In defining the scope of the Community Risk Management Plan, we have consulted with the Fire and Rescue Authority and our staff at all levels of our organisation utilising a variety of consultation methods, including our Fire Family Staff Survey, the Emergency Cover Review consultation, Service Leadership Team and Middle Manager workshops. Based on this consultation, we have developed five principles, which will assist us to mitigate the risks to our communities and help us to focus on improvement within our Service over the next five years.

Our People Principle

Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.

Ensuring a highly skilled workforce by recruiting, developing and retaining a motivated and bilingual workforce that represents and champions the diversity of the communities we serve.

Our Prevention Principle

Working with partners to help make communities safer.

Reducing risks to our communities, especially for those people who may be more vulnerable, through our established intervention programmes such as Safe and Well Checks and the Phoenix Project.

Our Protection Principle

Making businesses safer together.

Providing businesses with expert guidance on fire protection to help ensure the safety of buildings, employees, and customers, thereby supporting businesses to grow. High-risk buildings are prioritised for inspections, contributing to overall public safety.

Our Response Principle

Providing an effective emergency response.

Being ready to respond when you need us: to protect what matters to you, to save lives, reduce harm, and protect homes and businesses.

Our Environment Principle

Protecting and preserving our natural environment for future generations.

Adopting eco-friendly practices in our daily operations to cut down on carbon emissions and other environmental impacts and raise environmental awareness amongst our staff and our communities.

Our People Principle

Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.

Ensuring a highly skilled workforce by recruiting, developing and retaining a motivated and bilingual workforce that represents and champions the diversity of the communities we serve.

Why is this important?

Our workforce is fundamental to all that our fire and rescue service does. Providing both emergency response and preventative services relies wholly on the skills, commitment and dedication of firefighters, control room staff and corporate services staff.

The incidence of fire is in long-term decline therefore to maintain operational effectiveness, firefighters have to train more rather than rely on experience gained at actual incidents.

In recent times, fire services across the UK have been scrutinised and criticised for their cultural failings. The public quite rightly, expect, and deserve, the very highest standards and behaviour from public bodies.

What have we done to date?

• Conducted comprehensive training programmes to enhance the skills and readiness of our employees.
• Actively recruited from diverse backgrounds to better reflect the communities we serve.
• Implemented ongoing assessments to ensure our workforce aligns with evolving professional standards.
• Implemented the All Wales Fire and Rescue Service People and Organisational Development 2021-2024 strategy to ensure there is consistency in the approach to people development and support across the three Fire and Rescue Services in Wales.
• Conducted two Fire Family Staff Surveys to provide staff with a platform to voice their opinions and concerns and use the results to identify areas for improving culture and to promote a more inclusive and supportive workplace.

What do we intend to do during the life of this plan?

• Implement the recommendations identified from the 2023 Fire Family Staff Survey.
• Undertake two further Fire Family staff surveys in 2025-26 and 2027-28.
• Continuously review and enhance recruitment strategies to maintain a diverse and skilled workforce.
• Aim to identify and maximise potential through effective people management and development, leading to a high-performance culture, where people value and respect each other.
• Adopt the new All Wales Fire and Rescue Service People and Organisational Development Strategy for 2024-2028 that will provide a framework for innovative thinking and working to support continued collaboration and partnership.
• Develop a business case for the construction of a new fire and rescue service training centre, ensuring it meets high standards for efficiency, safety, and technology.
• Prevention staff will receive training and awareness in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Modern Slavery, Child Exploitation and Domestic Violence to provide a more effective service to the communities we serve.
• Business Fire Safety staff and Operational Firefighters will be trained in accordance with the National Fire Chiefs Council Competency Framework for Fire Safety Regulators working towards registration within the Contextualised Auditor’s Register.
• Operational staff will receive relevant training and qualification to enable them to undertake business safety checks in line with nationally agreed guidelines.

These actions will contribute to the following well-being goals:

• A resilient Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A healthier Wales
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A more equal Wales
• A prosperous Wales
• A globally responsible Wales

We will monitor our progress through the following Governance Committees:

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee
• Health Safety and Well-being Committee
• Attendance, Grievance and Discipline Committee
• Organisational Learning Committee

Service Culture

Public sector leadership across the United Kingdom is very much in the spotlight at present, with some high-profile examples of scrutiny finding significant cultural failings.

We welcome the Welsh Government's decision to accept our proposal to independently review how we are progressing on our cultural journey, as we are wholeheartedly committed to excellence and continuous improvement and will publish a report during 2024.

