Tag: emergency services

Firefighters participate in “ground-breaking” health trials

  • Hundreds of firefighters to be tested this week for cancer and other health issues in Scotland as part of a UK-wide firefighter health monitoring research project, commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)
  • Firefighters are currently not provided with regular monitoring in UK despite risk of occupational cancer
  • FBU calls for urgent action to protect firefighters

A firefighter cancer monitoring project has been launched in Scotland as part of a new UK wide research project commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). The testing is being carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), led by a world expert in fire toxicity, Professor Anna Stec.

Trials took place in Edinburgh from Monday 11th until Wednesday 13th September. 

Nearly 200 Scottish firefighters are participating by providing blood and urine samples. The results will be used to detect cancers and other diseases at the early stages, and to identify evidence linking occupational cancers with exposure to toxic fire chemicals. 

The Scottish Government has provided funding of £56,000 towards this project, while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is working with the FBU and UCLan to facilitate the testing.

This follows research finding that incidence of cancer among UK firefighters aged 35-39 is up to 323% higher than in the general population in the same age category. 

This testing project is the first of its kind to take place for firefighters in the UK and follows the World Health Organisation announcement that occupational exposure as a firefighter is carcinogenic.

Riccardo La Torre, FBU national officer, said: “This research is a vital part of our campaign to protect firefighters from cancer and other occupational disease. The Fire Brigades Union is proud to have led the way in fighting for the protections we need to stop preventable deaths, while employers and governments have failed to act.

“The UK is decades behind many other countries on this issue. While it is positive that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has supported this week’s initiative, we urgently need regular UK-wide monitoring to catch occupational diseases early and save firefighters’ lives.”

John McKenzie, FBU Scotland regional secretary said: “Every firefighter who has volunteered to participate in these health trials should be proud of their contribution to workplace safety. The evidence shows that exposure to toxic contaminants in fire is putting firefighters’ health at risk. We must see serious action to save lives from occupational cancer and diseases.

“We are pleased that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is supporting this ground-breaking research and are committed to furthering this vital work. It is imperative that firefighters continue to see improvements to preventative measures within their workplaces over the months ahead.”

SFRS Assistant Chief Officer Andy Watt said: “The SFRS has already undertaken work to minimise the risk of contaminants for our staff and we will continue to work in partnership with the FBU and Professor Anna Stec to develop and deliver further improvements that will help mitigate the effects of contaminants.

“There are a wide number of areas of work that we are progressing through our Contaminants Group that will take time to deliver, and staff will see the phased implementation of these changes and improvements over the coming months.”

Anna Stec, professor in fire chemistry and toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “This is the first study of its kind in UK and the research brings to light the wide range of occupational hazards that firefighters face.

“It is vital that firefighters can continue to do their jobs as safely as possible, and the research shows that measures such as health monitoring and reducing exposure from contaminants at the workplace will play an important part in protecting firefighters.

“We hope that working with organisations like SFRS will not only help us to create a safer working environment in Scotland, but will also introduce a change to the wider sector.”

Police Scotland: ‘Hard Choices’ following real-terms funding cut

Police Scotland has outlined urgent action to maintain effective policing within the funding available to the organisation.

Policing’s funding allocation for 2023-24 represents a real terms reduction, meaning more than £50m of savings are required to ensure a balanced budget.

Police Scotland has been clear hard choices are necessary and we have been required to reduce our budgeted officer establishment from 17,234 to 16,600.

Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor QPM provided an overview of work to prioritise resources to keep people safe and protect the vulnerable and was clear our service to the public will be impacted.

DCCD Taylor said: “Our financial planning in March made it clear that our funding allocation for 2023-24 represents a real terms reduction, meaning we have been required to reduce the number of police officers we have from 17,234 to around 16,600.

“Of necessity, we will reduce police staff costs in proportion to the reduction in officer numbers and reduce overtime spending.

“Hard choices are being taken now to maintain effective policing within the funding available to us. Action is being taken to achieve savings and deliver a balanced budget for 2023-24.  Areas which encounter the greatest demand and which carry the greatest risk are being prioritised to ensure we continue to effectively reduce harm and protect the vulnerable.

“As part of this urgent action we have paused police staff recruitment other than for reform or externally funded posts; for roles based in our Contact, Command and Control (C3) Division or Resource Deployment Unit; for Police Custody and Security Officers; and for Public Enquiry and Support Assistants.

