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Off the Run:

Recruitment and Retention

of Retained Firefighters
Download Whole Document in Format (1MB)
An FBU Report
Introduction

There are over 1600 Fire Stations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and just under 400 in Scotland (including volunteer stations). But in Brigades up and down the country considerable numbers of retained fire engines are unusable every day because of staff shortages "off the run" as it is known.

A widespread shortage of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System is one of the reasons behind this. The problem reflects serious, long-term recruitment and retention problems that urgently need to be addressed.

Firefighters working the
Retained Duty System are
still treated by employers
as second class Firefighters
only entitled to second class rights and second class pay.

Yet in many parts of the country they are the Fire Service.

That's why the FBU campaigned and won equal pay and why it is still fighting for the same pension and sick pay rights as wholetime firefighters.


Andy Gilchrist
General Secretary


who's running our fire station?

Most people are probably unaware that their local Fire Station may be staffed by Firefighters who, most of their time, work as teachers, business people, factory workers, hospital porters or bricklayers. Self-employed and unemployed people are involved too. But all they see are Firefighters, in their uniforms, with their appliances, on their way to or from a fire or road traffic incident or perhaps at the school fete giving tips on fire safety.

Some perhaps will have heard the term, 'Retained Firefighters', or may remember in the recent pay dispute that the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) wanted 'parity' for its Retained members. Some may even have read of Firefighters on the Retained system as 'part-time' Firefighters.

chronic shortage

What they almost certainly won't know about is the chronic shortage of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System, the effect that has on the Service, public or the Firefighters themselves. They won't know that Retained Firefighters commit themselves to be 'on call' night and day for over 100 hours a week, or that they do it for a Retaining Fee of £2,500 per year or less plus pay for the hours that they actually attend and work.

The Government, Fire Authorities and Brigades know that there is a shortage of Retained staff - it's a long-standing problem. The issue was raised again in last year's White Paper (Our Fire and Rescue Service).

Unfortunately, it seems that the Government - represented by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) - and others see the real problem of recruitment and retention as another chance to talk about 'modernisation'.

a cost-effective asset

The Retained Duty System is a highly cost-effective component of our modern Fire and Rescue Service. It does not suffer from a lack of 'flexibility' - modern or otherwise. What it suffers from is a lack of investment. There is just not enough money going into the system to pay for adequate fees for Retained staff, advertising to attract new recruits and training those that are willing to 'put something in' for their community.

The recruitment problem is - and must be - the focus of new national initiatives. Changes and 'modernisation' aimed simply at 'making do' with inadequate resources - trading on the good will of the existing over-stretched workforce - will only store up problems for the future.

If you said to somebody, say in Wokingham, 'if your house is on fire, what Station would you expect to turn up?' they'd say: 'Well, Wokingham' we've got a Fire Station down the road'. 'Oh sorry that hasn't been available since last week'. It would be the people on the Station who would get the flack yet they're doing everything they
possibly can to keep it on the run.

- Berkshire Firefighter

The role of the retained duty system

The Retained Duty System of the Fire and Rescue Service, as we know it today, was created after World War II. The Fire Services Act of 1947 returned the Service to Local Authorities and created, through the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council and the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire Brigades, standard practices and Conditions of Service.

The availability of Retained Firefighters for fire fighting and special service incidents is a vital element in providing fire cover in areas of low or medium risk and Retained Firefighters carry out this role with enthusiasm and a high degree of capability.

The duties of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System are the same as those of Wholetime Firefighters in respect of attendance at fires or other incidents. These are set out in our 'grey book' (the NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service, Section VII Paragraph 2) and involve an obligation to attend:
i. at the Station to which he/she is attached for training and maintenance duties for an average of two hours each week (plus an additional hour per week on average at the discretion of the fire authority) or such less time as the officer-in-charge of the Station, subject to any orders of the chief officer, considers necessary;

ii. promptly at the said Station in response to a call at any time;

iii. at any fire or other occurrence or at any Station for reserve or stand-by duties in accordance with the orders he/she receives.
How the retained system works

Fire cover is calculated in 'units' with 168 hours representing 24-hour cover over a seven-day period. Firefighters on Retained duty are traditionally paid an annual retainer fee for being available to respond to fire calls either 100% of this time, or up to 75% of it (in which case a lower Retaining Fee equivalent to three quarters of this amount is payable).

As part of the June 2003 Pay and Conditions Agreement, full cover will in future count as 120 hours per week, giving Firefighters on Retained duty the right to a little time off, and making it easier for them to juggle fire cover and their other employment, family or social commitments. The Union argued successfully that under the Working Time Regulations 1998 a weekly rest period of 48 hours was due.

'Wherever they go to advertise the job, the only thing they can guarantee is the retainer. Fire calls could rise or fall. So people see: 'Make yourself available for 120 hours a week for 48 weeks a year
for £2,500'. And people think: 'No thanks'.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter

If you found somebody who was interested in becoming a Firefighter
working the Retained Duty System and you told them that for making themselves available for around 80 hours per week they would earn somewhere in the region of 25p per hour they would soon become less interested.

- Northamptonshire Firefighter
Fire Authorities will need to employ more Retained Firefighters as a result of this welcome change, but it has barely been implemented yet and is not the 'cause' of the chronic shortage of Retained Firefighters.

The Retained system means that, unless the pager or 'alerter' has gone off or they are on drill or some other specific duty, these Firefighters are not counted as being at work. Nevertheless during periods of availability they must remain on call and stay within five minutes of their Station.

Why the retained system is so useful

The Retained system is flexible and it is cheap. It represents different things to different people and organisations within the UK Fire and Rescue Service:
  • To Chief Officers Retained Firefighters are an important, integral part of the many Brigades.
  • To Local Authority employers they represent an economical form of fire cover.
  • To the general public the term 'Retained Firefighter' has very little meaning - they wear the same uniforms and ride the same appliances and are not distinguishable from their 'Wholetime' colleagues.
  • Retained Firefighters rightly see themselves as the backbone of the service in the UK, providing a vital and irreplaceable function for the public in both rural and urban parts of the country.
The role of Firefighters on the retained duty system remains vital as the demands on the Fire and Rescue Service as a whole grow, reflecting business activities and population trends. Busier roads mean more accidents and Retained Firefighters get involved in all kinds of work, from animal rescues to special service call-outs and chemical incidents.

There are new responsibilities including New Dimensions (dealing with terrorist threats), search and rescue, and special appliances. Community Fire Safety (CFS) was awarded new importance by the Fire and Rescue Services Bill (laid before Parliament on 12 January 2004) which placed a statutory duty on Fire Authorities to promote fire safety. This is another aspect of the Fire Service that Retained Firefighters can and do contribute to.

All the Stations are significantly busier now. In the Brigade, three of the retained pumps do over 1,000 calls per year, and two more are very very close. If you look at the busiest retained pumps they're probably busier than some Wholetime pumps.