We have a set of organisational values that are published and displayed across all of our premises. However, our Core Values are not just for posters, to be displayed and perhaps forgotten, they are the foundation of our identity and behaviour, guiding decision-making, shaping our culture, directing strategy, and providing a clear sense of purpose for our people. They are a set of guiding principles for staff, at all levels of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Our Core Values have guided us towards adopting five principles, through which we will deliver innovative and high-quality services to our communities and the people who visit and work in North Wales. It was a conscious choice to make Our People Principle the first of those principles.

The actions outlined under Our People Principle have been designed in an effort to continually improve our Service. These objectives aim to make North Wales Fire and Rescue Service an attractive place to work, by improving staff engagement, staff recognition and staff well being, improving leadership skills, strengthen human resources and workforce planning processes so that we recruit, retain, develop and promote the best people and providing ongoing training, development support and career progression opportunities to all staff.

We have recently undertaken our second Fire Family Staff Survey, which provided staff with a platform to voice their opinions and concerns. We are currently working through the findings and will use the results to identify areas for improving culture and to promote a more inclusive and supportive workplace.

We will repeat this exercise in 2025-26 and 2027-28 to ensure that that platform for sharing opinions and concerns becomes part of business as usual.

We also have strong governance arrangements through the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, supported by the Staff Network Groups, a Positive Action Group and Welsh Language Group. We are in the process of appointing a Member of the Fire and Rescue Authority as a Member Champion to the Steering Committee. The Joint Consultation Negotiation Committee is a forum for senior leadership to meet with trade unions and other representative bodies.

We will continue to work alongside Welsh Government to provide ongoing assurance that we have robust governance arrangements in place to ensure the workplace is safe and enables our people to bring their best self to work.

Our Values

Our mission statement is:

MAKING NORTH WALES A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND VISIT

Our Core Values

Service to the Community – We put protecting our communities at the very heart of everything we do -by working with our partners and other groups to reduce risk and being answerable to those we serve.

People – We value each other – by practising and promoting fairness and respect, supporting personal development, recognising merit, being committed to honesty, integrity and mutual trust.

Diversity and Inclusivity – we enable people to fulfil their full potential no matter what their background or circumstances – by appreciating differences, promoting equal opportunities, challenging prejudice and discrimination.

Striving for Excellence – We continually aspire to be the best at everything we do – by being innovative and open-minded, welcoming feedback from others, learning from experience, recognising strengths as well as opportunities for development.

To support this mission, the Authority will continue to work to reduce dwelling fires across the region through a comprehensive prevention strategy, and will investigate and analyse information to reduce the risks associated with all types of fire and other hazards.

The Authority will also continue to promote education and collaboration with people living and working in North Wales. Equality of opportunity is a fundamental priority and the Authority aims to increase the employment prospects of people who might find it difficult to gain employment whilst also promoting fairness and inclusivity in the workplace.

We will be looking to align to the National Fire Chiefs Council Core Code of Ethics for Fire and Rescue Services, which has been developed to support a consistent approach to ethics, including behaviours, by Fire and Rescue Services. It will help to improve the organisational culture and workforce diversity of Fire and Rescue Services, ensuring that communities are supported in the best way.

The Core Code sets out five ethical principles, which provides a basis for promoting good behaviour and challenging inappropriate behaviour.

• Putting our communities first
• Integrity
• Dignity and respect
• Leadership
• Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)

Further information on the Core Code of Ethics can be found here

Our Prevention Principle

Working with partners to help make communities safer.

Reducing risks to our communities, especially for those people who may be more vulnerable, through our established intervention programmes such as Safe and Well Checks and the Phoenix Project.

Why is this important?

Ensuring our communities are safe is at the heart of everything we do. Collaborating with partners and implementing targeted intervention programs is crucial to mitigating risks, particularly for vulnerable individuals. By actively engaging with our communities, we build resilience, promote well-being, and create a safer environment for everyone.

What have we done to date?

• Established strong partnerships with local organisations, agencies, and community leaders to enhance our collective impact.
• Implemented effective intervention programmes like Safe and Well Checks and the Phoenix Project, reaching vulnerable populations and addressing potential risks.
• Conducted outreach initiatives to raise awareness about fire prevention and safety measures within communities.
• Implemented and evaluated impactful awareness campaigns to assist our residents in ensuring their safety.
• Employed a diverse range of communication channels to enhance engagement and ensure effective outreach to individuals who find communication more challenging.
• To ensure we provide language choice for Welsh and English speakers in our communities and to recognise any other language requirements.

What do we intend to do during the life of this plan?

