safer times autumn

SaferTIMES

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

tim

es

Safest People, Safest Places

Giving out advICE

Autu

mn

2011

0Durham firefighters launch a new safety initiative to warn of the

dangers of alcohol and smoking

Deserving AwardsPage 3

Staff are presented with Commendations for their outstanding response to incidents

New LookPage 7

Launching our new brand and identity

Get Active, Get Firefit

Page 11 Peterlee crews help school

children in Easington to get ‘FireFit’

Lifestyle and LeisurePage 22

Our new section to enjoy at your leisure

Welcome to Safer Times

Welcome to our new look edition of Safer Times. You will notice that we have changed the look and feel of this issue to reflect our new corporate identity and hopefully you will notice a difference in the layout and content as you read through this edition.

Having read this issue, the amount of excellent work that our Service undertakes is clear to see, from partnership involvement such as the ICE scheme and working with the Royal British Legion through to the commendations that were made to control staff and our staff in Darlington for their actions over and above the call of duty – we certainly have a Service that we can be proud of.

The manager’s seminar reminded us all of the pressures that currently face the public sector and which are likely to impact on us all in one form or another. The seminars this year were very well received and I’d like to thank everyone that made a positive contribution on the days and say a particular thank you to Professor Keith Shaw who managed to lighten the day with his unique approach to discussing some serious issues.

Enjoy this issue and let us have your feedback on the new style.

Susan

Contents News

Bishop Auckland’s Retained Cover is on the up 2

Celebrating the Exceptional at Commendation Awards 3

Seminar Serious Issues lightened by Professor’s humour 5

Service receives a double award from the Royal British Legion 6

The Launch of a New Identity for the Service 7

Our 35th Firebreak Success 9

Raising Awareness with ICE Cards 10

Get Active – Get FireFit 11

What’s On? 12

Vehicle Fleet Update 13

Current Developments in the Service Workshops 14

Features

Assess Your Health in Confidence 15

Counselling Service is here to help 16

Hadrian’s Wall Run 17

The New Face of Finance 18

Last of the Original Day Crewing retires 19

Fond Farewells go to 19

Incident Report

Alternative approach to Heavy Rescue Recovery 20

From the Archives

Images of the past 21

Lifestyle and Leisure

The John Adamson Golf Tournament 22

Sports and Social Club 23

Recipe time - Tried and Tested 24

Puzzle Time 25

Kids’ Corner 26

Safer Times Autumn 2011

1 Welcome

County Durham and Darlington

Susan Johnson Chief Executive.


News 2

Bishop Auckland’s Retained Cover is on the up by Ged Dobson, Bishop Auckland Fire Station


Bishop Auckland RDS crew, left to right; John Hayton, Brian Hutchinson, Dave Foggin, John Clifford, Colin Robson, Walter Moore and Kevin Hart.

The Service could not function without its Retained Duty System (RDS) staff who provide cover throughout the Service area. For the majority of the RDS staff this is a role which is carried out when they are not at their normal place of work which often means that they can give evening and weekend cover. Cover during the day, therefore, for many stations can be very challenging. This was certainly the case for Bishop Auckland before they introduced the opportunity for Wholetime staff to take up retained contracts on a 33% basis.

First to join was Firefighter Graeme Norman (Green Watch, Bishop Auckland) in January this year, closely followed by Watch Manager Kevin Hart (Blue Watch, Darlington) in March and Firefighter John Clifford (White Watch, Bishop Auckland) in May. All three live near to the station and are able to provide day cover on their second, third and fourth rota days.

Service figures are already showing an increase in cover. Overall availability for the period January to June this year was 91.29%, compared to 2010 where it was 89.88%. This equates to the retained appliance being ‘off the run’ for

20 days in 2010 compared to 15 days this year - showing a 25% improvement.

A more recent figure for July 2011 (which shows a better reflection since all three new RDS members were fully established) reveals a 93.56% availability level against last Julys figure of 84.64%. This also showed that they were ‘off the run’ for only 1 day compared to 4 days in July 2010.

“I’m delighted to see the improvement in Service availability that our additional cover has helped to provide. The limited cover contracts have been an ideal way to tailor additional cover to when it is really needed.”

Kevin Hart, Watch Manager

Kayleigh McArdle, Susan Orton and Sue Smart with their commendations. Susan collecting her certificate from Susan Johnson, Chief Executive.

Green WatchControl On the 10th July 2010 Green Watch, Control received an emergency call which had been

intended for the Police buthad been directed to the Fire Service. Fire Control Operator Susan Orton used her many years of experience to deal with this which was one of the most extreme calls that the Service has ever encountered. This was the call for help from the shooting incident involving Raoul Moat in Birtley. Susan encountered an understandably distraught caller, who had justwitnessed the shooting of a man

outside her home. Susan showed exceptional professionalism and was able to calm the caller down so that vital information could be gathered to inform theother emergency services of the location and type of incident

involved so that they could respond accordingly. During the call the lady’s daughter was also shot and severely injured. Susan again calmed the caller down and gathered further vital information that was passed to the police and ambulance service by her colleagues on Green Watch. She provided important advice to the caller to keep her and other family members safe until the police arrived.

Susan received an individual commendation for her actions and her Green Watch colleagues also collected a commendation for their outstanding team efforts.

“Susan’s actions were beyond the already high expectations of her role as a Fire Control Operator. She gave continued instructions and reassurance to the caller for a sustained period of time under an extremely high pressured situation. It gave me great pleasure to present Susan and the members of Green Watch with these awards for their remarkable achievement.”