- Berkshire Firefighter

A mechanic on Retained duty will know a lot more about how to proceed at a road traffic accident than an 18 or 20-year old recruit
in the Wholetime service. You get valuable resources coming to the Retained Service - that's why it is so good. Attend a fire involving,
say, an immersion heater and the first thing you're looking for is the one in the crew who's done a bit of electrical work.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter

The FBU welcomes CFS as presenting opportunities to create lasting partnerships and links between the local community and their Retained Station. It also brings increased financial benefits for quieter Stations.

The Retained system is also progressive, bringing people who have the sort of knowledge and experience that's very useful into the Fire Brigade.

The Bain Report The Future of the Fire Service: Reducing Risk, Saving Lives (2) called for senior managers to be given the opportunity to create roles other than fire fighting, on a Retained basis, like community fire safety (CFS).

But the truth is that Retained Firefighters have been doing this work, usually on a voluntary basis, for years. School fetes and Station open days have been accepted willingly as part of the job. Ironically, the employers’ handling of the FBU's 2002-3 claim for improved pay and subsequent delays in implementing it, have all but squandered this good will.

The FBU calls on the employers to give them the opportunity to be involved in paid CFS work in a formal structured, trained, professional approach to engaging with their communities: Targeting through direct intervention initiatives, education and publicity, those in the community most at risk.

funding

While we're struggling with half a dozen people to keep the pump on the run, they're happy because they are saving money, and
they've still got a pump that drives around occasionally. So as far as statistics are concerned they’'ve still got a Fire Station open.

- Berkshire Firefighter

It's about time that our employers took the shortage of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System more seriously. It is regular
occurrence in my Brigade that there can be up to 10 retained pumps off the run during the daytime. If the public knew about this then
I am sure that something would be done about it. For a start they should have an annual budget for recruitment and not leave it to
the people on Station to try and recruit.

- Somerset Firefighter
Retained Firefighters provide cost-effective fire cover. While they make up 60% of fire fighting crews, 2003/4 payments to Retained members of the Service represented some 13.74 per cent of pay bill expenditure. The Retained duty system is probably about eight times cheaper than the Wholetime system and then there is the cost of converting Fire Stations to provide sleeping and cooking facilities.

There is no separate funding for the Retained Duty System of The Fire and Rescue Service. Where Fire Brigades have had to make cuts in level of service provided to the public in recent years, the Retained Duty System of The Fire and Rescue Service has not been exempt.

If the Fire Service is to continue to benefit from the contribution of Retained Firefighters, substantial additional funding will be vital to overcome recruitment and retention problems. The idea, advanced recently by the Local Government Association (LGA) that some remedies to the problem can be at low or no cost - a view apparently shared by some other organisations involved in the debate about recruitment and retention - is a fantasy.

The retained workforce

The latest figures for 2003-4 suggest that there are an estimated 18,259 Firefighters working on the Retained Duty System, (CIPFA/IPF). This compares with an estimated overall Wholetime strength of 38,845 (including all ranks from Firefighter to Chief Fire Officer).

Retained Firefighters account for over 30% of the total operational workforce of England and Wales but are responsible for operating 60% of pump appliances.

There are Retained Firefighters in all but two of the Brigades in the UK. Their numbers vary according to the historic risk categories of a Brigade. In Northern Ireland there are nearly 1,000 Firefighters on the Retained Duty System, and in Scotland over 2,800, but in London and Merseyside there are none.

The Retained Duty System is the most widely used pattern of work in the Fire and Rescue Service, if the number of Stations where it is worked are counted. Fire service establishment returns for 2002 show that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 896 Stations are crewed by Retained Firefighters, as against 609 crewed by Wholetime shift workers. Of the 609 shift Stations, 161 also had Retained staff - proving incidentally that Retained and Wholetime FBU members work side by side whenever it is practical.

In Scotland there are 182 Retained stations, 75 Whole-time and 132 Volunteer stations (located mainly in Strathclyde, and in the Highlands and Islands which account for 5% of the population but 40% of Scotland's land mass).

There are five other work patterns in use within the Fire and Rescue Service, but none of them are used as widely and only two out of 58 UK Fire and Rescue Authorities use all seven. The image of 'inflexibility' applied to the Service in general and the FBU in particular during our campaign for better pay is unwarranted.

shortfall

The number working the Retained Duty System fall well short of the number needed, the "establishment" in each Station. Prior to the June 2003 Agreement, in England and Wales the Service was 3,000 below actual establishment. The pay agreement reduced the maximum request for cover from Retained Firefighters from 168 to 120 hours. This created the need of a further 5,000 Retained Firefighters, meaning the Fire and Rescue Service is over 40% below complement nationally.

Due to these poor establishment levels, Firefighters working the Retained Duty System are under pressure to mobilise with less than four crew members on board. The FBU finds this totally unacceptable because it puts the public and our members at risk.

- Our Brigade is supposed to have an establishment of 980 24-hour units. At the moment we have about a thousand Retained Firefighters but very few of those are 24-hour units.We estimate that we are about 250 units down - about 25% to 30%.

And that's reflected by the availability of appliances during the day when a lot of two-pump Stations will not be able to mobilise two machines.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter

With this shortfall, levels of effective fire cover can be substantially reduced, especially during the day. In Berkshire where 13 of the 24 appliances are run by Firefighters working the Retained Duty System, anything between eight and ten can be "off the run". In Strathclyde, which has 44 stations in all, there would normally be two or three units off the run, with others potentially unable to guarantee a crew.

The picture varies from area to area, but its effects are not in dispute. Last year's Our Fire and Rescue Service White Paper said: "Typically, machines go out of service as retained Firefighters commute to work, coming back on call at night. This puts more pressure on other stations and could lead in the long term to the closure of a retained station or its conversion to a Wholetime crew".

Recruitment and retention

The FBU believes strongly that without a long-term investment in funding, we will see the gradual demise of the Retained Duty System. Fire Authorities are and will be unable to protect the public, unable to meet the challenges and expectations of the people we serve. There are a number of reasons for this. They include:
  • Public and employers' lack of awareness of the Retained Duty System. Most people are aware of the presence of a Fire Station in their community but few appreciate how it is staffed.
  • An increasing reluctance by employers to release employees from their place of work to attend incidents, due to economic pressure.
  • Changing patterns of employment requiring more and more people to travel further to places of work and therefore away from the locality of their Fire Station.
  • Fewer self-employed people seem to be available to work as Retained Firefighters, again due to economic pressures and low levels of remuneration in the Fire and Rescue Service.
  • Lack of transparent/fair recruitment policies and procedures.
  • The need to make the Duty system more 'family friendly' and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
  • Lack of investment in Retained Station buildings/facilities.
  • Poor remuneration for commitment to availability.
  • Lack of management training of Station personnel on all levels/roles: 'people management' skills, public relations, fairness at work, diversity.
  • Very limited scope for personal and career development within the Retained Duty System of the Fire and Rescue Service.
  • The perception of the work of Firefighters on the Retained Duty System is not matched by the reality.
These problems are not new, but up to now have generally not been addressed by the employers or the Government. They stem from:
  • Lack of understanding of the Retained Duty System.
  • Lack of interest and commitment by Government, ODPM, Fire Authorities, Chief Fire Officers, Firemasters.
  • Resistance to diversity issues.
  • Lack of adequate sustainable funding into the Retained Duty System of the Fire and Rescue Service.
  • Lower establishments mean Fire Authorities save money - 'Retained on the cheap . . . and cheaper still'.
The problem of appliances "off the run" because of staff shortages is now being picked up by the media:
  • In Essex, the Herts and Essex Observer reported recently that Retained Firefighters from the Thaxted Fire Station in Essex have been "off the run" and are desperately appealing for new recruits. Leading Firefighter Steve Morris told the Observer: 'We are actually starting to miss calls now, which is really quite frightening'. Work ommitments, individuals moving out of the village, holiday plans, an impending retirement, lack of local industry and increased commuting are the familiar ingredients in this story.
  • In Newcastle, the Sentinel reported that the local Fire Station was "regularly one engine short". In this case it is Wholetimers on a variable crewing system who are one crew down, but increased reliance on Retained personnel, themselves - 50% short - was expected to take its toll.
promoting the service

