Organisational Overview

Transcription

1 LONDON FIRE BRIGADE Organisational Overview London Fire Brigade 9 April 2018 LFB _0001

2 LFB _0002 London Fire Brigade - 'Organisational Overview' Document 1. Content 2. lntrod uction.. Page 3 3. London Fire Brigade. Page 3 4. What influences the Brigade. Page 3 5. The Brigade's Main Aims and Objectives. Page 4 6. London Resilience..Page 7 7. Brigade Control..Page 7 8. Stay Put and Fire Survival Guidance Page 8 9. Pre-Determined Attendance.Page Pre-Planning and Risk Information.Page High-Rise Firefighting. Page Incident Command. Page Operational and Training Assurance..Page Operational Discretion. Page Incident Communications. Page Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)...Page Breathing Apparatus (BA) Sets..Page Breathing Apparatus Procedures. Page Breathing Apparatus Entry Control Page Breathing Apparatus Tactics. Page Aerial Appliances..Page Command Support.. Page Fire Investigation.Page Underpinning Systems..Page 20 9 April 2018 Page 1

3 LFB _ National Operational Guidance (NOG).Page Brigade Operational Policy. Page Brigade Training Facilities. Page Staff Development and Training Delivery.Page Development and Maintenance of Operational Professionalism (DaMOP). Page Staff Promotion Page Health and Safety..Page Provision and Maintenance of Appliances and Equipment Page Cross Border Deployments and Mutual Aid..Page Major incident Investigation..Page 27 9 April 2018 Page 2

4 LFB _ Introduction 2.1 This document details the key information relating to the way the London Fire Brigade (LFB) delivers its core Prevention, Protection and Response functions. It also details some of the underpinning systems that are used to support these key functions. It is hoped that by detailing all this information in a single document will assist the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI) and Operation Northleigh (Op Northleigh) investigation teams to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how the LFB operates in respect to the themes that are most relevant to the Grenfell Tower fire. 2.2 The document does not restate all of the information detailed in policy and procedural notes that have already been disclosed, but aims to provide an easy reference overview of the LFB's key activities and systems. 3. London Fire Brigade (the 'Brigade') 3.1 There are approximately 5,500 staff working at the Brigade, which includes 4,600 uniformed operational firefighters and officers who make up a significant proportion of the total number of whole-time firefighters in England and Wales. London and the West Midlands are the only other UK Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) where all operational staff are whole-time. Other FRSs use a combination of whole-time and retained firefighters (the latter carry out firefighting duties in addition to their main employment). 3.2 To provide a 24-hour service the Brigade operates a two shift, four-watch system at fire stations. Red watch, blue watch, green watch and white watch, each work two day shifts followed by two night shifts, followed by four days off. This is often referred to as 2/2/4 shift system. The change between the day and night shifts occurs at 9.30am and 8pm each day. 3.3 There are currently 103 operational fire stations in London, including one river station. Each operates 24 hours, 365 days per year. The Brigade has a variety of special appliances (of which there are 15 different types) including Fire Rescue Units, Aerials (high-reach vehicles) and Command Units. Nearly half of the fire stations have at least one of these special appliances in addition to a fire engine often referred to as a pumping appliance. 3.4 There are around 110 Control staff working in the Brigade's Control Centre (Brigade Control) who handle emergency '999' calls directed to the Brigade by British Telecom (BT) Operators. During a call control operators perform a number of tasks including finding out details of incidents, mobilising fire engines and deploying the Brigade's resources to emergencies. Alongside the operational and control staff there are around 800 non-operational staff, known as Fire and Rescue Staff (FRS), actively working to help prevent fires and manage all other aspects of the service including fire safety inspection, fire safety engineering specialists and other support functions. 3.5 As well as responding to fires and other emergencies the Brigade's major priority is to prevent fires from causing harm or damage to people, property and the environment. Educating the public and positively influencing the behaviours that cause fires is also vital to the work of the Brigade. 4. What Influences the Brigade 4.1 There are a number of pieces of legislation that govern and shape the way the Brigade operates and delivers its services. Primarily these are: Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order April 2018 Page 3

5 LFB _0005 Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2005, and Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAW) In delivering its services the Brigade also has to have due regard to the following: The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England - The government's expectations for fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) are set out in the Fire and Rescue National Framework, which is a component of the Fire and Rescue Services Act This Framework was published in 2012 and requires FRAs to identify and assess the full range of foreseeable fire and rescue related risks in their areas and make provision for prevention and protection activities and respond to incidents appropriately. The Framework also requires FRAs to produce an integrated risk management plan (IRMP). The purpose of an integrated risk management plan is to adopt an holistic approach to reducing the likelihood of fire and casualties from fire. The LFB's IRMP is entitled the London Safety Plan (LSP) and the latest iteration of this plan was published in March The current plan runs until The Mayor of London - The Brigade is one of the organisations within the Greater London Authority under the Mayor and plays a key role in supporting his aims, objectives and vision for London. The Mayor sets the proportion of council tax the Brigade receives, after allowing for grants from Central Government and business rates. This is subject to the London Assembly's approval. The Brigade can vary its final spending plans provided they remain within the component budget set by the Mayor. London's challenges - London is a very complex city in terms of challenges, risks, population, building type and density. There are persistent problems with poverty. Research has shown that vulnerable people living in deprived areas means are more likely to have a fire. Much of the Brigade's community safety work is concentrated in these areas. The People of London - The Brigade is influenced by the people of London through the partnership work it does at a local level, interaction as part of its community safety work and communication with the public via the Brigade's website and through social media. The Brigade is also influenced by the responses it receives to formal consultation and engagement work. 5. The Brigade's Main Aims and Objectives 5.1 The Brigade's work is broadly delivered under three aims, which are set out in the Brigade's Integrated Risk Management Plan called the London Safety Plan (LSP). These are Prevention and protection Response and resilience People and resources 5.2 Prevention and Protection - The Brigade's aim is to stop fires happening. The approach to preventing fire focuses on the places and causes where the Brigade think it can change behaviour to avoid unnecessary fires. The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 places an obligation on fire and rescue services (FRS) to promote community safety, but it does not specify how this should be done. 5.3 In carrying out community safety work the Brigade uses a risk based approach to target geographic areas and people who are most at risk from fire, e.g. areas of high social 9 April 2018 Page 4

