Changing face of Fire Service

Changing face of Fire Service

16 October 2013

THE work of the Fire and Rescue Service is a 24-hour operation every day of the year, delivered by highly trained professionals. The organisation recently opened a new district command headquarters at the Downshire Civic Centre in Downpatrick where the man in charge is James McAllister.

Previously based in Bangor, the district commander has been in Downpatrick for the past 14 months and is the figurehead of the Fire and Rescue Service’s local management team.

Mr. McAllister and his three assistant district commanders are responsible for the day-to-day running of stations in Downpatrick, Newcastle, Ballynahinch, Carryduff and Kilkeel, all of which are manned by part-time firefighters.

The area the management team covers is also one of the biggest firefighting districts of its kind in Northern Ireland in terms of the square mileage it’s responsible for.

And while many associate the work of the Fire and Rescue Service with responding to 999 calls, there is much more that goes on, with Mr. McAllister admitting the role of the organisation bears no resemblance to what it was a decade or so ago.

The district commander said while the 24/7 nature of the job has not changed, the management side of things is a “world away” from what it was.

He explained: “Local managers are responsible for personnel and training, community safety and operations, with the Fire and Rescue Service now heavily involved at the heart of the community, working and liaising with representatives from a raft of organisations.

“We are much more involved at community level than we have ever been. We are part of the district’s community safety partnership working alongside a number of other agencies. We have good lines of communication with all our partners which enables us to provide a co-ordinated response if the need arises.”

Mr. McAllister said the Fire and Rescue Service works alongside the PSNI, Ambulance Service and Coastguard to ensure the public’s safety, explaining the various agencies make the most of the opportunities they have to simulate emergencies so they can plan a co-ordinated response for real-life events.

“Such exercises lead to a better understanding of what each agency’s specific role is when we attend a major incident. The exercises not only provide better co-ordination between the agencies, but promote better understanding and respect for one another.

“When we attend a major incident, the aim is that all the emergency services work in harmony to ensure no time is wasted and the best outcome for the casualty,” he explained.

Mr. McAllister said the Fire and Rescue Service is as much about protecting the community and working to prevent fires and major incidents as it is to responding to 999 emergencies.

He said the number of emergency calls is reducing and believes one key factor is that an increasing number of people in the home and workplace are more fire safety aware and that greater numbers of homes and businesses have smoke alarms.

Mr. McAllister said another important element of the Fire and Rescue Service’s work is visiting schools along with other members of the emergency services to educate children about the dangers of driving too fast and showing them the aftermath of horrific car accidents.

Away from the work in the community, a typical shift for the district commander begins with sifting through emails sent overnight on a range of issues, ranging from requests for urgent equipment checks to health and safety bulletins.

“We examine what information and directives are important to us and relay that to our crews during drill nights. However, requests for equipment checks are carried out immediately. If a piece of firefighting equipment fails anywhere in the UK then we are notified so checks can take place at our stations immediately.”

The district commander said while equipment is essential, the Fire and Rescue Service could not operate without the part-time firemen across the district whom he described as the “lifeblood of the service.”

He continued: “We rely heavily on our retained firefighters. Their expertise, professionalism and dedication is second to none. These men are holding down full-time jobs and the Fire and Rescue Service is grateful to their employers for allowing them to play a key role at the heart of our operation. These firefighters are part-time in name only.

“The generic skills of a firefighter are the same whether they are full-time or part-time. The job, training and commitment are all the same. “While the weekly drill nights for the retained crews are important, they also participate in specialised training away from their respective stations, rehearsing responses for a range of scenarios, ranging from chemical spills to specialist rescues and all the routine work in between.”

The district commander also suggested the role of the firefighter is a lot different from what it was 18 months ago, explaining the Spence family tragedy near Hillsborough when three men were killed in a slurry tank tragedy provided lessons for not just firefighters, but all members of the emergency services.

“We did not have the detailed understanding of the huge risks associated with slurry tanks and as an organisation we are continually learning,” said Mr. McAllister.

Looking to the future, the district commander said the Fire and Rescue Service is aware of the need to replace Down District’s three current fire stations, admitting that the availability of finance will determine if and when this happens.

He added: “Town centres are not the place for fire stations anymore. Our current bases are located in areas where there can be significant traffic congestion but the public are tremendous in clearing a path for firefighters answering 999 calls. There is a recognition that we have to relocate our existing fire stations in the district, but there is no money to do that at present.”