A message from Camilla O'Brennan Multi-Agency Officer - Prevention
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to the APRIL NEWSLETTER for WSFRS Partnership Fire Leads (Subject Experts) and our Multi-Agency Customer Facing Practitioners. Each month we will be highlighting a topic from the 'Living Safe & Well' booklet that our Fire Officers provide at every Home Fire Safety Visit. This month we will be looking at 'Plan an Escape Route - Page 4 of the Booklet'.
In the MARCH NEWSLETTER we talked about promoting a smoke alarm for every home, with benefits of a smoke alarm on every floor and advising to test on a regular basis #testittuesday. Important predictors of not having a smoke alarm can be raised due to vulnerability, with households which include a person for example with a long-term illness, on benefits, or a victim of crime, who are less likely to have a smoke alarm. The Fire Service are keen to offer your clients and customers an opportunity of a Safe and Well Visit for a personal home fire safety check.
This month, you will also find updates on our monthly check-in with Safe & Habitable Homes - a multi-agency community approach to self-neglect related to unsuitable, unsanitary, and uninhabitable homes. Our guest partner article this month from Cally Antill - County Adaptations and Housing Projects Manager provides a reminder for the Minor Adaptations and Essential Repairs Service designed to undertake smaller and quicker works to help disabled residents to stay safe in their homes. Cally also provides information on access for disabled people to the Deep Clean & Clear Service.
In response to requests for fire risk information for customers who may not easily access information on the internet, we have included some ideas on posters and leaflets.
Best wishes,
Camilla O'Brennan
camilla.o'brennan@westsussex.gov.uk
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Click Any Blue Banners for Further Information
 3 steps that can save your life
If a fire starts inside your home, it can progress quickly - you need to:
- Get out
- Stay out
- Call 999 as soon as it is safe to do so.
Our Firefighters will be on their way as quickly as possible. Don’t try to fight the fire – you could put yourself and others in danger. The sooner you call us, the sooner help will be on the way.
Be aware of the facts...Fires can develop and get out of hand very quickly. Don’t take any risks – get out, stay out, shut the doors behind you and call 999.
If you would like to find out more about enrolling as Fire Lead (Subject Expert) for your Team/Service please do get in touch. Our aim is for each Fire Lead to bring the Focus on Living Safe & Well Article of interest from the 'Fire Lead Newsletter' to share at their Team Meeting once a month.
1. Set an Agenda Item "Fire Risk Awareness" at your monthly meeting
2. Share the "Focus on Living Safe & Well Article"
APRIL - Plan an Escape Route
3. Consider your existing customers and refer to Safe & Well Visit
4. New Initial Assessments - can the person leave their home unassisted?
Our Community Fire Safety Officers are here to help
Did you know that Community Fire Safety Officers can visit vulnerable people at home to provide expert advice on fire safety?
People to consider for Safe & Well Visit - (this list is not exhaustive):
- Someone with reduced mobility regardless of age
- Elderly or frail people
- Lone adult or parent with young children
- Someone who is on careline
- Someone who is unable to hear a standard smoke alarm
- Someone using oxygen therapy at home
- Living in a high rise building or in a remote rural area
Think about the person in their home:
- Are they without a working smoke alarm in their home?
- Could they leave their home independently in case of fire?
- Are any of the exits in the home blocked or difficult in any way?
- Do you have any concerns about Fire Safety for this person?
If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of these basic questions, and the person gives you consent, you can refer for a ‘Safe & Well Visit’ through our on-line portal for a Community Fire Safety Officer to contact the person to discuss further. It take on average 5-7 minutes to complete the details.
A referral to Safe & Well Visit can be made by the person, a family member, carer, or a professional like a housing officer, or a social worker.
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West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) focuses on ensuring an equality of access to our services for every person in West Sussex. We know through our incident data that certain groups are more likely to have a fire and they include people such as those living with Dementia, have mobility restrictions, living in poverty, or have care and support needs. There are however a number of other groups we aim to identify and contact who aren’t necessarily recognised as being at a higher risk of fire but they may not be accessing our services such as Safe and Well Visits or Reporting Fires because of other barriers which may be language, perceived prejudice and other societal factors. Equality of access means actively seeking to engage these groups who may be unaware or choosing not to access services from us and other public sector providers.
Thematic Review Fire Fatalities 2011-2021
- 84% had needs of care and support
- 44% unable to remove themselves to a place of safety
- 24% living with dementia
- 68% known to Local Authorities
- 16% known to WSFRS
We recognise your commitment as WSFRS Fire Leads (Subject Experts) as being part of our continuing commitment to liaise closely with our multi-agency partners, to target those most vulnerable people in the community. By working with you, our community partners, you have contributed to targeting the most vulnerable people in your services so we can deliver our high and very high categories of Fire Risk through 76% of our Safe & Well Visits.
