Consultation on alternative options to Day Crewing Plus at Hereford, Worcester and Bromsgrove Fire Stations

This consultation is now closed.

A proportionate public consultation is currently underway regarding alternative shift duty systems within Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) following a court ruling.

In 2018, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) brought a successful High Court case against South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority challenging the ‘Close Proximity Crewing’ (CPC) shift system. The judge in the case ruled that CPC was unlawful in relation to the Working Time Regulations.

Day Crewing Plus (DCP) is a similar duty system – and, as with CPC, this system is voluntary and requires firefighters to opt out of normal working hours as specified in the Working Time Regulations.

Due to an inability to obtain a ‘collective agreement’ from the FBU for this system we are now seeking your views on replacement shift duty systems at Hereford, Worcester and Bromsgrove where DCP is currently in operation.

In 2014, Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority (‘the FRA’) approved the Community Risk Management Plan 2014-2020 (‘the CRMP’) . The CRMP sets out how the Service intends to make the area safer with the funding and resources it expects to have available to it over the six-year period, as well as its plans to reduce the number of emergency incidents and how it will work in communities to keep people safe.

Before the CRMP was approved, Hereford and Worcester fire stations each had three fire engines, two of which were crewed on the full-time Shift system and one by On-Call staff. However, the CRMP analysis identified that due to the very low operational activity levels at night in the two cities, the second fire engines at both fire stations should be changed to the Day Duty system so that they would be immediately available during the day and crewed by On-Call staff at night.

What are the benefits?

• In line with the agreed CRMP 2014
• Maintains two fire engines immediate cover resilience during the day at each station
• Potential for additional shift resilience (depending on system adopted) – more prevention, protection and training

A background document is available to ensure you are well informed before having your say.

The consultation closes on 14 June 2019 and an analysis of the results will go to the Fire Authority for consideration later this year.

Confidentiality

All completed questionnaires are being processed by ORS, a specialist social research practice appointed to undertake this work. Please also note that no individuals will be identified in the ORS report of findings, but organisations may be identified.

Other written responses (emails, letters and other submissions) will be summarised by ORS and may be quoted in their report and on our website. Once again, no individuals will be identified, but organisations will be identified.