Susan Johnson

Uniformed members of staff were recently recognised for their outstanding contribution to the fire service in dealing with two emergency incidents. The Chief Executive Officer’s Commendations, awarded only in exceptional circumstances for outstanding actions, were presented to the worthy recipients by Susan Johnson at a Fire Authority meeting on 13th July.


3 News

‘Celebrating the Exceptional’ with Commendation Awards



News 4

John Walkden with Susan Johnson and Councillor Michele Hodgson, Vice Chair of the Fire Authority.

Picking up the Red Watch award were John Walkden, Justin Parry, Chris Walker, Keith Wilshere and Jonathan Holmes.


Darlington Red Watch CrewsCrews from Red Watch Darlington received a Chief Executive Officer’s Commendation for their actions on the 1st December 2010 when they responded to a house fire involving persons trapped at Dunster Close in Darlington.

Despite horrendous weather conditions on the day and being faced with a well-developed first floor fire, the skills of all the crews enabled a quick, controlled and professional rescue of the casualty. The crews carried out a sustained period of resuscitation until ambulance crews arrived. Unfortunately the lady died two days later in Darlington Memorial Hospital as a result of her injuries but the crews from Red Watch at Darlington had carried out a professional rescue in very challenging conditions.

The award went to:

Watch Manager John Walkden,

Crew Manager Justin Parry,

Ff Chris Walker,

Ff Jonathan Holmes,

Ff Keith Wilshere,

Ff Andrew McCormick,

Ff Nick Hall,

Ff Carl Blackburn,

Ff Paul Kingdom.

“County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service staff constantly demonstrate their professionalism and dedication when they are on duty, and the courage and skill shown by the crew from Red Watch, Darlington serves as an excellent example of this fact. They put their lives on the line and are a credit to the Service.”

Susan Johnson


Seminar Serious Issues lightened by Professor’s humour

Our managers’ seminar this year took place on the 11th and 22nd July and on the whole was very well received by all attendees. Our guest speaker for both days, Professor Keith Shaw from the University of Northumbria, provided an unrestricted interesting perspective to many of the issues up for discussion. His session ‘The Challenge of Localism’ provided context to

many of the internal issues. He also injected his own humour into the day which lightened up many of the serious issues which the Service is facing.

Up for discussion this time was:• The future policy for public

services - what it means for Fire and Rescue. The impact on the Service of government’s plans to reduce national debt in the ‘big society’ arena was explained.

• Transformation news - where we are now, the financial picture, future options. This session summarised how far the Service had come in the last year and discussed possible ways forward to balance budgets in 2013/14.

• Estates Update - progress on new headquarters facility and station plans. Details

were given as to where the Service was with its Estates Improvement Programme.

• Pension news – what the Hutton Review may mean for us. Discussions took place on the possible outcomes for the firefighters pension scheme, the new firefighters pension scheme and the local government pension scheme under the governments planned reform of public sector pensions.

You said, we did……Your feedback from past seminars indicated that breakout sessions were unpopular, so this time we removed them and put more of a focus on informally interacting with the audience by way of questions and answers. Members of the Service Leadership Team took questions, comments and concerns from the audience in a panel style session towards the end of the day which proved to be a more popular way of communicating.

Your feedback this time83 per cent of you gave this year’s seminar a score of seven or over (out of ten) with 92 per cent of you saying that you would recommend it to others.

5 News


Some of your comments were:“Particularly found the talk from Keith Shaw interesting and thought provoking. Would like to see more external presenters in future seminars.”“Dropping the activity sessions after lunch has made a vast improvement and our time today has been used more constructively.”“This seminar would have been beneficial to all junior officers, rather than just one from each shift.”“Presentation from guest speaker very interesting. Would like future seminars to be made up of external speakers with question time panel included at the end.”“Could possibly consider rooms at Spennymoor/Bishop as a venue”.

Future SeminarsThe 2012 seminar may seem a long time away but while this year’s is still fresh in your minds we would like your ideas and suggestions to improve upon the way we communicate with our managers at these events.Please send your comments via email to [email protected].


News 6


Service receives a double award from the Royal British LegionThe Service received appreciation from The Royal British Legion in a double presentation event held at Service Headquarters in July.Recognition was given for over twenty years in contributions towards The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal. This was recorded with the presentation of two certificates of appreciation from The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and also from the Northumbria County Royal British Legion.

Mike Donne, Secretary and Poppy Appeal organiser for the Durham City (Framwellgate Moor) Branch of the Legion who made the presentations said “We are extremely grateful for the assistance which we have received from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service over the years. On behalf of all the beneficiaries, I would like to say thank you very much”.

Whether funding the operations of Personnel Recovery Centres offering the very best in rehabilitation care for the wounded, adapting a home to make it suitable for a disabled young soldier, or providing support such as pension advice or bereavement counselling - The Royal British Legion’s welfare work is a lifeline for thousands of serving and ex-Service people and their families.Our resident Headquarters ‘poppy seller’, Julie Moore has now retired from the Service. However the role has been kindly taken over by Allan Pattinson from Workshops, enabling us to continue supporting such a worthy cause.

Professor Keith Shaw.

Stuart Errington, Director of Community Protection with Mike Donne from the Royal British Legion and our new fund-raiser, Allan Pattinson.


