Unfortunately, unless a request is made by the environment agency to assist them in reducing potential environmental impact, or is linked to an operational incident for firefighting purposes, the isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service will not attend any request to fill or empty swimming pools, ponds or lakes.
This decision is based upon ensuring our resources are not used inappropriately and also helps us to minimise the use of water in nonessential situations which incurs a cost to the local tax payer.
13 July 2010
The owners of a Cowes restaurant have both been fined £1700 and ordered to pay costs after admitting breaking an order related to fire safety at the property.
Abdul Kalam and Salim Islam, who both run Saffron in Cowes High Street, pleased guilty to a charge in relation to UK fire safety regulations.
The prosecution was brought by the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service after inspections at the property discovered a room above the restaurant was being used for sleeping accommodation. This was not allowed as in April 2009 the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service had issued a Prohibition Notice following a visit to the building, where it was found there were inadequate means of escape from the first floor.
The order prevented Mr. Kalam and Mr. Islam from using the first floor for accommodation until adequate means of escape were in place.
A visit by an officer from the Fire and Rescue Service in February 2010 found the first floor was still being used for sleeping accommodation and the concerns over the means of escape still remained; IW Council subsequently began legal action.
Both Mr. Kalam and Mr. Islam were ordered by the Court to pay a total of £2065 each. It is the first time the local authority has brought such a case to court.
Graham Orchard from the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, who is responsible for community fire prevention and protection said "This prosecution demonstrates that the Fire and Rescue Service takes the safety of our business communities and members of the public very seriously. Despite repeated warnings and visits, the first floor at Saffron continued to be used for sleeping accommodation; this put at risk those who used the property because the building did not have a satisfactory means of escape should there be an incident such as a fire. Fire safety regulations on licenced premises are there for a reason and we will not tolerate any disregard for the law".
7 July 2010
Publication of the newsletter has been delayed until mid-July, in order that important information regarding the project can be included. Apologies for the delay, please contact matt.ford@iow.gov.uk with any queries.
30 June 2010
We are pleased to launch the first of our monthly Fire Service Modernisation Newsletters. Please click here to upload the PDF file.
10 April 2010
Fire Service of the Year 2010
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has been named as Fire Service of the Year at an awards ceremony organised by Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE).
The IESE awards, which took place in London on Thursday 4 March, are designed to recognise major achievements in local authorities in the south east region.
The awards were given to councils which have made a significant step change in improving access to valuable services for local people and demonstrating effective innovation in efficiencies and improvement.
The Island's fire and rescue service has made considerable progress and improvement since receiving a 'poor' rating under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment by the Audit Commission in 2005. Under the Fire Service Modernisation project it is striving to become a more modern, responsive and efficient fire service and has made considerable progress to date.
The fire service was nominated for the award by all of the region's chief fire officers. Isle of Wight Council's Chief Fire Officer Paul Street and Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Member for Fire and Community Safety, Cllr Barry Abraham accepted the award which was presented by Cllr Bryan Cope from Kent County Council.
Paul Street said: "We are delighted to be named as Fire Service of the Year, it recognises the efforts of all of our staff and working closely with our representative bodies. We wouldn't have been able to achieve this without the support of council members and senior council officers who have been instrumental in driving through changes to produce an effective and modern fire and rescue service to be proud of."
Cllr Barry Abraham said: "This award is testament to the work we have carried out over recent years to create a modern fire service fit for the Island's needs. I am very proud of our achievements and look forward to building on this success."
Notes for editors
Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE) is one of nine Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) and was established to work with the south east's 74 local authorities to facilitate and fund projects that will drive efficiencies and service improvements across the region. www.southeastiep.gov.uk
09 March 2010
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue's new mobile data system was officially launched today (28 September) with Chief Fire Officers from the Isle of Wight and Surrey signing an important service level agreement.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has been working with the Isle of Wight to build and host a mobile data system for the Isle of Wight following the success of its own system in Surrey. The Isle of Wight is currently undergoing a Model for Change process to modernise the service.