6 LFB _0006 deprivation, elderly people and those with mobility issues. Community safety work is undertaken both by specialist centralised teams and by staff at fire stations. 5.4 The principal means by which the Brigade improves domestic fire safety is through home fire safety visits (HFSV). This involves firefighters or partner agencies visiting domestic premises and providing bespoke fire safety advice and fitting smoke alarms free of charge to the occupant. The Brigade aims to visit over 85,000 homes each year and 80 per cent of these visits are targeted at persons at greatest risk from fire, such as those suffering from mental health and substance abuse. 5.5 The Brigade's 'protection' function is informed, in part, from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO). The RRO applies to all buildings that are not a single private dwelling or family homes, which currently stands at over 700,000 premises in London. The RRO gives the Brigade responsibilities and powers in respect to the common areas of a building such as the corridors, staircases, lifts and cupboards. It also places the obligation for fire safety in the hands of a 'responsible person' (such as building owners and employers) who are required to undertake a number of fire safety related duties including conducting a fire risk assessment, acting on its findings and regularly reviewing the assessment to ensure it is current and accurate. The 'responsible person' is also responsible for ensuring that the mitigations (control measures) outlined in the fire risk assessment are maintained. 5.6 The LFB discharges its RRO protection function by ensuring that building owners and occupiers comply with the RRO and any other fire safety legislation. A risk based approach is adopted for selecting buildings to be audited or inspected for compliance. The Brigade enforces fire safety legislation through: The proportionate use of enforcement powers, ranging from the giving of advice and issuing enforcement notices to prosecution, when appropriate A proactive programme of building audits across London that focus on premises with the highest risk - as defined by the Chief Fire Officer Association (CFOA) IRMP risk groups Seeking to influence those responsible for designing buildings so that, as far as possible, fire safety measures such as sprinklers are installed Providing advice and guidance to the business community and others on how they can comply with the law whilst not hindering business growth Providing fire safety advice to other agencies through consultation processes 5.7 The Brigade also underpins its key prevention and protection activities through media and public affairs campaigns and communications. In all Brigade communications emphasis is placed on: influencing the individual choices to keep people safe from fire, such as installing smoke alarms and having an escape plan for your home, not leaving cooking unattended, etc, and working with other agencies that have fire safety responsibilities (such as local authorities) to improve safety and reduce risk, target high risk and vulnerable people, lobby for fire safety measures (e.g. sprinklers) in buildings. It also involves working with developers and the building industry to optimise safety in new buildings and improve access to fire safety information. 5.8 Recent Brigade campaigns have included: Reducing kitchen fires caused by people drinking alcohol and cooking at the same time 9 April 2018 Page 5

7 LFB _0007 Supporting new regulations requiring landlords to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties and distributing free smoke alarms to those most at risk Reducing the number and impact of fires in waste and recycling facilities Campaigning to make white goods safer and improve the product recall system Reducing non emergency calls to people shut in lifts Reducing calls to incidents that other agencies should attend such as the RSPCA in the case of non-emergency animal rescues 5.9 In relation to high rise buildings the Brigade ran a specific campaign in March 2014 directed at those living in these types of premises. This was in part a response to the outcomes from the Coroner's Inquest for the Lakanal House high rise fire, which occurred in 2009 where six people lost their lives. The campaign was called 'Know the Plan and aimed at increasing awareness of what to do if there is a fire where you live. The campaign also sought to increase awareness amongst landlords and building owners of their fire safety responsibilities Response & Resilience - The Brigade operates a large and varied fleet of vehicles that carry a variety of specialised equipment and apparatus for use in firefighting and rescue operations. The majority of our front-line fleet is made up of traditional 'fire engines' called pumps or pumping appliances. All fire engines carry standard firefighting equipment, but some carry a longer 13.5m extension ladders and have additional rescue equipment and these vehicles are called pump ladders (PLs). Every fire station in London houses at least one PL, whilst other stations will have two fire engines (1 x Pump Ladder and 1 x Pump). The Brigade's wide range of specialist vehicles have different capabilities and are collectively referred to as special appliances or just simply, 'specials'. These are located at different fire stations across London The Brigade locates its fleet of emergency response vehicles in fire stations that offer the best protection to London as a whole. Resources can be drawn from anywhere in London if an incident requires additional fire engines and/or specialist appliances. For the larger more complex incidents, responding fire engines will come from multiple fire stations across London. When this happens Brigade Control will move available fire engines from their base fire station to another location to maintain a level of strategic operational cover across London The Brigade always aims to get fire engines and other resources to incidents as quickly as possible. There are performance targets for measuring response times of the first and second fire engines at an incident. The target for the first fire engine is within six minutes and the second fire engine, when needed, within eight minutes. In 2016/17, the average arrival for a first fire engine was 5 minutes 25 seconds and average arrival time for a second fire engine was 6 minutes 48 seconds People and resources - An operationally competent workforce is essential to the Brigade. As a responsible employer the Brigade aims to ensure that all its staff continually develop and maintain the skills and abilities necessary to safely perform their duties. Accordingly, the Brigade provides continual training, assessment and development of its firefighters and officers to ensure they are equipped to deal with incidents safely and effectively Operational competence is maintained through the Brigade's dynamic and intelligent operational training (DIOT) process. This enables the Brigade to identify and respond to riskcritical issues that impact the operational effectiveness of the Brigade. The process also monitors operational and training performance, identifying both positive and developmental trends. It also provides mechanisms to support the maintenance of competence for all operational staff, including the implementation of training interventions. Further detail of staff training, development and the DIOT process is set out later in this document. 9 April 2018 Page 6

8 LFB _ London Resilience 6.1 In terms of resilience within London the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 sets out the Brigade's emergency planning responsibilities, which include: Maintaining emergency plans in relation to pan-london emergencies on behalf of all London's boroughs and the City of London Conducting exercises in relation to pan-london plans for the boroughs and City of London Provision of training in relation to the plans for the boroughs and City of London 6.2 In November 2014, the operational responsibility for London-wide resilience (including the transfer of the London Resilience Team at City Hall) passed to the Brigade with the Greater London Authority retaining strategic oversight for resilience in the Capital. The Brigade already had an Emergency Planning team, and since November 2014, both the London Resilience and Emergency Planning teams have been working together as a single group to align their working processes. The London Resilience Group (LRG) is the result of this merger and the single team now has the responsibility for managing resilience in London. 6.3 To ensure collaboration between the LRG and the wider partnership is effective two service level agreements have been negotiated. One is with the Greater London Authority and the other with the London boroughs. Both of these agreements help to ensure the LRG can properly support the London Resilience Forum in planning for and co-ordinating the response to any emergency. 6.4 The LRG fulfils the following tasks: Promote awareness and awareness of risks Coordinate development of multi-agency capabilities, ensuring consistency in the development and maintenance of London's plans Provide the secretariat for the London Resilience Forum, London Resilience Programme Board and Sub-Regional Resilience Forums Provide a liaison point between London responders, the Mayor of London and Central Government, other LRF areas and internationally Provide 24/7 point of contact for the Partnership, coordinating the development of situational awareness, and providing the secretariat for the Strategic Coordination Group when responding to disruptive events Provide a dedicated programme and coordination function for London's Local Authorities. 6.5 The LRG also supports London's sub-regional resilience forums, the borough resilience forums responsible for emergency planning at the local level and the strategic response arrangements of London's boroughs by providing the London Local Authority Co-ordination Centre (LLACC). This LLACC is based at the Brigade's London Operations Centre (Brigade Control) in Merton, South London and performs two key functions; i) providing up-to date and accurate information for boroughs and the City of London to make strategic decisions, and ii) coordinating the activities of all boroughs in line with the strategy aims established for any given event or incident. 7. Brigade Control 7.1 The emergency 999 call handling function is undertaken by Brigade Control staff who are located in the London Operations Centre (LOC) in Merton, 5W19. Brigade Control has overall responsibility for the handling of the 999 emergency calls passed by BT Operators and mobilising resources in line with the Brigade's 'pre-determined attendance' and operational 9 April 2018 Page 7