The Launch of a New Identity for the Service

7 News


Welcome to our new corporate identity aimed to create a more modern and impactful look; to be applied consistently throughout the Service. This will eventually be applied in all branded applications (from headed paper to fire appliances) and builds upon the already well recognised elements associated with the Service, including the crest and the colour blue. You will see the new identity emerging on uniform and equipment as and when replacement stocks are being replenished.

GuidelinesA set of guidelines has been produced so that when County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) is visually represented the identity remains consistent and gains maximum impact. This ensures the corporate image is clear, consistent and effective, whatever the setting, activity or media. A copy of the guidelines together with a suite of templates can be accessed on sharepoint under Tools and Resources.

LogoThe CDDFRS logo is a specially crafted badge. It should only be reproduced from master artwork and should not be redrawn or altered in any way.

Within documents it should be placed in an appropriate position on the page and in-line with the guidance set out in the corporate identity guidelines.

The CDDFRS logo can appear in landscape, with the wording beside the badge, or in portrait, with the wording below the badge.

The logo is available in a variety of formats which are available to download from the corporate identity area on sharepoint. A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority version of the logo is also available.

Stationery

A4 letterhead, compliments slips and business cards have been created.

A4 letterhead, which has been pre-printed with the logo, headquarters

address details and the name of the Chief Executive should be used.

All letters and other documents should be written in

• Verdana

• 11pt

• single-line spacing

• the text should be blocked to the left aligned

All stationery should be ordered through Transport Supplies and Premises,

which has the specification for the new brand. Stocks of old stationary should

be used initially to enable a no cost replacement of the identity to occur.

Stocks have deliberately been kept low to minimise costs of transferring to

the new corporate identity.


External Publications


News 8


ColoursThe Service has its own distinctive palette of corporate colours. These colours act as identifiers and make the Service instantly recognisable to its audiences. No other colours are acceptable unless specifically agreed for use by the Corporate Performance Team.

Typeface and Written CommunicationThe Service corporate typeface is Verdana. It is a sans-serif font which is considered easier to read for people with some impairments. A minimum of 11pt font size should be used for all written text. If this is not considered possible for a specific document and is also intended to be available electronically, a reduced size can be used.

The only occasion when an alternative font will be used is with the Services vision of Safest People, Safest Places. For more information in respect of the correct use of the vision, please refer to the guidelines.

So what does this mean for you?When producing and/or formatting a document, whether it is training guides, posters, reports or leaflets etc. (for internal or external use) please refer to the guidelines and accompanying templates. For further advice on the application of the guidelines for any of your publication or design needs please contact Corporate Performance.

Your ‘new look’ Safer Times To coincide with the new corporate identity your staff magazine Safer Times has enjoyed a makeover this month. As well as the obvious new design, we have aimed for a less corporate and a lighter, more magazine-like feel with more space to allow for an easier read.

To mark the magazine’s new look, we have introduced some exciting new sections and features, including ‘Leisure and Lifestyle’ and ‘From the Archives’. We hope you will enjoy reading this issue and we want to know what you think. You can contact us on 0191 3324297 or email [email protected]

www.ddfire.gov.ukYou may have noticed our new improved website which went live early August. This also reflects the new branding and identity. The site will continue to be developed in the future to include more information and interactive content.

Colour Palette

The CDDFRS identity is built using a restricted colour palette to ensure that all communications are clear and consistent, creating

a strong impact and a professional appearance.

CDDFRS primary colours

The primary colours used are derived from the logo which have been defined to enable accurate replication.

External Communications and Literature

External communications and literature, for example stationery items, will use the primary colours as the colour palette,

wherever possible. In joint communications and literature, variations on the colour of the background may exist, however the

logo colours must remain as defined previously.

C:100

M:85

Y:5

K:20

R:0

G:38

B:100

Pantone 281c C:3

M:36

Y:100

K:6

R:206

G:142

B:0

Pantone 131c C:91

M:74

Y:51

K:93

R:25

G:29

B:31

Pantone 426c C:12

M:7

Y:6

K:17

R:188

G:189

B:188

Pantone Cool Gray 4

C:0

M:0

Y:0

K:0

R:255

G:255

B:255

Pantone Pure White

C:0

M:9

Y:86

K:0

R:243

G:211

B:17

Pantone 7404c

July saw the Service host its thirty fifth Firebreak course which involved students from Fyndoune Community College and Durham Business College. The course was sponsored by Fire Authority Member, Councillor Jean Chaplow and was funded through an Area Action Partnership grant. Fifteen young people participated in sessions that combined practical

work on the drill ground with classroom based learning. The “Passing out evening” gave them the chance to show off their new skills to parents, carers and loved ones. Fire ground scenarios including a rescue from a crashed car and a casualty rescue from a building were conducted. The evening also included the use of pyrotechnics to create a realistic

yet safe training environment. The course is designed to encourage and instil confidence and a sense of teamwork in the participants. It can help to bridge social divides, promote responsibility and develop communication skills with these young people. The vast majority of students leave the course with greater self-esteem, self-worth and improvement in their ability to interact with other young people and adults alike.

The students work towards certificates in Fire Safety and Road Traffic Casualty reduction; both areas that impact greatly on the Fire Service. The Fire Service is recognised for it’s successful team working, excellent communication skills and delivering first class services to those people in the community with the greatest needs. These attributes are linked together to ensure that the Firebreak courses deliver real value to the students who take part.


9 News

Our 35th Firebreak Success by Jonathan Smith, Community Safety Team Leader


Getting a soaking.

Finding the way in Hamsterley Forest.

