24/11/2008 - Public consultation on fire service action plan closes tomorrow

A chance for the public to have their say on key plans for the future of Cumbria’s Fire & Rescue Service ends tomorrow.

Work is continuing within the Fire & Rescue Service to make communities across the county safer and there is greater emphasis on preventing fires and other emergencies and the causes of these incidents. This approach aims to cut the number of deaths and injuries as well as damage to property, the environment, and the community.

Part of this process is to produce an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) where statistic based forecasts help the service focus on what it needs to do. This work started in 2004 and continues with the publication of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s sixth Annual Action Plan, for 2009/10, which was released for public consultation in September. 

Many of the changes introduced so far have had a significant effect on the number of deaths and injuries caused by fire with a steady downward trend over the last four years. 

IRMPs are delivered via yearly action plans and next year’s action plan for the Fire and Rescue Service proposes several actions, including:

- to encourage the fitting of domestic sprinklers in homes at most risk
- to review service delivery from Penrith Fire Station
- to reduce the number of attendances at unwanted fire signals
- to provide better medical training for operational personnel and enhanced pre-hospital care
- to consider the viability of introducing phased alerting for some retained fire stations.

An electronic version of the IRMP is available online at http://www.cumbriafire.gov.uk/ 

ENDS

Media enquiries to Media Officer Chris Little on 01228 226334.