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The Pink - Issue 30 - Friday 5 August 2022 |
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Dear Colleagues
On behalf of the Fire Authority and myself, I would like to thank you for all the help you gave in putting together the Fire Authority’s and Service’s consultation responses to the Government White Paper – Reforming Our Fire and Rescue Services.
You will see there are some subtle differences between the Authority (access here) and Service (access here) responses but the main position of both is that the overarching ambition of any reform should be to make improvements in public safety and not be based on ideology.
Both responses are positive about many aspects of potential change, while remaining sceptical about the benefits of governance change or a statutory code of ethics. It was also not clear what benefit the ‘Oath’ would provide.
On the other hand, our responses made it clear that there could be benefits from ambitiously defining the scope and role of Fire and Rescue Services, from creating a properly funded and carefully considered College of Fire, developing appropriate national standards and central government making financial investment in the process of change management.
Thank you again for your help and let’s hope we are able to work with the Government to advance some of the more beneficial proposals.
Rod Hammerton | Chief Fire Officer
Some of you may already be aware but I recently tendered my notice to retire as of 1 January 2023.
In making my decision to retire I had wanted to be sure the Service was in a good place and performing strongly.
Following our glowing HMICFRS report, I am confident we have a really positive culture, a capable management team who have the best interests of the Service and all within it at heart, and we are on the firmest financial footing possible. I have incredibly mixed feelings about deciding to retire because I still thoroughly enjoy my job and have never had a day that I haven’t wanted to come to work. Part of that is because I think working for a fire and rescue service remains the greatest honour, but a bigger part is because of the people I get to work alongside. But all good things must come to an end and, after 6 years in the Royal Navy and 30 years in the Fire Service, I probably need to find out what it feels like to have to decide what clothes to put on in the morning.
I will find time to thank you all more personally, but the next 5 months will be busy as we start the search for my successor and try to keep delivering our service, through what I fear will be testing times.
In the meantime, thank you for all you have done to make my last 7 years in Shropshire an absolute pleasure.
Rod Hammerton | Chief Fire Officer
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 Due to popular demand the Suggestion Box is back after a few months’ absence and a little makeover 😊
As it ‘suggests’ above, if you have any ideas that you feel will benefit the Service in any way, big or small, then please submit via email using the lightbulb link, which can be found on Sharepoint by going to ‘useful links’, scrolling down a bit, and you’ll see the ‘lightbulb’. Just click on the link and submit - or if you prefer you can email the suggestion box direct.
Can’t wait to hear from you!
Shelly Townsend | Admin Support
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Teams within the Service have now been working more flexibly following the New Ways of Working (NWoW) agreed post COVID19.
Following a discussion at a NWoW meeting last week, feedback is largely positive, with teams saying that they are finding the flexibility of more agile working useful. There has been some learning which is summarised below:
- There is a perception that people or teams working remotely are not available because they are not visible. This is not the case. If you or your team are working remotely, it is useful to ensure that MS Teams is open so that others within the organisation know you are available. There is also an option that desk phone numbers can be linked into Teams if you regularly make and receive calls on that number – this is something that ICT can set up if necessary.
- Heads of Department have asked that they be advised if you are unable to contact their teams during normal working hours. If you are on leave or out of the office for any other reason, such as a training course, please ensure that you use the Out of Office function.
- A piece of work will be carried out to identify which stations are being used for hot-desking. For example, several people use Newport as a base. It is proposed that a booking system will be set up (like that used for booking meeting rooms at HQ), however, this should only be used if a lecture room is needed for a meeting. There should be no need to book a lecture room for general hot desking.
- PAT testing – any Service equipment being used at home should be PAT tested annually. The latest PAT testing cycle has just been completed.
- If you are working regularly from other locations, including home, you should complete a DSE assessment to ensure you are comfortable with your set up, as per DSE guidance on home/other working. The link to access the DSE assessment is as follows: Working with display screen equipment at home- MSD - HSE
Further updates will be provided following the next meeting where necessary.
Simon Hardiman | Assistant Chief Fire Officer
Colleagues,
CFO Ian Hayton, NFCC Lead for Health and Wellbeing, has commissioned Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to undertake a health and wellbeing review to understand how needs change and adapt depending on your role and career position. This information will help us understand the current emotional wellbeing of the sector and will lead to the development of a national Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
To ensure we get a representative sample from across different career positions and levels we are asking a wide range of stakeholders to help promote and participate in the survey.
The ambition is for this strategy to be by the sector and for the benefit of the sector; but for the data set to be meaningful, we need at least 10% of every service to respond. Shropshire is currently at less than half that level, which is a good start but we can do more.
I have filled in the survey myself and found it to be relevant and thought provoking.
The survey does ask for some personal information at the beginning, but this is to ensure it can be analysed properly and I am assured the survey will be held under rigorous academic standards and is anonymous, with no personal or identifiable data being shared outside of the NTU research team.
The survey should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete and I really encourage you to do so, if for no other reason than to spend 10 minutes thinking about your own mental health.
Please encourage your colleagues to take part too. The deadline for completion of the survey is Friday 26 August.
