Cessation of Trials of EMR and Other Work

Dear Brother/Sister

Cessation of Trials of EMR and Other Work

The Executive Council met today to report and discuss the outcomes of the membership consultation which commenced on 23 August 2017. The wider outcomes of that meeting will be the subject of a related circular which will be issued today (Circular 2017HOC0500MW). This circular confines itself to reporting the implications of that discussion in respect of the trials of EMR and other work.

The decision of the Executive Council is that the trials of EMR and other work shall cease.

In order to ensure that as many members as possible are in receipt of this communication from the union before the trials cease, the Executive Council has determined that all work in connection with broadening the responsibilities of the fire service and the firefighter shall cease from and including Monday 18 September 2017.

This means that the position will revert to the situation as it was previously and members will resume working as before the trials.

In practical terms, this means:

For wholetime members working the wholetime shift, ceasing the trials shall take effect from the start-time of the wholetime day shift which operates in your FRS on 18 September 2017. Members who, at that time, are already responding to or in attendance at a call in connection with such work should complete their work until the call has been dealt with. Crews should then make return from the call according to the protocols and norms in your FRS, and for those crews ceasing the trial shall take effect from the time of release from that incident.

For retained members, ceasing the trial shall take effect from the start-time of the wholetime day shift which operates in your FRS on 18 September 2017. Members who, at that time, are already responding to or in attendance at a call in connection with such work should complete their work until the call has been dealt with. Crews should then make return from the call according to the protocols and norms in your FRS, and for those crews the cessation of trial shall take effect from the time of release from that incident.

For members working the day-crewed duty system or similar duty system, ceasing the trial shall take effect from the start-time of the wholetime day shift which operates in your FRS on 18 September 2017. Members who, at that time, are already responding to or in attendance at a call in connection with such work should complete their work until the call has been dealt with. Crews should then make return from the call according to the protocols and norms in your FRS, and for those crews, the cessation of trial shall take effect from the time of release from that incident.

For members who are conditioned to day duties, ceasing the trial shall take effect from the start-time of the wholetime day shift which operates in your FRS on 18 September 2017. Members who, at that time, are already responding to or in attendance at a call in connection with such work should complete their work until the call has been dealt with. Crews should then make return from the call according to the protocols and norms in your FRS, and for those crews, the cessation of trial shall take effect from the time of release from that incident.

For members working in the emergency fire control room, including any joint or shared control rooms, ceasing the trial shall take place from the start time of the wholetime day shift which operates at fire stations in your FRS on 18 September 2017.

Undertaking such work, whether responding to or mobilising others to such calls, is not a contractual requirement and your employer cannot require you to undertake this work.

Any difficulties that you encounter on this matter on 18 September 2017 or thereafter, should be referred to your brigade officials.

We will keep you informed of developments.

Best wishes.

Yours fraternally

Matt Wrack
General Secretary