The new system replaces the Isle of Wight's existing paper one and when put into use across all stations in two weeks time will enable them to provide a more effective response for residents.
All the information is held on Toughbooks, ruggedized tablet computers which can be removed from appliances if required and taken directly to the incident. As well as risk information, such as location of hazards, the system holds schematics of utilities and transport networks, detailed maps, fire safety guidance, language translation, software to work out exclusion zones, as well as details of which buildings have received fire safety checks.
Surrey developed the system with software supplier IMASS which has been working with fire personnel from the Island to ensure the system meets the needs of the Island.
Paul Street, Isle of Wight Chief Fire Officer, said, 'We were delighted to work with Surrey and IMASS on developing a system for the Island. Together, they have a great deal of experience and we felt very confident adopting an existing system which has already proved so effective in Surrey.
'This will enable us to provide vital information on every type of incident direct to the firefighters, including information about the premises and location, enabling them to implement safe systems of work.'
Russell Pearson, Chief Fire Officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue said, 'We've been developing our mobile data system for over seven years to become one of the most advanced in the country. For this to be not only recognised by another fire service, but also replicated, is very rewarding. By sharing our knowledge and experience, we've enabled our Isle of Wight colleagues to implement this new system both quickly and efficiently at a time when crew safety is at the forefront of the national fire service agenda.'
Cllr Barry Abraham, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for the fire service said, 'This is a very important day for the Island. This new system will enable us to provide a more efficient service while ensuring the continued safety of our crews. This is all part of becoming a more modern, responsive and efficient fire service.'
28 September 2009
Fire victims are often left standing on the sidelines - watching while firefighters battle to save their homes. But thanks to a vital support service in operation throughout the Isle of Wight, newly destitute families are bundled up into the hub of support that is the British Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service (FESS).
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and the Red Cross joined forces in 2006 for the partnership scheme - which offers victims of house fire, flood, or similar incident, vital emotional and practical support in a time of great need, and can signpost victims to other agencies to help them move forward.
The service is manned entirely by specially trained Red Cross volunteers based at the Red Cross centre in Hunnycross Way, Newport, who use a fire and emergency support unit, a specially adapted Fiat Ducato, to respond to calls at evenings and on weekends on a pager call-out system with the Fire Service.
The vehicle is kitted out with immediate necessities such as a clothing bank, toiletries, a phone, helpful documents.
Volunteer Felicity Beaumont-McInnes, aged 27, from East Cowes, has been volunteering with the service since its inception. She said: "I do it because I like helping people. To see the huge relief a little bit of care can give to someone who is distressed, is just one aspect I get back from it.
"Joining the Red Cross as a volunteer gives you the chance to meet new people, to make new friends - but it’s also one of those sorts of organisations which can give you life-changing experiences. It does make life much more poignant - someone can lose everything and you are the first point of call to help them to move on."
Last year (2008), Red Cross fire and emergency support volunteers responded to a total of 12 call outs on the island. In just the first three months of this year, there were seven callouts.
Now the Red Cross is looking to expand its response from evenings and weekends to round-the-clock support for those in need and help more vulnerable people more of the time. To this end, we have launched a recruitment drive for more FESS volunteers on the island.
John Godwin, FESS coordinator for the island, explained: "We want to be there when the call comes – no matter what time that is. The Red Cross is a volunteer-led organisation and without our volunteers we would never be able to give people the help they need in a crisis. The thorough training we give our volunteers equips them to deal with emotionally challenging situations in a highly professional manner. All our volunteers receive training in safety at an incident, co-operation with the Fire Service, providing emotional support, first aid, and more."
"The FESS is vital to the island; it fills the void between the Fire Service’s job, which is to save life and preserve property, and the people themselves."
For more information regarding FESS, follow the link to the website Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service
20 August 2009
Click the image to view the gallery of photographs from the visit.
