Technical Rescue Skills

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Dear London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (London Fire Brigade),

12th May 2015

Second Request (original letter dated 20th March)
Freedom of Information Request - Technical rescue skills within your FRS.
This copy is now sent via electronic format as there was no reply to my original letter dated 20th March.
I would like to make a freedom of information request to you regarding the technical rescue skills and services that your FRS provides. I would be very grateful if you will provide responses to the following questions;
1. Please list the range of technical rescue services that your FRS provides(ie line rescue, water rescue, USAR, Animal rescue etc).
2. Please state what stations carry out which technical rescue services.
3. Please advise if your firefighters/staff directly provide these services or whether or not an external organisation is contracted in.
4. Please advise whether your staff who carry out these services are whole time or retained duty systems.
5. Please state the duration of initial training courses for each skill set as well as the continuity training commitment.
6. Please state whether firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills are also required to undertake full operational firefighting duties.
7. Please state whether firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills are also required to undertake normal CFS duties.
8. Please state the terms and conditions of employment for firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills ie secondary contracts.
9. Please explain what additional payments (skills payments if any) exist for firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills.
10. Please explain if your FRS operates skills payments for any additional roles undertaken by firefighters/staff ie LiFE trainers, CBRN/Hazmat teams, aerial appliances, HV pumping etc.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to a reply at your earliest convenience.

Yours faithfully.

Joe McMahon

London Fire Brigade

3 Attachments

Dear Joe,

 

Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA) dated 12 May 2015.

 

Your numbered questions and our responses, are set out below:

 

1.      Please list the range of technical rescue services that your FRS
provides (i.e. line rescue, water rescue, USAR, Animal rescue etc).

Currently: Line Rescue, Water rescue, USAR, Animal rescue, DIM/HAZMAT,
Core FRU (Listed as Heavy Rescue in attached FRU Skills table)
incorporating specialist lift rescue training.

Future: Confined Space.

2.      Please state what stations carry out which technical rescue
services.

Please see attached FRU Skills table for current spread of skills. Animal
rescue is currently carried out at four non-FRU fire stations but in
agreement with RBs is being transferred to HAZMAT centres over the course
of the next year as part of a new policy and training package, based on
the better suitability of their existing skill set, in particular HAZMAT
and water rescue.

3.      Please advise if your firefighters/staff directly provide these
services or whether or not an external organisation is contracted in.

LFB staff directly provide these capabilities.

4.      Please advise whether your staff who carry out these services are
whole time or retained duty systems.

Whole time.

5.      Please state the duration of initial training courses for each
skill set as well as the continuity training commitment.

For station based FRU maintenance of skills please see attached DaMoP
guidance.

Line 2 - 5 days acquisition, annual 1 day assessment/ refresher.

Line 3 will be 10 days acquisition split into two 5 day blocks.

Core FRU - 14 days acquisition (including lifts).

Water - 5 days Water rescue technician acquisition, 3 days powerboat
handling acquisition, annual 1 day refresher.

USAR - Please see attached course matrix, specialist courses such as hot
cutting and chainsaw are only attended by those individuals with the
specialist qualification, not all USAR responders.

Animal rescue will be 4 days acquisition course, 1 day refresher every 3
years.

Confined Space will be 5 days acquisition, with maintenance of skills via
DaMoP and existing USAR refresher courses (i.e. subject matter built into
yearly USAR development course).

6. Please state whether firefighters/staff who undertake these technical
rescue skills are also required to undertake full operational firefighting
duties.

    Yes they are.

7. Please state whether firefighters/staff who undertake these technical
rescue skills are also required to undertake normal CFS duties.

     It has been agreed that HFSV targets for Technical Rescue stations
will be subject to an abatement of 50%. This will show as a target
reduction at borough level. This has been applied formally in the Areas
and reflected in the target figures published in 2015.

8. Please state the terms and conditions of employment for
firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills i.e.
secondary contracts.

The only secondary contract that exists is for 120 USAR staff providing a
national recall capability paid an allowance of 7.5% of base salary, to
enable the Brigade to meet its national responsibilities in regard to USAR
response. All other firefighters at technical skills centres are on the
standard firefighter’s contract and receive no additional payments in
relation to their specific or additional skills.

9. Please explain what additional payments (skills payments if any) exist
for firefighters/staff who undertake these technical rescue skills.

Please see answer to Question 8, above.

10. Please explain if your FRS operates skills payments for any additional
roles undertaken by firefighters/staff i.e. Life trainers, CBRN/Hazmat
teams, aerial appliances, HV pumping etc.

 

Any firefighter or crew manager carrying out the role of life trainer will
receive an enhanced rate of pay, so their pay is at the watch manager
development rate for the hours they work as a trainer.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

If you are dissatisfied with this response you can request an internal
review by writing to the Head of Information Management and Performance at
the address below (or email [1][email address]).

 

Further information about your information rights (including how to raise
a concern or make a complaint) is available from the Information
Commissioner’s Office website at [2]www.ico.org.uk or by writing to the
Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF.

 

Kind regards

 

Sarah Kelly

Information Access Manager                                         

 

London Fire Brigade

169 Union Street, London SE1 0LL

T: 020 8555 1200 ext 30365

E: [3][email address]

 

Visit our website at [4]www.london-fire.gov.uk

 

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