• Utilise partnership data to refine our risk-based approach to Self and Well Checks to target those over the age of 65 who are most vulnerable from fire in the home.
• Deliver 17,500 Safe and Well Checks per annum, for the duration of this plan, to those most vulnerable to fire in the home.
• Proactively promote road safety education, engaging with partners and carrying out campaigns within the local community, to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
• Work closely with external stakeholders to prevent accidental drowning in North Wales, providing consistent guidance for the safe enjoyment and management of activities in, on and around water.
• Our youth education programmes will continue to engage with Children and Young People. Fire Cadets, Phoenix and our new youth initiative are each designed to move a younger person’s life forward, unlock their potential and for them to be inspired to make positive life choices. This will deliver against responsibilities under the Serious Violence Duty.
• Promote the safeguarding of our communities. We will be active members of the Local Safeguarding Adults Boards and Local Safeguarding Children Board and work proactively to reduce the risk of abuse, harm and neglect.

These actions will contribute to the following well-being goals:

• A resilient Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A healthier Wales
• A globally responsible Wales

We will monitor our progress through the following Governance Committee:

• Prevention and Protection Performance Committee

Our Protection Principle

Making businesses safer together.

Providing businesses with expert guidance on fire protection to help ensure the safety of buildings, employees, and customers, thereby supporting businesses to grow. High risk buildings are prioritised for inspections, contributing to overall public safety.

Why is this important?

Ensuring the safety of businesses is integral to the well-being of the community.

By offering specialised guidance on fire protection, we not only protect the assets and personnel of businesses but also contribute to the economic vitality of the region.

Proactive inspection of high-risk buildings enhances public safety by preventing potential hazards.

What have we done to date?

• Conducted comprehensive fire protection workshops and training sessions for businesses to enhance their preparedness.
• Collaborated closely with local businesses to understand their unique needs and challenges in terms of safety.
• Implemented targeted inspections of high-risk buildings, identifying and mitigating potential fire hazards.

What do we intend to do during the life of this plan?

• Review our current Risk Based Inspection Programme and ensure we have an informed and rationalised regime that is intelligence driven to identify the relevant risk classification for all our premises across North Wales.
• Continue to deliver an intelligence led Risk Based Inspection Programme to reduce injury and death from fires in non-domestic premises.
• Scope the impact of automatic fire alarms on the use of our resources and their impact in a non-domestic environment.
• We will work in partnership with external stakeholders, land owners and land users to reduce the number of wildfire incidents.
• Working closely with multi-agency partners and the communities we serve we will tackle arson using the 4Ps approach, Prepare, Pursue, Prevent and Protect.

These actions will contribute to the following well-being goals:

• A resilient Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A healthier Wales
• A globally responsible Wales
• A prosperous Wales

We will monitor our progress through the following Governance Committee:

• Prevention and Protection Performance Committee

Our Response Principle

Providing an effective emergency response.

Being ready to respond when you need us: to protect what matters to you, to save lives, reduce harm, and protect homes and businesses.

Why is this important?

We want to provide the fairest possible service to the public of North Wales. No matter where you live or who you are, we aim to be there for you when you need us. This means being able to provide an equitable service across our diverse communities – diverse in terms of location and geography, in terms of the types of incidents we respond to, and also in terms of the people we serve. We aim to achieve this by managing our resources, our budget and our people as effectively as possible.

What have we done to date?

• Conducted an Emergency Cover Review, with the aim of improving rural emergency cover.
• Completed a staff led Retained Duty System (RDS) Staff Experience Review, developing a robust action plan, with 85 recommendations, to support the improvement of the experience of our staff working the RDS.
• Restructured the service to prioritise local teams working in the local area.
• Through targeted recruitment and retention activities for the second year on the run we have seen a net increase in our numbers of retained staff across North Wales.
• Ensured that we have a full establishment of trained and competent whole time firefighters and targeted recruitment to enhance the availability of suitably trained on-call firefighters.
• Invested in three new Welfare Vehicles to support our staff at incidents.
• Prioritised the safety of our firefighters by expanding our investment in state of the art Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to support the management of contaminants from fires and dedicated PPE for wildfires.
• Established a representative contamination working group to jointly prioritise the safety of firefighters in relation to fire contaminants.

What do we intend to do during the life of this plan?

