156 05 24 – Crew Allowances (June 2024)

28/05/24

Request

Afternoon Hereford & Worcester Fire & Rescue Service,

I’m doing some research into emergency service crewing and in particular Wholetime Day Crewed. If you could answer the following questions below I would be very grateful.

Thanks and kind regards,

FOI Questions

(1) Do you operate a Wholetime Day-Crewed system within your Service/County? If yes, please refer to the question set below.

(2) Do WT DC personnel receive either free or subsidised accommodation from the Service within the defined turnout area? If subsidised please provide detail on how this subsidy is calculated including figures.

(3) Do WT DC personnel not residing in Service housing receive a rent/mortgage allowance? If yes, how is this calculated? Please include figures.

(4) Do WT DC personnel receive a DC nighttime allowance for responding to incidents when called upon outside of positive hours worked on station? If yes, how is this calculated? Does the NT allowance include payment for turnouts and attendances?

(5) Do you pay any other allowances that are specific to day-crewed personnel?

(6) Can you confirm if all benefits/allowances are available to all DC a personnel? If not please provide detail.

Response

Good Morning

Thank you for your request for information, which has been received by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (the Service) and considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

The Service can confirm that the information that you have requested is held and can be found as below:

(1) Do you operate a Wholetime Day-Crewed system within your Service/County? If yes, please refer to the question set below.

Yes, but only for existing Day Crewed staff; no new staff are attached to this duty system.

(2) Do WT DC personnel receive either free or subsidised accommodation from the Service within the defined turnout area? If subsidised please provide detail on how this subsidy is calculated including figures.

No

(3) Do WT DC personnel not residing in Service housing receive a rent/mortgage allowance? If yes, how is this calculated? Please include figures.

Yes. Currently £330.17 p/month. This gets increased in line with the NJC pay award %. There is also a Compensatory Grant payment each April.

(4) Do WT DC personnel receive a DC nighttime allowance for responding to incidents when called upon outside of positive hours worked on station? If yes, how is this calculated? Does the NT allowance include payment for turnouts and attendances?

Yes. The Day Crewed Retaining Fee is 5% of the Wholetime rate and is set by the NJC. Turnout and Attendance Fees are paid in addition to the Retaining Fee and are in line with the NJC rates.

(5) Do you pay any other allowances that are specific to day-crewed personnel?

No

(6) Can you confirm if all benefits/allowances are available to all DC a personnel? If not please provide detail.

The allowances referred to in questions 3 and 4 are available to all Day Crewed Personnel.   

If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact Information Governance and Committee Services on tel: 0345 122 4454 or by e-mail informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk. In any such communication please include the reference number assigned (see Subject).

Should you have any queries regarding the management of your request and wish to make either a complaint or request a review of the information disclosed to you, please do so by using Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s complaints system: Comments and Complaints. This must be done within 40 working days of our response to your request. After this date and in line with ICO guidance the Service is not obliged to provide an internal review of your request.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (alternatively 01625 545745) or E-mail: casework@ico.org.uk.

Further information on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service may be viewed at the Service’s website: www.hwfire.org.uk

Thank you for your request for information.

Kind regards

Information Governance Team

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