Our On-call firefighters provide a critical role in protecting communities in our most rural locations. They are trained firefighters who provide operational cover via a pager from their home or work. We have 25 On-call fire stations, and the staff attend a training evening at station one night a week.

HMICFRS reported in its State of Fire report “that most services that had been inspected are negatively affected by long-standing problems with availability of On-call staff, particularly during traditional office hours. The On-call duty system is facing decline and is becoming unsustainable.”

We have invested significant time, resources and people to improve the sustainability of our On-call system

Our Achievements

• We temporarily funded a dedicated Station Manager to oversee all aspects of our On-call, including recruitment, retention and recognition. Our staff numbers have increased slightly, and we have maintained our On-call availability in line with the previous year.
• We have introduced an E-learning coordinator to ensure that our e-learning training packages are as effective and engaging as possible.
•  We have redistributed service vehicles to allow On-call staff to undertake local prevention activities.
• We have piloted new methods of crewing On-call appliances, using spare resilience at On-call and Volunteer stations, increasing availability of appliances.
• We have invested in treadmills for On-call stations to assist in maintaining the fitness levels of On-call firefighters and expedite the return of firefighters from illness and injury.
• An On-call Impact Assessment has been introduced as part of the Equality Impact Assessment, to ensure that On-call personnel are considered in every new policy and procedure.
• We have profiled the station areas surrounding our On-call stations to better understand the local communities and to better focus our recruitment activity.
• We have streamlined recruitment activities to limit the number of potential applicants that withdraw their interest.
• We accepted and introduced the new national pay settlement for On-call staff which will allow some On-call staff to work fewer hours around their work and home life
  commitments.
• We recognise the support given by local employers in supporting its staff to perform the role of On-call. We have introduced an employer recognition scheme to acknowledge their continued support

Areas of Focus

Over the period of this CRMP we will focus on:

• Making the On-call Station Manager a permanent role, with line management responsibility for the newly titled Oncall Support Watch Managers.
• Exploring Incident Support Teams, which would be made up of staff from On-call fire stations that have fewer than four staff members. These would be deployed to emergency incidents which are already active, not as part of an initial response.
• Expanding the role of personnel at On-call stations with opportunities for additional prevention and protection activity, where community demand dictates.
• Creating an overarching On-call guidance document so all policies, procedures and guidance are easily accessible and understood.
• Continuing investment in fitness equipment for On-call fire stations.
• Reviewing the training hours for our On-call staff to ensure they meet local and national standards of competence.
• Reviewing the technology required for On-call staff to support their continued professional development.