ESSEX FIRE AUTHORITY
Essex County Fire & Rescue Service
MEETING
AGENDA ITEM
Essex Fire Authority
MEETING DATE
11
REPORT NUMBER
18 April 2012
EFA/035/12
SUBJECT
Pre-Arranged Out-Duty Implementation
REPORT BY
The Chief Fire Officer, David Johnson
PRESENTED BY
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Gordon Hunter
SUMMARY
This paper updates Members with regard to the introduction of Pre-Arranged Out-Duty
(PAOD) arrangements, and the outcomes of the pilot that operated from 4 February to 15
March 2012. Details of PAODs were presented to the Policy and Strategy Committee1
during September 2011. PAODs main driver is to increase appliance availability to the
Essex Communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Members of the Essex Fire Authority are asked to:
1. Note the continued progress of the implementation of PAODs.
BACKGROUND
PAODs form a fundamental part of the Service’s new ways of working which enhance
efficiency in existing operational crewing arrangements and deliver increased operational
availability. Added to the portfolio of new working practices which include additional shift
working, mixed crewing and the strategic crewing reserve, the Service will be better placed
to provide a more consistent level of appliance availability and improve the effectiveness, of
the current 2-2-4 wholetime shift pattern. All of which will help us to achieve our strategic aim
to continuously find ways to enhance the service that we provide for the communities of
Essex.
The main emphasis of PAODs is to improve appliance availability at the start and end of
normal shifts i.e. to have all our firefighters and officers in the right place at the
commencement of the shift instead of two hours into the shift, however significant financial
savings will also be realised.
1
EFA/089/11
Agenda Item 11
Report No. EFA/035/12
Page 2
INTRODUCTION
Chart One (below) provides historical crewing data which shows that appliance availability
routinely decreases at change of shift (09:00hrs & 18:00hrs) and thus does not truly reflect
the availability of operational personnel throughout the Service. The chart clearly shows the
potential to achieve a 10% improvement in appliance availability by using more effective
outduty arrangements that will ensure that personnel are at their outduty station at the start
of the shift, and do not leave until the end of the shift. PAOD supports the underpinning
principle of the right person in the right place at the right time.
Chart One
*Source – performance report March 2011.
PAOD IMPLEMENTATION
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Hunter initiated an implementation schedule in December 2011,
the first step was a comprehensive communication strategy, to encourage engagement with
operational staff, which included: 


Numerous articles in Parade News
Frequent requests for questions which fed into a database of ‘frequently asked
questions and answers’
Regular watch visits by the project support team
The second element was a pilot period on all the wholetime Blue Watches in Essex which
ran from 4 February to 15 March 2012. This, along with the staff engagement, has been vital
in enabling Service management to address genuine concerns, unforeseen issues and
potential unintended consequences.
An example whereby the Service reacted positively to a concern raised from firefighters was
around the ability for those participating in a PAOD not being able to afford the initial
additional cost of the required move. Having considered potential solutions to this issue, and
in acknowledgement of the effect that the current economic climate is having on our
personnel, a one-off advance payment of £25 was made to all staff potentially required to
undertake PAODs. This was a total cost of £19,000 which was realised from current budget
provision and supported by the Fire Authority.
Consultation - Discussions with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) (Essex) on PAOD have
been ongoing since May 2010. The main issue has centred on the payment of a zone
allowance which was approved at the Policy and Strategy Meeting in September 2011, these
zone allowances are shown in Table One below.
Agenda Item 11
Report No. EFA/035/12
Page 3
Table One
Blue Zone
0 to 25
Miles
£25.00
Green
Zone
26 to 39
Miles
£44.00
Yellow
Zone
40 to 62
Miles
£63.00
Red Zone
63 to 87
Miles
£82.00
Grey Zone
88 to 145
Miles
£102.00
Firefighter terms and conditions (The Grey Book) allows the Service, in requiring staff to
attend another station, to only pay any additional (and evidenced) expense that they have
incurred. In paying an allowance the Service is providing a payment which is fair and
reasonable, not excessive, but nevertheless is providing an allowance that it is envisaged
would exceed that which would be provided if the Service were to apply the basic
requirements of the Grey Book. The FBU (Essex) demands have centred on payment
amounts in Table Two.
Table Two
Blue Zone
0 to 25 Miles
Payment £60
Green Zone
26 to 39 Miles
Payment £80
Yellow Zone
40 to 62 Miles
Payment £90
Red Zone
63 to 87 Miles
Payment £110
Grey Zone
88 to 145 Miles
Payment £125
PILOT OUTCOME
During the pilot Blue Watch worked five completed tours (two day shifts and two night shifts),
resulting in 19 PAOD moves, further details of which are provided in Appendix One. In
addition to this a PAOD was arranged, but was not required due to personnel booking fit for
duty, and another PAOD was cancelled prior to the required date due to personnel becoming
available at the host station.