If you have specific questions about the research project, please feel free to contact the research team led by Dr Rowena Hill (rowena.hill@ntu.ac.uk)
Many thanks for your support.
Rod Hammerton | Chief Fire Officer
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Do you know somebody in the Service, who has made a significant difference to the community that they live or work in or who has made an outstanding contribution to charity? If so, then please consider nominating them for…
The High Sheriff Good Citizen Award
This award is given to Service employees who have made a substantial contribution to society and who, through their actions, have made a significant difference to the safety and well-being of those within the community in which they live or work. This individual through their outstanding efforts, loyalty, hard work and caring approach has made a very real difference to the well-being of others.
Stations, Departments or individuals are invited to nominate a person whom they feel fulfill this criteria and employees are actively encouraged to put forward those people who have made a real difference to our community and should be rewarded for their efforts.
The recipient(s) will be chosen from the applications submitted and will be presented with the Good Citizen Award at the ceremony in September 2022.
The Telent Charity Shield
The Telent Charity Shield is presented to a person or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to charity.
The award is open to any person or persons that the Service decides have fulfilled the Telent Charity Shield’s criteria. Stations, Departments or individuals are invited to nominate a person or persons whom they feel fulfill this criteria. Employees are actively encouraged to put forward those people who have made a charitable contribution, whether it is for a Service charity, national or local charity. It is the individual’s efforts that the Service wishes to reward.
The recipient(s) will be chosen from the applications submitted and will be presented with the Telent Charity Shield at the ceremony in September 2022.
Your nominations for both these awards should be submitted to Lynn Ince, Executive Support Officer (lynn.ince@shropshirefire.gov.uk ) by 5pm on Friday 31 August 2022.
Please include in your email the person’s name, their work location and a short explanation of why they are being nominated.
Lynn Ince | Executive Support Officer
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The Wholetime and Control Crew to Watch Manager process will take place in September. Those eligible to apply will have received an email with the Expression of Interest form attached and key dates for the process.
Briefing sessions are scheduled for the 1 and 3 August, both at 10:00 hours at Headquarters.
A copy of the Watch Manager CPG workbook is available on the Portal and can be accessed here . This document gives you an overview of both the assessments, what types of information/issues you can expect to deal with, some hints and tips and some self-reflection exercises.
Key dates for the process are:
- Applications live – w/c 4 July 2022
- Closing date for Expressions of Interest: 8 August 2022
- Candidates to have booked their assessment slots: 12 September 2022
- CPG Assessments – Case Study and Video Role Play: 19 and 20 September 2022.
Please email your completed Expressions of Interest to Donna Trowsdale, Development Officer, no later than 8 August 2022. Late applications will not be accepted.
Donna Trowsdale | Development Officer
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The Watch Manager to Station Manager process will take place in October. Those eligible to apply will have received an email with the Expression of Interest form attached and key dates for the process.
Briefing sessions are scheduled for the 9 August and 2 September 2022, both at 10:00 hours at Headquarters.
A copy of the Station Manager CPG workbook is available on the Portal and can be accessed here .This document gives you an overview of both the assessments, what types of information/issues you can expect to deal with, some hints and tips and some self-reflection exercises.
Key dates for the process are:
- Applications live – w/c 11 July 2022
- Closing date for Expressions of Interest: 9 September 2022
- Candidates to have booked their assessment slots: 30 September 2022
- CPG Assessments – Case Study and Video Role Play: 6 and 7 October 2022.
Please email your completed Expressions of Interest to Donna Trowsdale, Development Officer, no later than 9 September 2022. Late applications will not be accepted.
Donna Trowsdale | Development Officer
We have been made aware by NOSS that we have had a number of non-attendances at appointments, or appointments have been cancelled at short notice. NOSS cancellation policy is 48 hours, anything after that is classed as a short notice cancellation.
Please can all staff be aware of this when making appointments with NOSS as the Service will still be charged for any non-attendances or short notice cancellations.
Human Resources
The Service received its fundraising Certificate of Achievement from The Fire Fighters Charity for 2021/22.
This was for the grand total of £46,704.37 and represents the incredible support and contribution made by our staff in a particularly challenging financial climate.
The accompanying letter from the Chief Executive of The Fire Fighters Charity is attached to this copy of The Pink.
Well done!
Simon Hardiman | ACFO Service Support | and The Fire Fighters Charity Champion
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Healthy workplaces help people to thrive and reach their full potential; and as part of our Health and Wellbeing Strategy we aim to offer a range of wellbeing initiatives to support the mental and physical wellbeing of our staff.
Whilst we already have lots of support on offer around mental and physical wellbeing, we are pleased to extend this offer to all staff through some short, informative and interactive sessions on the following:
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Injury Prevention 7 September 6pm (1 hour)
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Injury Management and Rehab 14 September 6pm (1 hour)
Understanding and Managing Back Pain 1 October 9.30am (2 hours)
Nutrition and Healthy Eating 15 October 9.30am (1 hour)
The training is facilitated by The Fire Fighters Charity and will be held via Teams.