Not enough is being done to promote the Retained Duty System to the public in general, to employers and to employees, self-employed and unemployed as potential recruits. The FBU believes that national initiatives are needed to overcome this.

Four years ago the FBU in Northern Ireland became involved in a new initiative with the Fire Brigade. There had been serious difficulties in getting people to come forward as applicants for the Retained Service. In several one-pump Stations the Brigade advertised vacancies and actually got no applicants. They ended up having to put in Retained Firefighters on a day-watch system - paid a day's pay to go and stand by, at considerable cost.

- Most of the people in my village realise that there is a Fire Station in their community but few appreciate how the fire appliance is crewed.

The number of times members of the public have knocked on the Fire Station door to thank the Firefighters for the job they do only to be surprised that the fire engine is there but no Firefighters.

- Strathclyde Firefighter

The Union argued that the Brigade was being more rigid than it needed to in distributing application forms (taking fair
employment legislation into account). Recruitment materials were changed from just a form to a whole 'pack', and put into places like libraries and health centres, in two districts. The initiative made a significant impact and eventually secured sufficient recruits. The Brigade has now taken this further and it has been successful.

public perception

In the eyes of the public, the Retained Duty System of the Fire and Rescue Service is no different to that of the Wholetime Duty System. The appliances are the same and the fire fighting protective clothing is the same, and both carry out the same duties at incidents.

Accordingly the public expect the best from every member of the Fire and Rescue Service, the professional expertise and courage that are the hallmarks of the UK Fire and Rescue Service. Sadly a number of Firefighters on the Retained Duty System have died in service. The commitment expected from Retained Firefighters is enormous considering the levels of training and remuneration they receive.

It is the view of the FBU that in both the areas of training and remuneration very much more needs to be done in the interests of expertise and safety and the status of the Retained Duty System.

employers

A lot of Retained Firefighters have the co-operation of their employers but more can and should be done to promote the Retained Duty System and Fire Service. It's ironic that the Government talks about community initiatives but when it comes to employers releasing Firefighters for the community there is no incentive for them to do it whatsoever. There will be costs involved in any promotion of the Service, but the long term cost of under-recruitment is greater.

A 2002 report by the HM Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland (HMFSI) called for a more pro-active approach to local employers, and public recognition of their contribution (Retained, Auxiliary And Volunteer Firefighters in the Scottish Fire Service.) It said rebates on business rates or payment for time lost could be considered. Brigades and local authorities could set an example by encouraging their own staff to be rural and retained Firefighters.

“ I think that the employers have to be recognised. Someone from the Fire Service actually has to go and see those employers to see if they can persuade them. I am sure if you work around someone’s work schedule, for instance someone working in Tesco’s stacking shelves, why could he not be released? But nobody actually goes to see them.

– Devon employer of Retained Firefighters
(Hansard: House of Commons Housing, Planning, Local
Government and the Regions Committee, 21 October 2003)

We think once a year they could get in contact with the employer– at least a corporate Christmas card – but they don’t even do minor
things like that .

– Northern Ireland Firefighter
  • The Government (ODPM) must ensure that public services and groups like the Business and Community Safety Forum (BCSF) are aware of the Retained Duty System and its benefits to local businesses; and encourage and support employers in releasing employees to carry out Retained duties.
  • Nationally and at Brigade level there must be better engagement with the business community. There is a considerable variation in the support received from the business community for releasing employees to carry out Retained duties, despite the many benefits of having Retained Firefighters on the payroll with a large range of transferable skills.
  • The ODPM, Chief Fire Officers and Fire Authorities must engage effectively with local employers to dismantle barriers and overcome reluctance to release staff, with local management “meeting the people”.
  • We should consider offering inducements through financial incentives (tax/business rate benefits, insurance discounts) and/or local recognition for rendering service to the community. This could be either nationally through employers’ organisations or on a more local basis, or both.
  • Brigades should be inviting employers to open-days and public exercises, to see the work of the Fire Brigade. Other practical steps, like sending a copy of the Brigade's annual report to employers to let them see the activities of the Brigade - with particular emphasis on the role of the Retained Firefighters.
The development of career forums, as used in other branches of the public services (nurses, special constables, teachers and also the territorial army) would help the Service attract more employed applicants.

Changes in patterns of employment have made it more difficult to recruit, with a dramatic decline in manufacturing jobs. In response the government argues that for every manufacturing job lost in the UK, two new jobs have been created elsewhere in the economy. The Fire and Rescue Service must broaden and update its recruitment strategies in order to connect with these new employers.

Self-employed people have traditionally played an important role on the Retained Duty system. Numbers of self-employed rose during 2002 and 2003 to nearly 3.4 million, with skilled trades, professional and technical occupations registering the highest increases. But it seems to be more difficult to attract them to the Fire and Rescue Service than it used to be and greater remuneration or other incentives from Government need to be offered.

- Employment has shifted to service-based organisations which aren't run locally. The Roads department could be controlled from Aberdeen yet the person lives in Banff so there's not the same local identity.

- FBU Scotland

Most of the employers of potential retained Firefighters haven't got a clue about the Retained Duty System. So is it surprising then that they are reluctant to release their employees to carryout firefighting duties. Officers from the Brigades should visit the employers and explain the Retained Duty System.

- Avon Firefighter

Unemployment is lower than it used to be but pockets of high unemployment still exist at a local level in some areas of the country. To retain and extend the use of unemployed people in the Retained Duty System of the Government must
rethink its Benefits System policies to make a Retained post in the Fire and Rescue Service more worthwhile.

The Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) is often cited as one of the barriers to Retained recruitment. Unemployed Firefighters working the Retained Duty System claiming JSA have their earnings from fire fighting deducted from their allowance.

Currently Firefighters can earn up to £20.00 (compared to other groups who receive a £5.00 'disregard') without losing any of their benefit. But the ODPM should apply pressure to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and assist them in putting a case to Ministers to change the legislation and increase the allowance further.

The DWP itself should ensure that information/advice is issued to all local employment offices reminding them of the present preferential easements that Retained Firefighters should receive. The FBU does not accept figures suggesting that numbers of 'claiming' Firefighters are insignificant, since they do not show how many have been deterred from applying.

