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International Control Room Week (October 24-30) is a unique opportunity to showcase the department that is hailed as the ‘cog’ of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Our 16 Control Room staff are based at the Fire Control Room above the Command Development Centre that neighbours Daventry Fire Station, and have been for the last nine years since moving from Moulton. There are four members for each of the four Watches – Red, Green, Blue and White.
“It’s a lot more than answering the phones to members of the public,” explains Scott Hirons, who manages the Control Room team as well as being Station Manager at Daventry.
“The Control Room is the cog for the Fire Service as we wouldn’t turn out to any incidents without them. They gather all the information which allows us to pinpoint what incident type we will be attending, and that then allows us to supply the right resources for that incident.”
Upon receiving a 999 call from a member of the public, one of the members of the Watch on duty will allocate appliances, officers and crews from more than 130 different incident types. These range from house fires to road traffic collisions, animal rescues or floods. They will also gather information from the person who has called up and offer any lifesaving advice and guidance, and a cool head is needed as the callers can often be witnessing distressing scenes.
A member of the Control Room will then effectively act as the Incident Commander until an engine, or an officer, arrives at the incident. They will then support until the end by logging decisions, relaying information and essentially connecting everyone attending the incident together.
One of the members of the Control Room team is Nicky Evans, who is on Blue Watch. She says: “I enjoy working for the local Service and working on behalf of the community – it gives you a real sense of job satisfaction knowing that you have helped someone.”
It’s not just 999 calls though, as the Control Room team help other departments out of hours and will complete administrative work for the Service. They will also occasionally take calls from other parts of the country. The Control Room team in Northamptonshire partners with Warwickshire so that one acts as back-up for the other if they have an overflow of calls.
During the summer they also took calls from services including London Fire Brigade as part of Operation Willow Beck, which redistributes national 999 calls into Fire and Rescue Service Control rooms across the country during times of significant demand.
The hard work and tenacity of the Control Room staff during this summer’s heatwave culminated in a Commendation from the Chief Fire Officer to the whole department at the recent NFRS Annual Awards ceremony.
To put this into context, in the week commencing August 7 the Control Room took 802 calls and assigned crews to 328 different incidents. That compares to 248 calls and 204 incidents in the same week 12 months earlier in 2021.
Scott Hirons said: “We took a record number of calls, and it did feel non-stop for a long period of time. But the Control Room team were absolutely amazing, and I can’t praise all the staff here enough. They were overwhelmed but they decided to work extra hours instead of going home, and we didn’t ask them to do that. But they did it because they are proud of what they do, and they wanted to support their colleagues.”
He added: “The public will never see them as they are never on the incident ground. So you could say they are the unseen people of the Fire Service, but they are fundamental to everything we do. We are very proud of them, and we cherish everything they do.”
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25 October 2022
Between 12 and 16 September 2022, the Care Quality commission (CQC) carried out an inspection of the Reablement West service. The service was rated as ‘Good’ overall; receiving this rating across all five of their key areas; safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.
The Reablement West service provides vital care and support to people upon discharge from hospital to enable them to continue to live confidently and independently in their own homes. The service carries out individual need assessments to ensure the correct care and support is in place for the individual to help them live independently and reduce the likeliness of hospital re-admission.
The CQC recognised the service emphasis of promoting independence to people to enable them to remain in their own homes. People receiving the service, were involved in the decision making, ensuring that the Reablement provided was in the least restrictive way possible. In addition, the care provided was recognised as person-centred, dignified, and respectful with people feeling like they were listened to.
“The ‘Good’ rating received by the CQC is a great achievement and showcases the tremendous efforts and commitment the team has to delivering high quality patient care that is focused on individual need. This is an integral service to those who require immediate support to live independently in their own home and it is encouraging to see the team recognised for the care they provide.”Cllr Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
For full details of the ratings please view the report published on the CQC website at Reablement West - Care Quality Commission.
The Reablement West service is expanding its team and is recruiting for ‘Reablement Support Officer’s! This role is to help people set and meet their goals, as well as support people to connect with their community by helping them become more independent outside of their home. This is a great opportunity to join a highly rated team that provides quality care and values staff development. See Reablement support for more information on the role and how to apply.
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26 October 2022
Compensation habitat delivery in West Northamptonshire as part of the NatureSpace District Licence Scheme, June 2022. Photo credits – NatureSpaceA new reserve for great crested newts has been created on farmland in West Northamptonshire under a scheme which addresses the impact of development on wildlife.
