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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer has welcomed the launch of the Government’s White Paper on the future of the fire service.
Darren Dovey said: “Firefighters are justifiably held in high esteem by the public they serve. I believe that is more likely to remain the case in the future if we play our part in shaping reform of the sector.
“For a long time, I have lobbied with my colleagues in the National Fire Chiefs’ council for fundamental reform. The fire service is full of committed people who rush towards danger when others move away. They want to give their best to keep people safe and these proposals will support them with consistent standards of professional training and support.
“A more flexible structure will allow us to attract and retain talented people from all backgrounds. The people in our organisation are the key to its success – they are the ones that keep the public safe, so the focus on leadership and development of fire services and the increased focus on equality, diversity and inclusion is very important.
“The world has changed but the way the fire service is structured has not kept up. The white paper is an opportunity to ensure the fire service continues to play a central role in keeping the public safe.”
At the centre of the Government’s Fire Reform White Paper are plans to deliver:
- Increased public safety: by improving the professionalism of the fire and rescue service through modern workforce practices and potentially establishing a College of Fire and Rescue
- Improved accountability: through the proposals to transfer fire governance to a single elected individual, overseeing delivery by operationally independent Chief Fire Officers
- Better engagement with the public: through the 10-week consultation the government will listen to the views of the public and stakeholders, after which it will finalise its reform programme
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has also welcomed the launch of the White Paper, saying that it gives a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the sector.
Stephen said: “I welcome this white paper as an opportunity to fundamentally reform the fire service so that the professional skills of those firefighters and staff who do such outstanding work to keep the community safe can be used to their fullest extent within a structure fit for the risks we face today.
“As one of just four Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners, I am directly elected to the public and am accountable to them. Under my governance and away from the old county council, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has been given financial stability and has been able to plan to modernise and develop as an organisation.
“The Chief Fire Officer and his team have the stability and autonomy they need, and our fire service is better equipped, prepared and able to respond when called on to do so. Our shared approach to buildings and professional services with the police has resulted in closer collaboration that makes sense to the public and can only result in better outcomes.
“But it takes more than response to deal with the changing risks that face our communities – prevention, protection, community resilience are all vital to public safety. We saw this clearly during the pandemic, when firefighters stepped up to carry out a variety of roles to keep people safe and keep public services moving.
“That must be the catalyst for reform and to ensure our fire service is able to meet the challenges that face communities today and tomorrow. I welcome this opportunity to make changes that will enable firefighters to reach the highest professional standards, to have the most rewarding career path and to play the strongest role in community safety.”
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20 May 2022
Northampton will always be a city at heart despite losing out in the recent Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours competition, say civic leaders.
Although the town has today learnt it has not been successful in its bid for city status, exciting and ambitious plans to improve Northampton will continue to gather pace.
The town’s bid faced tough competition from nearly 40 other locations, including Milton Keynes, Colchester, Doncaster, Dunfermline, Bangor, the Falkland Island's Stanley and Douglas in the Isle of Man, which were today announced as the successful bidders.
Obviously the news that we have not been awarded city status will come as a great disappointment to the people of Northampton and everyone who supported and worked on our bid, however we remain extremely proud of our town and the bright future we have ahead of us. We will always be a city at heart.Councillor Jonathan Nunn Leader of West Northamptonshire CouncilOur bid was a celebration of everything Northampton has to be proud of – our amazing people, our heritage, culture and communities – as well as raising the wider profile of West Northamptonshire and bringing residents closer together after the challenges of the pandemic and during our first year as a new authority.
We would like to thank everyone who helped and supported us throughout this process, as your views, thoughts and opinions helped us to form our tribute to our beloved town. A special mention goes to the late Mike Ingram, whose expert historical knowledge of our town was insightful, and invaluable. Thanks also to all residents who sent in beautiful photos that helped us to encapsulate in our bid what we love about Northampton, and those who took part in videos demonstrating our fantastic town.
I would like to offer my congratulations to Milton Keynes, Colchester, Doncaster, Dunfermline, Stanley, Bangor and Douglas that have been granted this prestigious title and wish them well in their new status.”
Today’s news is of course disappointing but doesn’t detract from all the great things about Northampton and its rich history. We are immensely proud of Northampton and will continue be so, whatever status it holds.Councillor Gareth Eales, of West Northamptonshire Council’s Labour Group
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18 May 2022
Work on distributing £150 Council Tax energy rebates across West Northamptonshire is making good progress.
The rebate, which is being paid to help with the rise in the cost of living, applies to around 143,000 homes in Council Tax Bands A to D across the area and the sum will not need to be repaid.
The majority of those who pay their Council Tax by direct debit should have now received the rebate and this week West Northamptonshire Council is writing to the remaining 42,000 homes who do not pay by direct debit encouraging them to confirm their bank details so payment can be made. The letter will include a unique passcode enabling residents to apply online, plus a paper application for those residents unable to access the internet.
The government payments are being administered by West Northamptonshire Council’s Revenues and Benefits Service which has been working tirelessly to put new processes in place and distribute the payments as quickly as possible.
Malcolm Longley, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We are only too aware of the cost-of-living increases people are facing and we are doing everything we can to make these payments as soon as possible.
