New plans to make Suffolk safer
http://www.dailyfix.co.uk/articles/63902/1/New-plans-to-make-Suffolk-safer/Page1.html
By Chief Editor
Published on 3 Oct 2008
Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet will be discussing new proposals next week designed to make Suffolk a safer place to live in, work in and visit.
The draft Suffolk Fire and Rescue Authority Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2009/2010 includes nine actions which aim to reduce risk in the county through better use of resources and more accurate targeting of prevention, protection and response initiatives.
The proposed actions are to:
“Improving home fire safety checks means that we would target the most vulnerable people in our communities, such as older people, and help them to improve fire safety in their homes, including fitting smoke detectors. Improving the use of sprinklers is an effective way of reducing the impact of fires in houses, commercial properties and schools – a single sprinkler head can extinguish a fire and save lives.”
A Policy Development Panel is already in place to look at the effectiveness of the retained service and to identify and address issues to secure the future of the service over the next ten years. The risk management plan identifies the need to review the outcomes of this work, including seeing if stand-by funding (used to ensure retained engines can be crewed) could be better used for other community safety activities, which are proven to prevent fires.
If the Cabinet agrees to the proposals, a 12 week period of public consultation on them will take place across the county. This will include roadshows in town centres, where the public will be able to speak to fire and rescue officers and councillors about the action plan.
The draft Suffolk Fire and Rescue Authority Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2009/2010 includes nine actions which aim to reduce risk in the county through better use of resources and more accurate targeting of prevention, protection and response initiatives.
The proposed actions are to:
- Increase the home fire safety checks carried out by the Fire and Rescue Service in Suffolk
- Increase the use of domestic sprinkler systems
- Improve partnership working and commissioning
- Improve the fire safety protection service, which enforces fire safety regulations in business premises
- Increase the installation of sprinklers in industrial and commercial buildings, and in schools
- Improve the way building regulations consultations are dealt with
- Establish plans for new training facilities for the service
- Improve the way we support retained duty system fire stations
- Explore opportunities to create a number of Rural Safety Officers
“Improving home fire safety checks means that we would target the most vulnerable people in our communities, such as older people, and help them to improve fire safety in their homes, including fitting smoke detectors. Improving the use of sprinklers is an effective way of reducing the impact of fires in houses, commercial properties and schools – a single sprinkler head can extinguish a fire and save lives.”
A Policy Development Panel is already in place to look at the effectiveness of the retained service and to identify and address issues to secure the future of the service over the next ten years. The risk management plan identifies the need to review the outcomes of this work, including seeing if stand-by funding (used to ensure retained engines can be crewed) could be better used for other community safety activities, which are proven to prevent fires.
If the Cabinet agrees to the proposals, a 12 week period of public consultation on them will take place across the county. This will include roadshows in town centres, where the public will be able to speak to fire and rescue officers and councillors about the action plan.