probability’ is only half of the picture and cannot be regarded as the only driver for the
distribution of future resources. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is not just a demand-led
service, it is also led by risk; the general philosophies being think the unthinkable and always
be prepared to deal with the implications of what might/could happen. In general, we are
needed for the following reasons:
•
An ‘insurance’ for when a fire or other emergency does occur to save life, protect property and the environment
•
For large scale incidents and disasters arising from:
• Terrorism
• Climate change
• Incidences across the East Midlands where regional support is required
• Transport disasters
• Civil disturbance etc.
We have taken all of this into account and through the detailed analysis of probability aligned
to a comprehensive understanding of community risk, we can make some changes to our
operational response capability in terms of the type and distribution of resources.
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
07
OUR OPERATIONAL RESPONSE BUSINESS MODEL
Our vision is ‘LFRS 2020: a proud and inspirational fire and rescue service’. In the first instance,
our priority is to avoid emergency incidents occurring and we have set out our approach
to achieving this goal in our Community Safety Strategy. However, in the event that we do
have to respond to emergencies, we will do so in a safe and effective way ensuring that we
minimise the impact to our citizens and on our communities.
In accordance with this, we have established a very simple business model:
How We Will Do This
What We Will
Achieve
Response
A modern, safe and
effective response to
communities
Community
Safety
Improved safety for
our communities
Finance
Make the most of
financial resources
•Model the risk of
•Effective risk planning and •Effective use of our brand,
emergencies
management
expertise and resources
•Determine what we will •Deliver a risk based
•Maximising the use of our
respond to
planning programme
resources
•Have good business
•Target community safety •Attracting additional
continuity arrangements
at areas where we know funding where we can
response targets may not •Using technology to
•Have valid response
always be achievable
standards
improve services
•Have mutual support
•Supporting economic
arrangements
growth
•Limit economic and
environmental impact
•Learn from incidents
•Monitor our effectiveness
People
Governance
Working
Together
Staff that are skilled,
equipped and
motivated to deliver
our vision
Effective governance
and openness to the
community
A better service through
working together
•Best practice when we
recruit staff
•An integrated approach to
workforce planning and
people development
•Effective learning and
development
•High levels of competence
•Recognising and
rewarding good
performance
•Informing and consulting
staff at all levels
•Demonstrating high quality
leadership
•Effective internal and
external communication
•A high quality performance
framework
•Setting clear standards
•Providing our services in a
sustainable way
•Providing services that
are appropriate to our
communities
•Being an employer of
choice
•Involving our communities
•Being influential locally,
regionally and nationally
•High quality partnership
working
The Outcomes
Monitor Performance, Track Progress and Meet Our Goals
•High state of operational
preparedness
•Effective emergency cover
and high quality response
•Less property damage
•Less damage to the
environment
•Our heritage preserved
•High public satisfaction
•Better outcomes for our
communities
•Fewer deaths and injuries
•People rescued from harm
•People better informed
about what to do in an
emergency
•A balanced budget
•High quality, well trained
workforce
•Better designed, high
•Committed
and
value for money services
enthusiastic staff who
•More economic resilience work hard
and growth
•A well informed
•Volunteers who add value workforce
•A healthy workforce
•High public satisfaction
•Low levels of
absenteeism
•High levels of staff
satisfaction
•Excellent leadership
•Low rates of accidents •Reduced bureaucracy
and injuries
•Better information and
•Equitable service delivery data sharing
by a workforce that is
•A more joined up
representative of the
response to all
communities
emergencies
•Less impact on the
environment
•High levels of staff and
public satisfaction
•A service that is valued
•Fire stations at the heart
of communities
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
08
THE OPERATIONAL RISK ENVIRONMENT
Set out in this section are explanations about the operational risks and challenges that
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service faces on a daily basis. The explanations try to illustrate
why this Operational Response Strategy has been developed and what it will address.
Fire
Fire represents the ‘traditional’ risk of the fire and rescue service. In terms of fire patterns and
trends, we now understand that fire; especially in the home, is as much a social phenomenon
as it is a combustion process. For this reason, the incidence of fire very much follows similar
trends to other social factors. Alcohol and drugs use, mental and physical illness and socioeconomic factors all play a part. This lends itself to a level of predictability in terms of trends.
The fire and rescue service cannot say precisely when a fire will occur but we can target our
resources in areas where the history of fire activity demonstrates that it is more likely to happen.
