The Service
Specialist Response Week
Who should attend? This event is suitable for fire and rescue service managers with responsibility for mutual aid policies and procedures, incident commanders at a level 4 incident, senior managers of other blue light services and other category 1 responders.
PPE requirement: None beyond suitable protection from the elements for the afternoon practical session.
This is the only subject strand which will be a seminar as opposed to a practical workshop. Chris Boulton will open the day on behalf of the Chief Fire and Rescue Advisers Unit (CFRAU) and will inform delegates of the support mechanisms that have been developed at a national level to assist in dealing with a level 4 incident.
Roy Wilsher, as the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) lead on command and control, will then speak about the work he is involved with on behalf of CFOA around command and control for an incident of this size.
CFO Terry Standing who leads New Dimension Long Term Capability Management on behalf of CFOA will speak about the work being carried out to embed the ND assets into Fire and Rescue Services.
Where a level 4 incident attracts a response from New Dimension assets these will be co-ordinated from the Fire and Rescue Service National Co-ordination Centre (FRSNCC), based in West Yorkshire. Steve Woodfield who manages the FRSNCC, will inform delegates about the role they will perform and the practicalities of co-ordinating such a response.
The prime contractor now appointed by Firebuy to service the New Dimension fleet for the next sixteen years is VT Critical Services and they will be represented at the seminar by Keith Holland, their Technical and Contracts Director. Keith will talk about the support that they can provide to a level 4 incident.
Should an incident involve international assistance what policies and procedures are in place to manage such an event? Dewey Perks, an experienced field commander from the USA, who has worked closely with both the UN and the EU will talk about the potential for international aid.
Hampshire’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer Alan House will present on the crewing models, the specialist response vehicles and the policies and procedures that are in place in Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) to support out of county deployments as an example of how one fire and rescue service has tackled this complex area.
Following this there will be the opportunity to view – at the HFRS Headquarters site – as many of the assets which might be expected to support a level 4 incident from the fire and rescue service and from the other agencies that we are able to assemble. It is hoped that a Hazard Area Response Team (HART) representing the ambulance service will attend as well as support vehicles from the police and industry.
HFRS will instigate a major incident room to co-ordinate out of county deployments (amongst other incidents), and this will be open for viewing.
0900 – Registration and coffee.
0930 – Welcome from John Bonney, Chief Officer, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.
0945 – Chris Boulton. National command initiatives being developed through the Office of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser. Fire and Rescue links to Government in the event of a national incident.
1030 – Roy Wilsher, Chief Officer, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service - Command and control initiatives for regional and national deployments being developed through CFOA.
1110 – Coffee.
1130 – Terry Standing, Chief Fire Officer, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service - CFOA Chair of National Resilience Board CFOA.
1210 – Steve Woodfield, Manager of the Fire and Rescue Service National Co-ordination Centre in West Yorkshire - The role of the FRSNCC.
1240 – Lunch.
1340 – Keith Holland, Technical Director of Vosper Thorneycroft Critical Services (VTCS) - The prime contractor for maintaining the New Dimension fleet and equipment. The support mechanisms provided by the prime contractor to a national scale incident.
1400 – Dewey Perks, Director of US Aid - The potential and mechanisms for international support to a level 5 incident.
1440 – Alan House, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service - Hampshire’s set up for specialist response as an example of how a FRS can prepare for regional and national deployment.
1515 – Short walk to the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters site to view specialist response vehicles including those available from the Police, the Ambulance Service and industry. The Major Incident Room and the Command and Control training suite will also be open for viewing. Tea and coffee served at the HFRS emergency catering unit.
1700 – Round up, final questions and dispersal.
Note: Most of the specialist response vehicles and other displays from the afternoon will remain for the evening buffet from 1800 onwards to allow more opportunities and time for viewing.
introduction
about the week