Photographs by Sarah Moss, Web Editor, Isle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were recently honoured by a visit from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales to our Fire Station at Ryde. The visit was primarily to hear about the excellent work we are doing with Model for Change and Youth Engagement – both areas being of special interest to His Highness.
The visit lasted 45 minutes and during that time he met the RDS crews from A04 (Ryde Fire Station) and their families. He was shown the ‘story’ of the Model for Change project, heard about the work of the Community Fire Safety team and watched a demonstration from the young people from our latest LIFE scheme.
24 July 2009
A tremendous amount of local support has been given to the Fire Service’s 2008 Square 2 Square charity cycle ride between St Thomas Square, Newport and Vatican Square in Rome. This effort raised a massive £75,000 for charity – three times the original target!
Both the ride itself and the support given to it were magnificent. It is fitting that two Fire Service personnel – Andy Cooper and Kelvin Wright – who were among the chief organisers of the ride have now been invited to meet the Queen at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in July. It will be a memorable day for them and well deserved.
If you would like to know more about the Square to Square team, visit their website at www.squaretosquare.org.uk/
For details and information regarding our Integrated Risk Management Plan Public Consultation, please click on the link below.
Strategies and Plans
The 2008 ‘Direction of Travel Assessment’ undertaken by the Audit Commission has just been announced and states that:
The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority is improving well. It has improved 80% of its Performance Indicators in the last year, particularly in reducing incidents of fire, vehicle fire and death and injury. The Authority works well with local people to target those most at risk. It is working effectively with partners such as the Police, Ambulance Service and schools to educate and raise awareness with young people and reduce anti-social behaviour, arson and road traffic accidents. The Authority knows it needs to do more to improve its approach to equality and diversity and although the third most expensive Service nationally per head of population, it manages its limited resources well. The Authority understands future risks and where its performance needs to improve and is now putting plans in place to ensure it can continue to provide value for money and deliver services to its local communities that meet national standards and fulfil its statutory duties.
For further information see http://cpa.audit-commission.gov.uk/FireScorecard.aspx?TaxID=104326#dot
12 February 2009
Alec Southcott, the Island's longest serving firefighter has retired after over 38 years of service.
Alec joined the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in 1970 and has been involved with some of the most dramatic incidents on the Island since that time.
He has given exceptional service in many areas of the Fire and Rescue Service and specifically in his dedication and expertise in the area of fire prevention and protection.
Alec rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chief Fire Officer in 2007. An experienced and dedicated officer, he has played a key role in the reorganisation and modernisation of the Service.
To mark his retirement Alec and colleagues, past and present, will be spending a few days in New York.
We wish him well.
Paul Street, Chief Fire Officer, recently demonstrated the Service's commitment to fully implementing the national strategy for Skills for Life by signing up to the Go Fire Award along with Cllr Barry Abraham, Cabinet Member for the Fire and Rescue Service; Paul Fletcher, Fire Brigades' Union Regional Learning Coordinator; and Michelle Johnson from the IDeA.
The Fire Service is the first in the South to sign up to the award and only second in the country.
A learning agreement was signed last year between the FBU and the Fire Service with a commitment by both to work in partnership to support staff and engage with the Skills for Life agenda, to develop all members of staff skills so they can succeed to Level 2 and beyond.
A learning forum was established and outside providers were brought into the partnership to develop programmes that can be rolled out across the whole Service. The process has been lengthy but now with the help of the Fire Service's Management team; FBU Learning Project Coordinator; HTP, the Island based training provider; Train to Gain; and the Prison Officers' Association Learning Centre at Albany House a programme is now ready to offer development from pre–entry through to retirement. Eventually, this will also be open eventually to our wider community as the project grows and community fire stations evolve.
Obviously these specific programmes are for development in relation to management and not operational and competency training, as this will always be dealt with internally by the Island's Fire Service Learning and Development team at Ryde.
I3 November 2008