“Recruitment of Probationary Constables will continue and our commitment to no compulsory redundancies for police staff remains.”

DCCD Taylor also said funding challenges underlined the need to accelerate changes which made savings or supported operational policing, including the successful transformation of the police estate.

DCC Taylor said: “This work will shape our Service and define core policing. It seeks to reduce demand and increase capacity, and accelerate those changes which save money and provide benefits to operational policing. This includes the ongoing transformation of our estate. We will also review support services and our command structures.

“Consequently, some of the things that we do may need to be done differently or take us longer. The level of service we provide in some areas will reduce.”

Police Scotland returns more than £200m to the public purse every year compared to legacy arrangements.

The Scottish Government’s budget for 2023/24 confirmed an £80m core funding uplift for policing, with £37m required to fund the ongoing cost of the 2022-23 pay award, leaving £43m to fund unavoidable pay and other inflationary costs for the current financial year.

Choudhury supports Fire Brigade Union’s #CutsLeaveScars campaign

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have announced a programme of £11 million worth of cuts for 2023-24, which could lead to catastrophic removals of equipment and firefighter positions at fire stations.  

Crewe Toll Fire Station in Edinburgh is due to be affected, with the potential loss of the station’s Turntable Ladder, the piece of equipment which allows rescues from height. 

If the equipment is removed from the station, and if no other height appliance was available to attend, there would be no external rescue possible from above the fourth floor in a building.  

Foysol Choudhury MSP this week visited Crewe Toll Fire Station to discuss the impact that these cuts would have on the firefighters and their ability to do their job safely. 

Following the visit, Mr Choudhury said: “Firefighters risk their lives doing their jobs to save us, and our buildings, from fire.   

“They depend on vital equipment to help them do this safely and so I am incredibly concerned that this equipment could be removed, meaning that rescues from height will not be possible. 

“With over 50 buildings above four floors in the surrounding area, this proposal makes no sense.  

“If there is a fire in a block of flats in the area surrounding Crewe Toll, what will happen?  

“These cuts should not be made, knowing the dangers that fires can cause and the tragedies they lead to.  

“You can sign the petition to help Crewe Toll Fire Station retain their height appliance here: https://chng.it/CJncjdvty7” 

The Labour list MSP is supporting FBU Scotland’s #CutsLeaveScars campaign, which is calling for a reverse to the decision to cut £11million from services.

Mr Choudhury is also calling on the Scottish Government to urgently review their funding arrangements with the SFRS, so that these cuts are not forced and so that both firefighters and the public can be kept safe by a fully resourced fire and rescue service. 

Scottish Ambulance Service receives 10 million calls

More than 10 million people have called the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) in the past nine years.

The amazing milestone of 10 million was received on July 17 at 05:56 and was taken by East ACC call handler Melissa Hurst.

SAS uses a system to log calls called C3, which is a service operating system to record all incidents called into 999; this allows our clinical staff to review and offer support where appropriate and for our dispatchers to allocate resources when required.

It was introduced in 2006 and originally implemented into the three regional ACCs – Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh – which operated separately. In 2014, it was implemented nationally as the ACCs integrated into a national service; this is when the national incident count started.

Earlier this year, the Service launched its Integrated Clinical Hub. Using a multi-disciplinary network of skilled clinical staff, the Hub gives SAS the ability to provide a detailed consultation for patients whose initial 999 triage has ruled out time-critical illness. The hub operates 24 hours a day, to ensure patients receive the best possible response to their need when they dial 999.

Michael Dickson, SAS Chief Executive, said: “Our ACCs are an invaluable part of the Scottish Ambulance Service and this is truly a remarkable achievement. Thanks to all of our ACC staff who continue to provide such a crucial service.

“Whether these calls were for call handlers to deliver incredible care, for dispatchers to send the right resource to the scene as quickly as possible, or clinicians to assess and keep our patients safe, we are grateful and proud of all of our ACC staff for the outstanding service they provide to Scotland.

“Our Clinical Hub transformation is aimed at supporting more patients in communities to ensure patients get the right care, at the right time. The number of patients being cared for out with hospital Emergency Departments remains substantial and as we head into a challenging winter period, it’s vital we find ways of delivering the right care for individuals and easing pressure on Emergency Departments.”

Call handler Melissa said: “Taking the 10th million call puts it in perspective of just how many people have depended and relied on SAS to help and care for patients. It shows just how essential our service is for both the public and healthcare professionals and I’m thankful to be a part of it.”

