DEVON and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) has opened a consultation period for its new draft plan which outlines how it intends to use its resources to help protect the public in the future.

All fire and rescue services in the UK are required to have an Integrated Risk Management Plan with the intention of saving lives, improving public safety and reducing emergency incidents.

The plan identifies the main risks that the Service needs to consider when planning for the future, which are:

• an increasingly ageing population

• common health and wellbeing risks

• availability of on-call appliances

• the historical distribution of service delivery resources

• an increasing demand for emergency medical response

• an increase in the number of serious fires affecting commercial premises.

DSFRS Area Manager Pete Bond, Strategy and Business Change Manager for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said the Service will need to evolve to meet the changing needs of the community.

He said: “If you were to ask people to describe the work of firefighters, most people would probably talk about us fighting fires and possibly dealing with road traffic collisions.

"In fact, the Service completed more community safety activities than the number of incidents attended last year and just 26 per cent of incidents attended by the Service are fires.

"Our risk analysis indicates that we will have to develop new ways of working to ensure that we continue to provide a first class emergency service, some of the things we will have to consider include how we make best use of our resources and an increase in the amount of preventative work we carry out.’’

The IRMP plan for 2018-2022 explains the Service’s activities in more detail and the public are being asked to comment on the priorities identified by the Service.

Mel Stride, the MP for Central Devon is asking local residents to have their say on the plan.

He said: “From serious road traffic accidents, to flooding, to dealing with hazardous materials and of course, to tackling fires, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service does extraordinary work and the service is quite right to look ahead at the challenges they face going forward.

"One key aspect of their IRMP is how we keep older people safe, with those aged 85 or over more than 20 times more likely to be the victim of a fatal fire than someone in their 20s.

"With the number of people in Devon over the age of 85 set to double in the next two decades I am pleased to see this issue specifically tackled within their plan through Home Fire Safety Visits, educating elderly care partners on fire risks and targeted Fire Safety Checks and Fire Safety Audits with a focus on care homes.”

The consultation period formally closes on December 31, 2017, and the results are due to be presented to the Fire and Rescue Authority in February 2018.

The public can view the plan at the website: www.dsfire.gov.uk/consultation and feedback can be given in a number of different ways until the consultation closes. 

Alan Quick