Minutes:
The London Fire Brigade update was provided by the Borough Fire Commander, Mr Terry Gooding.
The LFB ran two youth intervention programmes; these were the LIFE programme and the Impact Factor day. The LIFE intervention programme was run over four days. The aim was to change the attitudes and behaviours of young people aged between 13 and 17. Referrals to the LIFE programme were made by the Youth Offending Team.
The Committee was informed that 44 young people had been referred to the LIFE programme since January. The young people that were referred to the LIFE programme often had very challenging behaviours and on occasions had come from Pupil Referral Units and or may be subject to Court Orders. The Fire Commander briefed the Committee that the young people on the LIFE courses in most cases could relate to the Fire Service and their trainers, and the course was generally regarded as successful in generating positive attitudes and behaviours.
On the most recent LIFE course, nine out of 11 participants had successfully completed the course and made it to the passing out parade. Out of the nine that had finished, six were from Bromley. The two people that had not completed the course had to be removed due to unacceptable behaviour. The funding for the LIFE courses was not just for LBB, but was also for LB Lewisham and LB Bexley. The SNB (Safer Neighbourhood Board) had provided £3k of funding so that the scheme could be extended to 11-13 year olds.
The Chairman enquired as to what happened to young people who dropped out of the Life programme. It was explained that previously, there was no follow up, but now a report was prepared and sent back to the appropriate school. The door was open for the young people to try again. The Life Course was designed to change motivation and attitude, and to teach leadership and team building.
A Member asked if many of the young people had expressed an interest in working for the Fire Service, and how many LIFE courses were run at the Orpington Fire Station. The Borough Commander responded that no courses were run at Orpington. There were physical restrictions on what could be undertaken at Orpington; one of the issues was a lack of proper changing facilities. The Fire Commander was pushing instead for the newly formed Fire Cadets to operate from the Orpington site.
Subsequent to completing the LIFE course, the young people would attend an exit interview. They would be asked about their plans for the future. In some cases they expressed an interest in joining the Fire Service; some of them expressed an interest in joining the army. The Borough Fire Commander stated that he would prefer when possible to direct young people to the Fire Cadets; this was because the Cadets undertook a 9 month training programme, developed a holistic understanding of the Fire Service and also would be awarded a BTEC qualification upon successful completion.
The Committee was informed that there were currently 16 Fire Cadets in total, from different parts of the Borough, and they were all Bromley residents. A Member suggested that the Fire Commander look into the possibility of providing an Apprentice Scheme. The Fire Commander responded that it was an option that could be looked at. Currently, an Apprentice scheme ran for non-uniformed staff. It was suggested that it would be good for Committee members to visit the Fire Cadets. The Borough Fire Commander stated that there was going to be a launch night for the Fire Cadets, and that he would keep the Committee updated concerning this.
The Borough Fire Commander briefed the Committee concerning the ‘Impact Factor’. This was a one day concentrated intervention programme and was a multi-agency intelligence led initiative that was normally held in problem schools. The SNB had donated £5.1k to assist with running costs.
The Borough Fire Commander tabled the timetable for an Impact Factor day that had taken place at Langley Park Girls School on Thursday 12th October 2017. Contributors on this course included LFB, Safer London Foundation, the Police, YOS, ChildLine, SO19 and Mighty Men of Valour.
The Borough Fire Commander promised to disseminate the details of future Impact Factor days via the Committee Secretary. The Vice Chairman stated that he had attended an Impact Factor day previously. He reported that it was very effective, hard hitting and well worth a visit.
A Co-opted Member noted that Orpington Fire Station was a PFI (Private Funded Initiative). He cited the recent statement from the PRU that they were currently in the red by £50M, due in large part to their inheritance of the PFI debt. His concern was that the Fire Station would be in the same state due to the similar method of funding. Another Member explained that he was responsible for approving the PFI funding for the building of the new station and he did not see it as a problem.
The Borough Fire Commander referenced the Grenfell Fire Tragedy and informed the Committee that fire personnel from Bromley and Orpington had attended the fire. Keston Police dogs had been used later.
With reference to Housing, it was the case that there was no residential social housing in the Borough where there was an issue with the cladding. All the premises had been visited and internal and external risk assessments had been undertaken. There were however some private sector landlords where problems with cladding had been identified and the landlords of these properties had been encouraged to take appropriate action. A Member asked if the data relating to the private landlords could be made available to Councillors, and the Fire Commander responded that it was possible that the data could be made available to Councillors if required. The Committee was surprised to hear that no legislation currently existed to enforce the installation of sprinklers, and this included the installation of sprinklers in schools.
The Chairman commented on the tendency now to build upwards because of the shortage of housing land. The Borough Fire Commander stated that in future any such buildings would come under very close scrutiny.
The Fire Commander stated that LFB’s policy of advising the public to stay put in tower blocks when there was a fire still stood. If the tower block had been built in line with building and fire regulations, residents should be completely safe in their homes for two hours. This was counter intuitive as most people would feel that they would need to vacate the building as soon as possible. A Member agreed with the Borough Fire Commander that the key issue was the integrity of the building. Fire Safety should be built into the integrity of the building. The Chairman commented that this seemed the opposite of fire safety advice given in other situations. If you were working in an office environment, you were normally told to evacuate the building in an orderly and swift manner.
A Member asked what could be done to get hold of a fire fighting vehicle that had a longer ladder. The Borough Fire Commander stated that in the case of the Grenfell fire, a vehicle with a longer ladder was brought in from Surrey. LFB were seeking to obtain three larger fire engines with longer ladders. Sources of funding were being looked at, and the Freemasons had offered to fund the cost of one such vehicle. A Member stated that the longer ladders would extend to approximately 217 feet (66 metres).
A Member expressed the view that in the case of incidents such as Grenfell, longer ladders would not make any difference. What was more important was the compliance with fire regulations, and safe cladding. A Member asked how they dealt with such issues in cities like New York where there were many tall buildings and sky scrapers. The response was that the issue was largely a matter of money. With respect to buildings like the sky scrapers in New York, fire safety was regarded as a priority, and a large amount of money was spent on fire safety. What was required was confidence in the fire safety engineering of the building.
The Fire Commander briefed that there had been an Open Day at the Orpington Fire station on November 5th, and the Bromley Fire Service now had a Twitter feed. There was also mention of LFB opening up some of their real estate to allow the LAS and the Police to use LFB buildings. The Vice Chairman added that he felt that Orpington Fire Station was a safe neutral environment to use as a meeting place.
A Member asked if LFB gave awards for services to the community. The Borough Fire Commander responded that this was something that was being looked at with the LBB Community Safety Officer. It was currently possible to send ‘Borough Commander Congratulations’.
RESOLVED that the Borough Fire Commander presentation be noted.