Fires and People
In terms of risk to people, fires develop much faster and at higher temperatures than they
have in the past and this is a common factor that applies to fires in the home and in other
buildings. People are much more likely to die in their homes rather than in commercial settings.
The change in relation to fires in the home has come about as a consequence of ‘modern
living’ and the fact that the contents of the home are more likely to be manufactured from
manmade rather than natural materials. Most homes are also double glazed and although this
is effective for insulation purposes, it creates a ‘pressure cooker’ effect when a fire occurs.
Most fires in the home become fully developed within a few minutes (yielding highly toxic
smoke and high temperatures). As a consequence, far more investment in the provision of
home fire safety advice has been made. Our approach to ‘prevention activities’ is detailed in
the Community Safety Strategy.
Fires in Commercial Settings
In relation to larger/commercial buildings, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland consists of
many high, medium and low rise structures. The approach to modern methods of construction,
for many of these buildings presents very different risks for the Service. There are buildings with
much bigger compartments; often with very high fire loading and despite the fact that the
vast majority comply with the relevant legislative requirements, they are not always fitted with
fire sprinklers.
Fire in these buildings; as with fire in the home, have a tendency to develop much more
quickly and intensely than before and represent very high risk to firefighters. As a consequence
of tragic incidents in recent years, a huge investment has been made by Leicestershire Fire
and Rescue Service to raise awareness of the dangers that fires in commercial buildings can
present. In addition, we have modified our risk based inspection arrangements (as detailed in
the Community Safety Strategy) to ensure that as much tactical information is available to our
firefighting teams.
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
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Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Fire Related Emergencies
We will adopt a far more flexible approach to responding to fire related emergencies in
the future. This will incorporate the use of different vehicles and different numbers of crew
members. The response to each incident type will be more reflective of the severity of
the incident and by taking this approach, we will be able to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the service we provide.
Climate Change
The potential for hotter, drier summers means a much greater risk of outdoor fires and wildland
fires and by 2050, it is predicted that the incidences will increase by between 34 to 56%
compared to the current average. In addition to this, wetter and colder winters will place
additional strain on our ability to deal with flood and flood related incidents.
In response to these risks, we are working far more closely with the Environment Agency to
ensure that we maintain an appropriate level of capability to deal with all eventualities. This
involves the development and delivery of bespoke training and the procurement of equipment.
Our Future Operational Response Arrangements for Climate Change
We will adopt a far more flexible approach to responding to fires and other emergencies
that happen as a consequence of climate change. This will incorporate changes to the way
we train and develop our staff and in addition, it will also include the procurement of more
speacialised equipment to deal with the changing environment we will have to work in.
Hazardous Materials
There are a significant number of hazardous materials we must be prepared to deal with
ranging from different types of dangerous liquids to cylinders and chemicals.
The level of production, transportation and use of hazardous materials is growing year on year.
We maintain statutory duties to deal with hazardous material incidents and have a specific
responsibility for the mass decontamination of members of the public.
Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Emergencies Involving Hazardous Materials
We will continue to provide equipment and training so we can effectively deal with
emergencies that involve hazardous materials. This will include training our incident
commanders so that they have the specialist skills, knowledge and understanding to ensure
that all incidents are resolved efficiently and effectively.
The Terrorist Threat
The City of Leicester is one of the most diverse communities in the country. We have an
international airport, a huge transport infrastructure, a number of high profile sporting venues
and a wealth of vibrant commercial shopping and entertainment centres.
Whilst we should not get things out of perspective, as a fire and rescue service we have to
be prepared for any eventuality and the possibility of a terrorist attack. As such, we possess a
wide range of specialist equipment and capabilities that can be mobilised on a local, regional
or national basis.
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Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Terrorist Related Emergencies
We will always maintain a high level of preparedness to respond to terrorist related
emergencies. We will continue to develop and improve our response plans in partnership with
multi-agency arrangements through the Local Resilience Forum.
Specialist Rescue Capability
As a fire and rescue service we have to be equipped to deal with a range of more specialist
risks and these require different response strategies and equipment. As such, Leicestershire Fire
and Rescue Service maintains an enhanced capability to manage and deal with specialist
rescue scenarios. These scenarios include:
• Rescue from water
• Search and rescue of collapsed structures
• Confined space operations
• Rescue of animals from water, ditches and mud
• Rescue from road traffic incidents involving large or heavy goods vehicles
• High line rope recue activities
• Canine search procedures
• Lift rescues
• Sewer rescues
Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Specialist Rescue Type Emergencies
We will continue to maintain a high level of preparedness to respond to emergencies that
require the use of specialist equipment and specially trained staff. We plan to expand our
operational capability to deal with water related incidents because of an increased future
flood risk.