Teamwork.


News 10


Green Watch at Durham Fire Station are currently trialling a brand new fire safety initiative aimed at encouraging members of the public to take greater care when drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or using medicated oxygen in the home. The initiative, devised by Green Watch, is running for 3 months over the summer period and represents a partnership between a number of different organisations based in the North of England; County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, the Community Alcohol Service (CAS), the British Lung Foundation - North of England and Balance, the North East Alcohol Office.

In April 2011 firefighters based at Durham received training in a number of new areas all linked to improving health. The training included; Brief Intervention training (Stop Smoking), Alcohol Screening training and Respiratory Care training. These additional skills will now allow the firefighters to pro actively engage with the community in a variety of new ways. Now, not only can they provide clear guidance on home fire safety, but they can also provide advice or guidance on smoking cessation, alcohol awareness or respiratory care.

To help members of the public remember the advice given, firefighters will offer them an ‘ICE’ card. ICE simply stands for In Case of Emergency and on one side of the credit card sized cards is a writable strip where the phone number is to be written of someone that the emergency services can contact if the need should arise. On the reverse of the cards is a simple message from one of the partners. For example in the case of the Community Alcohol Service there is a telephone number for confidential advice and support if they are concerned about either their own or someone else’s levels of drinking.

The cards are already proving very popular and hundreds have been given out, in the main to vulnerable members of the community who reside in the Stations high risk areas; people who most need this advice and support.

Crew Manager John Cuerden of Green Watch at Durham Fire Station, says; ‘It is believed that 70% of smokers want to stop, but many are not aware that there is free, local help available to them. We are hopeful that following a successful evaluation of the trial, the ICE Card initiative can be rolled out across the whole Service.’

Raising Awareness with ICE Cards by Gary Bankhead, Green Watch, Durham

The official launch at Palace Green, Durham City with partner organisations.

Firefighters Ian Harris and Ben Hardy issuing cards to Jake Prested and Kayleigh Harper during a campaign in Gilesgate.

Green Watch, Durham during an alcohol screening training session.

One of the 3 main themes

of the FireFit Health Challenge is to use

the positive, physically active brand of the Fire and Rescue Service to engage with people in the local community to improve their health, fitness and wellbeing.

Discussion on how to link the physically active brand of the Fire Service in the community took place with the ‘Get Active’ team, based at the NHS Centre

for Health in Peterlee. The ‘Get Active’ team provide exercise opportunities for groups within the District of Easington, an area with widespread health inequalities such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The idea came about to design a programme for a school group of 9-11 year olds which would involve day to day fire-fighter related physical activities whilst emphasising the importance of physical activity in relation to keeping fit and healthy.

Participants were sourced through the ‘Get Active’ team who provided Murton Primary School with the opportunity to be the first group to get involved in the Junior ‘Get Active-Get FireFit’ Challenge.

The programme consisted of hourly sessions every Friday afternoon over a period of 5 weeks at Murton Primary School. The sessions were based around a series of scaled down role related activities such as carrying, lifting, dragging and crawling, utilising various pieces of fitness equipment.

On Saturday 11th June, at the end of the 5 weeks, the group and their families were invited to attend a pass-out day at Peterlee fire station. The


Get Active - Get FireFit by Joe Astbury, Health and Fitness Advisor

11 News


Rope training.

Working through the challenge.

The FireFit Health Challenge heads into the community…


Get Active - Get FireFit by Joe Astbury, Health and Fitness Advisor

News 12


kids were dressed as junior firefighters and were required to complete each of the challenges. The recruitment unit was utilised to mimic the BA crawl and there was also a 1 minute challenge on the newly procured rope trainer machines which put the kids through their paces.

Once all the challenges were complete, Peterlee Red Watch, led by WM Dean Kennedy and CM Paul Hodgson, carried out a scenario based exercise which kept all the spectators highly entertained. The kids then had the chance to talk to the fire-fighters about their roles and were also shown around the appliance which proved to be popular.

The day ended with an awards ceremony where each of the 12 children in attendance received a certificate and medal in recognition of their achievements. There was also information given to the children and their families on home fire safety and future careers in the Fire Service.

A special thanks to all those who were involved in the programme including ‘Get Active’ team member Kayleigh Eckersley-Morris who co-led the project, Murton Primary School and Peterlee Red Watch who made the pass-out day all that more special for the kids and their families.

Peterlee Red Watch with Murton Primary School students.

11th Oct - Hoax Call Initiative with the NHS in Sunnydale, Crook

14th Oct - HFS/Cooking & Firework initiative in Tesco at Bishop Auckland

17th to 23rd Oct - Back Care Awareness Week

24th Oct to 19th Nov - Alcohol Awareness Month

26th Oct - Electrical Safety Week – Darlington

2nd Nov - National Stress Awareness Day

5th Nov - Bonfire Night (the annual joint Fire and Police event will take place at Aykley Heads, Durham. The gates open at 5pm, bonfire will be lit at 7pm and firework display commences at 7.30pm. The TFM Roadshow will be providing the entertainment and commentary).

