Nuisance Fires Clive Rankin Portsmouth City Council Tim Gates Hampshire Fire and Rescue

1
Nuisance FiresClive Rankin Portsmouth City
CouncilTim GatesHampshire Fire and Rescue
WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD SAFER COMMUNITIES
2
Early Days

• Different partners doing different things, only
  occasional contact
• Overlap of incentives
• Unclear picture
• Inconsistent message
• Need for change
• Rising prominence of Cleaner Safer Agenda
• Change in Fire Service priorities

3
Overall Public Sector awareness of the rising
Prominence of Cleaner Safer Greener

• Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA 2)
  negotiations- Initial bid rejected by ODPM
• Need to find challenging CSG targets
• Portsmouths BVPI 199 results good.
• Customer Satisfaction Improving environmentally
  but high fear of crime
• Clear that Clean, Green, Safe, fires,criminal
  damage all linked together
• A good bite sized chunk
• Opportunity to link EVA work and develop
  partnership

4
Fire Service

• Problems in Neighbouring Local Authority - but
  same fire ground
• Interventions by Group Fire Manager
• Targeted Amnesties
• Introduction of Environmental Visual Audits with
  Community Wardens
• Introduction of 24 hour arson reports

5
Environmental Visual Audits

• What is an EVA?
• Who does them?
• Assessment Cards
• Identifies a priority not a removal time.
• Mainstreamed into Community warden activity
• Raise awareness
• Important to consider other operational
  activities

Key Activity
6
LPSA Fire Reduction Target (2005)

• Hampshire Fire Authority working with the
  majority of Local Authorities to address problems
• Baseline data and targets set
• Roll out plan
• Review
• Data. Differing boundaries not identified during
  negotiations for LPSA2
• Too late to change
• Learning point for future agreements
• Fire Community Liaison Officer and Youth Support
  Worker (firesetters) - funded from pump priming
  grant
• Fire Reduction Community Warden

7
Rollout Plan
8
Need to Improve Operational Data

• Data was only distributed monthly
• Difficult to get ahead of the game
• No opportunity to identify emerging trends and
  patterns
• Couldnt segment
• Opportunity to do nothing?

9
Daily Fire sheets
Key Activity
10
Bonfire Working Party

• In operation for over 15 years
• Needed revitalising
• Bonfire materials detected and removed
• Locals see it as a challenge
• Same problems year on year.
• Civil Unrest

• Formed ASB Bonfire working Party
• Looked at whole issue
• Community Involvement
• Fear of Crime Community Cohesion
• Risk
• Formed Fire Assessment Teams (FAT Teams)
• Split issues unauthorised bonfires and ASB

Key Activity
11
Reducing Building Fires

• Awareness of derelict buildings (visit from Fred)
• Push for Local Authority to set best practice
• Linked with Eyesores working group and private
  land issues
• Go for the owners
• Target hardening
• Existing powers broadened
• Board it - Synergy PCC toilet contractors

Key Activity
12
Guildhall Fire

• Bags of waste set fire on Guildhall steps on two
  occasions (HFRS)
• CCTV spotted - but no Police response (CCTV)
• Identified and took action against waste sources
  (2) (Clean City)
• Next night CCTV spotted same again (HFRS and
  CCTV)
• Police responded and apprehended person. (Hants
  Police and CPS)
• Waste in area still being managed responsibly
  (Clean City)

13
Vehicle Fires - Secondary

• Strengthened legislation
• Improved Scrap value
• Existing team to address vehicle fires
• Pump priming input
• Will to make things happen
• Vehicle amnesty
• Combined vehicle assessment and removal patrols

Key Activity
14
Vehicle Fires Primary

• Part of the LPSA where we have failed
• We are re-focusing
• Daily Fire sheets
• Ability to expose daily data to partners
• We have an arsonist
• We can learn from this
• And catch the offender/s

Key Activity and Problem
15
Environmental Enforcement

• Symptoms and sources
• Rewards illegal activity
• Need to use new broad range of powers
• Clean Neighbourhoods legislation
• SLA with housing service
• Link in the chain

• Section 215 and litter clearing notices
• Section 46 and 47
• Refuse disposal amenity (amended)
• Dummy enforcement notices
• Linked to Police and Fire legislation

Key Activity
Issues
Some solutions
16
Developing the partnership approach

• Spate of fires in one house
• Home fire safety visits
• Fear of crime
• Wasted resources
• Waste of late night curry

• Looked at occupants
• Police Community Support Officers and Anti Social
  behaviour unit intervention
• Considered behaviour street drinkers
• Referred to Street Culture team
• Acceptable behaviour contracts
• To date no more fires
• Occupants receiving support from various agencies

Key Activity
Problem
Solution
17
Where are we now?

• Improving partnership working (esp Police TCGs)
• Letting data speak
• Looking at symptoms and sources.
• Looking at post LPSA /LAA mainstreaming
• Sharing best practice
• Realising that we are on an ongoing journey
• Gaining confidence