Transport Risk
Firefighters in Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service now rescue more people from road traffic
collisions (RTC) than they do from all other incident categories combined. We attend around
650 incidents per year and on average we deal with one RTC fatality every week and at least
one serious injury every day.
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland maintains and services a large transport infrastructure
including motorways, a comprehensive rail system and a major international airport. We have
to be ready to deal with incidents on all scales from a car crash on the motorway to a jumbo
jet at the airport.
Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Transport Related Emergencies
We will continue to maintain a high level of preparedness to respond to transport related
emergencies. We plan to completely refresh our specialist equipment to deal with this type of
emergency to ensure that our staff have access to the very best tools and ancillary equipment.
Medical Emergencies
As a key public service, we must be ready and prepared to rescue anyone and everyone
from virtually any scenario imaginable. ‘Modern living’ has brought with it a growing variation
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in the types of incident we must respond to, and the range of issues that pose a risk to the
community. The population in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is ageing. Statistics show
that older citizens are most at risk from fires in the home. Although we target this vulnerable
group through our home fire safety efforts, it will continue to remain an issue because of a
range of impairments – physical and mental – associated with age. There is a growing level of
demand arising from social change, a number of which would not at first be directly linked to
the role of the fire and rescue service.
An example of this change is demonstrated in the increased incidence of support we now
provide to the ambulance service to deal with medical emergencies.
Our Future Operational Response Arrangements to Medical Emergencies
We will continue to support the ambulance service and provide an Emergency First Response
to the most serious medical emergencies. If requested we will expand our medical emergency
response capability.
RESPONSE STANDARDS
We have set ourselves standards in terms of how long it will take for a fire engine to attend an
incident. We did this in order to ensure that we have established benchmarks that we can measure
and then judge success. More importantly, we did this so the public are able to hold us to account
and to reassure them that they should maintain confidence in the service they receive from us.
We will deploy our fire emergency response vehicles to the right places, at the right time and
in the right proportions to deal with the risks our staff will face. The ‘speed’ and ‘weight’ of
attack are factors that are very important to us.
Weight of Attack
In terms of ‘weight of attack’, we have constructed pre-determined attendance criteria for all
emergency incident types. This ensures that we send the right number of people, with the right skills
and the right equipment to every incident. For example, we will always dispatch two fire engines
to a report of a house fire, or three fire engines when it is reported that there is a ‘risk to life’.
Speed of Attack
In terms of ‘speed of attack’, we have established how long it should take for our resources to
arrive at any type of emergency incident. For all incidents that involve a ‘risk to life’, we aim
to arrive within 10 minutes of dispatch. For all other incidents that do not involve a ‘risk to life’,
we aim to arrive within 20 minutes of dispatch. It is important to state that we will always aim to
respond to an incident in the shortest time possible and we achieve our stated standards on
more than 95% of occasions.
Monitoring and Reviewing Operational Provisions
In order to ensure that our current provisions remain valid, we constantly monitor how effective
and appropriate they are. For example, if the use of new technologies enables us to revise
the number of staff that are needed to deal with particular scenarios then we will undertake
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a review of staffing and duty system arrangements. Likewise, if the predominant risk in our
communities changes, we will consider what the appropriate resource provision should look like.
When we complete the reviews, we present the findings in our combined Corporate Plan and
IRMP and then consult widely to ensure that everybody knows why we are making changes.
OUR REACTION TO THE OPERATIONAL RISK
ENVIRONMENT
The risk environment is ever-changing and it is the changes that have a direct impact upon the
way that Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service determines how best to deploy its operational
resources and capabilities.
Our community risk model is vital in informing the way that the service models and plans for
existing and future trends and patterns, but there is also a lot that is totally unpredictable. This
means that the service needs to maintain greater flexibility in preparing for risks, greater flexibility
in the way that training is provided, greater flexibility in kit and equipment provisions and much
greater flexibility in the way that firefighters are deployed.
Over recent years we have undertaken work to better understand and communicate risk.
Accurate information about risk not only enables us to target our resources where they are most
needed, it also assists us in prioritising our proactive safety and prevention activities.
High Quality Training and Development
All of the training we provide to our operational crews is risk based. The key priorities are to
ensure that we maintain a focus on the core safety critical areas of activity including Command,
use of Breathing Apparatus, Working at Height, Driving etc. We will always maintain our focus on
ensuring that our crews are highly trained and highly risk aware.