9 LFB _0009 policies. The Brigade Control staff are also the people who provide fire survival advice to callers when this is required. 7.2 In addition to the above, Brigade Control manages the strategic operational cover when the Brigade's front line resources are depleted either because they are committed to a protracted incident and/or when a specific geographical area of London is experiencing high levels of demand. 7.3 The Brigade also has a fallback Control centre in Stratford, East London that mirrors the majority of the functionality and systems used at the primary Control facility. The fallback Brigade Control is not permanently staffed and is primarily utilised when planned routine maintenance and software upgrades need to be undertaken on the mobilising and communications systems at Merton. The fallback Control can also be brought in to operation for a spontaneous and/or unplanned event that significantly impacts on the effective operation of the primary Control facility and/or renders the building unusable. 8. Stay Put and Fire Survival Guidance 8.1 The 'stay put' and 'fire survival guidance' (FSG) advice is normally provided by Brigade Control staff when a caller indicates that they are trapped by a fire and/or unwilling to leave the property without assistance. The advice given in these circumstances is based upon the established national 'stay put' principles, which are predicated on the expectation that a residential high rise premises are constructed and maintained in accordance with statutory fire safety and building control requirements. 8.2 In addition to the national 'stay put' policy the Local Government Group Guidance 'Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats' reaffirms the stay put strategy. It states (para. 12.1, page 20) that: 'When a fire occurs within one dwelling (or less likely, in the common parts), it is normally safe for other residents to remain within their own flat. This principle is undoubtedly successful in an overwhelming number of fires in blocks of flats.' 8.3 There is no other safe basis upon which to fight fires and carry out rescues in high rise residential premises because the majority of these buildings are not designed or managed in a way that permits mass evacuation. A sufficiently wide single staircase and/or multiple escape routes, appropriate fire alarms, an evacuation policy (including an up to date record of people within the building) and awareness by residents of this policy would all be necessary to allow for an effective and reliable mass evacuation approach. This equally applies to a partial evacuation. 8.4 In most residential high rise premises there will not be a communal alarm system and the single staircase is not wide enough for all residents to leave simultaneously and safely, without significantly impeding the firefighting and rescue operations. 8.5 Where a person is in an area where smoke (but not fire) is present the Control Room Officers (CRO) who are located in a remote location at the Brigade Control have to be careful to avoid a situation in which they advise the occupant(s) to leave the relative safety of their flat and enter an area presenting a much more significant risk to their life. 8.6 Brigade Control staff will also provide callers with practical fire survival information, which is aimed to give reassurance and keep the caller relatively safe until the operational crews can reach them. 9 April 2018 Page 8

10 LFB _ As soon as control has confirmed that a FSG call is in progress they will contact the incident ground and start to pass over the initial details. At this stage it is likely to be basic information relating to the number of persons involved and their location within the property. Control will attempt to gather all the available information on a 'Control Information Form (a form used by Control staff to capture FSG information) and relay this information to the incident. The types of information Control will aim to gather include: flat/house door number number of persons involved location of caller within premises and access point condition of their location e.g. heavy smoke, slight smoke, etc. the caller's proximity to fire (if known) latest advice given by control time of FSG call time updated 8.8 FSG call information should be passed to the incident by Brigade Control where it will used to determine what action(s) need to be taken. The expectation is that Incident Commanders (ICs) will treat FSG calls as a priority and develop their tactical plan accordingly. The IC will also consider requesting additional resources to support the specific search and rescue operation associated with the FSG calls. 9. Pre-Determined Attendance (PDA) 9.1 The number of appliances sent in response to an initial emergency ('999') call will depend on the nature of the incident and the type of premises involved. This response is known as the pre-determined attendance (PDA). For example, the PDA for a private house fire is always two fire engines. For more complex buildings, or where there are complicated firefighter logistics to take into account, the PDA might be larger. 9.2 PDAs are currently divided into four broad categories: fires special attendances reduced attendances special service attendances 9.3 Within each broad category there is a range of individual incident types listed that determine what fire engines, equipment, specialist equipment and number of senior/principal officers need to be despatched. The full breakdown of all the attendances relating to each incident type is defined in the Brigade's mobilising policy (Policy Note 412 refers). In addition to defining the specific vehicle, asset or piece of equipment to be mobilised the mobilising policy also details all of the notification requirements for informing senior/principal managers and other agencies when an incident is in progress. 9.4 The mobilising of fire engines, officers and specialist equipment and the maintenance of operational cover within the Brigade area is the responsibility of the Brigade's Control centre. As such, the Operations Manager in Brigade Control has discretionary power to order any additional resources or amend an attendance recommended for an incident. The need to order additional resources or amend the PDA is based upon a number of factors, which may include: the type of incident involved the number of calls received 9 April 2018 Page 9

11 LFB _0011 the nature and quality of information supplied by callers reports of persons believed to be involved whether mobilising restrictions were in force at the time of handling the emergency call information known that could affect fire fighting operations, such as known water shortages 9.5 Once Brigade Control has mobilised the appropriate PDA it is the responsibility of the designated IC to request any additional resources (Brigade or other agency) that are required to resolve the incident. With the exception of the first Command Unit (CU) to be mobilised ICs may return any vehicles, forming part of the PDA, if they are not required to resolve the incident. 9.6 In June 2017 the PDA for a typical high rise fire comprised of the nearest four fire engines. This was based on analysis of the national policy and the number of operational staff and resources required for dealing with a compartment fire in this type of building. 9.7 However, as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire, and while waiting for the outcome of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) work into cladding on high rise buildings, the Brigade implemented an interim change to the pre-determined (PDA) to all high rise buildings. This resulted, from 22 June 2017, in five fire engines, one aerial appliance and the standard officer compliment for a five pump fire being mobilised to any high rise fire related incident. 9.8 In addition to the above, and as a result of the findings from the Government's series of fire safety tests of cladding and insulation combinations undertaken by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Brigade made further interim revisions to the PDA to calls to fire in high rise premises. Since the 10 August 2017 when Brigade Control receives multiple calls (four calls or more) to a residential high rise premise the PDA now includes eight fire engines and one aerial appliance. Where the fire is reported to Brigade Control as being on the outside of a cladded building the PDA is increased to ten fire engines and one aerial appliance (if the aerial appliance hasn't already been despatched). When this increase in resources is made the standard officer compliment for an eight and ten pump fire is also mobilised. 10. Pre-planning and Risk Information 10.1 Under the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004 the Fire Authority has a duty to obtain the information it requires to make provision for firefighting, road traffic accidents and other emergencies. The process for gathering operational risk information is set out in section 7(2)(d) of the Act. Across the Brigade the process is referred to as a '7(2)(d) visit' and includes: Stage 1 - Identification of premises that might potentially give rise to hazards and risks Stage 2 - Initial site analysis (i.e., does the site require a regular visit?) Stage 3 - Information gathering. (Examination of the site where risks can be identified) Stage 4 - Risk assessment. (Deciding whether the site requires a scheduled station visit; the frequency of the visits; the level of information recorded; whether site specific training is required and the level of information required on the tactical plan) Stage 5 - Completing the Operational Risk Database (ORD1)/recording the information. 'The ORD stores electronic premise information and is linked to the Brigade's station diary application which records all fire station visits The primary purpose of the ORD is to record significant hazards/risks. This includes less obvious hazards and any unique control measures in place, as well as any particular tactical 9 April 2018 Page 10