13th Nov - Remembrance Sunday

21st Nov - Brake Road Safety Week

28th Nov - Safety Carousel Week for Schools

December - Christmas Safety

13th Dec - Long Service Evening (Durham Town Hall)

21st Dec - Carol Service to be held at St Cuthbert’s Church, Durham at 3.30pm

What’s on? October -

December 2011

New vehicles and equipment

Aerial Ladder Platforms

The Service has recently taken delivery of a new Bronto Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP). It is built on a MAN Chassis, with a Strong’s Co-Polymer body built by Angloco in Batley, West Yorkshire.The ALP has a number of new features which include: automatic jacking, dead man pedals, a rear steering axle which reduces the turning circle to allow improved access into confined spaces and new cameras which can provide data to the computer screens on the Incident Command Support Unit (ICSU).

This new ALP will be based at Darlington and it is anticipated that it will remain in service for the next fifteen years. The Service has also placed an order for a second ALP built to the same specification. This will replace the one based at Durham and is expected to arrive in 12 to 18 months’ time.

New ColoursThe Service has taken delivery of a new Vauxhall Astra which is wearing new battenberg markings. The new vehicle has a number of differences to the

police specification vehicles that were previously purchased including flashing headlights and sirens and, most notably, the new vehicle is silver as opposed to white. White vehicles are becoming more popular with the public as they can have a lower list price and white is currently in fashion. More white cars make it difficult to identify emergency vehicles on the road. There are no additional costs to the Service for purchasing silver vehicles and a higher resale value should be realised when they are sold at the end of their life.

Other Operational VehiclesOther vehicles which will be

ordered this financial year include: • 3 new fire appliances • A flood rescue van

Chassis and body manufactures have not yet been decided, as the Service needs to undertake a formal tendering exercise prior to awarding contracts.


13 News

Vehicle Fleet Update by Iain Peverall, Workshops


New ALP.

New Astra.


News 14


New Equipment WorkshopThe Workshops Team has created a new Specialist Equipment workshop. The new workshop ensures that all Holmatro Rescue Equipment, Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) fans, generators, hose inflation equipment and branches are well maintained and kept in the best possible working order. The new workshop which is staffed by Eddie Loverance and Dave Lewney provides a number of services including annual services and tests, ensuring equipment meets the appropriate manufacturer’s standards and undertaking repairs and general maintenance of other equipment carried on our appliances.

Sabre Refurbishment WorksMid-life refurbishment works have now commenced on the 55 and 57 plate Dennis Sabres with TVAC bodies. Workshops are going to great lengths to make these vehicles look like new by stripping the whole body and cab, repainting the body, fire pump, wheels and lockers and sealing the chassis with specialist corrosion protection. New reflective markings are also being fitted on the cabs and bodies to help make them more visible.

Model StudentsWith technology and legislation continuously changing, workshops staff are required to keep their skills up to date on a regular basis. This helps the workshop to meet the changing needs of the fleet and to keep vehicles and equipment on the run and available 24/7. Workshop personnel have completed several different manufacturers’ courses and there are more courses planned later in the year. They have recently undertaken courses in relation to repairing branches and PPV fans, maintaining the hose inflation equipment, inspecting the working at height equipment and have been trained in fault finding and rectification of faults on the MAN vehicles.

Special congratulations go to Jim Richardson who has recently been awarded “student of the year” by Sunderland College for his work and efforts on his engineering degree, which he is undertaking in his own time. This is a fantastic achievement and well deserved.

Current Developments in the Service Workshops

Finished Sabres.

John Hewitt, Susan Johnson and Jeff Dickson congratulating Jim on his award.


Assess Your Health in Confidence Help reduce your risk of health related disease by attending an individual health check

by Joe Astbury, Health and Fitness Advisor

15 Features


The Service recognises the importance of a fit and healthy workforce. Some of the specific work we do to promote health and wellbeing are:assessing the aerobic fitness of operational staff in-line with national FRS fitness standards;promoting health throughout the Service alongside national health campaigns; offering staff access to a physiotherapy service.

In addition to this, there are a number of opportunities for staff to access various health services, information, advice and support which are all available through avenues such as the Occupational Health Service, HR and the Service Health and Fitness Advisor.

We would like to promote a service that is available for all staff which you may or may not be aware of. These are the voluntary individual health checks which are provided by the Occupational Health Service and have a main focus on screening for a number of potential health risks.

What do the health checks consist of?

The individual health check includes measurements of: -

Height and Weight – These simple measurements will contribute to measuring Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI – Measuring BMI is a good way of determining if you are a healthy weight for your height.

It will also place you in a category highlighting if you are a healthy weight, overweight, obese etc.

Cholesterol – This is important to have for the normal functioning of the body, however too much can increase the chance of heart disease and stroke.

Blood pressure and resting heart rate – High blood pressure or hypertension is known as the ‘silent killer’ as its symptoms are rarely obvious. High blood pressure can be treated which will reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Waist measurement – This is another way of helping determine risk of heart disease.

Occupational Health Nurse, Wendy carrying out a cholesterol test.

Stop standing on your tip toes!


Features 16


Counselling Service is here to helpThe Service’s ‘Employee Assistance Programme’ for telephone counselling services available to all County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service employees is a confidential advice, information and support service. The service is there to help you with work related or personal issues and recognises that both can cause stress and concern, and impact on both work performance and personal life.

‘firstassist’ is a free service which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing confidential advice and support on a range of issues.

Call free on 0800 716 017. No password or scheme number is required.

Urinalysis – This will measure glucose levels in the urine which will indicate diabetes risk. It is estimated that over 1 million people in the UK have undiagnosed type II diabetes.

There is also an opportunity for individuals to discuss various topics around health that may be of particular interest or indeed concern. These topics may include healthy eating, alcohol intake and stress.