We are also a Service that recognises the importance of learning. As such we will continue
to make good use of our existing systems and arrangements that enable us to monitor the
performance of our crews and the quality of operational leadership.
The Very Best Appliances and Equipment
In addition to high quality training, we recognise that the provision of the very best emergency
response vehicles, fire kit and equipment are essential if we are going to maintain our high
levels of operational capability and preparedness. Over recent years, we have invested in new
technologies that our crews use on a daily basis to manage and deal with the entire range of
emergencies we are called to resolve. We will continue to invest on a sound basis to ensure that
performance and safety standards are never compromised.
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Fast Access to Information
Access to up to date, valid, reliable operational risk information is absolutely essential to ensuring
the safety of our operational crews. We are continuously developing our ‘risk gathering’
capabilities and through the use of Mobile Data Terminals mounted in every single fire and
special appliance, we can be assured that that information is always available. To enhance this
capability, we have invested in a new 999 call handling and mobilising capability that will further
enhance our risk management arrangements.
Operational Duty Systems
The factors that determine the type of duty system that should be employed at any of our fire
and rescue station are:
• The nature of the risk in the predominant area
• Historical incident activity in the predominant area
• Maintaining compliance with ‘speed of attack’ response standards
• Professional judgement
Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Station permanently crewed by wholetime employees only who work in accordance with the
wholetime shift system and who are immediately available to deal with emergency incidents.
Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4) and On-Call
Station permanently crewed by wholetime employees who work in accordance with the
wholetime shift system and who are immediately available to deal with emergency incidents.
Station establishment is supplemented by Retained Duty System employees who are available
to respond to emergency incidents on an ‘on call’ basis.
Wholetime Duty System Day Crewing Plus (DC+)
Station permanently crewed by wholetime employees only who work in accordance with a selfrostered 24 hour shift duty system and who are immediately available to deal with emergency
incidents.
Wholetime Duty System (DC+) and On-Call
Station permanently crewed by wholetime employees who work in accordance with a selfrostered 24 hour shift duty system and who are immediately available to deal with emergency
incidents. Station establishment is supplemented by Retained Duty System employees who are
available to respond to emergency incidents on an ‘on call’ basis.
Wholetime Duty System Day Crewed (DC) and On-Call
Station crewed by wholetime employees who work in accordance with a self- rostered 11
hour shift duty system (07:00 hours - 18:00 hours) and who are immediately available to deal
with emergency incidents. Station establishment is supplemented by Retained Duty System
employees who are available to respond to emergency incidents on an ‘on call’ basis.
On-Call
Station crewed entirely by employees who work in accordance with the Retained Duty System.
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Fire and Emergency Response Vehicles
A similar and logical approach is applied in relation to the deployment of fire and emergency
response vehilces. At present; Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service utilises three principle types
of fire and emergency response vehicle:
• Water Ladder (WrL): Principally equipped for fighting fires with limited rescue equipment
• Pump Rescue Ladder (PRL): Principally equipped with rescue equipment with a firefighting capability
• Tactical Response Vehicle (TRV): Principally equipped to deal with smaller incidents including small fires, false alarms, simple rescues etc.
FIRE AND RESCUE STATION ARRANGEMENTS
The map below shows the current locations of all fire and rescue stations in Leicester,
Leicestershire and Rutland as at August 2016.
For operational management and service delivery purposes, the Combined Fire Authority area
incorporating Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has been divided into two geographical
areas or groups. Within each group, the station ‘clusters’ are based upon the district and
borough boundaries and this arrangement is designed to improve partnership working.
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In the main, the stations are positioned and resourced largely as a result of historical influences.
However; during recent years a number of initiatives have been implemented and these have
served to better align resources to demand.
A Risk Based Approach
In determining the type of duty system and the levels of resource distribution to fire and rescue
stations we apply a risk based approach in accordance with our Community Risk Model. In
determining the risk we look at a number of factors including:
• The historical incident activity in the predominant area;
• The risk that exists within the built, rural and transport environment; and,
• The key socio-demographic factors relating to population density, health, wealth, age and living alone within the relevant population.
The operational area is divided into smaller areas based on population size and each area is
attributed a relative risk level. Only 1% of such areas are very high risk and a further 3% are high
risk. So, for a very small percentage of the population, there is a higher likelihood that there will
be a serious incident in their area, relative to other areas, requiring an emergency response.