12 LFB _0012 plans or command and control procedures that may be required. Risk information is fed from the ORD to the Brigade's mobile data terminals (MDTs), which are located on all of the Brigade's fire engines. This ensures that risk information is accessible by any appliance commander and crew en-route to an incident (not just the local fire station crews who may have visited the premises as part of the 7(2)(d) visit). Access to this information aims to support the safe management and enhance the successful resolution of the incident Any pre-planning where significant risks/hazards have been identified is considered in conjunction with the Brigade's standard operating procedures (SOPs), operational tactics (especially those highlighted for the premises) and existing knowledge of the premises and local area. The frequency of 7(2)(d) visits also depends on the level of risk associated with the premises Some buildings keep local plans and information in a premises information box, which is accessible by the Brigade. Some premises also have external 'premise information plates' (PIPs) installed, which provide relevant information about the building, such as number of floors, location of stairs and lifts and the layout of flats. This information can be useful to all the emergency services during an incident. Currently the Brigade has no legislative powers to require premises to keep such information The Brigade also has the facility within the ORD system to create electronic premise information plate (e-pip) information, which replicates the format of the information available on the physical plates that are attached certain premises Given the large number of high rise premises in the geographical area covered by an individual fire station it is not practicable for crews to have a detailed understanding of every premise. As with all aspects of the Brigade's pre planning activities a risk based approach is taken to familiarisation with high rise premises. 11. High-Rise Firefighting 11.1 The Brigade's policy for high rise firefighting is based on the February 2014 publication 'Generic risk assessment 3.2: fighting fires in high rise buildings'. GRAS are a series of documents, which were originally published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) that establish the tasks that are necessary to be undertaken prior to an incident and when called to attend a fire GRA 3.2 describes high rise buildings as follows: "For firefighting purposes, a high rise building is considered to be one containing floors at such a height or position, or design that external firefighting and rescue operations may not be feasible or practicable. It should be borne in mind that a similar approach to firefighting and search and rescue may also be required in other buildings which although not viewed as high rise by the very nature of their design may be reliant upon the use of internal access and facilities provided for the FRS. In England and Wales Building Regulations require all buildings over 18m in height to have provisions for firefighting and search and rescue. Basic facilities to be provided within these buildings will include a Firefighting Shaft, a Fire Main (wet system for all buildings above 60m height (50m as of 2007) and a Firefighting Lift. Firefighting Shafts including fire mains (but not firefighting lifts) may also be found in certain building types with floor heights exceeding 7.5m. In addition to those within Firefighting Shafts fire mains may also be located in other staircases within a high rise building." 11.3 The Brigade used the guidance within the GRA 3.2 document to develop its standard operating procedures for high rise incidents. Operational personnel within the Brigade are not necessarily 9 April 2018 Page 11

13 LFB _0013 familiar with GRA 3.2 as the Brigade's approach is set out within its own relevant policies, which mirrors the guidance detailed in the GRA The aim of the Brigade's high rise and related policies is to provide sufficient information regarding the hazards most likely to be present at this type of incident and the means of mitigating their potential effect. This enables firefighters to carry out their tasks with a reasonable degree of safety The tasks to be undertaken on arrival at a high rise incident will be known to all firefighters through the training that they undergo. It is this training and preparation that informs the tasks that the initial crew will undertake on arrival at a high rise incident. These are called 'on arrival tactics' and for high rise incidents include: Securing a water supply Setting in the dry rising main (DRM)2 Identifying and securing the firefighters lift (if available) Establishing a bridgehead 3 2 A DRM is a vertical pipe installed in a building that can have a water supply attached to assist the fire service to distribute firefighting water to multiple levels within the premises. 3 A bridgehead is a safe position inside a building from which to carry out fire fighting and search/rescue operations. 12. Incident Command 12.1 At any operational emergency the Brigade's Incident Commander (IC) is the person responsible for the safety of the operational crews under their control. Each IC must ensure that safe systems of work are used by identifying the risks that are present and adopting the most appropriate control measures. This permits operational firefighters to carry out their duties and resolve the incident whilst remaining relatively safe In developing the tactical plan and overall strategy to resolve an incident an IC will consider: whether there is a need to take any action at all considering the benefit to be gained the speed and weight of the fire fighting attack the hazards and risks that can be reasonably foreseen and assessed the capabilities and limitations of the personnel and equipment available whether all of the above fits a planned scenario or could be reasonably adapted to the circumstances Implementing and maintaining a 'safe system of work' (SSoW) 12.3 There are currently four levels of incident command in the Brigade. These levels of command are referenced within National Operational Guidance (NOG) and are separated into four categories; Operational - Levels 1 and 2, Tactical - Level 3 and Strategic - Level 4. The Brigade's IC will always be in attendance at the incident, which differs from other agencies where the Level 2 or 3 IC may be operating remotely from the scene. The Brigade's Level 4 designated officer will normally always be remote from the incident Within the Brigade Level 1 ICs are drawn from the roles of Crew and Watch Managers and Level 2 ICs are Station and Group Managers. Deputy Assistant Commissioners (DACs) and Assistant Commissioners (ACs) undertake the Level 3 IC role. Assistant Commissioners can also perform the strategic Level 4 role (often referred to as 'Gold' Command) and is the officer who represent the Brigade at the multi-agency Strategic Co-ordination Group (SCG) meetings. 9 April 2018 Page 12