Recruitment

A lack of recruitment activity in many areas is one of the key problems. Local recruitment campaigns have been poorly funded and organised. Commitment to regular campaigns have been infrequent and half hearted.

As a result, the Service relies heavily on the activities of Firefighters themselves to attract potential new recruits, a fact confirmed by Scottish HMSFI 2002 report. Without that commitment staffing levels would be even worse but over-reliance on this process has potential problems from an equality perspective.

A properly funded and well thought out National Recruitment Campaign is needed. We need to advertise the Retained Duty System via centrally produced and strategically approached national television advertising, national radio, national press, women’s magazines, and national leaflets.

- The only recruitment drives that go on are what we do ourselves.

- Berkshire Firefighter

The fire service will have to compete against a wide range of organisations, including those in the public and voluntary sectors, if it wants to attract the attention of potential recruits. In 2003 85% of organisations experienced recruitment difficulties including 90% in public sector services and 92% in voluntary, community and not-for-profit organisations.

- Chartered Institute of Personnel &
Development (CIPD):
Recruitment, retention and turnover 2004
For there to be more effective recruitment to the Service, Brigades themselves must be genuinely committed to expanding the number of Firefighters on the Retained Duty System.

The Fire Service must be made more attractive to potential recruits and a willingness to adapt the Retained Duty System and the level of commitment can only help. This is why the reduction in the level of cover required nationally to 120 hours is important. It is no good 'blaming' young recruits, for example, for being insufficiently committed. Increased recruitment would itself allow the demands of the job to be shared amongst a greater number of Firefighters on the Retained Duty System.

People join the service on the Retained Duty system to help the community, do something worthwhile and gain new skills, according to the Scottish HMSFI 2002 report. The aim of fulfilling a long-held ambition is another factor, as is money while for some it is a stepping stone to the Wholetime service. Difficulties with their main employment, and "concerns that the Brigades appear to do little to help in these situations" were barriers for some.

The report noted that recent leavers experience regret at leaving, and it may be worth investigating the approach taken by Surrey Police who routinely contact leavers 12 to 18 months after they have left to ask if they would like to return (IDS Studies 751 June 2003: Recruitment practices).recruitment procedures

Applicants wanting to join the Fire Service have to pass a number of tests, as well as a medical assessment. From 25 March 2004 this year new Appointments and Promotion Regulations have been in force and make no distinction between Wholetime and Retained Firefighters.

Whatever the level of recruitment activity, if the process of joining the Fire Service is not handled properly a huge 'wastage' of potential recruits can occur.

Needless delays for four, five or six months can only make matters worse. There is a lengthy recruitment processing caused by Fire and Rescue Services wanting to wait until there are enough candidates to test at any one time in order to make the process cost-effective can lead to loss of potential recruits.

- If we know about it then we can get them on the Station,we can give them some training, access training, hose running. People are failing on this simply because its the first time they've ever picked up a piece
of hose. They end up in a big bunch of spaghetti and that’s it, they fail the test.

- Berkshire Firefighter

- The employers don't really want to know. They're extremely reluctant to engage in any sort of recruitment to the extent that the next planned retained training is scheduled for next April. So even if we recruited someone tomorrow they've got to wait until then, then three months on it'll be July before we actually get bums on seats.

- Berkshire Firefighter

Retained Firefighters believe that they can contribute to a higher success rate in the recruitment and training process. The Scottish HMSFI 2002 report pointed out that allowing potential candidates to meet staff at the unit they wish to join may be 'beneficial', adding that applicants need more information about what to expect in the selection process: "Many rural and retained units would welcome the opportunity to be further involved in the selection process for new recruits. Whatever the role of units in the selection of new team members, this should be officially recorded, to prevent misunderstandings".

The Government (ODPM) is working on a standardised national test system. The FBU nationally has been involved in developing the proposed Point of Entry Selection Test system (PES).

The lack of Retained input at Senior Officer Level is another factor and there needs to be a clear management responsibility in respect of recruitment in Brigades. The appointment of Officers specifically to deal with recruitment and retention issues for the Retained Duty System would help raise awareness, increase establishments and improve retention.

Retained personnel must be consulted with and used as advisors. Brigades must develop effective strategies to tackle issues of public awareness and under representation in the communities through Station open days etc.

Retention

The Government itself has identified recruitment and retention as problems facing the Fire Service Retained Duty System. Experience at Brigade level suggests that recruitment is the main problem but the stress of trying to keep the Service going is bound to tell eventually in increasing turnover.

In 2001/2, 1,300 Wholetime staff left the service (equivalent to 3.9% of the Wholetime workforce of England and Wales). By comparison, the Retained Duty System lost over 1,500 staff, equivalent to 10.4% of the Retained workforce. This is broadly in line with the public sector as a whole but given the recognised shortfall in its establishment the fire service will have to work even harder to recruit to the Retained Duty system.

We are under valued, under funded and under establishment.

No wonder morale is often so low and retention such a problem.

- Strathclyde Firefighter

They actually believe there's going to be a huge influx of Wholetime people to do retained jobs and there ain’t going to be.

- Yorkshire Firefighter
The service needs to recognise the role that personal satisfaction plays in keeping retained Firefighters in the service according to the Scottish HMSFI 2002 report. That report also highlighted pay and hours of cover as sources of concern, alongside aspects of training, equipment, and appreciation of their commitment/professionalism.

These findings are in line with a recent report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD). It found that the average labour turnover in 2003 was 16.1%, 12.4% in public sector services and 15.5% in voluntary, community and not-for-profit organisations. The top ten measures taken to address staff retention by organisations in the survey related to employee communication/involvement; induction; learning and development opportunities; selection techniques; work-life balance; increased pay; line management HR skills; improved benefits; revising the way staff are rewarded so their efforts are better recognised; and coaching/mentoring/buddy systems.

retained and whole-time

Arguments about the need for 'modernisation' have tended to portray the Service and the FBU as 'inflexible', with much being made of Wholetime Firefighters taking up jobs on the Retained Duty System as well. The truth is that Retained and Wholetime Firefighters work together every day in many areas of the country.

But there is no quick 'fix' for the Retained duty in 'recruiting' Wholetimers. With the common training standards now in place, it is just as likely that Retained Firefighters will opt to apply for Wholetime positions, leaving the Retained Duty System depleted. And many Wholetime Firefighters live outside the recruitment area for Retained stations in any case.

career opportunities

The lack of career opportunities and chances of promotion beyond Sub-Officer level can only contribute to retention problems in the Retained service. This can only increase the tendency for Retained personnel to go Wholetime. As one Berkshire Firefighter put it, "potentially there's going to be a huge void in the Retained service".

We believe there should be opportunities for relocation for career development, to improve promotion prospects, and to improve career opportunities via distance learning, training days etc.

The core issue is, Retained Firefighters aren't paid enough for their availability, and that's where the problem lies.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter

I am pleased about the pay parity with my Wholetime colleagues achieved through the June 2003 Pay Agreement. But I'm still concerned about my retaining fee.

