MQT late LFB answers Sept Oct 2020
LFB Transformation and COVID-9
Question No: 2020/3466
Andrew Dismore
How have budget changes due to COVID-19 impacted the LFB Transformation?
Answer for LFB Transformation and COVID-9
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
LFB Transformation and COVID-9
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
The GLA Group faces a forecast £493 million budget shortfall over the next two years due to the impact of Covid-19. Along with the Metropolitan Police Service, I have asked London Fire Brigade (LFB) to make the smallest percentage of savings across the GLA Group. LFB’s Transformation Delivery Plan is supporting the effective delivery of actions to address the recommendations of both the Phase 1 report and the issues raised in the HMI report. The plan has been refreshed in light of some delays caused by Covid-19 but LFB continues to be committed to delivering every action in the plan. The appointment of the Director for Transformation has brought renewed focus on the transformation of the Brigade and work is underway on leading the long term, systemic transformation of the organisation.
The deadline for the Commissioner to respond to my budget guidance is 30 November.
LFB Property Transformation Update
Question No: 2020/3467
Andrew Dismore
Please provide an update on the LFB’s Property Transformation project.
Answer for LFB Property Transformation Update
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
LFB Property Transformation Update
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
Property transformation at London Fire Brigade (LFB) includes the staff, processes and contracts in the department. The new model is founded on the principles of strategy, delivery and assurance and includes dedicated roles focused on the requirements of stations and operations and developing the LFB workplace. The transformation is being funded by insourcing from the current supply chain and the programme is currently on schedule with a relaunch planned for March 2021.
Question No: 2020/3468
Andrew Dismore
The recent LFB Budget monitoring report suggests that there is a significant overspend due to overtime as a result of vacancies not being filled. What measures have been put in place to address this and improve recruitment?
Answer for Recruitment of LFB staff
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Recruitment of LFB staff
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
London Fire Brigade (LFB) is currently reviewing controls around operational overtime to ensure robust mechanisms are in place, with the intention of bringing spending down going forward. Presently there are vacancies at junior officer level, from leading firefighter to station officer and LFB is running promotion rounds in sequence to address this. Work is taking place to ensure LFB’s workforce planning meets future requirements, ensuring resilience at all levels of the organisation. Robust workforce planning, linked to talent management and succession planning will ensure that LFB has the correct and appropriate skills to keep London safe. A schedule of promotional assessments for all ranks will run regularly and will be communicated to staff to help them prepare and develop.
Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)
Question No: 2020/3470
Andrew Dismore
What are the challenges to recruiting Fire Safety Inspecting Officers?
Answer for Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
There continues to be significant demand from both public and private sector for staff with technical fire safety skills which drives up the market rate and makes retention of experienced, in-demand staff, challenging. Market pressures are not expected to ease for some years. While Covid-19 has also created obstacles, recruitment has continued and numbers of Fire Safety Advisors are increasing. London Fire Brigade’s Fire Safety department has had some difficulty recruiting operational officers from fire stations into fire safety and is working closely with the Fire Brigades Union to develop a pathway into specialist fire safety roles.
Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)
Question No: 2020/3471
Andrew Dismore
How is LFB changing its approach to the recruitment of Fire Safety Inspecting Officers in order to fill vacancies more quickly?
Answer for Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Fire Safety Inspecting Officers (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
Due to ongoing skills shortages in the sector, London Fire Brigade (LFB) has sought to improve recruitment through a variety of methods which include the establishment of the Centre of Learning & Excellence (CLE). LFB’s Fire Safety team has changed the way they recruit staff by attracting staff at Fire Safety Advisor level who don’t necessarily have a history in fire safety but have other appropriate experience. The CLE then provides the necessary training to develop them into Inspecting Officers. This novel programme helps to ensure that LFB has a pool of staff that can support the risk-based inspection programme. Additionally, work is ongoing to explore opportunities to attract operational staff into specialist fire safety roles.
Question No: 2020/3475
Andrew Dismore
How does the recent £7.6milliion contract announced with Interserve1 represent good value for money to LFB?
1 This week in FM ‘£7.6m London Fire Brigade contract awarded to Interserve’ [Date accessed 17.09.20]
Answer for Interserve and LFB
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Interserve and LFB
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
Interserve were awarded a three-year contract under a Crown Commercial Service collaborative framework through a competition between nine pre-approved contractors. The contract price is within the current budget and brings together four previously separate contracts for security, cleaning, grounds maintenance and pest control into one which enables a more efficient service. The contract provides an increased focus on the quality of the service and streamlined delivery of ‘soft services’ which are of increased importance during the current pandemic.
The evaluation process ensured the contract was awarded to the most economically advantageous tender based on a quality/price ratio of 60:40 respectively. Interserve scored 58.98/60 for quality and submitted the lowest price out of all bids. The contract Key Performance Indicators are financially based to ensure future monthly payments are commensurate with the quality and value of service delivered.
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)
Question No: 2020/3476
Andrew Dismore
The 2018/19 HMICFRS report found that not all stations provided suitable privacy and facilities for women. How is this being addressed and improvements made?
Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
The objective of providing facilities for female firefighters has been substantively achieved and every fire station has at least one dedicated women’s facility available. Since the HMICFRS inspection individual resting and changing rooms are now available at Paddington and Tooting Fire Stations, gender neutral showers and toilets are now available at Stratford, Sutton and Woodside Fire Stations. These works were being undertaken during the HMCIFRS inspection and have since been completed. In recognition of the ‘Privacy for All’ aspiration, London Fire Brigade’s Property Services team is now reviewing the provision of gender neutral facilities and privacy for all to create individual resting and changing rooms.
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)
Question No: 2020/3477
Andrew Dismore
Following the HMICFRS report of 2018/19 what have been identified as being the barriers to LFB having a more diverse workforce? How are these barriers being addressed?
Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
Following the HMICFRS report London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioned an external ‘culture audit’ to establish staff experiences and perceptions. In addition, a comprehensive programme of staff engagement took place to inform the development and launch of the new LFB Inclusion Strategy, the ‘Togetherness Strategy’. Significant work has since taken place in order to address identified barriers, including a new behavioural framework, undertaking an equality impact assessment on firefighter assessment processes and training recruiting managers on diversity and inclusion issues.
LFB has also developed a Togetherness Board which is directly accountable for the delivery and success of the Togetherness Strategy. LFB has invited applications for three external community members to sit on this Board, to ensure that London’s diverse communities are represented and able to hold the Brigade to account. A Togetherness Representative Committee has also been established, which will include trade unions and equality staff networks, and will monitor LFB’s progress.
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)
Question No: 2020/3478
Andrew Dismore
Have improvements been seen in the diversity of the LFB workforce since the HMICFRS report?
Answer for Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 20 October, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Encouraging Diversity and LFB (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 November, 2020
There have been improvements in the diversity across most areas of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) workforce since the HMICFRS report, most notably with an increase in women in the operational staff group. LFB’s recruitment campaigns continue to focus on diversity since December 2019 there has been an increase in women (26 per cent) and BAME (30 per cent) firefighter apprentices in training. The table below sets out the change in the numbers and percentage of the workforce from 31 December 2019 to 30 September 2020.
Operational staff
| Date | 31 December 2019 | 30 September 2020 | |
| Women | Percentage | 7.70% | 8.60% |
| Number | 370 | 414 | |
| BAME staff | Percentage | 13.30% | 13.90% |
| Number | 638 | 673 | |
| Disabled staff | Percentage | 5.80% | 6.00% |
| Number | 280 | 291 | |
| LGBT staff | Percentage | 5.10% | 5.30% |
| Number | 244 | 257 |
FRS staff
| Date | 31 December 2019 | 30 September 2020 | |
| Women | Percentage | 50.80% | 51.60% |
| Number | 431 | 452 | |
| BAME staff | Percentage | 29.40% | 29.00% |
| Number | 249 | 254 | |
| Disabled staff | Percentage | 14.00% | 13.70% |
| Number | 119 | 120 | |
| LGBT staff | Percentage | 4.80% | 5.00% |
| Number | 41 | 44 |
Control staff
| Date | 31 December 2019 | 30 September 2020 | |
| Women | Percentage | 77.10% | 77.70% |
| Number | 81 | 80 | |
| BAME staff | Percentage | 12.40% | 13.60% |
| Number | 13 | 14 | |
| Disabled staff | Percentage | 10.50% | 9.70% |
| Number | 11 | 10 | |
| LGBT staff | Percentage | 6.70% | 5.80% |
| Number | 7 | 6 |
Operational discretion training (1)
Question No: 2020/3068
Andrew Dismore
Has London Fire Brigade completed operational discretion training for level 1 and 2 officers? If not, when will it do so?
Answer for Operational discretion training (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Operational discretion training (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
Operational discretion is a cornerstone of the redesigned, nationally accredited incident command Level 1 (L1) training courses. Initial training began rolling out in September 2020. Following this roll out, work will start on designing the training for the nationally accredited Level 2 (L2) courses, in which operational discretion will be a key feature.
In the meantime, the revised operational discretion policy will have a computer-based training package for all operational personnel to complete, as well as input on the revised one day L1 maintenance of skills course. This L1 course piloted in October and will run over the normal two-year cycle split with revalidation. All level 2 and 3 commanders will receive operational discretion training during quarterly maintenance of skills training by the in-house incident command development team from quarter 3 this financial year.
Question No: 2020/3072
Andrew Dismore
When do you expect the evacuation steering group to next meet, and what has been its previous meeting schedule, and what is its membership?
Answer for Evacuation steering group (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Evacuation steering group (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
The London Fire Brigade believes this question refers to the Stay Put steering group run by The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. LFB does not sit on this group and is not aware of its schedule for future meetings.
Question No: 2020/3073
Andrew Dismore
What involvement did LFB have in the design of the call for evidence, commissioning and related work from academics for the evacuation steering group, and when will this research be complete?
Answer for Evacuation steering group (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Evacuation steering group (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
The London Fire Brigade believes this question refers to the Stay Put steering group run by The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. LFB does not sit on this group has not been involved in the design of the call for evidence, commissioning and related work from academics.
