Minutes:
Darran Gunter, Chief Fire Officer, was in attendance to introduce a presentation about the amalgamation between Wiltshire & Dorset Fire Services.
Mr Gunter explained that there were 26 Fire Stations in Wiltshire and that Wiltshire needed to find an additional £7 million, in order to be able to deliver an effective Fire and Rescue Service to constituents. He highlighted that 86% of fire engines are paid for on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis and that 38% of the Fire Service’s budget is awarded from government grants; the remaining money is allocated from Council Tax. It was noted that budget efficiencies had been made through the loss of managerial positions.
A short video clip was then played on how the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Services would effectively work together; it was outlined that involvement with local partners was being encouraged in order to ensure that those most vulnerable in society could benefit from an effective service. This new authority was highlighted as commencing on 1 April 2016.
In response to questions, Mr Gunter stated that an agenda for efficiency and an agenda for effectiveness were two different entities and that he suspected that more Counties would collaborate with one another in order to deliver effective community services such as, fire and policing.
The Chairman raised concern over how the Fire Service could cope with an additional administrative burden and how the management of two local authorities would function. Mr Gunter assured that brigades around the country, such as Devon and Cornwall, had been working effectively under the management of two local authorities for a while; however, he stressed the importance of relationships and noted that this is an area that he was keen to capitalise.
Cllr Whalley noted that Dorset is a larger County than Wiltshire and that Wiltshire could fare worse if fire stations needed to be closed in the future and thus, he sought reassurance for Wiltshire Fire’s protection. Mr Gunter noted that this concern had been raised elsewhere 12 to 18 months previously and that legislation agreed that, despite the difference in surface area, there would be equal numbers between the 2 counties in terms of the fire authority for each region. Mr Gunter then assured that strong relationships had been built between Wiltshire and Dorset Fire Services and he commented that he was confident that these strong and developing relationships would overcome any scepticism.
The Chairman highlighted the ‘Salamander Scheme’ – a programme where teenagers who had been given an ASBO or were on the verge of being given an ASBO could be admitted into youth education programmes. Mr Gunter confirmed that Youth Education programmes would continue and that the Fire Service fully supported such schemes and recognised their power.
Cllr Tonge encouraged those present to attend any ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ events, in particular the event at the Salisbury Campus, where the Fire Service were moving into their new shared offices, in order to help reduce financial costs.
The Chairman thanked Mr Gunter for his time and informative presentation.