Report - Fire Brigades Union
Report - Fire Brigades Union
Report - Fire Brigades Union
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SECTION J — HEALTH & SAFETY<br />
These comments are made without prejudice to the union<br />
making further submission to the CTSA on any issues of<br />
further concern at a date in the future.<br />
Yours sincerely<br />
John McGhee<br />
National Officer<br />
Health, Safety and Welfare<br />
On 5 October a delegation from the FBU met with officials of<br />
the French firefighters’ union SNSPP which represents French<br />
firefighters working in the tunnel. The meeting discussed<br />
contractual and safety arrangements affecting members<br />
working in the tunnel. A joint FBU/SNSPP statement was<br />
agreed and published. Further meetings are planned for 2011.<br />
J17 Confidential stress helpline<br />
The union continues to offer members access to the<br />
confidential stress helpline (0800 783 4778).<br />
The service is provided by an independent company which<br />
maintains complete confidentiality on behalf of those who use<br />
the service.<br />
J18 The <strong>Fire</strong> Service College<br />
As we are all aware, the HSE has been proactive in inspecting<br />
FRSs and its reports are out in the public domain. It has also<br />
been proactive in inspecting the <strong>Fire</strong> Service College (FSC) at<br />
Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. The FSC has been<br />
proactive in moving forward with recommendations from the<br />
HSE. This can only be beneficial to our members who use and<br />
work at the college.<br />
J19 Practitioners’ Forum –<br />
reporting of firefighter<br />
injuries and fatalities task<br />
and finish group<br />
As a result of the In the line of duty report and the lobby of<br />
parliament, and a paper submitted to the Practitioners’ Forum<br />
by the FBU, the reporting of firefighter injuries and fatalities<br />
task and finish group was set up.<br />
The first meeting of this group took place on Tuesday 16<br />
February 2010 at Nottinghamshire <strong>Fire</strong> and Rescue Service<br />
headquarters.<br />
The group was chaired by deputy chief fire officer Andrew<br />
Beale, Nottinghamshire FRS, on behalf of the Practitioners’<br />
Forum.<br />
The attendees included a number of representatives from<br />
CFOA regions, HSE, CLG (statistics officer), FOA, CFRAU, SW<br />
Ambulance NHS Trust, Northern Ireland FRS and the Scottish<br />
government.<br />
The group discussed the issues as laid out in the agenda. The<br />
focus for most participants was information required under<br />
RIDDOR. On behalf of the union it was argued that this was an<br />
opportunity for the FRS to outline what the necessary information<br />
to gather was, in order to inform future policy and guidance.<br />
Discussion around the recording of off-duty death was causing<br />
difficulty as were deaths such as heart attacks on duty.<br />
Agreement was reached that the recommendations from the<br />
group should include the need for the FRS to review its<br />
guidance in light of any significant issues being identified<br />
through the analysis of data received.<br />
The group agreed to take the definitions for “on-duty”<br />
contained in the FBU report, In the line of duty, and adapt them<br />
for this piece of work. Clarification is being sought from CLG<br />
on what currently happens to data collected. Further meetings<br />
took place in March and April.<br />
In June 2010 a final report was agreed by the task and finish<br />
group and was sent to the FRS health and safety group for action.<br />
This report was agreed by the FRS group in September and<br />
was due to go to the Practitioners Forum meeting in October<br />
but was not raised.<br />
A total of nine recommendations were made in this paper<br />
which go someway towards satisfying the union’s aims<br />
following the report into firefighter fatalities. This is an issue<br />
we will need to raise with the minister if the Practitioners’<br />
Forum is dissolved.<br />
Recommendations made by the FRS's safety statistics<br />
group (formerly the <strong>Report</strong>ing of firefighter and fatalities<br />
task and finish group) report<br />
That the Practitioners’ Forum take the line-by-line<br />
recommendation contained in this report to the minister. In<br />
addition, that CFOA champion the recommendations made by<br />
this group and approach CLG with a view to implementing<br />
these recommendations to ensure that the data will prove<br />
more useful for comparative and trend analysis.<br />
It is recommended that:<br />
1. The data capture form is used by FRSs<br />
There is an example of good practice developing with the<br />
CFOA National H&S Committee Key Performance<br />
162 FBU Annual <strong>Report</strong> 2011