Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 08/04/2011 17:48

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), as part of the Chief Fire Officers Association Sector Led improvement programme, is working with high performing fire and rescue service’s nationally to share best practice and has secured funding from the South West Regional Improvement and Efficiency programme (SWRIEP) for further improvements.

CFRS Chief Fire Officer Des Tidbury said: “We want CFRS to be up there with the best and learning from our peers is one way of achieving this. We also need to invest in our people and in the equipment we give them to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. That is why we joined with colleagues in the South East region to negotiate, through a rigorous procurement process, a contract for the supply of new equipment and uniforms which offer us the same contract terms as that enjoyed by 22 other fire and rescue services throughout the country.”

New uniform items including a new shirt and gortex jacket will become standard issue for all uniformed roles within CFRS when they are introduced in June 2011. There will also be a special moisture absorbent T-shirt which supports firefighter safety during operational incidents.

A breathing apparatus (BA) replacement programme will also be launched this year to tie in with BA cylinder life cycle and the results of a national review of BA procedures. CFRS has set up a project team and the process to replace breathing apparatus starts this month.

CFRS Chief Fire Officer Des Tidbury said: “The project puts a real emphasis on firefighter safety and includes telemetry options to improve breathing apparatus command and control procedures. It is capital investment such as this that secures continued improvement providing a modern, well equipped fire and rescue service to serve local communities and visitors to Cornwall.”

CRFS is also exploring innovative ideas to match its resources to identified risks.

Des Tidbury explains: “The success of the Newquay 24hr crewing pilot over this past summer which recognises the huge increase in population through tourism, will be followed by a project which looks at the type of fire appliance we use and assessing whether in some places we may provide an improved service using a smaller 7.5 tonne appliance with the same crew capacity and operational capability as the 12.5 tonne fire appliances currently in service.”

Cornwall Council cabinet member for community safety Lance Kennedy said “We all need to look at innovative cost effective ways to maintain and improve front line services. Through prudence and flexibility with our capital investment programme using the ‘invest to save’ approach, we are able to deliver short term and long term revenue budget efficiencies, whilst still maintaining our improvement journey. I am keen that CFRS staff, partners and the people of Cornwall are aware of the importance of this investment to deliver revenue efficiencies and improve their Fire and Rescue Service.”