Question No: 2020/3075
Andrew Dismore
LFB’s Consolidated GTI and HMI action plan states that “it has been determined that the evacuation steering group did not meet in February”. How was this determined?
Answer for Evacuation steering group (4)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Evacuation steering group (4)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
This was ascertained through London Fire Brigade officers holding a discussion with National Fire Chief Council colleagues.
City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB
Question No: 2020/3081
Andrew Dismore
What is the membership of this committee, has it met yet, and will its papers be published?
Answer for City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
City Hall Independent Audit Committee of LFB
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
The London Fire Commissioner has recruited four independent members for the Audit Committee and the details of the members, and the comprehensive selection process are published in a report on London Fire Brigade’s website. It is planned that the first meeting of the Audit Committee will take place in December. The Terms of Reference and reporting arrangements are still to be finalised, but it is proposed that the Committee will produce an annual report which will be published.
King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)
Question No: 2020/3092
Andrew Dismore
When was the remedial work on the dangerous external wall panelling at King’s College NHS ICU completed?
Answer for King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
King’s ICU fire safety concerns (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
London Fire Brigade has requested the completion date for remedial fire safety work at King’s College ICU. That work is still ongoing, and a completion date is not yet available.
Question No: 2020/3101
Andrew Dismore
For each day of the operation of the tripartite agreement with LAS, how many LFB vehicles were off the run? Please break this down by vehicle types.
Answer for Pumps off the run
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Pumps off the run
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
Many London Fire Brigade vehicles will show as ‘off-the-run’ at some point during any day. This could for reasons including scheduled vehicle maintenance, a crew needing to change contaminated fire gear after returning from an incident, a crew member with an urgent domestic emergency needing to leave the station or another station needing a crew member with a particular set of skills to support them with a specialised vehicle. The data supplied has used a cut-off of appliances ‘off-the-run’ for 15 minutes or more, which excludes shorter periods from the numbers.
The table below for pumping appliances shows for each month between January and September 2020, how many pumps were ‘off the run’ at each hour of the day. The tripartite agreement with the LAS ran from 13 April to 27 September 2020. A total of 300 firefighters were provided between 13 April and mid-July, a staggered stand-down of LFB staff began mid-July, and 200 firefighters remained between mid-July to 27 September. The equivalent 2019 total figures are also shown for comparison.
| Hour of the day | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 14 |
| 11 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 19 |
| 12 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 11 |
| 13 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 8 |
| 14 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 16 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 5 |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 18 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 20 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 21 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 46 | 69 | 61 | 36 | 35 | 44 | 77 | 149 | 132 |
| TOTAL 2019 for comparison | 52 | 70 | 69 | 60 | 87 | 108 | 115 | 143 | 104 |
Specialist appliance crewing (2)
Question No: 2020/3105
Andrew Dismore
In each month of 2020 so far, how many times has a) a fire and rescue unit and b) a command unit been off the run because of lack of trained crew?
Answer for Specialist appliance crewing (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Specialist appliance crewing (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
| Month | Days per month | Shifts per month | Total Shifts for eight Command Units (CUs) | Number of shifts a CU was “off the run” |
| January | 31 | 62 | 496 | 44 |
| February | 29 | 58 | 464 | 34 |
| March | 31 | 62 | 496 | 44 |
| April | 30 | 60 | 480 | 42 |
| May | 31 | 62 | 496 | 49 |
| June | 30 | 60 | 480 | 57 |
| July | 31 | 62 | 496 | 73 |
| August | 31 | 62 | 496 | 87 |
| Month | Days per month | Shifts per month | Total Shifts for fourteen Fire and Rescue Units (FRUs) | Number of shifts an FRU was “off the run” |
| January | 31 | 62 | 868 | 0 |
| February | 29 | 58 | 812 | 0 |
| March | 31 | 62 | 868 | 0 |
| April | 30 | 60 | 840 | 0 |
| May | 31 | 62 | 868 | 0 |
| June | 30 | 60 | 840 | 0 |
| July | 31 | 62 | 868 | 0 |
| August | 31 | 62 | 868 | 3 |
The action that London Fire Brigade is taking to ensure that more staff are trained to meet crewing arrangements for Command Units is addressed in Mayor’s Question 2020/3106.
Specialist appliance crewing (3)
Question No: 2020/3106
Andrew Dismore
What is LFB’s target number of operational staff trained for fire and rescue unit and command unit crewing, and what is the total number of actual staff trained?
Answer for Specialist appliance crewing (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 September, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Specialist appliance crewing (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 November, 2020
London Fire Brigade (LFB) requires 932 qualified staff to crew its fire and rescue units. LFB currently has 732 trained staff.
LFB currently requires 96 qualified Sub Officer Specialist Command Unit staff to crew its eight Command Units (CUs) under the current crewing arrangements. LFB currently has 57 trained staff. The Brigade is moving to an integrated CU structure to increase resilience and will require 256 trained staff to crew the CUs. There are additional training courses scheduled until the end of the financial year to meet this requirement and the Brigade will move to full integration in quarter one of 2021/22.