14 LFB _0014 The Brigade's operational Commissioner and Directors will undertake the role of Monitoring Officer (MO) at the largest and most complex incidents attracting 15-fire engines or more. This level of officer may also be required to attend and/or phone in to the Government's Emergency Response Committee meeting (COBRA) or attend the Mayor's Advisory Group (MAC) meeting As an incident escalates a higher level of supervision is needed to ensure that the command function is maintained at the appropriate level to the size and complexity of the incident. This allows officers in command roles to have manageable spans of control to formulate and implement an appropriate tactical plan. At the larger incidents (typically 4-pumps and above) the IC will have dedicated command support, including a Command Unit crew and a Monitoring Officer When an incident escalates in size in respect to the number of fire engines required and at the point it is decided to change the IC there will be an appropriate handover of the critical information between the two officers. Where possible, previous ICs are kept within the chain of command. The Brigade's Command policy (Policy Note 238) details all of the specific thresholds (size and type of incident) where a higher ranking officer should take over the IC role. 13. Operational and Training Assurance 13.1 Assurance of the Brigade's operational response to incidents and certain training events is carried out by a discrete group of officers drawn from the Station and Group Manager cadre. This group of officers are known as the Operational Review Team (ORT) and attend the larger incidents and training events attracting 6 or more fire engines. The ORT officers review the incident against the Brigade's standard operational policies, provide operational advice to the IC/MO and, in exceptional circumstances, can be instructed to undertake an alternative command or command support role Closely aligned to the principles of Health and Safety Executive's HSG 65 -' Successful health and safety management' guidance, the Brigade formally reviews the performance of its ICs and firefighters at post incident debriefs. These formal post incident debriefs are called the performance review of operations (PRO) and performance review of command (PRC) The PRC is an analytical process that allows ICs and MOs to discuss, review, analyse and evaluate all aspects of their period in command. The evaluation of the performance of the command function is a mandatory requirement following all incidents and training events of 6 fire engines and above. In addition, a PRC must be held for any incident that has been the subject to a senior accident investigation (SAI), irrespective of the size or type of the incident The PRO is a formal review process for fire station personnel, which is similar to a PRC. PRO's usually involve the fire station crews from the first 6 fire engines to arrive at the incident and are undertaken following: All 'make-up' incidents (incidents where additional fire engines, over those despatched as part of the initial PDA are requested by the IC) Incidents that involve persons reported or persons trapped A PRO will also be undertaken when the IC or MO believe that it would be beneficial to the attending crews to have a formal debrief All outcomes from both formal debrief events are recorded as part of the Brigade's Incident Monitoring Process (IMP). This includes an electronic database that provides a means to record both positive and developmental trends arising from operational and training events. The IMP 9 April 2018 Page 13

15 LFB _0015 forms an integral part of the Brigade's Dynamic and Intelligent Operational Training (DIOT) process, which drives on-going organisational improvements. More information detailing the DIOT process is provided later in this document. 14. Operational Discretion 14.1 Fire service operations and the emergency situations encountered are not always predictable. It is therefore impossible for the Brigade to provide explicit guidance for resolving every situation firefighters may encounter. To cover situations where an extant policy needs to be adapted to respond to exceptional circumstances the Brigade allows for 'operational discretion' In applying operational discretion ICs need to be sufficiently aware of the Brigade's operational procedures, the skills and qualities of crew members and the capability of the resources available to them. The situations that would normally justify the application of operational discretion include: rescue a saveable life in the circumstances where implementation of the full policy would lead to an unjustifiable delay, resulting in the potential for greater injury or lives being lost tackle a known small fire through a pre-emptive strike, where the adherence to policy would lead to delay and thereby create higher levels of risk for firefighters to extinguish a fully developed fire where no action by the Brigade may cause the public to place themselves at risk and therefore escalate the incident (e.g., child in a lake) 14.3 Any decision to apply operational discretion and any resulting deviation from Brigade policy should be the minimum necessary and only continue until the objective is achieved. Where an increase in risk to personnel, equipment and/or the environment is being considered the IC must always balance this against the perceived benefit(s) to be gained. An IC should only exercise operational discretion after assessing their intended actions and the likely impact. Under these circumstances and in order to minimise exposure to increased levels of risk an IC should consider the following: any move away from operational policy must be justified in relation to risk versus benefit, for example rescuing saveable life or, on occasions where the nature of any property under threat justifies some increased level of risk being taken, such as irreplaceable national heritage sites or their contents firefighters must not be put at unnecessary risk and the same priority for human life should not be given to animals or property in order to minimise exposure to the increased levels of risk, any move away from policy should be the minimum necessary to achieve the objective(s) extant operational policy must be returned to as soon as possible after operational discretion has been exercised the reasons for adapting operational policy will need to be proportional to the degree of adaptation undertaken i.e., a significant move away from an established policy will require correspondingly high levels of benefit if the IC considers that a course of action is required outside of operational policy (i.e., that operational discretion is to be applied), they must ensure that sufficient control measures are implemented to reduce the risk of injury to firefighters and others who might be affected by fire service operations, to as low as reasonably practicable the use of operational discretion must be recorded as soon as practicable 9 April 2018 Page 14

16 LFB _ Operational discretion does not permit the wilful disregard of policy without the necessary justification for doing so. 15. Incident Communications 15.1 Effective communications are a key element to managing any operational incident. It is also essential for safe operation at incidents and fundamental for securing the level of command and control required to manage operational resources effectively The Brigade employs two main forms of communication equipment. A digital national radio system for wide area communications (between Brigade Control and fire engines) and a system of personal issue ultra high frequency (UHF) analogue radios for local at incident' use (incident ground personnel communications). The wide area communications radio traffic is recorded by the computer system used in Brigade Control whilst the UHF analogue 'at incident' radio traffic is not recorded At every incident Brigade Control will communicate with fire engines, command units and officers en-route using the digital national emergency services radio network known as 'Airwave'. This is used primarily to pass specific incident related information from the incident to Brigade Control or from Brigade Control to the incident. All fire engines are fitted with a fixed 'Airwave' radio in the cab of the vehicle All principal and senior officers in the Brigade are provided with personal issue portable handheld 'Airwave' radios. This radio is used by officers to monitor radio traffic (between Brigade Control and the incident) whilst they are en-route to the incident. Officers will typically use this radio to communicate with Brigade Control on their arrival at the scene of operations to book in attendance. Officers can also use this radio to talk to other agencies and organisations who utilise the Airwave system In addition to the 'Airwave' technology every operational firefighter, including senior and principal officers, have their own personal issue handheld analogue UHF radio (similar to what may more commonly be described as a 'walkie talkie'). These handheld radios are programmed with 8 channels, which include channels 1 & 2 for incident command, channels 5 & 6 for use by breathing apparatus crews and channel 3 for firefighter crew communication. These UHF analogue radios can only transmit or receive voice transmissions on one channel at a time. This means it is not possible for more than one user to simultaneously broadcast on the same channel at the same time Channel 1 on the analogue radios is the default channel for all initial incident command communications. It remains the primary command channel until the circumstances of the incident dictate, or the incident commander decides, that additional command and control radio capacity is desirable or required. If this occurs, and once a command unit (CU) is in attendance and operational, the incident commander can introduce the use of an additional command channel (Channel 2). The Brigade's fleet of CU vehicles are fitted with a fixed UHF radio repeater that allows this additional radio channel to be introduced The Brigade's fleet of CU vehicles also carry portable UHF radio repeaters and 'leaky feeder' equipment. The radio repeater technology can be deployed to aid or enhance communications on the UHF channels 2 and 5. However, channel 2 and channel 5 repeaters must not be run simultaneously on the same vehicle and must be at least 1Orri away from each other to avoid the potential for signal blocking Breathing apparatus (BA) sets are also fitted with a dedicated UHF analogue radio. However, as breathing apparatus crews can be committed into potentially explosive atmospheres all BA radios are certified as intrinsically safe. In order to meet this certification they are programmed 9 April 2018 Page 15