- Kent Firefighter
Pay and conditions of service

The remuneration available is bound to be a factor in recruitment and retention. The principle of parity between Wholetime and Retained Firefighters, pursued as a key plank of the 2003 pay settlement, has been achieved but much more needs to be done to make the Retained Duty System attractive.

The Union believes there is work to be done improving fees and allowances, maximising the benefits of the 120-hour cover level, improving the way attendance is calculated, time and a half after 42 hours work, long service bounty at
shorter service intervals, introducing a pension and sick pay and making other improvements.

The over-riding priority must be to improve the level of remuneration to make the job more attractive to new recruits. And retention would benefit from the immediate and full implementation of the 2003 pay agreement so that Firefighters are not made to wait further for improvements in pay.

the retained duty payment system

Pay for Retained Firefighters is determined through a combination of several elements:
  • Annual Retaining Fee.
  • Attendance fees (where the Retained member responds to a call but is not required as a member of the crew of an appliance attending an incident): a half hour's pay plus a disturbance rate.
  • Turnout fees (where a Retained member has responded to a call and is required to be a member of the crew of an appliance attending an incident): an hour's pay plus a disturbance rate.
  • Extra payments for remaining on duty (turnout fees are in respect of the first hour): hourly pay.
  • Drill attendance fees: two (or three) hours' pay per week.
  • Long service bounty scheme.
The FBU demands that the NJC agree an increase in all allowances and payments for Retained personnel to reflect both the 'commitment' and the 'deed', the cover provided and the work done. In its submission to the Retained Review Team (which is being co-ordinated by the ODPM) the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) admitted that "poor rates of pay" (alongside other difficulties) are seen as a problem in retention.

Some of the submissions to the Retained Review Team talk of the 2003 Agreement leading to a worsening of some aspects of the remuneration package. But the employers had the opportunity of addressing this within the pay settlement, with a bigger Retaining Fee - but they didn't take it up.

They made it clear that they were only prepared to pledge a specific sum for the Retained pay increase and that if we were to pursue further increases in the Retaining Fee it would be at the expense of other monies earned on the turnout/attendance fees. As a result, after full implementation of the 2003 pay agreement the Retaining Fee will be worth just 40p per hour.

Submissions to the Retained Review Team have also called for changes in remuneration on the Retained Duty System. Current pay arrangements have been described as a 'perverse incentive' for Retained involvement in Community Fire Safety, because part of our remuneration is linked to call-outs. But Retained Firefighters have been actively promoting safety in the community for years.

Some Brigades are exploring 'banding' arrangements that would pay Firefighters less where there are fewer call-outs. Others are attempting to copy aspects of the South Wales rota Duty System for use in their area, ignoring the fact that additional funding was provided for that particular scheme.

The FBU's view is that any deficiencies in current pay arrangements should be addressed and negotiated through our negotiating machinery, the National Joint Council (NJC). There is a more pressing need to recruit more Firefighters onto the Retained Duty System, to get our appliances back on the run. And that will require an appropriate investment in the Service.

In Northern Ireland pay parity means Retained Firefighters who come in for a few hours training will be paid same as Wholetime. While training for a full day for a Retained Firefighter always was paid at the same rate as Wholetime (by local agreement). a lower hourly rate would apply for - say - four hours' training. Now the rate is the same.

The June 2003 Pay and Conditions Agreement provided for the following fee levels upon full implementation:

retaining fee

Retained Firefighters are paid a Retaining Fee for being available to attend calls. The current Retaining Fee for a Retained Firefighter is:
Trainee £1,876 per annum
Development £1,954 per annum
Competent £2,500 per annum
If a Retained member has enrolled on conditions requiring attendance only during limited periods, the Retaining Fee may be reduced by 25%. Retained members insist that full Retaining Fees should be paid to Firefighters working the Retained Duty System averaging 120 hours of cover or more per week. This arrangement should make it easier to promote the Retained Duty system among employers.

Firefighters providing cover for periods equating to less than an average of than 120 hours per week will be paid not less than 75% of the full Retaining Fee. Time taken for annual leave, sick leave, training courses and Trade Union duties should be credited as part of the 120 hours cover.

The original unit cover for a fully Retained Firefighter equated to 168 hours. This unit is still recognised but it is no longer possible to get one unit of cover from just one Retained Firefighter. Therefore some increase in the crewing levels on Stations will be required in order to allow them to fully utilise the 48 hours per week off duty time they are entitled to if they so wish to.

The reduction to 120 hours is a great step forward, providing 48 hours in the week when Retained Firefighters on full-cover fees can relax and enjoy life in the knowledge that - for now - they are not on call. This can mean the chance to get an unbroken night's sleep, or to juggle commitments to their other employer with their responsibilities in the Fire Service.

In terms of the application of the Retaining Fee, when employers are calculating the percentage of fires attended by Retained Firefighters, they should do so only on the basis of counting those days that the Retained Firefighter is actually available, and not on the total number of calls.

120 hours is the national agreement but this can be improved on locally. In Berkshire the Brigade is looking at a requirement of 100 hours for the full Retaining Fee which could see 50 hours 'premium' day-time cover (counted as time and a half) qualifying for the 75% Retaining Fee.

attendance fees

Where a Retained member responds to a call to attend at the Fire Station and is not required as a member of the crew of an appliance attending an incident, an attendance fee is calculated on a half hour's pay. The current fee for a Firefighter is:
Trainee
£4.28
 plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £7.56
Development
£4.46
plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £7.74
Competent
£5.71
 plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £8.99
turnout fees

A turnout fee is payable. The current fee for a Firefighter is:
Trainee
£8.56
 plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £11.84
Development
£8.92
 plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £12.20
Competent
£11.42
 plus a disturbance rate of £3.28 = £14.70

extra payments for remaining on duty

- If we all do the same job, if we all have to pass the same entrance exam to get in, why shouldn't we all get the same conditions?

- Berkshire Firefighter

Turnout fees are in respect of the first hour. Thereafter an hourly payment is made. The hourly rate for a Firefighter is:

Trainee £8.56
Development £8.92
Competent £11.42
The FBU argues that on any occasion where a Firefighter working the Retained Duty System works over 42 hours in any one week undertaking duties on behalf of their Brigade, a further payment for any hours worked should be paid at the rate of time and a half.

drill attendance fees

Where a Retained Firefighter attends the Station for training and maintenance duties, a fee for the two hour attendance is:
Trainee £17.12
Development £17.84
Competent £22.84
long service bounty

The Long Service Bounty Scheme, introduced in 1968, is designed to recognise, reward and encourage continuous Retained service by Fire and Rescue Service members whose main occupation is in another field. The scheme is part of our 'grey book' national agreement (Conditions of Service Section VII Para 15 (2)).

It provides bounties payable to Retained members on completion of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of qualifying service respectively. The FBU is calling for an additional payment after 5 years service and also wants the allowance brought into line with other professional testimonials and/or pension lump sums, as a tax-free payment. We also want an amendment to Section VII Paragraph 15 (4) of the Grey Book, to remove the reduction of the Bounty Scheme rate due to availability.

pensions

The Government White Paper Our Fire and Rescue Service made a commitment to introducing "an appropriate pension scheme". It is a long-standing claim and objective of the Fire Brigades Union that Retained Firefighters should have the right to be in membership of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme.