In addition to these factors, we also consider growth plans as they relate to each district
and borough. By monitoring these plans we are able to constantly review the impact that
developments will have on resource provisions and where necessary, put in place proposals to
make revisions.
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Leicester City Group Resources
General Profile
Population: 342,627
Population Density: 47 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Very high density population
• Large proportion of multi-storey/high rise
• 2 x major hospitals
• 2 x Universities
• Prison
• Major shopping/commercial facilities
• Major rail station and complex road network
Historical Incident Data:
• Primary fires per 10,000 population –10.3
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 7.3
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 8.6
Eastern Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Target Establishment: 44
Vehicles: 1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Water Ladder
Western Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Total Establishment: 24
Vehicles: 1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Central Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Target Establishment: 44
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Water Ladder
1 x Aerial ladder Platform
(switch crewed)
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
17
Charnwood Borough Resources
General Profile
Population: 176,720
Population Density: 6 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Limited proportion of multi-storey/high rise
• Local hospital
• University
• High proportion of manufacturing sites
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data:
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 9.2
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 6.7
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 4.9
Loughborough Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Target Establishment: 36
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Tactical Response Vehicle
1 x Water Carrier
(switch crewed)
Shepshed Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 16
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Command Support Vehicle
Birstall Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (DC+)
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
1 x Aerial Ladder Platform
(switch crewed)
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
18
North West Leicestershire District Resources
General Profile
Population: 97,247
Population Density: 3 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• International airport
• Major sporting venue
• High proportion of manufacturing sites
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 11.9
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 9.3
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 8.9
Coalville Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (DC+)
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 8
Vehicles:
1 x Tactical Response Vehicle
1 x Environmental Protection Unit
Ashby Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Castle Donington Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (DC+)
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
19
Hinckley and Bosworth Resources
General Profile
Population: 108,769
Population Density: 4 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Heritage risk
• Minor sporting venues
• Upper tier COMAH site
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 10.5
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 7.0
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 6.1
Hinckley Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (DC+)
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
Market Bosworth Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
20
Harborough District Resources
General Profile
Population: 89,284
Population Density: 2 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Lower tier Control of Major Accident
Hazards site
• Prison
• High Bay storage
• Very large geographic area
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data:
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 11.5
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 7.3
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 9.3
Billesdon Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
Kibworth Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
Market Harborough Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Day Crewing
Target Establishment: 11
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x High Volume Pump/Hose Layer
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Tactical Response Vehicle
Lutterworth Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Day Crewing
Target Establishment: 11
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Water Carrier
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
21
Blaby District Resources
General Profile
Population: 96,544
Population Density: 7 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Relatively large geographic area
• Prison
• Large hospital
• Large satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 10.3
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 7.3
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 8.6
Southern Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (2/2/4)
Target Establishment: 28
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Heavy Rescue Unit
1 x USAR Capability
1 x Water Rescue Capability 1 x Rope Rescue Capability
(switch crewed)
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
22
Oadby and Wigston District Resources
General Profile
Population: 55,833
Population Density: 24 People per Hectare
Built Environment:
• High density population
• Prison
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Clusters of manufacturing sites
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 7.3
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population –5.4
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 3.2
Southern Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Day Crewing (DC+)
Target Establishment: 12
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 16
Vehicles:
1 x Water Ladder
1 x Command Support Vehicle
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
23
Melton Borough Resources
General Profile
Population: 50,912
Population Density: 1 Person per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Heritage risk
• Very large geographical area
• Rail tunnels
• Clusters of manufacturing sites
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 11.8
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 9.8
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 8.1
Operational Risk Rating: 9
Melton Mowbray Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Day Crewing (DC)
Target Establishment: 11
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 8
Vehicles:
1 x Tactical Response Vehicle
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
24
Rutland County Resources
General Profile
Population: 38,046
Population Density: 1 Person per Hectare
Built Environment:
• Very large geographical area
• Upper tier COMAH sites
• Military base
• Prison
• Satellite shopping/commercial facilities
• Major road infrastructure (A and Motorway)
Historical Incident Data
• Primary fires per 10,000 population – 9.5
• Secondary fires per 10,000 population – 6.0
• RTCs per 10,000 population – 10.5
Oakham Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: Wholetime Duty System (DC+)
Target Establishment: 14
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 8
Vehicles:
1 x Tactical Response Vehicle
Uppingham Station
Operational Resources
Duty System: On-Call
Target Establishment: 18
Vehicles:
1 x Pump Rescue Ladder
1 x Incident Support Unit
www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk
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