“The Government stipulation is that councils need to make a payment rather than simply crediting Council Tax accounts, which has resulted in both significant additional work for our staff and the need for changes to our IT systems.
“However we are making good progress and have now issued payments to the majority of direct debit payers, with around 6,000 due to receive theirs once final eligibility checks have been completed in line with Government fraud guidance.
Households who don’t pay by direct debit should look out for a letter including details on how to apply on line in order receive their payment as soon as possible.
“Those unable to apply online will be able to make a paper application which will be sent with the letter they receive, although this process is likely to take slightly longer to verify and approve."
All claims received by the Council will be validated and, if no issues are raised, payment will be made. Based on the volumes of claims we are expecting and depending on how quickly applications are returned, we would expect to start making payments for non-direct debit payers towards the end of May.
To ensure that all eligible residents receive the rebate, any residents that have not made an application, online or by post, by 31 July 2022 and for whom bank account details are not known will have their Council Tax account credited with the £150 payment.
The Council also has a discretionary scheme to help those in Bands E-H and non-Council Taxpayers who are deemed vulnerable. Further information about this will be published shortly.
If you are unsure of your council tax band, check via your printed council tax bill or at www.gov.uk. For further information visit our Council Tax energy rebate page.
Advice and support for anyone struggling financially is available from Citizens Advice.
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Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) 2022 National Sprinkler Campaign. The campaign runs from 16th – 22nd May and will help raise awareness of the benefits of sprinkler systems in keeping people and buildings safe from fire.
Fire sprinklers are widely recognised as the single most effective method for fighting the spread of fires in their early stages.
In 2017 and 2019, the NFCC and National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN) carried out research to investigate the effectiveness and reliability of sprinkler systems. They found that sprinkler systems operate on 94% of occasions demonstrating very high reliability and when they do operate, they extinguish or contain the fire on 99% of occasions. It was also demonstrated that in both converted and purpose-built flats, sprinklers are 100% effective in controlling fires.
Legislation in Wales and Scotland is stricter across many building types resulting in their communities having more fire protection than those of England and Northern Ireland. The NFCC is calling on government to remove the disparity in sprinkler regulations as fire does not discriminate and is just as dangerous in England and Northern Ireland as it is in the rest of the UK.
Jonathan Dyson NFCC Lead for Sprinklers, said:
“The evidence speaks for itself; our research proves that sprinklers are very effective and provide strong fire safety protections as part of a fire safety package. Wales and Scotland recognise this and have implemented measures to make their communities safer from fire; we want to see these same changes in England and Northern Ireland as matter of urgency.”
To find out more about the campaign follow #ThinkSprinkler on social media.
Follow the Fire Protection Team on Twitter: @NFRSBizSafety
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Four new fire engines are now ready for the run in Northamptonshire, giving firefighters more capacity, access to the latest technology and modernising an ageing fleet, some of which is 20 years old.
The generation Type B SCANIA appliances were officially launched at The Mounts on May 17 and will now be ready to use at The Mounts, Moulton, Kettering and Mereway respectively. They mark the first new fire engines for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service in more than a decade.
Three of the engines at the wholetime stations which are being replaced will now replace older appliances at the on-call stations at Guilsborough, Woodford Halse and Rothwell, giving these crews access to ultra-high-pressure capabilities for the first time.
The new fire engines – which each cost £350,000 and have been under construction in Scotland since last year – have been designed by the service’s Fleet team with crew welfare, diversity and futureproofing at the forefront of their thinking, as well as public safety.
Major new additions include a clean cab design, with a separate locker for Breathing Apparatus sets that will also be able to hold clean spare fire kit and house contaminated kit away from the cab.
Other enhancements include air conditioning for the cab to help after exposure to high temperatures, new cutting equipment for road traffic collisions, and bigger hoses and fuel tanks to help firefighting capability.
The engines will also be easier to handle on the road thanks to the addition of new tyres and full air suspension, while new front and rear sensors will alert crews to any pedestrians nearby, while there is also a CCTV camera for reversing.
The new-look cab will include USB ports, night lighting, fold down tables and a lockable compartment for personal belongings and can effectively be used as a mobile office for crews while they undertake community work.
Lem Freezer, Head of Joint Transport and Logistics for Northamptonshire Police & Fire, said: “We’re really excited to have been able to finally update our fleet and to get these appliances out and about. There are a lot of new features and we hope the upgraded design will help firefighters in their day-to-day activities.”
Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey said: “It’s been a long time since we were able to invest in new fire engines for our crews, and I’m delighted that they are going to be getting some exciting new state-of-the-art equipment. Not only will this really help in terms of the quality of protection we can offer to our residents, but it’s also vastly enhancing the working conditions and welfare of our staff.”
Work remains ongoing on four other Type B appliances that will be added to the fleet in the coming months, as well as a new aerial appliance for Moulton which will reach a height of 42.3 metres – a significant upgrade on the current 28 metre capability.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold added: “When I took over governance of NFRS from the county council, the aim was to get us into a position where we could stabilise our finances and then be able to invest.
“We lobbied the Government extensively to ensure we got additional funding for the fire service. And we are on a really positive journey, which is why we’ve been able to not only invest in recruiting more firefighters into the organisation, but we’ve also been able to purchase these new engines to give them the best possible kit to ensure they are well trained and well-equipped to keep the county safe.”