The milestone comes as the SAS ACC team recently won Call Handling Team of the Year at the Control Room Awards, and our control room received Accredited Centre of Excellence (ACE) accreditation for the excellent standard of its 999-call handling and supporting processes.

Scottish Ambulance Service celebrates International Paramedics Day

The Scottish Ambulance Service is celebrating International Paramedics Day on Saturday 8th July by saying thank you to all their hardworking and dedicated staff, and sharing some of their stories.

Launched in 2022 by the College of Paramedics, International Paramedics Day takes place on the birthday of Dominique-Jean Larrey, who is considered the “father of modern-day ambulance services”. It aims to celebrate the tremendous work carried out by paramedics and first responders, and to inspire the next generation of clinicians.

As skilled clinicians, paramedics and first responders make an extraordinary contribution to health and social care systems across the globe, helping patients when they need it most and providing safe and effective treatment.

Paul Bassett, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service says: “International Paramedics Day is a fantastic way for ambulance services across the UK to come together and sing the praises of all of our dedicated and hardworking staff.

“We want to celebrate our paramedics, technicians and volunteers, as well as the call handlers and dispatchers, who are absolutely integral to bringing care to patients across Scotland. It’s a difficult, emotionally and physically demanding job, but it’s also incredibly rewarding, and we are so appreciative of all that you do.”

Kimberley Davies, a paramedic in Dalkeith (pictured top) says: “I enjoy helping and seeing different people every day from babies to the elderly and being able to make a difference in someone’s life.

“The most challenging thing is being away from home for long hours, but we make up for it on days off. It’s surprising how much your day can vary, from general transfers to emergency calls.”

Stevie Hannah, Special Operations Response Team (SORT) Paramedic Team Leader for the West, says: “I’m 30 years with the service this year so I must be enjoying it. What I like most is that no two days are the same, ever!

“I love meeting members of the public and trying to help them in their time of need, which can also be the worst day of their lives. It’s challenging to be in extreme situations where we are dealing with the public, and also having media focus on us, because of the nature of the incidents we attend.

“But I would advise anyone going into the profession, you are making a difference in people’s lives every day. Treat every patient as if they were a member of your family and you’ll never go wrong and don’t forget to talk and seek advice from your colleagues.”

Leesa Taylor is a paramedic in Banff, and she describes it as being “the best job in the world. You never know what a day will bring or who you’re going to meet! Knowing you can make a small difference to them or their loved ones is really rewarding. The job definitely keeps you on your toes too.

“I think people will find the progression of the role surprising – gone are the days where we just take everyone to hospital. Paramedics also help with triaging calls, within management roles and within our education departments, to name a few. The role is evolving more and more, with scope for progression as practitioners or as specialists in critical care.”

999 Anniversary: Strachan House says thanks to local emergency services

Residents from Strachan House care home in Blackhall hit the road and made some surprise visits to its local emergency service responders this week, armed with goodie boxes and letters of appreciation for everything they do.

It comes as the 999 emergency number reached its 86th birthday on the 30th June. 

The care home staff and residents took to the roads and visited police, fire and ambulance in the Blackhall area to show their appreciation for everything our heroes do in our hour of need when the well-known number is dialled.

Drylaw police officers, Telford Road fire station and paramedics at the Western General were all very surprised when they received our hampers of thanks!

Mandy Burgen, Head of Wellbeing and Lifestyle for Strachan House, said: “Behind every emergency number dialled it’s important to know there is a team of people who respond without hesitation. It has been an honour for staff and residents to deliver these boxes of goodies to say thank you.

“Our local emergency services do so much, so to surprise them with a little gift of kindness was amazing. Our residents loved being able to say thank you, as well as meet and chat with local police, fire personnel and paramedics”

Louise Abraham, a resident at the home, said: “It was lovely to be able to meet so many of our emergency services and show our appreciation for all their hard work they do.” 

Strachan House has built up excellent reputations within its local community, regularly holding community events and activities for residents and surrounding neighbours.  

Gordon Philp, General Manager at Strachan House said: “We are always keen to show as much support as we can to our local services and 999 day was the perfect day to demonstrate how much appreciate all their hard work and dedication”. 

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.

Fire service to change the way it responds to false fire alarm signals

IS YOUR WORKPLACE READY?

