Community Safety in Cheshire

The single action we can undertake to reduce risk is deliver a high level of targeted Home Safety Assessments to those most at risk. This will reduce fire deaths, injuries and emergency response and allow long term reinvestment in prevention.

In we set ourselves a target of over 40,000 HSAs a year. This year we are on target to deliver 50,000.

Warrington PDG Focus Wards

Older and Disabled Team (3 Advocates) embedded in Social Services 17 other Advocates Age ConcernContact Assessment Social ServicesSAP Local Area Agreement

Assessing Risk and Referral – Questionnaire For people aged 65 and over, Age Concern ‘Supporting You’ service may be able to assist you to identify any areas where you need help, and find services that might provide the help that you need sooner, rather than later, before potential problems become worse. If you wish to complete this Questionnaire, please tick the boxes that apply to you. If you wish, you can also write any comments in the box provided.

Some benefits of Contact Assessments Increased benefits uptake Daycare Pension provision increased Telecare Blue badge parking Dial a Ride Meal delivery service Handy van (gardening) Bereavement Service Phone a friend Gardening Heating and Insulation Grant Falls Prevention Strategy

The pioneering ‘Fire Flu’ project was praised by the country’s top medical expert, Sir Liam Donaldson, as an example of best practice in his Annual Report (2006).

NW Health Awards Best Strategic Partner

We started by promoting an 8800 number. We had a 70% increase in our fuel bill.

Better Regulation Commission “The Government should explore how information and data held by different Government departments and agencies can be brought together to ensure it has a complete picture of contemporary vulnerability, whilst respecting the rights of individual priority.”

Police CAVA (20 referrals) Social Care CSAP - 4,000 will include CAF Domestic Violence Unit Air Products – oxygen users 10,000 Health Exeter Database – 118,000 The range of strong partnership working has greatly assisted in achieving full data sharing with:

LPSA II Lead of RTC Reduction

Cheshire Road Safety Partnership LPSA II Lead on RTC Reduction TargetActual (566) (491) £2.1 million Performance Reward Grant (£700,000 FRS)

Invest to Save Round 8 RESPECT

R educing E xclusion S tarting P ositive E ngagement with C hildren T ogether

Legal Terms of Reference Partners (Governance Board) Connexions Youth Federation Youth Offending Team Youth Services Police

The Treasury accepted the business case that an at risk young person is likely in their future to impact on a full range of public service agencies: Police, Fire, YOT, DAT, LEA, Penal System, Connexions

The Fire and Rescue Service have a role model status with young people they are able to positively engage with groups other agencies may struggle with.

RESPECT 3 year research project What is it the |FRS brings to Youth Engagement £108,000 embedded research

Other things we do with young people Cadets – 22 units Get Up and Get Out (GUGO) Kooldown Firesafe Key Stage II (fire survival) Thorn Cross Prince’s Trust

For three out of four years the number if HSA’s completed that year corresponds with a fall in number of fires. The year with largest number of HSA’s completed corresponds with the largest fall in number of fires. In accidental house fires in the UK fell by 1%. Between since undertaking HSA’s accidental dwelling fires in Cheshire have fallen by 19.5% Graph 1

The trend in fire deaths can be very volatile due to the low number of deaths per annum, so the trend line cannot be expected to be smooth. For three out of four years, the number of HSA’s completed that year corresponds with a fall or no change in the number of deaths. The national average for fire deaths per million people is 8 In the year we we had 3 recorded preventable fire deaths out of the 1000,000 population of Cheshire. During this year up to this point (November 2007) we have had no preventable fire deaths. Since undertaking HSA’s in 2002 fire deaths have been reduced in Cheshire by 57.1%. Graph 2

The more HSA’s are completed, the more fires might be expected to be confined to the room of origin. A key message in an H S A is to close doors at night was the first year we moved into high volume targeted HSA’s. The national average for fire confined to the room of origin is 88% in Cheshire we have achieved 94%. Graph 3

For three out of four years the number of HSA’s completed that year corresponds with a fall in the number of injuries. Nationally the number of accidental dwelling fires per one million population is 245. In the North West this average is 456 In Cheshire which has a population of one million the latest injury figure for one year is 65 Graph 4

Conclusion Home safety assessments are the single most action which we can take to reduce accidental dwelling fires, fire deaths and injuries. The data in this report is a strong indicator that the effort that we expend on HSA delivery is having a significant impact. More sophisticated targeting adopted in , the introduction of Direct Engagement and the successful conclusion of the data sharing project will add to the effectiveness of delivery. In turn, further future analysis should continue to show improvements already highlighted in this report.

The FRS is one of the only agencies committed to preventing that which they are employed to do. Whilst they are in the home they can bring a truly significant amount of added value. Local Service Delivery without boundaries (Local Government White Paper 2006) LAA, LSPs, Unitary Authorities. The FRS has the potential to deliver a much broader community safety service whilst still delivering a first class fire and rescue service.