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USAR Skills payments

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Dear Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service,

I would be grateful if you would answer the following questions in relation to your Urban Search and Rescue (USAR ) personnel.

1. With the annual firefighter salary at £29.934, What additional payment(s) are given to USAR personnel (ie USAR Technician and USAR Advisor) in your brigade for undertaking training and delivery of the USAR capability ?

2. What on call/recall payments are made to USAR personnel (if additional to above)

3. Do USAR technicians undertake USAR/Technical Rescue only or do they also have full firefighting and CFS responsibilities?

4. How many USAR personnel do you have?

5. Please provide a breakdown of your annual USAR budget and expenditure.

6. Please explain the expected training requirements of USAR personnel.

Kind regards

Yours faithfully,

Joe McMahon

Information Management, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

Good Morning,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Information Request ENQ-220117-D0M3V1

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 received on 14 May 2018.

Lewis Freeman will be dealing with your request.

We have up to 20 days in which to deal with your request. If we require clarification regarding your request, we will contact you to explain this. The 20 working day period will then start from the day that we receive your clarification.

You will also be informed in advance if there is a charge for supplying copies of the information.

Please also be aware that, if the requested information contains references to any third parties, we may need to consult these individuals about the release of their personal data before making a decision whether or not to release the information to you.

We will also provide an explanation if any information is not released to you.

Should you have any queries regarding your request, please contact the team by email [Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service request email] or by telephone 01603 222661.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Cooper
Business Support Assistant (Compliance Team)
Information Management and Technology
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH

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Information Management, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

Dear Joe

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 –Information Request ENQ-220117-D0M3V1

 

I refer to your request for information dated 14 May 2018.

 

I would be grateful if you would answer the following questions in
relation to your Urban Search and Rescue (USAR ) personnel.

 

 1. With the annual firefighter salary at £29.934, What additional
payment(s) are given to USAR personnel (ie USAR Technician and USAR
Advisor) in your brigade for undertaking training and delivery of the
USAR capability ?

 

10% salary enhancement to wholetime personnel to cover evening On Call
duties

 

 1. What on call/recall payments are made to USAR personnel (if additional
to above) ?

 

On-call personnel are paid for variable work activity at the hourly rate
applicable to their role on a claims basis. This may be drills/training or
emergency calls.  Emergency calls attract a payment of a minimum of 1
hour’s pay.  Wholetime personnel may do overtime to cover for shortages on
the other watch, at the hourly rate x 1.5.  If wholetime are called to an
incident outside of normal working hours, they are paid at the hourly rate
plus a disturbance payment.  The on-call personnel also receive the
disturbance payment for emergency calls.  Rates of pay are; FF Competent
£13.67 per hour, CM Competent £15.15 per hour, WMB £16.95 per hour,
disturbance payment is a flat £3.94.

 

 1. Do USAR technicians undertake USAR/Technical Rescue only or do they
also have full firefighting and CFS responsibilities?

 

They also provide wholetime firefighter cover at Dereham Station

 

 1. How many USAR personnel do you have?

 

1xUnit Leader 2xWatch Managers 3xCrew Managers 20xTechnicians 1xDog
handler = 27 Personnel

 

 1. Please provide a breakdown of your annual USAR budget and expenditure.

 

£924,650

 

 1. Please explain the expected training requirements of USAR personnel.

 

Training is carried out on a regular basis in order to continue to
demonstrate competency in each of the skills. Individuals should are
assessed at the frequencies listed within each unit.

 

Records of this continuation training and the assessments are kept and are
measured against the KPi’s and frequencies in the Concept of Operations
and the Competency Training Framework.

 

Operational Firefighter training is undertaken in line within the systems
operated by the service (annual Maintenance of Competences).

 

Personnel are to maintain the following skill sets (dependent on role);

 

Technician

1. Prime Movers and USAR Modules 2. Logistics Operations 3. Assessment and
Search Operations 4. Breeching and Breaking Operations 5. Shoring
Operations (metal) 6. Lifting and Moving Operations 7. Safe Working at
Height 8. Confined Space Operations 9. Line Access and casualty
Extrication Operations 10. Ancillary Equipment 11. Water Rescue 12. Large
Animal Rescue

Specialist (including Technician skill sets)

1. Hot Cutting Operations 2. Chainsaw Operations 3. Timber shoring 4. MPV
Operations 5. Canine operations 6. SRT  

Instructor

1. USAR Instructor 2. Hot Cutting Instructor 3. LACE Instructor 4. MPV
Instructor

Tactical Advisor

1.USAR Coordination 2. USAR Search Manager.

Dog Handler

1.Regional CPD training 2. 6-monthly Dog grading days 3. Attend Police
Search Adviser course re quals

USAR On call personnel are required to attend 2 x 12hour training days a
month to maintain competences in Tech search, Lifting and Moving, Shoring
and Breaking and breaching skill sets. They are also required to attend an
annual visit to Lee Valley to re qualify for SRT.

 

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your request you have the
right of appeal through the Council’s internal review procedure by setting
out the grounds of your appeal in writing to:

 

[1][email address]

or Information Compliance Team

Room B18

County Hall

Martineau Lane

Norwich

NR1 2DH

 

An appeal should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of this
notice and should be identified as "FOI Appeal".

 

If you are dissatisfied after pursuing the complaints procedure, you may
apply to the Information Commissioner under Section 50 of the Act for a
decision whether your request for information has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of Part I of the Act.  Refer to the ICO
Website at: [2]https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ for advice on how to report a
concern.  Or you can write to them at:

 

First Contact Team

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane, Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Lewis Freeman

Information Compliance Officer

Information Management Service

Norfolk County Council

County Hall

Martineau Lane

Norwich

NR1 2DH

 

 

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