Firefighters across the East of Scotland responded to almost 10,000 unwanted fire alarm signals last year – the equivalent of around 27 a day.

The figure has been revealed as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) gets ready to change the way it responds to unwanted fire alarm signals: 

From 1 July, 2023 an alarm activation will require those with fire safety responsibility, known as dutyholders, to investigate the cause of an alarm and only call 999 once a fire has been confirmed.

This approach is already embedded across several other UK fire and rescue services, who require a confirmed fire before they send fire appliances

Fire Alarm Systems provide an early warning of fire and are one of the most effective ways to keep your business, staff and customers safe in the event of a fire.

Unfortunately, most signals from these systems are not actual fires – they are false alarms often caused by cooking fumes, dust or a lack of maintenance. These unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) mean our fire crews are called out unnecessarily.

From 1 July 2023, we will stop attending automatic fire alarm (AFA) call outs to commercial business and workplace premises, such as factories, offices, shops and leisure facilities – unless a fire has been confirmed.

Dutyholders with responsibility for workplace premises should safely investigate a fire alarm before calling 999, as our control room operators will now be asking for confirmation of an actual fire, or signs of fire, before sending the nearest resource.

SFRS will treat any fire alarm as a sign of fire, other than from a single smoke detector. Other signs of fire include: visual flame/smoke, smell of burning, or any other fire alarm signal. 

This change does not apply to sleeping premises, such as hospitals, care homes, hotels or domestic dwellings who will continue to get an emergency response.

This follows the SFRS public consultation in 2021 and is estimated to greatly reduce unnecessary call outs in order to free up our firefighters to attend real emergencies and to allow them to do more community safety prevention work.

What do I need to do next?

  • As a dutyholder you must ensure that your premises are safe for staff, visitors and occupants in the event of a fire. You have a responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 to maintain the facilities and equipment provided. Failure to do this could lead to prosecution.
  • Staff and occupants should be made aware of how to respond safely to AFA activations in each premises. It is recommended that you read the guidance Investigating Fire Alarms prepared by the Fire Industry Association.  Ignoring them or assuming the fire and rescue service has been notified could put people at risk. 
  • You should contact your insurance company to discuss the changes in response to AFA activations, but please note that SFRS will always attend a confirmed fire.
  • If there is a fire you should always call 999 immediately and follow other specific strategies, such as evacuation and assembly points.

How you can help to reduce false or unwanted alarms

As a dutyholder, you have a responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 to maintain the facilities and equipment provided. Failure to do this could lead to prosecution.

We fully support the installation of automatic fire alarm systems, but these systems must be fully managed and maintained to reduce false alarms and ensure that they activate at the right time and achieve the correct response.

You must work with your fire risk assessor and update your fire risk assessment with any changes.

We have two initiatives in place to assist with reducing instances of UFAS. ‘TAKE5’ and ‘BE AWARE’ are simple and effective ways of delivering key information to staff and guests, allowing them to consider their actions in buildings.

Other key steps include:

  • Reviewing your Fire Safety Risk Assessment and keeping a log of all false alarms to identify any trends which should be raised with your alarm engineers.
  • Creating an action plan to reduce the chance of any false alarm occurring
  • Check detector types and their locations – would moving detectors or changing the type used reduce activations? Seek advice from your alarm engineer.
  • Upgrading automatic fire detection (AFD) systems that are obsolete with more modern technology e.g. ‘multi-sensing’ detectors
  • Fitting manual call points with protective plastic covers in problem, vulnerable or high traffic areas
  • Ascertaining whether any false alarms are a result of activating the wrong call points such as green emergency door release points
  • Keeping AFD systems appropriately maintained
  • Considering whether a link to an Alarm Receiving Centre is necessary or if it is appropriate to suspend the automatic dialling function whilst buildings are occupied or at certain times of the day
  • Seeking further guidance and advice from their alarm system provider or servicing agent as well as their local legislative fire safety officer.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stewart Nicholson is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Head of Service Delivery for the East of Scotland. He said: “We will continue to work with dutyholders to help them better understand their obligations, but I must stress the importance of having adequate training in place for staff and in ensuring appropriate fire safety provisions are in place within your premises. 

“By changing our response to these types of incidents, we can potentially free up 64,000 hours every year giving firefighters more time for other activities, such as training and fire safety prevention work.  

“However, there are benefits to businesses too by preventing these incidents from happening in the first place. On average, every unwanted fire alarm signal interrupts business for around 27 minutes each time.” 