In Quarter 4 of 2022/23 at Year End - as a fire risk aware multi-agency group - we have achieved an applaudable 5,484 Safe and Well Referrals converted to home fire safety visits delivered by the Fire Service Crews and specialist Community Fire Safety Officers. Do get in touch if you would like feedback on the Safe & Well Visit data for your service.
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We look forward to engaging with your services in the new Q1 2023/24
If you would like to learn more about how and when to make a Safe & Well Visit Referral you can link to our Training Video with Prevention Instructor Simon 'Woody' Woodland:
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West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service have successfully liaised with Community Partners to present Fire Risk Awareness Training Sessions with an additional overview on integrated working between Health, Housing, Social Care, and Fire.
The session has a focus on Fire Risk Awareness and Intervention, Safe & Well Visits, and the Technology First Approach, which provides an opportunity to forge a community awareness in the value of Prevention Activity when it comes to Fire Risk Awareness.
THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Integrating ‘Fire Risk Awareness’ into working practices
- Promotion of Safe & Well Visit
- Introduction to Fire Service Safe & Well Prevention Activity
- Exploring strength-based practice for practitioners.
- Foster reciprocal working between multi-agency partners.
- Aim to engage Fire Leads for every Team
The sessions are free-to-attend, are hosted online on MS Teams, and are aimed at Community-Facing Practitioners across West Sussex.
Next available date: 29th June 2023 09:30 - 12:30
If you would like to learn more or join a session, please contact camilla.o'brennan@westsussex.gov.uk for an MS Teams Invitation.
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ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT UNSAFE, UNSANITARY, UNINHABITABLE HOMES? This CIP Community Initiative Partnership is open to all services to work in a multi-agency approach to concerns of self-Neglect related to unsuitable, unsanitary, and potentially uninhabitable homes. Using a person-centred approach to identifying and managing risk.
Given the emotive nature of self-neglect and the associated risks, it is natural that as professionals we want to raise our concerns via safeguarding. However, in all but rare cases, safeguarding isn’t the most appropriate way of providing support, and may well delay someone receiving the right support. This may be because the person does not meet the thresholds for a safeguarding enquiry: that is as they do not have care and support needs, and they understand the risk they are posing to themselves and can manage this situation.
It is recognised that self-neglect related to housing concerns is a complex situation and that a variety of agencies will come into contact with the same person. Hoarding is now also, recognised as a mental health diagnosis (DSM V). Not all those who hoard will meet criteria for support from statutory services such as Mental Health.
Resources on self-neglect - Multi-agency working in partnership
Research and experience shows that the best outcome for those who self-neglect, is for all agencies to work with the person at their pace, using different methods of encouragement, whilst remaining non-judgemental and exploring different options for support.
Monthly 'Safe & Habitable Homes Forums' are available to bring cases for advice, guidance, and sharing of good practice. The multi-agency joint-action-plan working method between housing, health, social care, mental health, community safety, fire/ambulance/police, care, and support services, provides a wrap-around approach under the PAN Sussex Self-Neglect Procedures. The Fire Service are available as part of the CIP Forum to discuss fire risk related to housing concerns.
For further details contact housing4health@westsussex.gov.uk
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Just a reminder that there are two discretionary services which run right across the county kindly funded by a top slice from all the district and boroughs’ Disabled Facilities Grants budgets. These are specifically for residents who are disabled as that is the primary eligibility criteria of the funding. They are not means tested.
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Minor adaptations and essential repairs service - designed to undertake smaller and quicker works to help a disabled resident to stay safe and independent at home. Referrals from OTs, OTAs, Adult Care Point, hospital discharge staff.
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Deep clean and clearing service - designed to help a disabled resident to gain back the use of key areas of their home environment and/or allow a care package to be undertaken. Referrals from OTs, OTAs, hospital discharge staff, social workers, prevention and assessment team and housing officers.
Guidance notes, check list and referral forms on the West Sussex County Council website under ‘minor adaptations and deep clean’
Any queries or for help and advice after reading the guidance notes please contact Cally Antill cantill@chichester.gov.uk and from 11th April Jack Grist jgrist@chichester.gov.uk
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The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) focuses on public awareness of the need to purchase, install and test smoke alarms regularly, It also highlights the main causes of accidental fires in the home and messages to reduce these risks.
Our multi-agency partners have asked for re-printable leaflets to include in their own customer facing newsletters and for re-printable posters for rural campaigns.
Please get in touch for further information on leaflets available from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
camilla.o'brennan@westsussex.gov.uk
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