This would ensure that their service is recognised in a tangible form by way of a monthly pension following retirement. We do not accept that the long service bounty scheme is a suitable alternative, a point of view advanced by the employers.

- In any other job I choose to do as part time I can contribute to the pension scheme why not here?

- Yorkshire Firefighter

All I am asking for is the right to a pension that is there for me and my colleagues who just happen to work a different type of shift.

- Avon Firefighter

If you break a leg playing football you get nothing, whereas a Wholetime Firefighter could get full pay for six months.We’re
probably the only form of public servants who still don't get any form of sick pay like that.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter
Over the last three years the Union has been pursuing equal pension and sick pay rights for Retained Firefighters under the Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 (Mathews and others v Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service). We are currently seeking leave to appeal to the House of Lords, after losing a crucial hearing in the Court of Appeal.

The Appeal Court accepted that Retained Firefighters work to the same contracts as wholetime Firefighters but it also accepted the employers' claim that Retained Firefighters do not do the same or broadly similar work and rejected the appeal. It found that Wholetime Firefighters had "measurable additional job functions" including education and reventative work, having been told by the employers' legal team that Retained Firefighters did little more than attend incidents until Wholetimers arrive.

Our view is that the Fire Service will not be 'modern' until we are all treated in the same way and entitled to the same rights.

paid leave

Four weeks paid leave is now available to Retained Firefighters, rising to five weeks after 5 years' service. However, the FBU is claiming drill payments during annual leave. We call on the NJC to agree a change to the "Scheme of Conditions of Service" Section VII, Paragraph 6, Sub Paragraph II to read:
"Where a Retained member does not report for a drill session by reason of annual holiday, he/she shall be entitled to receive the appropriate fee subject to a maximum in any one calendar year of FIVE payments except that members with five years service or more at the commencement of the year shall be entitled to a maximum of SIX such payments in any one calendar year."
We also argue that each Firefighter should be entitled to be provided with the method of calculation used to arrive at the sum paid to them for annual leave payment.

In Northern Ireland the FBU has negotiated a right for Retained Firefighters to take their leave in blocks of one day – unlike Wholetime who are told at the start of the year when they can take their leave. It is calculated on the previous year’s pay.

Parity in other forms of paid leave should be afforded throughout the different Duty Systems. At present, for example, levels of maternity pay vary depending on how many "shouts" an individual Firefighter receives. The principle of parity should apply in maternity support leave and adoption, trade Union leave.
We're concerned that a lot of tests are not being done properly and we have proposed that drill night becomes a maintenance
night and we either do one night a month or two days per quarter for core skills training.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter
sick pay

The only sick pay that the Retained qualify for is if they are actually injured in a fire call. Then they have limited access to the pension scheme. But when they are simply sick, there is no sick pay. Statutory sick pay just paid through their normal employment. This is an injustice as well as a barrier to recruitment and retention. The FBU is campaigning for sick pay provision for Retained Firefighters.

Training

If we are to overcome recruitment and retention difficulties, the Fire Service Retained Duty System must offer more. Firefighters working the Retained Duty System must be afforded the appropriate quality training, time and frequent continuation training whilst working with specialist appliances to ensure compliance with mandatory requirements and to ensure their own health and safety.

The FBU believes we need more time both for drill, and for maintenance and equipment testing, we need full IPDS implementation, CFS training, command and control training and more career development opportunities. This would aid recruitment and retention.

Retained Firefighters may find themselves tackling incidents alongside other crews working different Duty Systems. They are expected to be as competent as any other Firefighter attending the incident, despite inadequate periods of training and poor remuneration. Training on entry to the Service is now the same for Wholetime and Retained, but when it comes to on-going training there is scope for improvement.

Safety equipment (eg chemical suits) has been taken off Retained appliances in at least one Brigade because there isn't the time to train them, while first aid courses have been cut down from five to four days.

drill

The NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service for Retained members requires attendance at the Fire Station for a two-hour period one evening per week. In addition to training this period has to allow for maintenance of equipment and appliances. As a result of Union pressure, the employers agreed to a third hour - but only at the discretion of the Fire Authority and drill remains at two hours for many Retained Firefighters.

Time allowed for weekly drills is often taken up by maintenance, leaving not enough time for training. Appliances and equipment are or should be the same for Wholetime and Retained duty Firefighters. But while Wholetime have two day shifts and two night shifts to do all those tests, a Retained Watch has got two hours in the week to do all those tests and have continuation training on that equipment and to do administration as well.

- For years and years and years we've done hours and hours and hours free of charge. You get no recognition, no thanks for it. Now it's part of our job description we feel we should be paid for it.

- Berkshire Firefighter
The Scottish HMSFI 2002 report flags up "concerns about the lack of adequate time given to training each week and the way in which this could be eroded by other routine tasks such as maintenance, equipment testing, cleaning and paperwork". It also recommends "clear communication" between training officers and rural and retained units, and joint training "to help reduce current misconceptions of the different types Firefighter about each other".

The FBU demands that each Firefighter working the Retained Duty System will be required to undertake training for a period averaging not less than 3 hours per week. In addition to the above requirements and in order to maintain IPDS requirements for operational Firefighters a further one day per month be allocated for training.

Essential maintenance and testing should not be at the expense of training. One solution to this would be to ensure that weekly Standard testing of equipment, appliances, Station cleaning and maintenance is carried outside of the drill period and involves all personnel.

integrated personal development systems (IPDS)

Integrated Personal Development Systems (IPDS) should be fully implemented, funded and flexible for all Firefighters working the Retained Duty System. It must be the duty of every Brigade to ensure all Firefighters working the Retained Duty System are trained via IPDS in all core competences of the role maps and all areas of training.

IPDS underscores the principle that "a Firefighter is a Firefighter" regardless of Duty System worked. There are significant training resource implications arising from this principle, as all Firefighters will be required to be competent in their role and trained to deal with the range of potential incidents which may be encountered. Firefighters working the Retained Duty System expect:-
  • IPDS to be adequately funded and provide a framework and opportunities that allows Retained personnel to be developed according to their own needs and circumstances.
  • Flexible in its delivery, combined Duty System training days, e-learning etc (Home and Station).
  • Recognition of the skills people bring or have acquired from outside the Service.
  • Focus development primarily on core skills and local risk with opportunities to train on special appliances.
  • Consider temporary deployment to a Wholetime Station or area with different risks to enhance development.
  • Consider the use of trained paid trainers who are themselves from Retained Stations. This would reduce the workload on trainers from Training Schools.
  • Any development needs (Gaps) will be addressed promptly with funding not used as an excuse for not providing training.
  • That there will be no barriers in integrating/being interchangeable within other Duty Systems once Firefighters working the Retained Duty System have been deemed competent in their role.
community fire safety

Firefighters working the Retained Duty System are involved in Community Fire Safety initiatives. There must be thorough, quality training for all participants and paid time to carry out these duties away from the Firefighters' nominated weekly training night.

new dimension

The role of the Fire and Rescue Service in New Dimensions work and response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attack has implications for all Firefighters, including those working the Retained Duty System.

