Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service: Fire Cover Review and Special Appliances Review 2023
Feedback updated 29 Sep 2023
We asked
Greater Manchester’s economic importance, diversity and infrastructure make for a complex picture in terms of the risks that we have to plan for, help prevent, and look for opportunities to improve. Our city-region’s constantly changing landscape creates an operating environment that regularly and rapidly shifts. We must respond to these changes by evolving our approach, to ensure firefighter and public safety remains at the forefront of our plans.
Keeping our residents safe is not just about firefighters responding to emergencies. It's also about investing in and enhancing our service and our communities. This means continuing to ensure that all our people have the tools, equipment, and training they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. It also means equipping and empowering all areas of our city-region to reduce the risks of fires and other emergencies through our prevention and protection work.
During 2022/23 we carried out a Fire Cover Review as we do every four years in line with the development of our Fire Plan to ensure we have the right resources in the right place at the right time with the right equipment and training.
Alongside this, we also carried out a Special Appliances Review to assess the effectiveness of our special appliances that carry dedicated equipment and technology for use in specific situations.
It is the recommendations from these two reviews that we asked our people, our communities and our partners for their views on.
You said
Taken from the Executive Summary - (full document available here - https://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/fire-plan/fire-plan/fire-cover-review-consultation-2023/)
For internal engagement (initially from Monday 8 May to Monday 5 June, but then continuing throughout the subsequent external engagement period), managers from across the Service held 140 sessions with their watches or teams. Each manager provided feedback about the main issues raised in these discussions and any questions that had been asked.
During the external engagement period (Monday 5 June to Monday 24 July), 830 people responded to an online survey, leaving a total of 1100 comments about the proposals.
Opportunities were also provided for people to respond in-person. Public events were held in the areas most directly covered by the proposals Offerton in Stockport, and Sale and Partington in Trafford. A total of 180 people attended these three events.
Senior GMFRS officers also attended Council Scrutiny meetings in both Stockport and Trafford, where they outlined the proposals to local Councillors and took questions about the potential local impacts.
Feedback on the proposals was also received from a number of key stakeholders, either through the online survey or separate letters / emails to our service. This included submissions from the Fire Brigades Union, Trafford and Stockport Councils and their individual councillors, and local MPs.
Two petitions were also received which, combined, had signatures from 2,043 people.
The headline feedback from this internal and external engagement is that:
- The proposals to move to “day crewing” in Sale and Offerton fire stations are strongly opposed by local residents and their representatives. This opposition is driven largely by concerns and fears for safety, including for older and more vulnerable residents and in response to local risks and developments.
- The day crewing proposals are also opposed by many GMFRS staff and the Fire Brigades Union. Safety concerns shared with residents are also added to by questions over the deliverability of the proposed staffing model.
- There is support for the addition of two new fire engines (or appliances) for the city region to be located in Manchester – but this support turns to opposition when it comes at the cost of a move to day crewing in other areas. Many respondents spoke of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and feelings of unfairness of reducing cover in one part of Greater Manchester to increase cover in another.
- The Enhanced Rescue Unit proposal received mixed reviews from both the public and staff. While the broader range of incident response provided was often welcomed, there were questions about the cover levels provided, identified locations of the units and deliverability of the staffing model.
- There was significantly less feedback on the Special Appliance Review than on the other proposals. There was broad support for the proposals outlined, but with some limited localised opposition – predominantly from staff – from some areas where appliances are proposed to be moved elsewhere.
- Consulting on the Fire Cover Review proposals as a single combined package has complicated analysis of how people feel about each of the proposals individually. Where there is opposition to the Enhanced Rescue Station, additional fire engine and Special Appliance proposals, accompanying free text comments often (but not always) link this back to the individual’s opposition to the day crewing proposals.
- Overall there is recognition that GMFRS is facing a difficult challenge in achieving its aims within the resources available to it. A number of responses spoke of the proposals being driven by financial pressures, while enthusiasm for the two additional appliances was tempered by a belief that this was not ‘new’ cover but replacing resources previously removed. People called for GMFRS and the Mayor to seek additional funding to keep communities safe, rather than changing current service levels to deliver within what is currently affordable.