• Ensure levels of whole time recruitment and progression matches closely the need to maintain a fully crewed whole time staffing cohort.
• Work to ensure that the recruitment and retention of on-call firefighters is maximised to increase the number of properties across the region that will receive an effective response as quickly as possible.
• Ensure that emergency calls continue to be handled in an effective manner through the replacement of the relevant computer system in Fire Control.
• Develop and introduce the Emergency Services Network into North Wales to ensure that we have a robust and modern communication system across the region.
• Implement the outcomes of the Emergency Cover Review, developed by a representative working group, to improve our operational response in our rural areas.
• Conduct a review of our specialist vehicles, other than fire engines, that respond to emergencies.
• Continue to prioritise firefighter safety through training, development, supplying best in class PPE and equipment and the management of contaminants.
• Develop with our staff, a new management framework to support the efficient and effective running of our fire stations to ensure we are as prepared as possible for emergencies.
• Work with staff and representative bodies to explore opportunities of broadening the role of firefighters to support the work of our partners and welfare of our communities.
• We will continue to invest in our fire engine fleet by introducing new state of the art fire engines each year as part of our vehicle replacement programme.

These support the following well-being goals:

• A resilient Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales

We will monitor our progress through the following Governance Committees:

• Organisational Resourcing Committee
• Organisational Learning Committee
• Health Safety and Well-being Committee

Emergency Cover Review

A review of Corporate Resilience in North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority conducted by Audit Wales in April 2021, recommended that the Authority should review fire station locations to identify opportunities to optimise emergency response arrangements.

Later that year, the Chief Fire Officer presented a situational assessment to Fire and Rescue Authority Members, highlighting a number of risks in relation to maintaining sufficient day time availability of on- call firefighters working on the 36 retained duty system (RDS) stations.

In response, the Authority commissioned an Emergency Cover Review to identify options for the provision of a fair, sustainable and equitable response across the whole of North Wales.

An independent company, ORH, was commissioned to work with the Corporate Planning, Performance and Transformation Team, providing technical support in relation to data analysis and modelling, to critique current emergency cover arrangements and to identify the optimum solutions for improvement.

The Service also utilised National Fire Chiefs Council risk profiling, which highlighted that there were locations of higher risk in more rural areas that reinforced the need for improved equity of cover.

We worked closely with The Consultation Institute and attained a Consultation Quality Assurance Certification in November 2023. During the pre-consultation stage, meetings with stakeholders including staff, local and national politicians, equality, diversity and inclusion groups, the public and other agencies were held, which enabled the development of three options which went to full public consultation between July and September 2023. This was our largest public consultation exercise in our history and we received an unprecedented 1,726 responses.

The feedback from the consultation was independently collated, analysed and reported to the Fire and Rescue Authority in October 2023. In their December 2023 meeting the Fire Authority decided not to progress any of the options presented during consultation, but instead directed officers to continue with the current level of emergency cover and to work with all stakeholders to develop a new permanent option taking into consideration the limits of the agreed budget.

We have already established a task and finish working group, made up of a broad range of staff from across the Service and representative bodies to work with officers in reviewing the evidence and modelling provided by ORH to develop other proposals. Should these differ significantly from those in the last consultation, further public consultation may be required during 2024-25. Once agreed the preferred option will be implemented during the life of this CRMP.

If you want to read more about the Emergency Cover Review you can access the consultation document here.

Our Environment Principle

Protecting and preserving our natural environment for future generations.

Adopting eco-friendly practices in our daily operations to cut down on carbon emissions and other environmental impacts and raise environmental awareness amongst our staff and our communities.

Why is this important?

In April 2019, the Welsh Government became the first parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency at a national level.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is on the front line of many of the challenges made far more frequent by a changing climate, many of which are already having profound effects on the communities we serve. Therefore, we have a responsibility to lead by example and promote responsible stewardship of our region and our world for the generations yet to come.

The Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 requires that we and all other public bodies in Wales consider the interests of future generations in all our strategic decisions.

The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 sets out a series of carbon budgets, detailing how Wales can be net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Under Carbon Budget 2, the Welsh public sector must be net zero emissions by 2030.

What have we done to date?

• Appointed an Environment and Climate Change Manager, with a responsibility for leading and managing our shift towards sustainability and responsible environmental stewardship.
• The Fire and Rescue Authority has developed and adopted an Environmental Strategy which sets out detailed and robust performance targets in reduction of our carbon emissions and other significant environmental impacts, without compromising the essential services we provide to the communities of North Wales.
• Established a carbon emissions baseline, against which we can measure our performance and the success of our carbon mitigation plans.
• Established an Environment and Sustainability Working Group, with representation from across the Service, which meets on a six-weekly basis to monitor our environmental performance and oversee improvement projects.

What do we intend to do during the life of this plan?

Switch our fleet of diesel vehicles to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, a sustainable alternative with zero Scope 1 carbon emissions.

Where feasible, purchase only zero or ultra-low emissions cars and vans from 2025.

Expand the existing Electric Vehicle Charging Points network on North Wales Fire and Rescue sites.