The extra training needed to ensure competency with new equipment carried on Incident Response Units (IRUs), Urban Search and Rescue vehicles and high volume pumping vehicles, is an added demand on Retained Firefighters whose availability for training is limited.

IRUs require eight support pumps to ensure their efficient operation and in many areas this support can only come from Retained Firefighters. It is also possible that in the event of an attack on urban centres rural Brigades will be required to provide the greater part of the response. This implies a major contribution from Firefighters working the Retained Duty System.

The demands placed on Retained Firefighters, should they have to support an incident over a number of days, will be very onerous, given their primary employment and other responsibilities outside of the fire and rescue service. Nevertheless, Retained Firefighters are prepared to take up these responsibilities. But proper and flexible training must be provided.

- Sometimes you know you
can't go out, can't do that
social thing, can't go on
school trips with the
children, can't work
overtime at your main job.
You can become very
insular, very isolated, and
feel under pressure.

- Helen Hill,
FBU Retained
Committee
Secretary

command and control

The FBU welcomes the high profile now being given to command and control and recognises the increased health and safety of our members as Officers skills and knowledge is increased.

However, with the background of recent improvement notices served upon Brigades, it is of paramount importance that proper initial and continuation training is given to Retained Officers in this important area of fire fighting. The FBU calls upon all Brigades to bring about the proper and necessary training required by all Retained officers.

Work-life balance

Flexibility that allows Firefighters to better balance their commitments within and outside the Fire Service would be a positive development, particularly if it leads on to increased recruitment and therefore a larger pool of Retained Firefighters available to respond to calls.

Availability arrangements are a matter of great concern to Firefighters on the Retained Duty System. The reduction in commitment from 168 to 120 hours, when it is applied, will be a great step forward and the suggestion from some quarters that it may 'exacerbate' the shortage of Retained personnel misses the point.

Some Brigades have proved that they can be even more flexible than this, and are prepared to consider reducing the full Retained commitment further in order to provide a better working framework.

Equality and diversity

The FBU exists to ensure that all of its members are properly protected in the workplace. This applies not only to wages and working conditions, but to issues such as recruiting, training, promotion, and indeed the way we are all treated - by both management and colleagues - at work.

We insist that our Retained members are treated with fairness and on equal terms with all other workers within the UK Fire and Rescue Service. All Firefighters working any Duty System must be trained on all aspects of Fairness at Work/diversity.

Issues that must be tackled if the Retained Duty System is to attract a wider range of recruits and reflect the community it serves include:

- All applications used to be through local Stations, but people can now apply through the head quarters. The local officer is 'kept in the loop' but is not the 'gateway'.

- FBU Scotland

The Brigade recognises that day-time is the most difficult period to cover, both because of employer reluctance to release staff and because a proportion of the Retained workforce is committed to childcare during the day. It agreed, initially on a trail basis, to provide financial support to Retained Firefighters who are parents and who are prepared to respond to emergencies "at times when they would otherwise be committed to looking after young children".

Requests for assistance will be considered from Stations with "known difficulties in mobilising appliances with full crews" and this can be offered both to existing staff and as "a recruitment incentive to the local populace". Where there are no such mobilising difficulties, individual Firefighters applying for assistance will be told that their attendance is not required at times when they are committed to looking after children "at no detriment to their Retainedcontracts".

– Oxfordshire Brigade
  • Childcare, after school and during 'anti-social' hours.
  • The lack of facilities on Stations.
  • Employer-related issues, like the increase in part time working and 'zero hours' contracts (another system where workers 'standby' for work) could be detrimental to women joining the Service. Employers may be less likely to give time off when a worker is only doing 16 hour week, for example.
  • Access to training and recruitment.
  • Isolation - lack of other women on Station.
  • Favouritism or 'nepotism' in access to Retained jobs.
  • Maternity rights for part-time workers.
To make the Retained Duty System attractive to women, more flexibility in the hours of availability needs to be considered. Crèche facilities or other childcare arrangements should be provided - an Oxfordshire scheme introduced four years ago shows what can be done.

The use of diverse role models in all advertising will aid recruitment but will also assist in retention. The FBU advocates the Outreach Programme used in London and believes that the ODPM has clear responsibility for funding of initiatives aimed at ensuring equality of opportunity in the fire service as a whole.

Existing members on the Retained Duty System should see themselves and their roles positively and proudly promoted. The Scottish HMSFI 2002 report recommends targeted advertising that emphasises the breadth of skills rather than the physical strength required.

Black and ethnic minority workers are under-represented in both the Wholetime and the retained service. There are around 850 black and ethnic minority Whole-time Firefighters and the figure amongst the retained service does not even reach three figures. The fire service is failing to recruit larger numbers of black and ethnic minority Firefighters through the retained duty system, despite the urgent need to make up workforce strength.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender workers are more focussed in metropolitan areas and the main bar to recruitment in rural areas is seen as a reluctance by potential recruits to out themselves in a rural community. The ideology and culture of the fire service does not particularly respect the personal privacy of its workers who may feel that raising their profile within the community leaves them open to discrimination on grounds of their sexuality or perceived sexuality. There is a reluctance by Brigades outside London to promote the FBU Gay and Lesbian Support Group to existing Firefighters and also to involve them in recruitment campaigns. An increase in the number of "positive action" days is recommended.

Management

With Retained Firefighters playing such a key role in the Service, it is essential that management policies are applied thoughtfully to those on the Retained Duty System. To be told that management "don't care" if a Retained station is off the run is a slap in the face for dedicated Firefighters.

Where the Retained duty is poorly managed, this can undermine morale and contribute to retention and other problems. The same principle applies to consultation and negotiation with Retained Firefighters and their representatives at national and local level. The ability of rural and retained Firefighters to contribute to Brigade decision-making, and the option of a rural and retained advisory group in each Brigade are two of the proposals in the Scottish HMSFI 2002 report.

The FBU wants to see
  • Increased opportunities for Firefighters working the Retained Duty System to engage in dialogue and give their views.
  • Improvements in formal communication structures within Brigades/the Fire and Rescue Service as a whole. Provision of information to Firefighters on Stations is ad hoc and Senior Officers' visits to Fire Stations are infrequent.
Proposals are now being discussed to install "champions" for the Retained Duty System at a national level (i.e. a Senior Member of HMFSI) and at Regional and Fire Authority levels. Similarly there is a proposal for Officers on the Retained Duty System to be appointed as Retained Liaison Officers. Measures that give Retained Firefighters a stronger voice can help improve recruitment and retention.

' Modernisation' or a fully-funded service'

- If you believe the ODPM and politicians and the newspapers, the Union and Firefighters aren't doing modernisation, when the reality of the situation is, most of the modernisation things that have been proposed we've been doing for years. It seems the politicians and management just aren't aware of what the troops do.

- Berkshire Firefighter


We feel that they could target people who work in a certain area
and live in another area.We'd be quite happy to see them taking on
people who work in a Retained Station area but live in a holetime
Station area - but don - tnecessarily provide fire cover outside of the
Retained area.