The Great Crested Newt District Licensing Scheme addresses the impact of development on wildlife and minimises cost and construction delays for developers.
The licence is held by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), with Naturespace assessing the impact of developments on great crested newt aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Developers then pay into a fund which is used to create or restore high quality habitats in strategic locations throughout West Northamptonshire, benefiting great crested newt.
Many other plants and animals also benefit, helping to stem the decline in freshwater wildlife.
"Nature has to be respected and protected, but people also need homes and places to work.Cllr Rebecca Breese, WNC’s Cabinet Member for strategic planning, built environment and rural affairs, after visiting the compensation in the summer."This compensations site has been created by experts at the Newt Conservation Partnership, who create the very best habitat possible for great crested newts. The site has clean water ponds, and a high-quality terrestrial habitat packed with its own diversity. It’s a five-star resort for newts!
"A big part of this is the kind generosity of the landowner who made this site available and on behalf of everyone in West Northants, I thank her.
"This is a win for the biodiversity of West Northants and a win for anyone wanting to invest in homes and jobs."
The District Licence Scheme was first launched in the county by South Northamptonshire Council in partnership with NatureSpace in 2019 but was expanded to cover the whole of West Northants in 2021.
For more information about the scheme, visit the naturespaceuk website.
For more information about the work of the Newt Conservation Partnership, visit freshwastehabitats.
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24 October 2022
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has teamed up with the University of Northampton (UON) to help students secure local and sustainable employment.
On Thursday, 13 October members of the WNC Economy Team joined over 50 businesses at the Changemaker Hubs Career Expo event to provide support to both undergraduate and post graduate students and offer advice on finding suitable roles within the local jobs market.
The event, which took place at the University’s Waterside Campus, provided an opportunity for students to meet with local employers and seek advice from a range of career experts on how best to thrive, adapt and innovate in an ever-changing world.
Stalls at the Expo covered a range of career options including part-time jobs, internships, work experience, graduate jobs, community engagement and volunteering.
“WNC has a great working relationship with the University, and I am thrilled we were able to join them once again to showcase the fantastic opportunities, world-class employers, and connected infrastructure that West Northants has to offer.Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council"From high tech companies and engineering motorsports to financial services and logistics, the employment opportunities are boundless and we are continuing to invest in growing our leading business sectors and making it easier to set up new enterprises while helping existing businesses to develop and grow.
"Whether you’re searching for a new role, seeking out training and apprenticeship opportunities or looking to start your own social enterprise or business, there is a wealth of free employment support available on our website from the Economy Team."
The Changemaker Hub is unique to UON and is comprised of specialist teams which provide students, staff, and the local community the support they need to fulfil their employment ambitions.
"One of our main aims within the Changemaker Hub is to encourage students to look across multiple sectors to discover opportunities they may not have previously considered, such as graduating with a marketing degree but being employed by a law firm. To see so many businesses and students interacting on campus was brilliant."Jordan Russell, Events and Engagement Officer for the Changemaker Hub"Northampton and its surrounding areas have received a significant amount of investment in recent years and the local job market holds a strong and impressive vision for the future, making it an ideal hub of opportunity for students, jobseekers, employers and businesses.”
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25 October 2022
Primary school students from across West Northants have taken part in this year’s Young Citizen’s Scheme organised by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) Community Safety and Engagement Team, Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.
More than 300 Year Six pupils attended the annual event held at Northampton’s Yardley Chase Cadet Training Centre on October 18, 19 and 20 where they learned about online safety, fire and water safety, and anti-social behaviour.
Now in its seventh year, the event included three fun-packed days of activities focussing on the importance of being a good citizen and raising awareness around community responsibility and personal safety through a variety of workshops.
Officers from West Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership delivered sessions around online safety and provided workshops covering a range of topics including fire safety, hate crimes, reporting incidents and calling 999, and how to be streetwise and prevent crime.
“The Young Citizen’s scheme aims to leave children with a lasting memory of a few clear messages and instil good safety skills, a greater understanding of the emergency services and a more considerate approach towards others.Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement and Regulatory Services“The event demonstrates partnership working at its finest and enables us to proactively engage with children to explore community safety issues and encourage them to be good citizens. We were once again very proud to be involved in this project and hope the students who took part will continue to benefit from the things they learned for years to come.”
