Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

A team of Firefighters from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is raising money for a child who has a rare and aggressive form of Cancer. 7-year-old Oliver, who is from Sunderland, has Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. He is currently undergoing treatment; however, Neuroblastoma has a high relapse rate. A vaccine is available which is designed to reduce the chances of Oliver’s cancer returning, however, this will cost in the region of £260,000. High relapse rate To raise money towards this goal, on Friday 28 October a team of firefighters from Leicestershire Southern, Eastern and Central Stations will be running as part of a relay team, covering a total of 186 miles from Leicester to Newcastle. Setting off from Southern Fire Station in Leicester, they will run to the Crown Plaza Hotel in Newcastle. Running during daylight hours in fire kit (to make the challenge more difficult!), it will take them approximately 30 hours to complete. Oliver’s Uncle, who is a Crew Manager at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, will be joining the run with some of his colleagues when the team reaches Leeds. Initially hoping to raise £5,000 to go towards Oliver’s treatment, they have already managed to raise over £6,000, which is just a small amount towards the total needed. The team are kindly asking for further support by donations or by sharing their JustGiving page.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service will be recruiting for Wholetime Firefighters this autumn. Ahead of the portal opening for applications, the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging members of the public to consider a career in the Fire and Rescue Service, by joining them for a Firefighter ‘Have a Go’ day. ‘Have a Go’ events give an insight into the life as a firefighter, the opportunity to speak to current firefighters to find out more, and the chance to have a go at the seven job-related tests involved in the application process. Leicestershire Fire to recruit Wholetime Firefighters I am pleased to announce that we will be recruiting again this autumn" Callum Faint, the Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said: “I am pleased to announce that we will be recruiting again this autumn. This is an exciting and rewarding career with the opportunity to make a real difference to the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.” He adds, “The ‘Have a Go’ days will really give you a feel for the role and the strength, fitness and aptitude levels needed to succeed.” Positive Action ‘Have a Go’ days To encourage people from groups that are currently underrepresented in the workforce, a number of Positive Action ‘Have a Go’ days have been aimed at women, black and minority ethnic and LGBT+ communities. Positive Action is a range of measures allowed under the Equality Act 2010, which can be lawfully taken to encourage and train people from underrepresented groups to help them overcome disadvantages in competing with other applicants. ‘Have a Go’ events are taking place on the following dates and locations: Sunday 4 September – Hinckley Fire and Rescue Station Saturday 10 September – Central Fire and Rescue Station – LGBTQ+ only Sunday 11 September – Central Fire and Rescue Station Sunday 18 September – Eastern Fire and Rescue Station – BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds) only Sunday 25 September – Market Harborough Fire and Rescue Station Saturday 1 October – Loughborough Fire and Rescue Station A further two ‘Have a Go’ days for women and BAME only were held in August and advertised on the Service social media channels. Number of virtual workshops The workshops give the chance to find out more about the role and speak to firefighters from the Service The Service is also running a number of virtual workshops to help applicants prepare for the recruitment process, covering topics such as what to expect with the application, fitness, equality, diversity and inclusion. The workshops give the chance to find out more about the role and speak to firefighters from the Service. The workshops, which take place via Zoom and lasts approximately one hour, are taking place at 6.45 pm on the following dates: Wednesday 7 September – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and General Q & A Wednesday 14 September – General Q & A Wednesday 21 September – Fitness and General Q & A Wednesday 28 September – General Q & A Wednesday 5 October – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and General Q & A Benefits for Leicestershire Fire Service Firefighters Callum Faint stated: “Being a firefighter at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service offers you an exciting and rewarding career with a real opportunity for progression. You may have the perception that the fire and rescue service only put out fires, but this is far from reality.” He adds, “As a firefighter you will respond to incidents, but you will also take part in prevention and protection work in order to help reduce the chance of incidents happening in the first place.” Learn more by joining ‘Have a Go’ day or workshop Callum Faint continues, “As a firefighter every day is different, so to understand more about the role I would encourage you to join us for a ‘Have a Go’ day or workshop to find out more.” The recruitment website for applications is currently closed, but when the applications open, it will be announced on the Service website and social media channels. For those who would like to find out more about Positive Action, please visit the official website, where they will find the Positive Action Statement under the Supporting Information section.

The National Collaborative PPE Framework is celebrating five years of success in delivering high-quality PPE to Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) across the UK. Launched in June 2017 to streamline the PPE procurement process, the scheme has since delivered protective clothing to around two-thirds of FRSs across the country, equating to more than 30,000 firefighters. Created with a view to sharing best practices and delivering efficiencies, the National Framework is managed by the National Fire Chiefs Council’s National Procurement Hub’s Lead Authority for PPE and Clothing Category at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, with PPE supplied by MSA Bristol - a pioneer in the design and manufacture of PPE for firefighters. High-Performance fabrics The PPE range includes a Full Structural Ensemble, a Layered Jacket, Rescue Jacket, and USAR Ensemble, with selected styles combining innovative and ergonomic designs with the use of high-performance fabrics and fibers from suppliers such as WL Gore, PBI Performance Products, and Hainsworth.   By taking part in the scheme, FRSs have access to high-quality PPE with the reassurance that it has been independently evaluated and tested. Whilst purchase-only contracts are available, the majority have opted for managed services contracts, whereby kit is regularly cleaned, inspected, decontaminated, and repaired at one of MSA Bristol’s three in-house UK Service Centres. Fire and Rescue Services that have most recently signed up to the scheme include North Yorkshire FRS, Leicestershire FRS, and Oxfordshire FRS.  Comfortable PPE protection The scheme is an excellent example of successful partnership, collaboration, and service delivery" Sarah Walsh, Framework Manager, comments: “The National Collaborative PPE Framework has proved a huge success, resulting in time and cost efficiencies for Fire Services around the country, whilst providing robust and comfortable PPE protection for firefighters on the ground, as well as longer-term health protection through the regular professional servicing of these garments.” “From the outset, the Framework’s Strategic Board Team has worked closely with MSA Bristol to ensure the provision of a top-quality service from sign-up, to delivery, to ongoing after-care, ensuring continuity of service despite the disruptions and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme is an excellent example of successful partnership, collaboration, and service delivery. Both ourselves and MSA Bristol are always looking to innovations, as well as to the sector’s requirements, to ensure that any technical refreshes are looked into further for the benefits to end users.” Simplifying procurement process “It is even more relevant now than it was in the beginning of the Framework, when more research is published on subjects like contaminants, we look at how we can incorporate the recommendations made into the Framework.” Philip Tasker, UK and Ireland Sales Director at MSA Bristol, comments: “Over the past five years, the Collaborative Framework has succeeded in significantly improving and simplifying the procurement process for UK FRSs, making it easier and more affordable for fire services to access the best quality PPE as well as essential managed services. MSA Bristol has been privileged to work alongside Kent FRS to deliver these services, and we’re looking forward to continuing this relationship in the years to come.”