The council share this latest news. Ed
A revamp of the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, aimed at improving response times and utilising firefighters more effectively, has been announced.
Following a review of the service, the availability of full-time firefighters will be spread across three fire stations, increasing cover during busy periods, helping to reduce the risk to the public.
New ‘locality model’
Currently, full-time firefighters are based at Newport and Ryde, but the move will allow them to work and be immediately available in the Sandown area.
The new ‘locality model’ follows a process of managing vacancies, which has enabled the service to reduce the number of firefighters from 58 to 50, without the need for redundancies.
The model is one already used by the council in different areas, plus other agencies including Hampshire Constabulary and the NHS.
It will enable the fire service to build upon successful partnerships with these services and improve community safety provision.
Investment in fleet
In addition, the council has proposed to spend £940,000 to improve the service’s fleet and equipment, as part of the 2018/19 budget.
Cllr Gary Peace, Cabinet member for community safety and public protection, said:
“I would like to reassure the public that this move is about making our service more effective and efficient, and it would be inappropriate for anyone to suggest otherwise.
“This new way of resourcing firefighters will ensure we can match our crews to meet demand more effectively, meaning we have the right people in the right place at the right time.
“By restructuring the way we use immediately available staff, we’re able to provide a quicker service and carry out more proactive risk-reduction work.”
Slightly below targets
The latest figures show the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is slightly below its 80 per cent target of reaching critical incidents within ten minutes.
The new model will help the service work more closely with partner agencies to identify and target the most vulnerable residents, which is where the prevention and safety activities will be focused.
The revamp is also achievable within the current budgets.