17 to a lower power output of 1 watt per channel. The lower power output of the radio can in some cases reduce the range of transmission. The radio traffic generated using the UHF BA radios is not recorded. 16. Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) 16.1 Given the nature of the environment within which fire fighters frequently work the use of RPE is a critical part of the Brigade's operational response to an incident. Breathing Apparatus (BA) equipment provides respiratory protection to firefighters and is essential for their safety and to provide them with the ability to conduct rescues and firefight at incidents where smoke and/or irrespirable atmospheres are, or have the potential to be present At all incidents the IC is responsible for ensuring that the correct level of BA is worn whenever there is a risk of personnel suffering respiratory injury or discomfort. Where any doubt exists as to the presence of safe (clean) air the IC will give instructions for RPE to be used. BA is the default level of RPE for fires and other incidents presenting an acute respiratory hazard In addition to the respiratory hazards the human body only has a certain capacity to deal with the effects of heat and other stresses imposed upon it during arduous firefighting operations. Firefighters wear protective firefighting clothing, known as firegear, to provide thermal protection. This additional level of personal protection has an impact on the body's ability to dissipate heat and when firefighters work extremely hard, for prolonged periods in high temperatures, this can result in an increase in the person's core body temperature, which in turn can lead to hyperthermia and in extreme cases even death The Brigade's policy note 466 (Respiratory Protection Equipment - Breathing Apparatus - Operational Procedure) covers in detail the Brigade's use of BA equipment. However, to assist the understanding of this important element of the Brigade's equipment and capability an overview of the key BA related information is set out below. 17. Breathing Apparatus (BA) Sets 17.1 The Brigade uses two types of BA set; Standard Duration Breathing Apparatus (SDBA) and Extended Duration Breathing Apparatus (EDBA). SDBA is a single cylinder system weighing approximately 15kgs and providing the user with around 31 minutes of air. EDBA is a double cylinder system weighing approximately 23kgs and providing approximately 47 minutes of air. These times are only approximate and can be affected significantly by matters such as a firefighter's workload, the location of the fire within the building and the environmental conditions, i.e., extent of smoking logging and temperature the firefighters are experiencing whilst undertaking their firefighting and search and rescue activities SDBA is used for all routine fires and rescue operations, whilst EDBA is provided to give an enhanced capability at certain incidents where long travel distances or the conditions likely to be encountered make SDBA less effective, e.g. incidents in tunnels or sub-basements and searching collapsed buildings Specialist training is required to wear EDBA and it is predominantly the firefighters that crew the Fire Rescue Units (FRUs) who receive the training to wear and use this type of breathing apparatus. SDBA is normally used to fight fires in high rise premises. As such, EDBA is not mobilised as part of the PDA for high rise fires because it would not normally form part of the tactical plan for dealing with incidents in these types of premises. EDBA is generally used if an extended travel time is required in order to reach the scene of operations, such as a fire on a train in a tunnel. 9 April 2018 Page 16 LFB _0017

18 LFB _ Breathing Apparatus (BA) Procedures 18.1 When firefighters need to be committed in BA specific procedures must be followed to ensure their safe return before the air in the BA cylinder runs out. These procedures are safety critical and have been developed nationally following years of experience and learning from previous serious injuries and fatalities involving firefighters at incidents. One critical safety procedure relates to the control of firefighters as they enter a premise, which is known as BA Entry Control (BAEC). 19. Breathing Apparatus (BA) Entry Control 19.1 Whenever BA equipment is being deployed a BAEC operative (BAECO) will always be appointed to manage this aspect of the incident as it is vital to safe working practices. The importance of this role cannot be overstated. Crews are normally committed to a building in teams (minimum of 2) and should also return to the BAECO together once they have completed their task. A BA wearer will monitor the air within their own cylinder in order to gauge when they should withdraw from the building. Each BA set also includes a device that will emit an audible warning to firefighters when their air supply is running low As an additional safety control the Brigade uses a telemetry capability, which is a live data system that transmits information to and from individual breathing apparatus (BA) sets and the Entry Control Board (ECB) using a set radio frequency. This data exchange allows the BAECO to remotely monitor the actual air consumption of individual BA wearers. The use of telemetry greatly assists the BAECO to effectively monitor air consumption rates for individual BA wearers. The telemetry also provides the BAECO/IC with an ability to alert BA wearers to danger and the need to evacuate a premises and for those BA wearers to acknowledge this alert at the touch of a button located on their BA set Telemetry operates in conjunction with the BA Entry Control Board (ECB), which is a rechargeable battery powered unit incorporating a digital radio transmitter/receiver with integral antenna. The ECB has twelve BA tally channel slots each able to accept the encoded BA tally of each BA set. The data transmission link between the ECB and each BA set is activated following the insertion of a BA tally (which has a built in encoded transponder) into any of the available BA tally channels of the ECB. The ECB identifies the associated BA set and the individual BA wearer's telemetry signal radio icon illuminates (green) continuously, confirming a successful telemetry signal with the BA set. This signal can be affected by a building's layout and structure The individual BA tally channel LED display defaults to show the actual time of warning (the end of the working duration of the cylinder) information for each wearer. The following additional information is also communicated to the ECB every 20 seconds from each 'loggedon' BA set: Time of warning (TOW) default setting Time to warning (TIVV) Cylinder pressure (measured in bars) Time elapsed (EL) from loss of signal from a logged-on BA set 19.5 Each ECB is individually programmed with a unique identity code together with the allocated individual ECB identification (ID) number. The ECB stores and maintains data that can be downloaded to support any post incident analysis. 9 April 2018 Page 17

19 20. Breathing Apparatus (BA) Tactics 20.1 The Brigade's primary objective is always to save saveable life. Equally important is the control over the developing fire whilst undertaking any necessary search and rescue of casualties. Fire and the production of hot flammable gases and noxious smoke will continue to grow exponentially where additional fuel is available. Fire and hot smoke may also spread, creating irrespirable and potentially explosive environments in other areas of the building. Not achieving a degree of control over the fire and the explosive gases that are produced has previously resulted in deaths amongst members of the public and firefighters. Therefore, an initial crew's key focus will always include trying to control the fire to enable the search and rescue operations to be commenced and carried out safely When dealing with incidents in high rise premises a BA crew's expectation is that the fire would remain in the compartment of origin providing that the fire is fought in a timely fashion. If the fire spreads to other areas of the building more quickly than expected it not only adds to the urgency of extinguishing the new seats of fire, but it can also delay and impact on the progress of undertaking search and rescue activities. 21. Aerial Appliances 21.1 The Brigade has 11 frontline aerial appliances, which consist of 3 different types of vehicle: Turntable Ladders Aerial Ladder Platforms Hydraulic Platforms 21.2 All three vehicle types have varying functions/capabilities and achieve a range of heights from 22 to 32 metres. In optimum conditions the Turntable Ladder has the maximum 32m height reach, which is equivalent to the 10th floor of a typical high rise premise These vehicles were originally chosen taking in to account factors such as the technology available at the time of purchase, the ability to locate the vehicles within the existing Brigade's fire station estate, their operational capability and vehicular access in London streets, etc Across London, arrangements for access to buildings for Brigade vehicles, including aerial appliances, varies considerably. Whilst current building regulations require that new buildings should provide access for both fire engines (pumps) and aerial appliances, the reality is that older buildings in London often provide limited access, especially for the larger vehicles, such as aerial appliances Aerial appliances are not normally used for external firefighting in high rise residential premises until it has been confirmed that there is no longer any life risk in the building. This is because there is a danger of jets entering the building and injuring occupants or firefighters. Equally, whether a jet or a covering spray is used, there is a real risk of preventing hot gases and other products of combustion being vented from the building. This in turn makes the conditions inside the premises even more difficult for occupants and firefighters and increases the likelihood of pushing the fire further into the building The effective deployment of an aerial appliance at a residential high rise fire will nearly always be predicated on being able to position the vehicle in close proximity to the building. This is not always possible due to a number of factors such as restricted access, falling debris, radiated heat and the volume of smoke and flame venting from the building. 9 April 2018 Page 18 LFB _0019

