Opposing three person crewing

Conference notes with dismay the complete disregard the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) shows towards firefighter safety in their pursuit of financial savings, as evidenced by the NFCC ‘Working Patterns Project’ which appears to be a bragging rights demonstration into how best to carve up safe systems of work.

Conference is also aware of the push towards three person crewing, small incident units, rapid response units or other such terms.

This highly dangerous response is putting firefighter and public safety at risk and must be opposed at all costs.

At Conference 2019 Resolution 40 ‘Critical Attendance Standards (CAST) Scenarios’ was carried, it called for a review of the CAST scenarios along with the intervention windows and task analysis, to be shared by 2020. This doesn’t appear to have been done.

Conference is aware that this practice of riding three is occurring whilst no employer risk assessment or task analysis has been completed.

Conference instructs the Executive Council to;

• assign the relevant National Officer to work to advise a brigade committee where three person crewing is being undertaken or is proposed
• commit to explore legal action under health and safety failures in any Fire and Rescue Service where three person crewing is being undertaken or is proposed
• publicly shame the NFCC for putting firefighters and the public at risk and prepare campaigning materials for any brigade or region where maverick Chief Officers are advocating such a response model.