Smokers will have the option to measure their lung age and staff over the age of 40 will have the opportunity to have their Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) risk level calculated as a percentage over the next ten years.

Are the health checks confidential?It must be highlighted that the information derived from the health checks will remain confidential and will only be released to the Service if consent is given by the individual.

How long do they take?The health checks last around 30-45 minutes and are carried out by a nurse at the Occupational Health Service at County Hall, Durham. All employees have the option to attend during work time. For operational staff, HR will liaise with Operations to ensure staffing levels are not affected.

If however, there is significant interest from a Section or Watch to undergo a health check, then it may be possible for a nurse to visit the relevant site to carry out the assessments on a one to one basis.

If you would like to attend a voluntary health check, secure an appointment for your Section/Watch or simply require more information, please contact the HR Section on ext. 379 or Health and Fitness Advisor on ext. 211.

“Individual health checks help to identify potential risks early. By having this check and following the advice of the Occupational Health Nurse, you improve your chances of living a healthier life. Any medical information obtained during the health check will remain confidential to the Occupational Health Service”.

Wendy Hall – Occupational Health Nurse

Weighing in.


17 Features


Watching the local news one evening in late July, I caught an article with BBC children’s author Terry Deary appealing for runners to join him on a challenge; to run the distance of Hadrian’s Wall which covered a total 85 miles. I’m familiar with his work because my two daughters watch the horrible histories programmes which he wrote so it got my attention.

His aim was to raise money for local charity “Integrating Children” who are based in Durham, my station area.

Integrating Children works with around 120 children and young people a year providing about 2500 activity sessions such as swimming, bowling, support to attend drama clubs, trips and meals out. These may sound like everyday activities but without the support the charity provides many disabled children just don’t get the chance to take part in these very normal pastimes. With our support many of the young people improve in terms of their confidence, behaviour and ability, do well at school and make great strides in their lives.

Terry was asking for people to join him on different days of the 6 day event which was planned for Monday 12th September

to Saturday 17th September. I emailed him asking if I could do all six days with him and he was over the moon.

I later realised that this event was happening in between two gruelling runs which I had committed to with Red Watch, Durham – so the six days had increased to an eight day challenge.

On Sunday 11th we are tackling the Paratroopers 10 mile challenge at Catterick Garrison followed by the Great North Run on Sunday 18th September. The fortnight previous isn’t ideal preparation either with a family holiday in the sun and FF Murrays wedding weekend….but I’ll be loading up on my carbs anyway!

This means I’ll be running an average 13.5 miles daily for 8 days consecutively. I’m not what you would call a ‘runner’ but I do plenty of sports and activities every day including football, swimming and weights. I also do a few runs each week, so for all I consider myself fit I know it’s going to be a hard slog mentally as well as physically. Furthermore, the terrain and intensity will be pretty extreme over the 8 days.

Our shift recently,did the coast

to coast bike ride in less than 24 hours so I must have picked up a ‘challenge bug.’ Either that or its part of a mid-life crisis as some of the lads have joked.

Either way the crack will be canny and hopefully the charity will bag a few quid. I’ll just be looking forward to my hot bath and curry once it’s all done!

Since going to print, we can now confirm that Graeme did successfully complete his challenge – well done!

If anybody would like to contribute to this worthy cause, it’s not too late. You can still log onto - http://www.justgiving.com/graeme-forster

Hadrian’s Wall Run by Graeme Forster, Durham Red Watch

Graeme with Terry Deary on day three of the challenge.


Features 18


The New Face of Financeby Lyn Younger, Finance Manager

We also have a new Head of Service, Tony Hope who is joining us on secondment from Durham County Council. Tony has taken responsibility for Finance, Performance and IT.

With the new team comes new responsibilities, in addition to the Service’s financial matters we also deal with requisitions and purchase orders, petty cash approvals and tax discs which were previously dealt with by Transport, Supplies and Services.

To accommodate the new team and changes to working arrangements, we have taken down the false wall to use space

more effectively. Anyone who has been with the Service a while may well recognise the ‘new look office’ as being just as it was back in 2001/02.

There have been some minor changes in people’s responsibilities but to make it easier for you to contact us we have; A Finance email box “#Finance” to which you should send all matters relating to finance or general queries for the team. This mailbox should be used rather than sending information to any individual, each member of the team is automatically notified which ensures that your email does not get missed due to annual leave etc. and A Requisitions email box “Requisitions” to which

you should send all requisition forms, internal or external and any queries in relation to stock, requisitions, purchase orders or deliveries. Wherever relevant you should attach your quotations to your email with the requisition, this means that the team will not have to come back to you to ensure financial regulations have been adhered to. If you require advice or assistance with any of the purchase order process; financial regulations, getting quotations or going out to tender then you can contact Janice Alderslade the Procurement Officer on Ext. 363.

We hope that the new Finance Team will continue to provide you the level of support that you have come to expect but we are also looking to make improvements to our processes and ways of working. If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions please forward them to Lyn Younger (Finance Manager).

Finance team Clockwise from front centre with telephone extension numbers: Daniel Armstrong (345), Alison Harrison (209), Joanne Hudson (285), Tracy Ridley (346), Vanessa Holliday (344), Elaine Christopher (280) and Lyn Younger (340).

The financial world has certainly changed, not only in the economic sense but also right here in the Service. After the recent restructure your Finance Team now looks like this


19 Features


Last of the Original Day Crewing retires by Dane Rollo

On the 28th July the last serving member of the Day Crewing staff at Newton Aycliffe retired from the Service.