20 21.7 At the time of the Grenfell Tower fire an aerial appliance was not automatically included within the PDA for high rise premises. Prior to Grenfell their inclusion in the PDA was a matter of discretion for the local fire station crews, in conjunction with their Station Manager. In considering whether an aerial appliance should be included as part of the PDA to a particular high rise premise the fire station personnel would have placed a considerable reliance on the fact that the building would be compliant with the statutory requirements in respect to its building design, construction, maintenance and refurbishment. Fire station personnel would also have been aware of the Brigade's policy on high rise firefighting tactics, which states that fires in these types of buildings are intended to be fought from within As a result of the Grenfell Tower fire and while waiting for the outcome of the MHCLG work into cladding on high rise buildings the Brigade implemented an interim change to the predetermined (PDA) to all high rise building. This resulted, from 22 June 2017, in five fire engines and one aerial appliance being mobilised to any high rise fire related incident. This interim PDA is still in force at the point this document was produced (March 2018). 22. Command Support 22.1 The Brigade operates a range of command support functions based upon on the size and nature of the incident. For the smaller more routine incidents, typically those that do not require any additional resources to be mobilised, the command support function will be carried out from the Initial Command Pump (ICP). The ICP will be established as soon as possible whenever more than one pumping appliance is in attendance. The headlights and blue beacons of the designated ICP will remain on to assist in identifying this appliance as the ICP The ICP will provide the communications link between Brigade Control and the incident and remain the incident focal point until the incident is concluded or relieved by a Command Unit (CU). Appliance commanders and senior officers will report to the ICP, hand in their nominal roll board (NRB)4 and gather information on the incident. The ICP will also be utilised as a focal point for a roll call (when the CU is not in attendance) following an evacuation of Brigade personnel from a building or area of operations. 4 NRB is a physical plate carried on all Brigade vehicles that provides details about the fire engine type, vehicle call-sign and the names and rank of the crew riding that vehicle. For senior officers it will detail the officer's name, call-sign, car registration and any specialist qualifications that the officer holds At the larger operational incidents (typically 4 or more fire engines) a CU will be mobilised to provide a dedicated and enhanced level of command support. The CU will be crewed by minimum staffing of two Watch Managers (WM) and provide command support to the IC. The vehicle has a bespoke software application, called the Command Support System (CSS) which is used to help manage the incident. It also has a range of information systems, which enables the IC to access a wide range of information, including the operational risk database, water supplies, chemical data, google maps, etc. Once in attendance and set-up the CU will become the focal/rendezvous point for booking-in fire engines, senior officers and other emergency agencies attending the incident The CU staff will carry out the following specific tasks when in-attendance at an incident: Provide advice to the IC in relation to command support Relieve the ICP of its duties and transfer all available information to the CU Notify Brigade Control that the CU is now incident command vehicle Enter preliminary incident details on the CSS or the incident information boards Transmit and receive messages to and from Brigade Control 9 April 2018 Page 19 LFB _0020

21 LFB _0021 Maintain and update the plan of the incident, including the recording of the duties and location of senior officers and operational crews committed at the incident Maintain an operational overview of the reserve appliances and crews held at the marshalling area (if in operation) and advise the IC accordingly Maintain radio contact with the IC when they leave the CU Co-ordinate and maintain radio contact with sector/operations commanders Provide the appropriate level of information technology support using the available systems Maintain contact details of other agencies Record key decisions Prompt on any risk critical information or action Command staff may request additional personnel from the IC to assist with the CU's administrative functions. When allocated these personnel will be briefed by command staff, they will not however undertake the specialist duties of the command staff At the larger more complex incidents additional CUs will be automatically mobilised and/or can be requested by the IC. For example, when Brigade Control is undertaking a fire survival guidance (FSG) call(s) an additional CU will be automatically mobilised along with a senior officer to deal with the collation and management of the FSG information. CU vehicles can also be used for functions such as marshalling, hosting the Tactical Co-ordination Group (multiagency) meetings or to provide a dedicated working space for an officer undertaking a command or specialist support role. 23. Fire Investigation 23.1 The Brigade currently has five fire investigation (Fl) vehicles that operate from Dowgate fire station located in the City of London. The Fl teams provide support to the Incident Commander in order to assist with determining the cause of a fire. The Fl team's other main function is to record how the people and buildings involved in the fire were affected. While there is not a statutory duty to provide a dedicated Fl function, the Brigade's fire investigators do have statutory powers under the Fire & Rescue Services Act (2004), which provide powers of entry to investigate fires and take samples The Brigade's Fl teams are also unique among Fire & Rescue Services due to the team's key contribution to Prevention activities, with a focus on accidental fire trends such as electrical causes and white goods fires. As well as this type of prevention work the Fl team regularly prepare reports and attend Coroner's inquests to give evidence on behalf of the Brigade. 24. Underpinning Systems 24.1 The following sections detail some of the key under-pinning systems that support the functions and services provided by the Brigade. 25. National Operational Guidance (NOG) 25.1 Operational guidance takes on a particular significance in the context of the fire service, due to the inherent risks faced by staff in the course of their work. National Operational Guidance (NOG) therefore exists to ensure that the technical and operational considerations in areas such as working in tunnels and at incidents involving railways or aircrafts are properly understood. It provides guidance on how these considerations should influence pre-planning for incidents as well as incident management during an actual incident to both minimise the risks to staff and also optimise the likelihood of successful incident outcomes. 9 April 2018 Page 20