We did
The outcome of the GMFRS Fire Cover Review was discussed at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting on Friday 29 September. It can be viewed here - Agenda for Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Friday, 29th September, 2023, 10.30 am - Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk)
Headlines -
- Introduce one additional wholetime fire engine at Manchester Central Community Fire Station – taking our total fleet from 50 to 51 pumps.
- Invest an additional £340k in Prevention and Protection activities – targeting more resources to keeping people safe from emergencies before they happen.
- Implement Enhanced Rescue Station proposals at Leigh and Ashton Community Fire Stations – strengthening our ability to respond to increasing numbers of complex emergencies.
- Implement all proposals from our Strategic Review of Special Appliances – Implementing new technologies and ensuring specialist technical equipment is best located for where it is most needed across the city-region.
- Crews will continue to be based on station 24/7 and day crewing arrangements will not be progressed at Sale and Offerton fire stations.
Overview
Our Fire Cover and Special Appliances Reviews set out a series of proposed changes to make sure our resources are used in the most effective and efficient way. We have used extensive data and insight to develop a range of proposals to build a stronger, more resilient fire and rescue service. Our proposals aim to maintain the highest levels of safety and lowest levels of risk to the communities of Greater Manchester.
The first of our four-yearly Fire Cover Reviews recently took place, alongside a review of our special appliances (these are our appliances that respond to more complex or specialist incidents) and it is the recommendations from these reviews that we are now consulting upon.
The four areas we are seeking the public’s views on are:
- Introducing two additional ‘day crewing’ fire stations
- Introducing two Enhanced Rescue Stations
- Increasing our frontline operational fleet
- Proposed changes to our special appliances
Why your views matter
We believe that the package of measures proposed are the best way for us to build a stronger, more resilient fire and rescue service while maintaining the highest levels of safety and lowest levels of risk as we protect our communities, work together and save lives.
We are now asking our residents, our partners and our people to share their thoughts on the proposed changes we’ve identified.
Events
-
19 June 2023 - Online Drop-in Session
From 19 Jun 2023 at 16:30 to 19 Jun 2023 at 17:30Online drop-in sessions from 4.30 to 5.30pm via Microsoft Teams to discuss the Fire Cover Review and Special Appliances Review.
A short presentation by Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Ben Norman and Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Carlos Meakin on the proposals in this consultation with opportunities to ask questions to them directly.
Join the meeting by copying the link below into your web browser:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NWJlMGRmYzgtYmExYy00NWU5LTlmYzAtYWZjMDczYzZhNWMx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22e8d8036a-b5f9-4f3f-9d36-d7cd740299bb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2234aea6ca-014d-4f5c-a185-6375f545e85c%22%7d -
21 June 2023 - Online Drop-in Session
From 21 Jun 2023 at 16:30 to 21 Jun 2023 at 17:30Online drop-in sessions from 4.30 to 5.30pm via Microsoft Teams to discuss the Fire Cover Review and Special Appliances Review.
A short presentation by Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Ben Norman and Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Carlos Meakin on the proposals in this consultation with opportunities to ask questions to them directly.
Join the meeting by copying the link below into your web browser:
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTFkMWJhMmQtMmFlOC00MWM0LTk0NmEtNjM2YzQ3NDEyMWFh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22e8d8036a-b5f9-4f3f-9d36-d7cd740299bb%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2234aea6ca-014d-4f5c-a185-6375f545e85c%22%7d -
7 July 2023 - Community Feedback Event
From 7 Jul 2023 at 17:45 to 7 Jul 2023 at 20:00Community feedback event held at:
Partington Community Centre, Partington, Manchester M31 4FL
Arrival from 5:45pm for a 6pm start to discuss the Fire Cover Review and Special Appliances Review.
Audiences
- General public
Interests
- Fire safety
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