Meeting documents

To consider item 8

The Lead Member for Community Protection introduced the report.

Group Commander, Community and Business Safety advised Members that the purpose of the refreshed and updated Prevention Strategy was to provide a clear focus for the Service Delivery Directorate’s priorities for the next five years.  This had involved refreshing and updating the current Protection and Prevention Strategies and the development of a completely new Response Strategy. This Strategy had been aligned with the Protection Strategy 2018-2023 and Response Strategy 2018-2023, developing a suite of three Strategies that underpin Service Delivery.

The Prevention Strategy focuses on four key pillars, which encompass all of the prevention activities:

• Safer Homes;
• Fires;
• Road Safety;
• Fire as a Health and Wellbeing Asset.

The Group Commander, Community and Business Safety advised Members that the success of the Strategy would be measured through:

• how effective the service was at preventing fires and other emergencies;
• how well we use data and information to understand our current and future risks, taking account of national risks and trends;
• how well we use our resources, optimising the contribution to well-being of our people;
• how well we understand our community;
• how well we secure an affordable way of delivering the management of risk of fire, emergencies and other risks now and in the future.

The Group Commander, Community and Business Safety advised Members that there had been a consistent reduction in accidental dwelling fires, road traffic collisions and those seriously injured or killed.  The Central Prevention Team, Community Safety Coordinators and operational crews continued to work hard to identify and support those members of the community who were seen as most vulnerable.  The Prevention Strategy would build on this good work and continue to promote and build the Authority’s brand amongst its partners and communities and wherever possible move forward through a collaborative pathway.

The delivery and measurement of the success of the Prevention Strategy would be further enabled as the Premises Risk Management System developed, allowing greater use of quality data, targeting service delivery where it was identified as being needed the most.

A Member asked for further information regarding one of the achievements in the strategy ‘financially supporting both Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Safeguarding Board for adults and children’. The Member asked that if the Authority financially supported this, should it not be more vociferous about it and perhaps explain further in the report. It was agreed that this would be looked into.

A Member felt that with regard to the Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs) for each Strategy, they all had ‘positive’ indicators, but only the Response Strategy had stated this and was advised that further IIAs would be carried out as each Strategy was developed.

A Member asked if a meeting could be arranged with Wycombe District Council as there were a couple of initiatives being developed around children that might be beneficial for the fire service to be involved in as well. Officers stated they were happy to be involved.

A Member asked for clarification regarding the purchasing of shared data as part of the aim to target the most vulnerable groups within the community and was advised that the Authority was trying to find the best way collaboratively to share data. This was done in two ways, working with local authorities and the NHS, and by buying commercially available data through operational alignment with its Thames Valley partners, who had all bought into an agreement which gives the Authority analytical data to predict where the most vulnerable were, not just from fire, but from other society risks.

A Member asked what support the fire service gave to Hazzard Alley in Milton Keynes and was advised that the Prevention Manager was working with them on various projects, a senior manager sat on the Board of Trustees and that the Authority had previously approved that financial support of £25k per year be given up until the end of financial year 2018/19.

A Member asked if it could be arranged for Members to visit Hazzard Alley and it was agreed this would be organised.

RESOLVED –

That the Prevention Strategy 2018-2023 be approved.