|
In this week's update:
I am delighted to announce the following temporary and acting promotions:
- Watch Manager Paul Dean has been promoted to Temporary Station Manager of Cluster 5 (Ulverston, Windermere, Grange, Ambleside and Staveley).
- Crew Manager Dave Burn has been promoted to Temporary Watch Manager at Red Watch Carlisle East and West Fire Station.
- Michael Wardle has been promoted to acting Crew Manager at Red Watch Carlisle West Fire Station.
I'm sure you will all join me in supporting them in their new roles within the Service.
John Beard, Chief Fire Officer
|
Tomorrow, Saturday 11th September 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York.
At 13:46hrs, we will be observing a minute's silence to coincide with the time the first tower was hit.
The day is held to honour, reflect and remember the 3,000 people - including 346 Firefighters - who lost their lives during these devastating attacks.
|
Earlier this year, the Service undertook a review of Gartan and iTrent systems to understand how Gartan (Pay, Availability and Roster) interacts with iTrent and how the Service uses each programme to manage the workforce on a daily basis.
As a part of this review, the Service engaged with teams to gain a better perspective of what was working well and where we could also improve to reduce frequently occurring problems. This included engagement with Green and Grey book staff, Functional Departments, People Management, the Service Centre and Operational Resources.
One outcome of the review was the need to improve the workforce interaction between Grey Book Managers, the Service Centre and Operational Resources. For this reason, Operational Resources will be shifting from their main focus of crewing appliances to a much broader role where they can work closer with managers, functional teams, and the Service Centre across a range of areas.
To recognise their new role, Operational Resources will cease to exist and a Fire Service Delivery Support team (Fire SDS) will be established. This team will include Julie Coulthard, Michelle Hughes and our new Business Administration Apprentice Aisha Horrocks. The new team will not replace or inherit work from managers or the Service Centre, but they will start to facilitate and streamline existing arrangements for:
- People Management administration
- Recruitment processing
- Pay and remuneration
- IT system integration
- Developing processes and procedures
- Training, developing and empowering the workforce in the use of Gartan and iTrent systems
We will continue to engage with staff as improvements are made to procedures and new communication arrangements are put in place.
Ian Seel, Group Manager - Operational Response
Next week is Gas Safety Week and Cumbria FRS would like all employees to be aware of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO). CO is a deadly gas that can have short and long term effects from minimal exposure levels.
September is the start of the heating season, many people will be turning on their boilers. We rely on our gas boilers, cookers and fires to keep warm, have hot baths and showers and cook hot meals.
With 21 deaths and over 800 gas-related injuries in the last three years, it’s crucial that you get your appliances checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer to be assured they are working safely and efficiently, and to protect against the dangers of unsafe gas appliances, such as fires, leaks, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
To find out more, Cumbria FRS have arranged for spaces on a series of free workshops throughout the month of September. Please take 1-hour to learn about the dangers for you, your family and our communities.
The Gas Safe Charity will be running 1-hour Zoom Workshops in September about Carbon Monoxide poisoning and the risks to vulnerable people in their homes. The workshop is interactive and provides a useful reminder of the sources, signs and symptoms of CO and what steps to take to reduce the risks.
If you would like to book a free workshop, you can do so here: Book your space.
Craig Drinkald, Area Manager - Prevention
|
As the Service Support Department continues to develop the next generation of Sharepoint, it’s important to remember that each Fire Station has its own unique page. The My Fire Station pages have been designed to provide easy and direct access to the resources that you are most likely to need.
We encourage staff to be familiar with their own Station page as its design has been influenced based on your feedback. You can access a direct link to your My Fire Station page here: My Fire Station or access the page via the Sharepoint homepage.
To set up your Station page as a favourite on your browser, you can view the 'how to' guide here: Adding Shortcuts to Microsoft Edge.
Below is an example of Alston Fire Station's page:
 Service Support Department
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service are looking for riders to support their fundraising bike ride on the leg of their journey between Warrington and Penrith (finishing at Jubilee House) on Friday 24th September 2021. The funds being raised will support The Firefighters Charity and also increase awareness of mental health.
If you would like to join the Suffolk FRS team, you can contact Phil DeBoise directly on 07720 664326 and they will provide you with the details. If you wish to donate, you can do so via this link: Donate here.
The complete route for the bike ride can be found here. If you are interested in taking part in the event and need any assistance, please let me know as we will do all that we can to support the Suffolk FRS riders.
Kevin Johnston, Area Manager - Response
|
|