This is not just any old firefighter or Sub Officer but the original, ultimate information source, the cleaner, Sylvia Thomas. Sylvia started at S9 Newton Aycliffe in 1990 and has seen all of the changes in the building, the

crews and the people in charge. From trying to keep the appliance room clean when it had no gable end wall to cleaning marks off the new unmarkable gym floor, she has managed it all. A small presentation was held on the morning that Sylvia left with the crews and a few old friends who have been around almost as long. This included Steve Smart, who is the only firefighter left from when the station went whole time, Anth Collins who has had only a short time away, Graham Horner who calls in when passing and yours truly who is always passing in my role as brigade nomad.

Sylvia left with a certificate of service, flowers, chocolates, a special cake and collection.

Best wishes go to Sylvia who is not retiring completely but will continue to rule the playground of Sugar Hill School at lunch time every day.

In addition to Sylvia. several long serving members of the Service have also said their goodbyes and are enjoying retirement.

Fond Farewells go to ……..Since April this year we have said goodbye to the following retirees:

April8th Peter Siberry from Learning and Development (30 years) 30th Alan Gibson from Fire Safety (32 years, 8 months)30th John Diamond from Transport, Supplies and Premises (38 years)

May1st Graham Jackson from Durham Station (33 years, 7 months)31st Michael Dunn from Risk Reduction (30 years) 31st Kevin Willis from Seaham Station (30 years)31st Kevin Rodgers from Bishop Auckland Station (22 years, 1 month)31st Carolyn Jones from Executive Support (36 years)

June2nd Paul Reay, Director of Community Safety (32 years, 9 months) 10th Stephen Smith from Bishop Auckland Station (30 years) 30th Barry Henderson from Consett Station (31 years, 2 months)

July4th Graham Clasper from Seaham Station (27 years, 2 months) 27th Malcolm Hobkirk from High Handenhold Station (30 years) 31st Tony Grufferty from Training (32 years, 8 months)

September30th Phil Towns from Durham Station (25 years, 11 months)

Sylvia on her last day with Anth Collins.


Incident Report 20


Analysing the options. Preparing to lift. A safe recovery.

Incident Report Alternative approach to Heavy RescueRecovery by Colin Davis, Training Delivery Manager

On Friday 6th May just before 9 am, Spennymoor and Newton Aycliffe responded to a reported collision involving a heavy goods vehicle. It was reported that a male adult was entrapped under the wheels of the vehicle. The Special Incident Unit was also mobilised to the incident and I attended as the Flexible Duty Officer.

13% of all road related incidents involve a heavy rescue vehicle in one way or another. Although we are one of the best equipped Services across the UK to deal with incidents of this type, it is not realistic for us to staff and maintain a specific large recovery vehicle. It was therefore necessary to request the services of a heavy vehicle recovery company for increased capability within the area of lifting.

On my arrival at the scene I was informed that the driver was trapped underneath the tractor unit and unfortunately had been pronounced dead by medical professionals on scene.

Debris was spread over a wide area due to the fact that this vehicle was on an outward run carrying tonnes of scrap metal and it had travelled a considerable distance on its side until coming to rest.

Our crews were innovative and creative and were very forthcoming with ways in which to release the driver but our only realistic and timely option was to utilise the equipment and skills and knowledge of the heavy vehicle recovery professionals.

Very quickly the recovery

specialist had booms and winches in place providing the lifting capacity required in order to resolve this incident.

Lifting operations began and with effective, efficient control measures in place, as the vehicle was raised, Firefighters cribbed between the ground and tractor unit using timber that was available. Adequate space was created and in liaison with the medical professionals, the driver was released.

Through interaction and liaison between emergency services and industry specialists and the hard work, determination and will to succeed from Fire and Rescue Service staff, this particularly difficult incident was dealt with as quickly and safely as possible with minimum disruption to the surrounding community.


21 From the Archives

From the Archives Our Service Historian, Craig Godwin has sent us a selection of images to stir the memories of some and show how things were in the past to others


Training in the drill yard at Headquarters in the mid-1980s. You can see the old mini wireless cars in the

background.

An aerial shot of the Headquarters site in the 1960s. Look

at the fields behind, and what was that house doing where

Durham Fire Station car park is now?

Showing off a new Emergency Tender and the ‘latest’ Gas Tight Suits outside the old Peterlee Fire Station in the late 1970s.

The old control room when it was situated in the front office at Headquarters (where reception is now). This photo was taken around 1968 when appliance

movements were recorded on a china graph board.


Lifestyle & Leisure 22


The weather was kind on the day for the first John Adamson Memorial Golf Tournament. 45 golfers came to pit their skills on Crook’s less than flat golf course. With a stiff breeze blowing it would not be a day for high scores. 12 brave souls had made the trip up from North Yorkshire (Harrogate and York) which would prove to be a long day for some. This was my first time for organising a golf tournament and it started to show when all the players started to arrive all at once. But help was at hand, Ted Freeman had offered his services and with his great organisational skills and presence soon had everybody sorted and ready to go.

As the day went on the players started to reach the 11th hole where the star prize of a sports car could be won. A hole in one was all they needed to do to win this beautiful car. The task was not going to be easy and with that stiff breeze blowing would prove too hard for everybody. Garry Plews Crook RDS came within two inches of the hole and got everybody excited but then informed us he was three off the tee.