New £1.5m Scottish Ambulance Service training facility opens at Newbridge

A new £1.5 million Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) special operations training and logistics facility was opened in Newbridge, Edinburgh yesterday (June 12).

Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Michael Matheson  visited the base to see the expansion and learn about what type of training will be carried out at the facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK.

He spoke with Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie, SAS Chair Tom Steele, incoming CEO Michael Dickson and General Manager of the National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD) John Burnham, along with other staff from NRRD.

As part of SAS’s Civil Contingencies Response Programme, the training facility – which is an expansion to the ambulance service’s existing NRRD east base – will be used as a centralised training location and a dedicated equipment logistics hub.

The facility will be used for a range of training exercises, including how to respond to major incidents, and also Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents.

It also includes a 360, fully interactive, immersive training suite which can be used to simulate a range of incidents in different environments including emergency departments, night clubs, industrial sites.

The suite enables not only the practice of clinical skills but subjects staff to a variety of stimuli including lighting and sound effects which may impact on performance.

SAS Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “We are delighted to open this new training facility today and I’d like to thank all the staff involved. It has been an incredible effort and our NRRD department is a vital part of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“This training facility will be invaluable for our staff who respond to both large and challenging incidents.  This can include treating and conveying patents from challenging inaccessible and confined location including water, chemical accidents and incidents involving a large number of people.

“This facility will help us prepare to respond to these large-scale and complex incidents safely and provide the best care to our patients.”

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “This facility will be a valuable asset in allowing staff to train in a realistic but safe environment.

“Giving them the chance to experience different scenarios which could be out of the usual confines of their daily routine is so important as it will give them the confidence, resilience and knowledge of how to respond.

“Our ambulance staff run to help those in times of need and it is right that we give them the tools to allow them to do that and this training facility will do that.”

Portobello Beach Safety Markers

The City of Edinburgh Council installed location markers at Portobello Beach as part of a beach safety partnership with the Edinburgh Police Division and Maritime and Coastguard Agency in April 2021.

Numbered signs 1-6 have been attached to existing beach defence groynes and yellow circular signs to the sea wall. The emergency services can use these numbered markers to plot your location in an emergency.

Marker 1 – Pipe Lane

Marker 2 – Bath Street

Marker 3 – Bellfield Street

Marker 4 – John Street

Marker 5 – Bedford Terrace

Marker 6 – End of the promenade at Joppa Road

The signage has been used numerous times over the last few years, including search & rescue incidents.

Feedback from emergency responders and partner agencies has been very positive: “The numbered signs worked well, giving a direct place to attend, which in my view, saved vital minutes in our attendance.”

Please stay safe on our coastline. Further information on water safety can be found with our RNLI partners at https://ow.ly/txu250OLkfM

In a coastal emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

#RespectTheWater

Fire Brigades Union: Governments must ‘heed stark warning’ of Scottish wildfire visible from space

This week, firefighters have battled a wildfire that started burning on Sunday afternoon near Cannich, south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. 7,400 hectares have burned so far, with images of the 22-mile long plume of smoke captured by NASA from space.

Two firefighters injured tackling the blaze have since been released from hospital.

Wildfires require a significant number of firefighters to respond due to the extensive terrain, physically demanding work over long periods of time, transporting equipment by hand while being exposed to significant temperatures.

A decade of budget cuts has left Fire and Rescue Services stretched for resources while climate related incidents have increased in frequency and severity. J

uly 2022 saw the temperature in parts of the UK exceed 40 degrees centigrade for the first time in recorded history, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Last week the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service announced further cuts on top of a decade of austerity. These cuts will see the loss of ten fire appliances, reducing fire cover and impacting firefighters’ ability to respond to incidents.

Since 2010, 11,500 firefighters have been cut across the UK, and Scotland alone has lost 1,100 firefighters since 2013.

Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary said: “Throughout this week, firefighters in Scotland have bravely battled what is now believed to be one of the biggest wildfires in UK history and which can be seen from space.

“Two of our members have already been injured working in these extreme conditions. Thankfully both have now returned home. However, this shows us the real dangers of the climate emergency. 

“Wildfires, such as the ones we are seeing in Cannich at the moment, are on the rise year on year. 

“All governments must heed this stark warning: the climate crisis is here now. We need urgent climate action to prevent loss of life, and that must also involve serious investment in our fire services.”