All sessions are optional and you can find full details of the content and self-enrol for the courses using the following links:
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Injury Prevention - sign up
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Injury Management and Rehab - sign up
Understanding and Managing Back Pain - sign up
Nutrition and Healthy Eating - sign up
Jayne Turner | Training and Development Coordinator
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As part of the Service’s continued Health and Wellbeing plan and in order to continue to raise awareness of mental health, we have been offering some half-day introductory Mental Health First Aid Aware training sessions. Several dates were released and have been filled, however, we are pleased to be able to offer spaces on one further date:
Event date:
- 06 October 2022 at 09:30-13:30 hours.
The training will be facilitated through a four-hour webinar (with plenty of breaks) and will aim to give:
- an understanding of what mental health is and how to challenge stigma;
- a basic knowledge of some common mental health issues;
- an introduction to looking after your own mental health and maintaining wellbeing; and
- confidence to support someone in distress or who may be experiencing a mental health issue.
Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities.
Everyone who completes the course gets:
- an MHFA manual to refer to whenever you need it;
- a workbook including a helpful toolkit to support their own mental health; and
- a certificate of attendance.
As there is a cost for participation, if you would like to attend the training, please:
- discuss with and obtain the agreement of your line manager;
- ensure you are able to attend your preferred date (if you have one); and
- email your expression of interest to jayne.turner@shropshirefire.gov.uk.
Should you be unable to attend on the above date, or you are not allocated a place, I will contact you as soon as further dates are arranged.
Please note – the date mentioned above will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Jayne Turner | Training and Development Coordinator
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Please could all staff remember to leave meeting rooms in a suitable condition, ready for others to use after them.
Now that Covid rules have relaxed, it’s being noted by the Admin teams within HQ, that staff are leaving dirty coffee/tea cups, water cups and all sorts of other items behind!
Tables and chairs should be returned to their correct positions and the dividers reinstated. ICT equipment should also be left ready for use.
This would be much appreciated.
Admin / Exec Support
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Did you Know….?
The Service has a private menopause chat on Teams – if you’d like to be involved, please contact Maxine.titley@Shropshirefire.gov.uk – your name can then be added into the contacts so you can catch up on all the information being shared within the Group. It's informal and every female is welcome to join, even if you aren’t nearing the menopause yet. Everyone will know someone who is going through the menopause - mums, sisters, aunts, friends, colleagues etc.
Maxine Titley | Admin Support
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Ludlow Pride is being held this year on the week commencing 22 August, we are hopeful to attend this event on Saturday 27 August with a stall and an appliance to show our support.
If you are interested in getting involved or attending the event, please can you email EDI@shropshirefire.gov.uk
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Thank You from Resident in Ludlow following Safe and Well Visit:
“I’m an oxygen user and Dale Pound fitted three smoke alarms for me. He did it nicely, professionally and very efficiently. Dale was very kind, we had a lovely visit with lots of information about what to do.”
A thank you card was sent to the Chief Fire Officer following the large scale (60 acre) field fire at Stanwardine on 14 July. Crews from Baschurch, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Ellesmere, Oswestry, Wem, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Shrewsbury, Telford and Tweedale attended over the course of the incident, along with operational officers and the drone resource from HWFRS.
“I am writing to say an enormous thank you, to you and all the firefighters who came out to my farm last Thursday. Through their efficiency and expertise, together with the team from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, an even bigger fire was averted.
All the crews worked so hard under very challenging circumstances. I am so grateful to everyone. Would you be kind enough to pass on my thanks”.
The Chief Fire Officer received a letter from the owner of the Ship Inn, expressing his thanks and compliments to those involved. Crews from Bridgnorth, Cleobury Mortimer, Much Wenlock, Newport and Telford along with operational and fire investigation officers attended. Over the border assistance from HWFRS was also provided by their Wyre Forest crew.
“I am writing to compliment and thank you and your team for the very professional manner in which they dealt with this fire.
When I arrived at the scene the fire was already extinguished and I was met by James Bainbridge and Alec Thomas who were extremely helpful and courteous, explaining the procedure and why no one could enter the remaining building until the electric and gas etc was made safe. They were there all day explaining to the landlady, myself and my son and assisting in the removal of the CCTV recording for the insurance and forensic people to study.
Thank you again and please pass on my thanks to the teams involved”.
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The Pink
The Pink is also available electronically on The Portal or can be emailed to you if you contact Admin Support on EXT 1260.
All colleagues are reminded that the information in this staff newsletter is designed to improve internal communications and support effective operation of our Service. Items within it are intended solely for Elected Members and staff of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority and not for onward transmission. © Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service 2014
All faults and queries with IT and communications should be directed to the ICT Service Desk.
When you require assistance or support please click on the ICT Portal Tile located on the SharePoint Portal homepage and click on the 'contact us' tab. You will then have the option to 'submit an incident' or 'request a service' using the corresponding blue or green button. Please use 'submit an incident' to log any faults or 'request a service' to ask for a service or program that you have not previously used or had access to.
When submitting an incident please make sure you select the category that comes closest to the fault you are experiencing, and that you describe the fault in details and upload any relevant screen shots.
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