Chart Two below shows appliance ‘Off The Run’ (OTR) times across all four watches during
the Blue Watch pilot period. It shows that Blue Watch availability was notably better than the
other three watches, with Blue watch only being unavailable for 3.7% of the time. It should
be noted that due to the successful outcome of the pilot, PAODs are now being used across
all four watches.
Agenda Item 11
Report No. EFA/035/12
Page 4
Chart Two
PAOD OTR Times
216:00:00
192:00:00
184:21:21
177:24:46
168:00:00
151:48:50
Hours OTR
144:00:00
120:00:00
Blue Watch OTR Time
Red Watch OTR Time
105:09:22
Green Watch OTR Time
White Watch OTR Time
96:00:00
72:00:00
48:00:00
24:00:00
0:00:00
04/02/2012 - 15/03/2012
CURRENT OUTDUTIES – OTHER EFFICIENCIES REALISED
Previous (reactive) outduty arrangements will still be used as not all issues, such as staff
sickness, can be foreseen and planned for. Therefore, to compliment PAOD, a change to
when Service Control records availability has been introduced, with Control collating the data
prior to the commencement of every shift. This will increase appliance availability with
existing outduties being dispatched earlier in the working shift.
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
Increased appliance availability gives increased mitigation of the risk to our communities
from fires and other emergency incidents.
The FBU (Essex) still oppose the implementation of PAOD, which may lead to further
industrial unrest.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The financial implications appertaining to this paper are considered within the main body of
the report. It is worthy to note, that the savings from overtime which would normally be paid
to a fire officer remaining on station until the stand-by attends the out-duty, are already being
realised due to the overtime ban imposed by the FBU as part of their on going dispute which
is now in its third year. Accordingly, these savings have not been included in this report.
USE OF RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS
The appropriate crewing of appliances from the start and at the end of the shift will improve
appliance availability, potentially by up to 10%, demonstrating a more effective and efficient
use of available personnel. The impact of this is a reduction to the disruption to watch
training and prevention and protection activities as a full crew is available for the complete
shift to carry out these functions.
Agenda Item 11
Report No. EFA/035/12
Page 5
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct Legal implications associated with this paper.
HEALTH & SAFETY IMPLICATIONS
No new Health & Safety implications in relation to the principle of out duties are associated
with this paper.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct Equality & Diversity implications associated with this paper.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct Environmental implications associated with this paper.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) ACT 1985
List of background documents
EFA/089/11
Proper Officer:
DCFO Gordon Hunter
Contact Officer:
DCFO Gordon Hunter,
Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, Kelvedon Park, Kelvedon, CM8 3HB
Tel: 01376 576000
E-mail: gordon.hunter@essex-fire.gov.uk
Appendix One - Pre Arranged Out Duties 4 February– 15 March
Previous System
2
Required
Rank:
Previous Costs (mileage,
subsistence and overtime)2:
FF
FF
FF
£55.90
£41.66
£48.16
FF
FF
FF
FF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
LFF
Totals:
£71.50
£48.16
£42.96
£42.96
£58.00
£127.58
£156.12
£91.80
£58.06
£50.26
£50.26
£58.00
£46.36
£54.10
£46.36
£87.90
£1236.10
Pre Arranged Out Duties
Home
Address
Parish:
Rochford
Basildon
South
Woodham
Ferrers
Harlow
Southend
Maldon
Witham
Colchester
Braintree
Tiptree
Chelmsford
Rochford
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness
Tiptree
Tiptree
Braintree
Colchester
Sending
Station:
Receiving
Station:
Rayleigh
Basildon
Rayleigh
Grays
Grays
Grays
Loughton
Rayleigh
Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Colchester
Harlow
Loughton
Chelmsford
Southend
Rayleigh
Rayleigh
Rayleigh
Loughton
Loughton
Loughton
Southend
Grays
Grays
Brentwood
Brentwood
Clacton
Clacton
Clacton
Clacton
Grays
Grays
Grays
Grays
Harlow
Harlow
Harlow
Harlow
Banding
Payment
Received:
£44.00
£25.00
£44.00
£63.00
£44.00
£25.00
£25.00
£44.00
£102.00
£102.00
£82.00
£63.00
£44.00
£44.00
£44.00
£25.00
£25.00
£25.00
£82.00
£952.00
An individual would normally attract an overtime payment in order to return there base station after attending an outduty. This figure does not include the payment for a firefighter to
standby whilst an outduty travels from their base station to the outduty location