SERVING THE COMMUNITY SERVING THE RETAINED

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SERVING THE COMMUNITYSERVING THE RETAINED
R F U
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• Presenter
• Adrian Hughes
• RFU Secretary Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade
• Retained Sub Officer at Reynoldston

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• THE RFU REPRESENTS 4,500 RETAINED FIREFIGHTERS
  ACROSS THE WHOLE OF THE UK
• WE ARE THE SECOND LARGEST REPRESENTATIVE BODY IN
  THE UK FIRE SERVICE
• BECAUSE WE ONLY REPRESENT RETAINED FIREFIGHTERS
  WE HAVE NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

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RFU response to the White Paper

• The RFU took a full and active part in the Bain
  Review of the Fire Service.
• We have also been very actively involved with the
  ODPM and the LGA during the preparation of the
  White Paper

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The White Paper and DevolutionWE NEED TO ACHIEVE
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• The Best possible service for Wales.
• A Service that presents Best Value.
• Properly equipped and safe workers.
• Constructive Changes.
• Effective and Fair I.R.M.Ps.
• Adequate Funding to provide our communities with
  the best possible service.

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Recruitment and Retention?

• The North Wales Daily Post ran an article stating
  that one third of appliances in a Welsh Brigade
  were unavailable due to crewing problems at
  Retained stations.
• Brigades are up to 25 short of retained.

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New Retained Contracts

• The ODPM is working on a new retained system of
  pay and cover.
• South Wales Fire Service has already produced a
  very effective new salary based system.
• We need to review what will work best in Wales,
  what is affordable, and choose the best
  combination of conditions that suit particular
  circumstances.
• We need to recruit people with the right skills.
• The Retained Service must be fully involved in
  all aspects of our future roles. Especially
  Community and Statutory Fire Safety

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What bodies will the Assembly follow or reproduce?

• Practitioners forum?
• Health and Safety?
• Risk management board?
• CPA from the Audit Commission?
• H.R. Modernisation?
• Regionalisation?
• Community safety?

• Arson reduction?
• Building regulations?
• New Dimension
• Diversity and Equal Opportunity?
• Business improvement?
• IPDS./training

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• Retained Firefighters live and work in their
  communities.
• Because of their inherent commitment to their
  communities, most Retained Firefighters welcome
  modernisation and the improved service that it
  will deliver
• Most of the solutions to our current problems
  probably exist, being run in one Brigade or
  another.
• National co-ordination will be essential to
  ensure compatibility and interoperability
  especially with over the border incidents.

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First Response

• This is a vital new Partnership service that is
  ideally suited for operating at retained
  stations.
• Between 5 - 10 lives are saved per station per
  year in some of our most remote and vulnerable
  communities.
• Needs National co-ordination to be compatible
  with the All -Wales Ambulance Trust.
• Needs adequate additional funding for
  establishment costs.
• Operational costs need to be funded.
• Properly established a Fire Service First
  Response service has the potential to save at
  least 300 - 400 lives per year in Wales.

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Equality and Fairness?

• In two of the Welsh Brigades, RFU members do not
  have anything other than very basic recognition.
• Historically the RFU has been prevented from
  getting National representation.
• This has now ceased, the new National Structures
  and Bodies will fully include the RFU.
• We need to ensure a level playing field for the
  future.

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• The practitioners forum has held its first
  meeting and it had John Prescott in attendance.
  The promise to keep Ministerial interest is being
  upheld.
• We feel that modernisation is overdue, and that
  the White Paper addresses the structural changes
  required.