Retrofit our estate to improve energy efficiency.

Begin phasing out gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas from our station heating systems from 2025.

These actions will contribute to the following well-being goals:

• A resilient Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A healthier Wales
• A globally responsible Wales

We will monitor our progress through the following Governance Committee:

• Land and Property Committee, supported by the Environment and Sustainability Group

Our Objectives – Summary

People

• Implement the recommendations identified from the 2023 Fire Family Staff Survey.
• Undertake two further Fire Family Staff Surveys in 2025-26 and 2027-28.
• Continuously review and enhance recruitment strategies to maintain a diverse and skilled workforce.
• Aim to identify and maximise potential through effective people management and development, leading to a high-performance culture, where people value and respect each other.
• Adopt the new All Wales Fire and Rescue Service People and Organisational Development Strategy for 2024-2028 that will provide a framework for innovative thinking and working to support continued collaboration and partnership.
• Develop a business case for the construction of a new fire and rescue service training centre, ensuring it meets high standards for efficiency, safety, and technology.
• Prevention staff will receive training and awareness in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Modern Slavery, Child Exploitation and Domestic Violence to provide a more effective service to the communities we serve.
• Train Business Fire Safety staff and Operational Firefighters in accordance with the NFCC Competency Framework for Fire Safety Regulators working towards registration within the Contextualised Auditor’s Register.
• Operational staff will receive relevant training and qualification to enable them to undertake business safety checks in line with nationally agreed guidelines.

Prevention

• Utilise partnership data to refine our risk-based approach to Self and Well Checks to target those over the age of 65 who are most vulnerable from fire in the home.
• Deliver 17,500 Safe and Well Checks per annum, for the duration of this CRMP, to those most vulnerable from fire in the home.
• Proactively promote road safety education, engaging with partners and carrying out campaigns within the local community, to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
• Work closely with external stakeholders to prevent accidental drowning in North Wales, providing consistent guidance for the safe enjoyment and management of activities in, on and around water.
• Our Youth Education programmes will continue to engage with Children & Young People. Fire Cadets, Phoenix and our new youth initiative are each designed to move a younger person’s life forward, unlock their potential and for them to be inspired to make positive life choices. This will deliver against responsibilities under the Serious Violence Duty.
• Promote the safeguarding of our communities. We will be active members of the Public Services Boards, Local Safeguarding Adults Boards and Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and work proactively to reduce the risk of abuse, harm and neglect.

Protection

• Review our current Risk Based Inspection Programme and ensure we have an informed and rationalised regime that is intelligence driven to identify the relevant risk classification for all our premises across North Wales.
• Continue to deliver an intelligence led Risk Based Inspection Programme to reduce injury and death from fires in non-domestic premises.
• Scope the impact of automatic fire alarms on the use of our resources and their impact in a non-domestic environment.
• We will work in partnership with external stakeholders, land owners and land users to reduce the number of Wildfire incidents.
• Working closely with Multi-agency partners and the communities we serve we will tackle arson using the 4Ps approach, Prepare, Pursue, Prevent and Protect.

Response

• Ensure levels of whole time recruitment and progression matches closely the need to maintain a fully crewed whole time staffing cohort.
• Work to ensure that the recruitment and retention of on-call firefighters is maximised to increase the number of properties across the region that will receive an effective response as quickly as possible.
• Ensure that emergency calls continue to be handled in an effective manner through the replacement of the relevant computer system in Fire Control.
• Develop and introduce the Emergency Services Network into North Wales to ensure that we have a robust and modern communication system across the region.
• Implement the outcomes of the Emergency Cover Review, developed by a representative working group, to improve our operational response in our rural areas.
• Conduct a review of our specialist vehicles, other than fire engines, that respond to emergencies.
• Continue to prioritise firefighter safety through training, development, supplying best in class PPE and equipment and the management of contaminants.
• Develop with our staff, a new management framework to support the efficient and effective running of our fire stations to ensure we are as prepared as possible for emergencies.
• Work with staff and representative bodies to explore opportunities of broadening the role of firefighters to support the work of our partners and welfare of our communities.
• We will continue to invest in our fire engine fleet by introducing new state of the art fire engines each year as part of our vehicle replacement programme.

Environment

• Switch our fleet of diesel vehicles to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, a sustainable alternative with zero Scope 1 carbon emissions.
• Purchase only zero or ultra-low emissions cars and vans from 2025.
• Expand the existing Electric Vehicle Charging Points network on North Wales Fire and Rescue sites.
• Retrofit our estate to improve energy efficiency.
• Begin phasing out gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas from our station heating systems from 2025.