Agenda item

To receive any verbal updates from Partners and Community Groups present, including:

·       Fire & Rescue

·       Community Engagement Manager (CEM) – Projects and Priorities.

To note the following written updates attached to the agenda:

a) Wiltshire Council Items for Information – Mental Health Awareness, Licensing event and Basic Broadband Commitment Scheme.

b) Wilton Town Team minutes – July

c) Healthwatch Wiltshire and the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group updates

Note: Speakers are reminded that they each have a 3 minute slot, unless they have previously discussed alternative arrangements with the Community Engagement Manager.

The Board received verbal updates from Partners and Community Groups present, including:

Fire & Rescue 

The District Commander for Warminster Jason Moncrieff gave an update.

·       The Chief fire Officer was retiring in January. A replacement had been selected; he was the current assistant Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell.

·       Statistics for the three community areas were given at the meeting.

·       There had been a number of fatalities over summer period. Crews have worked hard attending these incidents – crews automatically received a de-fusing service and they were monitored for any signs of mental distress.

·       Mere Fire Station crew were at the Mere carnival and had attended a generator fire in the procession.

·       Community contact – Crews had attended Tisbury music fair – and would also be in attendance at the mini muddy madness event on Saturday.

·       Recruitment – There had been a number of efforts – The recent Spire FM recruitment drive saw with 20 candidates stepping forward. They would need to undergo a training and fitness assessment process.

·       Dorset Fire Fighters were able to provide cover in Wiltshire to enable continuous cover.

Questions and Comments were then received, these included:

·       Cllr George Jeans – The co-responder scheme where a fire crew attended in place of an ambulance had reduced by 80% in Mere. Answer:  There was a pilot scheme running in Mere by the SW Ambulance Service Foundation trust, and not down to the Fire Service. When someone called 999 this was directed to the control centre which would then usually mobilise a co-responder unit if they could not get an ambulance to the location quickly enough. They will then paid a cost to the Fire Service to cover the loss, it was not a money making scheme. Fire Crews could only go to those incidents for which they were mobilised to, this was on a category basis. 

In midlands and Yorkshire – they had re-categorised the category – and so the co-responders were not attending as they did not now meet the category level. Although an 80% reduction sounded high so Jason could not specifically answer the part.

Tisbury and Mere had raised the query to ask why they were no longer getting  the co-responder calls. Feedback came back that its due to the pilot scheme running for those areas. This was an Ambulance Service control room decision not to send a co responder. Not the Fire Service.

·       Cllr Bridget Wayman – This issue was something the Fire Authority was aware of and she would take back this concern to the Ambulance Trust as they were responsible for the pilot scheme.

Action – the Board to write to the Ambulance Trust to get a better response to incidents in the SWW community.

Community Engagement Manager (CEM)

Steve Harris gave an update on the Projects and Priorities as detailed in the agenda.

·       Older Peoples champions would start in their roles next week.

·       The Age UK bus had circulated the first round of visit details, for the SWW area these would be:

·       What matters to you event would take place on Wednesday 16November 2016 at The Nadder Centre in Tisbury.

·       The Safe Places scheme was continuing to roll out across the community; the Nadder Centre now also displayed a sticker. A stand was held at The Wilton event to raise awareness of the scheme and a meeting had been held in Mere last week, where one volunteer had come forward.

The Board noted the following written updates attached to the agenda:

a) Wiltshire Council Items for Information – Mental Health

Awareness, Licensing event and Basic Broadband

Commitment Scheme.

b) Wilton Town Team minutes – July

c) Healthwatch Wiltshire and the Wiltshire Clinical

Commissioning Group updates