KFRS - Experts & Thought Leaders

A takeaway franchisee and employer who allowed people to sleep in dangerous conditions, have been fined by a court and ordered to pay £15,400 in costs.  In December 2018 Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) building fire safety inspectors visited Jano Jabbarkhel and Sharbat Khan Jabarkhail at Tops Pizza in Lower Stone Street, Maidstone. prohibition notice They were issued with a prohibition notice to prevent anyone from living on the property, due to safety concerns linked to the lack of an adequate smoke alarm system and having no protected escape route. A prohibition notice is a legal direction issued by KFRS when the lack of fire safety arrangements at a premise puts people’s lives at risk in the event of a fire. unsafe compliance  People were found to be sleeping in the building in contravention of the notice During an initial follow-up visit to Tops Pizza, where Jabbarkhel was the franchisee holder and Jabarkhail was the named employer, KFRS inspectors found they were complying with the requirement of the notice not to allow sleeping within the property, as remedial works had not yet been completed.  However, in September 2020 when a routine compliance check was carried out, people were found to be sleeping in the building in contravention of the notice, and the unsafe conditions remained. £733 fine  Jabbarkhel and Jabarkhail, both of Hastings Road, Maidstone, were both sentenced on Wednesday, 12 October at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court, where they each received a fine of £1,000 reduced to £733 to reflect their early guilty pleas for the offense.  They were also each ordered to pay £7,700 in costs to KFRS and a victim surcharge of £66 was applied to each defendant. Jabbarkhel and Jabarkhail are no longer associated with the business or building. fire compliance  Mark Woodward, KFRS’ Assistant Director for Customer and Building Safety, said, “The outcome of this case sends a clear and important message to anyone responsible for a business by law they must ensure their premises and employees are safe."  “KFRS is committed to ensuring that all buildings in Kent and Medway are fire compliant, and we will take all the necessary steps to make sure fire safety regulations are adhered to, including enforcement action and prosecution.” 

Infographics are excited to announce Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) as its latest FireWatch client in a deal that includes the delivery of the FireWatch platform via Microsoft Azure Cloud with SaaS (Software as a Service) and Mobile App access for FRS users. Project details The ‘win’ was secured following a competitive tender award worth around £1m over the term of the contract. The project covers the replacement of Kent’s existing rostering and availability systems and includes: Resource availability planning and real-time monitoring. Resource and skills-based crewing. Flexible/self-rostering planning, workflow, and fulfillment. Overtime resource request and fulfillment workflows. General time management, leave and absence workflows, and recording. Payments and integration with payroll. Integration of absence data. Mobile App and Web UX access for end-users and managers. Mobilization system integration. The FireWatch deployment will provide ‘anytime, anywhere access for KFRS staff, including whole time and on-call firefighters, managers, officers, and corporate support staff increasing real-time visibility of availability and resources and integrating live data with the control room. Effective resource management FireWatch will manage our resources and availability more effectively, including better time management options" Karen Irvine, Assistant Director of People and Learning at KFRS, said, “At KFRS, we’re always looking for ways we can evolve to continuously deliver a high standard to the people we serve, but we’re also really committed to being an innovative place to work, so we’re looking forward to working with FireWatch and introducing its benefits.” “Overall, FireWatch will enable us to manage our resources and availability more effectively, including better time management options and a live picture of our service resources and personnel, which will help to match crews, skills, and equipment to operational need.” FireWatch Mobile FireWatch Mobile will allow users to directly manage data and tasks for time/availability, leave, and other areas via smart devices. Supervisors and team members will also be empowered to clearly understand the impact of resource changes and to manage and act on any issues or deadlines highlighted within their personalized Key Performance Indicators displayed ‘on-screen’. This includes workflow-driven resource requests and fulfillment processes to address gaps in coverage. Flexible self-service capabilities Russell Wood, Commercial Manager at Infographics, said, “We are extremely pleased to have been selected by Kent Fire and Rescue as a part of a competitive tendering process.” “We are looking forward to working with the team to modernize their user experience around the management of resources and availability, deliver flexible self-service capabilities, and provide live integrated resource information to their control room.”

The most significant fires seen in the county so far this summer ignited in Dartford when two simultaneous wildfires resulted in more than 150 firefighters being deployed to tackle flames in record-breaking temperatures. Now, with a second heatwave set to begin, the Met Office has issued a Heat Health Alert for Kent and Medway, and the fire service is again urging the public to do all they can to stay safe and help reduce preventable grass, crop, and woodland fires. Author's quote KFRS Area Manager Leanne McMahon said: “In prolonged periods of hot, dry weather, fires can develop and spread rapidly, with greater severity, and grass fires often require a large amount of fire service resources and can take many hours or days to fully extinguish." “While some grass fires are not preventable, we want everyone to consider their actions and play a part in reducing the chance of grass fires taking hold in the first place, to protect people, property, and nature.” Advice to help reduce accidental grass fires: Avoid having bonfires at this time Keep barbecues clear of greenery, fences, and property, and always supervise the cooking Place disposable barbecues on a flat, non-flammable surface, and only throw them away once cold - whether that’s in a bin or at a waste site Make sure cigarettes are stubbed out and cold before being put in a bin – never throw smoking materials on the ground and consider a portable ashtray. Leanne added: “If you see a grass fire, it’s important to quickly move to a safe place and call 999 - please don't try to tackle it yourself." “Some people may also really struggle with the extreme heat, so we ask that residents check in on older or poorly loved ones and neighbors, especially if they live alone, to check they have everything they need to be as comfortable and safe as possible."