22 LFB _ In 2012 the NOG programme was set up by the Brigade in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Local Government Association (LGA), to develop a programme of guidance to replace existing manuals and bulletins that were in use across FRSs. The aim was to: Develop and enhance safe systems of work Promote interoperability between fire services Promote effective operational deployment Reduce the large volume of guidance, policies and operational doctrine used across the fire sector 25.3 National guidance is written to inform local operational policies and procedures, but does not completely replace them, as individual fire and rescue services have responsibility to ensure that policies and procedures are appropriate for their local risk, circumstances and resources. A team was set up in London at the Brigade Headquarters to carry out this work, known as the Central Programme Team. The team is currently made up of secondees from fire and rescue services including London Fire Brigade. They have been rewriting all the national guidance in phases over the past five years and are scheduled to finish this work in Brigade Operational Policy 26.1 The Brigade has developed and has in place an extensive and mature portfolio of operational policies. These extant policies contain a combination of policy statements, procedures, technical information and training. This combined with the training that staff receive, ensures the Brigade has a framework within which staff are able to respond safely to operational incidents To ensure currency all of the Brigade's policy notes they are reviewed on a 3-yearly cyclical basis or more frequently if required To align the Brigade's policies to NOG an integration project was established by the Brigade's Operational Policy department. This enables the Brigade to: ensure that Brigade procedures reflect NOG change the structure of Brigade operational policy to minimise duplication and provide clear differentiation between 'policy', 'procedure' and 'training' ensure the Brigade's operational policies follow a standard format facilitate engagement to ensure that any changes, meet the needs of all Brigade stakeholder departments and policy-users provide a user friendly interface which allows staff to easily access appropriate operational guidance, training and technical information. 27. Brigade Training Facilities 27.1 In November 2011 the Brigade agreed to outsource its training function and awarded a 25 year contract for the full provision of training, except that associated with the Brigade Control, to Babcock International Group. This contract commenced on 1 April Babcock currently deliver the majority of their operational skills training at two purpose built training facilities located at Beckton (East London) and Park Royal (West London) Beckton - The Beckton training facility occupies around 3,200 square metres and contains a carbonaceous firehouse. It is an indoor 'all-weather' facility supporting a range of operational and personal skills training. The classroom facilities include the main incident command training suite, which includes a full size static replica of a Command Unit (CU) to provide a realistic 9 April 2018 Page 21

23 LFB _0023 training environment for ICs. The fire house at Beckton is a three storey carbonaceous facility with multiple burn rooms in which staff train in a wide variety of scenarios. Using the latest technology the fire house has zero emissions ensuring that the facility remains carbon neutral. This smoke cleansing system also means that other BA courses can run concurrently thereby maximising the capacity for training. There is also an urban search and rescue (USAR) rig at Beckton, which includes six areas for specialist rescue training that can be used individually or as one large multi-disciplined facility. Brigade staff benefit from being able to receive both practical and knowledge based training through the use of on-site classroom facilities Incident Command training at Beckton is delivered using state-of-the-art technology including floor to ceiling screens, recorded audio and a gaming style interactive software platform. All supervisory managers and above are able to hone their incident command skills in an immersive training experience. There are four pods on site, which can be used individually or together for a full view of the simulated incident ground. A wide range of incident command scenarios, including many involving high rise premises, are available to keep training varied and current. Interaction with on-screen characters (known as talking-heads) adds to the realism of the learning experience and trainers are able to monitor actions and provide immediate feedback Park Royal - the Park Royal training facility is located on a site of around 4,500 square metres and includes a four storey fire house and drill tower facility capable of supporting carbonaceous fire training. The facility provides a wide range of operational skills training, personal skills training and modules within the initial trainee firefighter programme. The training block also contains classrooms, syndicate rooms, gym and welfare facilities. The Park Royal fire house is spread over four floors and can be set-up to replicate both commercial and domestic related scenarios. There are multiple burn rooms, which can be used simultaneously and operational crews benefit from being able to practice their BA skills and firefighting tactics at a range of challenging scenarios In addition to the two dedicated training facilities and as well as using Brigade venues such as fire stations, Babcock utilise external venues. For example; staff train in water rescue at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire and undertake trench rescue training at an external site close to City Airport Approval for funding to build a Brigade Training Centre in Croydon, was agreed in September The Croydon facility will include a six storey fire house, which will be used to simulate high rise scenarios. This new facility is expected to be operational in early Staff Development and Training Delivery 28.1 The Brigade's training requirements and frequency of delivery are categorised using the following criteria: Initial acquisition: This refers to courses where a delegate is gaining specific knowledge and skills for the first time. An individual will usually only complete this course once; for example, firefighter development courses (operational staff). Refresher: This refers to a course that is completed to refresh the skills that an individual gained in their initial acquisition training. For example, a firefighter will gain initial training in breathing apparatus (BA) during their firefighter development programme. These skills are then refreshed in a two day BA Refresher course. Refresher course frequencies are determined by HSE guidance (e.g. BA Refreshers), National Competency Frameworks (e.g. High Volume Pump and Mass Decontamination), external governance arrangements (e.g. clinical governance for Immediate Emergency Care training) and industry standards (e.g. line and water). These frequencies are reviewed annually. 9 April 2018 Page 22

24 LFB _0024 Confirmation of skills: There are a small number of courses, which confirm an individual's skills and may include refresher training, such as the one day BA Confirmation of Skills course or the Emergency Response Driver Refresher and Reassessment course. Initial/refresher: There are a number of courses, for which delegates will repeat the initial course in order to refresh their skills and knowledge. This is due to time elapsed between a delegates initial attendance and repeating the course. It is highly probable that the course will have been updated to reflect changes in legislation and to ensure that current practice is adopted. This is the case for Senior Officer (operational staff) First Aid training. Assessment: These courses are completed by individuals going through a formal Assessment Development Centre (ADC) to gain promotion Learning and development opportunities are advertised in a course guide on the Brigade's intranet site. The current course guide contains over 250 separate training interventions available to Brigade staff. In addition there are around 300 online e-learning training packages. Each of these courses and training packages are reviewed formally on a 2 year rolling programme The National Incident Command System (NICS) forms an integral part of all the Brigade's incident command training. A comprehensive training programme is in place to ensure that all ICs (and potential ICs) are afforded high quality incident command development and the opportunity to practice command skills in a safe environment. Effective systems are in place to ensure that all relevant staff are assigned regular training courses and monitoring systems are used to identify development needs and provide additional training and support if required Incident command training for level 1 (crew manager and watch manager) and level 2 (station manager and group manager) include an online pre-course knowledge digest and a multichoice knowledge check on the first day of the training course. This knowledge digest contains extracts from a range of Brigade policies and other guidance such as the NOG notes and includes several references to high rise buildings and firefighting. For level 1 training there are currently five exercise scenarios that can be used which relate to incidents in a building with 5 or more floors. The level 2 training also includes a workshop relating to an incident in a 11- storey building, which may be used The established incident command training regimes for operational, tactical and strategic command have been enhanced over recent years. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provided additional opportunities for command training and exercising at all levels. The Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (J ESIP) programme has also provided further opportunities for enhanced training and exercising Multi-agency training - a comprehensive multi agency training and exercising agenda is also in place for tactical and strategic commanders. This includes the Multi Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC) course, which is delivered by the College of Policing Breathing apparatus (BA) training - Training in breathing apparatus (BA) in a real fire setting is delivered in the Beckton and Park Royal training facilities. These fire house facilities allow operational staff at firefighter, crew and watch manager levels to practice their skills in a safe environment. Staff individually attend a two day BA course every two years and a one day 'Confirmation of Skills' BA course usually as a crew, annually. Monitoring systems are in place to identify development needs and provide additional training and support if required Immediate emergency care (IEC) training - IEC is a training package developed by the Brigade and the London Ambulance Service's (LAS) Clinical Education and Standards Department to give firefighters an enhanced first aid capability to treat casualties whilst carrying out their duties. Firefighters, crew managers and watch managers (excluding watch managers on the 9 April 2018 Page 23