- Northern Ireland Firefighter
The FBU is worried that the need for measures to improve recruitment and retention to the Retained Duty System, in particular the funding implications is in danger of being 'buried' under the weight of 'modernisation' proposals.

In our view the Retained Review Team set up by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and involving a number of ODPM staff appears to be moving in that direction.

Some of the proposals being considered would represent a step back from the need to recruit more Retained Firefighters, and could actually damage the Service in the long run. We are not convinced by proposals like:
  • Reducing the minimum number of riders on appliances: Four is the minimum number of riders for a very good reason: safety. Many of the ladders we carry can only be operated by four Firefighters and the correct use of breathing apparatus also calls for four.
We all want to serve the public but putting ourselves and them at risk on under-crewed 'shouts' is not the solution. We understand that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) accepts that no less than four personnel should turn out on pumping appliances. These guidelines are at all times adhered to and that no Retained pumping appliance turns out with less than four persons.
  • Crew and appliance limits: The FBU condemns the policy of those Brigades that only allow a maximum crew of five on Retained pumping appliances when attending incidents. This policy can only be at the detriment of our member's health and safety.
The NJC should put a stop to this practice, to ensure that the maximum crew available is able to attend incidents. We also believe there should be a minimum of two pumping appliances attend property fires at all times, with a minimum crewing level of 12. No reduction/cost cutting decisions should be made that affect the safety of the public or Firefighters.
  • Use of non-Firefighters: It is now accepted that 'a Firefighter is a Firefighter'. We need to grasp the nettle of recruitment, rather than look for substitutes. We are opposed to the introduction of unwarranted distinctions within the Fire Service workforce. All Personal Protective Equipment/Uniform should be of the same standard across all Duty Systems (and issued at the same time).
  • Extending response times: Currently a fire engine crewed by Retained staff is expected to mobilise within five minutes of a call, extending this as an alternative to attracting more recruits would mean an inferior service to the public.
  • First response: This involves sending out a smaller vehicle to check an incident to see if a pump is needed. Our concern is that this would slow down actual response times by a fully crewed appliance and could put Firefighters and the public in danger.
  • Locating fire appliances in lay-bys or car parks in order to get closer to where individual Retained Firefighters live: Firefighters and their equipment need proper Stations from which to work. Vehicles left unattended, as they would be under a Retained Duty System, could be subject to vandalism.
  • Giving Retained Firefighters a 'blue light'for their car: Quite apart from the insurance issues, many Firefighters are not trained as emergency drivers and are in any case expected to observe the normal rules of the road and road safety. Calls into work are not always emergencies, and may simply be a matter of providing standby cover for a Wholetime crew out on a call.
  • Increased use of volunteers: Volunteer Firefighters play an important role in a small number of individual Stations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but in a much larger number of Stations in parts of Scotland. The FBU is currently working to improve health and safety and working conditions for these Firefighters. But if the Service cannot succeed in recruiting more people to the Retained Duty System we are sceptical about the prospects for a more widespread Voluntary Service.
  • Raising or abolishing the retirement age: Moves in this direction have already been made, but so far resisted. Retained Firefighters are already under pressure because of a shortage of staff. Encouraging them to work beyond the current retirement age is not the solution to the problems facing the Retained Duty System.
Conclusion

The FBU takes the issues of recruitment and retention on the Retained Duty System very seriously.

Our contribution to the Retained Review Team (RRT), which is established under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in January 2004 with the sole objective of looking at these issues, focused on a number of practical problems.

Other contributors sought to widen the remit of the RRT to promote 'modernisation' agenda where often change is sought for change's sake and solutions have to be found at zero cost.

This approach is insulting to Retained Firefighters and self defeating. It is precisely the view that Retained Firefighters are a Fire and Rescue Service on the cheap that has created the recruitment and retention problem that we see today. We believe the single most effective way to tackle the underlying problems of recruitment and retention is to provide an immediate and sustained increase in funding.

Our view is that without significant increases of finance to Fire Authority budgets specific to the Retained Duty System, none of the incentives proposed by the Fire Brigades Union or other organisations can be offered to employers, potential recruits or existing Retained Firefighters.

Our priorities for a fully-funded Fire and Rescue Service provided by Retained Firefighters are:
  • Well organised and funded recruitment campaigns
  • Transparent recruitment policies and procedures
  • Flexible quality training
  • Family friendly policies
  • Flexibility of hours of availability
  • Better remuneration.
We recognise that the Retained Duty System needs action and investment with immediate effect. We have asked and will continue to campaign for:
- Modernisation comes at a cost, but not to the detriment of Firefighters on the Retained Duty System.

Government and Employers must stop using us as a cheap option.
Proper remuneration and
funding is needed now!

Morris Butterfield
FBU Executive Council
Member, Retained
  • Raising public awareness to the demands and commitment required for individuals who undertake to become Firefighters under the Retained Duty System in order to provide much needed cover for their communities.
  • National promotion of the shortage of recruits to work the Retained Duty System.
  • The development of sustainable strategies that focus on this but are flexible enough to target an individual Station's requirements.
  • The provision of opportunities to Firefighters working the Retained Duty System for development and advancement that encourage long term commitment to the service.
  • The provision of flexibility in available cover that will allow the Fire and Rescue Service to tap into local resources not previously considered suitable recruitment areas for Firefighters working the Retained Duty System. For example, home workers.
  • Fire and Rescue Services to set up working groups tasked with the responsibility of dealing with recruitment and retention of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System. We are strongly recommending that these teams also include Firefighters working this system of duty.
Finally, given the urgent need for a large increase in funding in order to recruit and retain Firefighters working the Retained Duty System, it is also essential that the current practice in a large number of Fire Authorities of using the surplus monies from their Retained budgets to finance other projects or offset other deficiencies cease immediately.

This practice does nothing to promote the recruitment and retention of Firefighters working the Retained Duty System and often becomes a deterrent to such initiatives where this surplus has traditionally been large.

For too long, Firefighters working the Retained Duty System have been categorised by Fire and Rescue Service Employers by their conditions of employment and as a consequence have been treated less favourably than Firefighters employed on full-time contracts.

But Firefighters, irrespective of the duty system on which they are employed, are of equal value to their employer and the community, and deserve equal pay, equal rights and equal treatment. The June 2003 Pay and Conditions Agreement, by achieving pay parity, went some way towards achieving these aims. But we have much, much more to do.

Retained Firefighters are the backbone of the UK Fire and Rescue Service in many areas of the country and their roles and responsibilities are steadily expanding. They need to be fully integrated at every level and in every aspect of the UK Fire and Rescue Service and the money must be there to back this process up.

We must value Firefighters working the Retained Duty System as a resource to be nurtured and we must tackle the worrying shortfall in the workforce.

If we fail, we will see the demise of a system that has served the public, protecting them day-in, day-out, for decades.

Government and Employers must urgently put in place a strategy that properly rewards and respects the crucial contribution Retained Firefighters make to one of Britain's finest public services.

This report was produced by the Fire Brigades Union in September 2004 in co-operation with Labour Research Department, an independent research organisation and information provider.
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