As the day went on and the scores were tallied up it became plain that a score in the high thirties would win the tournament. Ted Freeman had been in with a score of 34 points from the morning session. However, it wasn’t until later on that a

young golfer, Andrew Morgan from Crook golf club, came in with a score of 36 points to win the tournament. The event was organised by the staff of Crook fire station with help from members of the Fire Fighters Charity committee. Many thanks go to Prince Bishops Shopping Centre for the sponsorship, to Brian Foster and Mark Wilkinson for the sports car and to the Sports and Social Club for supplying the trophies.

And on to the evening…..After a day dedicated to sport the night time event was a time to bring everybody together and to help raise awareness and funds for the Fire Fighters Charity. Tickets were sold in the local community as well as to fire service personnel.

Around 130 guests attended on the night and were entertained by the band ‘Captain Rock’ as well as a disco. The competitiveness of the day’s golf tournament was replaced with a more light-hearted game of heads and tails.

Overall both the night and the day events were an amazing success. A grand total of £1200 was raised for the Fire Fighters Charity but more importantly it brought people together to remember John Adamson and his tireless dedication to the charity.

The John Adamson Golf Tournamentby Peter Chisholm, Crook Fire Station

Peter Maddison and Ted Freeman with the car on offer.

Tony Hoban taking a swing.

Captain Rock. The girls looking fabulous.


Sports and Social Club by Jonathan Smith, Sports and Social Club Secretary

23 Lifestyle & Leisure


Sports and Social FAQ

Q. Current membership?

A. 427 current members (323 wholetime, 46 retained and 58 HQ). This is from around 650 members of staff.

Q. Who is part of the committee?

A. Colin Bage is Chair and Andie Mackay is Vice Chair and I am the current Secretary. The rest of the committee comprises a cross section of staff.

Q. How much are subscriptions these days?

A. It’s free to join and will cost £1.08 per month directly from your payslip.

Q. How much does it cost to enter the money draw?

A. Each number on the money draw costs £4.33/month.

Q, How do I join?

A. An application can be downloaded from sharepoint and sent to finance.

Q. How do you go about making an application for funding?

A. Giving prior notice to the Sports & Social club helps; this is done by e-mailing me as the secretary. However if you are applying retrospectively a good bid consists of an event socially and or sports focused.

It may not seem as if we have had the weather this summer to get involved in much sports and social activity. However, you might be surprised at how many events and activities have been supported by the sports and social club fund. I felt it might be useful and perhaps inspiring to others to read about some of the recently supported events. We’d be delighted if this prompted other colleagues to suggest other activities to get people to appreciate the benefits of the sports and social club fund.

Recent S&S Club supported eventsFSSAA MTB Race - UK FF Sailing Challenge - Theatre visits (Peter Pan, Hairspray, Snow White, Robin Hood) - Christmas money draw bonus - The Sheriffs Cup Golf - Skiing Event - National FSSAA Golf Pairs Competition - Fishing Competition - Big Ride Cycling event - Station Welfare - Cycling Event at HQ - Weymouth Boat Competition (fishing) – Hadrian’s Hike - Cycling Competition - National Squash - John Adamson Golf

We’ll look to promote events more widely through safer times and the new sharepoint area for the sports and social club*. Why don’t you get involved or even plan your own event and perhaps get some funding support?*Look for “Sports & Social Club” within the “Working / Steering Groups” menu of sharepoint

Firefighter Paul White from Peterlee with his family at the start of the ‘Big Ride’.




Recipe Time Prawn Jambalaya Serves: 4

Tried and Tested on Station Assistant District Manager for Darlington, Dane Rollo kindly agreed to try out this edition’s recipe and at the same time attempted to keep in the boss’ good books by making his tea.

Due to his seafood allergy, Dane substituted the prawns for chicken. He said “the Meal was easy to cook in about 15 mins but quantities would need to be bigger to feed the average Firefighter”.

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes. Approximate cost for recipe: £5.28

• 250g long-grain rice

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced

• 1 small green pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 150g button mushrooms, sliced

• 4 tomatoes, chopped

• 250g uncooked peeled prawns, thawed if frozen

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or paprika

• ½ teaspoon chilli powder

• Ground black pepper

1. Put the rice into a large saucepan and cook in simmering water for 12-15 minutes, or according to pack instructions, until tender. Drain thoroughly.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onion and celery until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the green pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and prawns and stir-fry for 3-4 more minutes.

3. Stir in the hot cooked rice, parsley, Cajun seasoning or paprika and chilli powder. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly until heated through. Check the seasoning, adding some pepper and an extra pinch of chilli powder, if needed. Spoon onto warm plates and serve at once.

Tip 1: Use 150g chopped cooked chicken instead of prawns, if you like.

Tip 2: Save time by preparing the rice ahead, rinsing it with cold water to cool it quickly, then refrigerating until required later in the day. Make sure that it is reheated thoroughly.

District Manager Adam Hall trying to tuck in before Dane eats it all!

If you have a recipe you would like to share please let us know.


25 Lifestyle & Leisure


Puzzle Time

Use the clues to fill in your answers into the bricks. Each word contains the same letters as its neighbours, plus or minus one

Brickword1. Substantial and nourishing

2. A worms home

3. Rip

4. Consume

5. This could be sticky

6. A shallow dish

7. Roof of the mouth

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

SudokuThere is just one simple rule in Sudoku.

Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 - 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box.

This is a logic puzzle, and you should not need to guess.

1 2 8

5 78 3 2 6

2 5 31 5

8 94

4 9 5

4 89 1 3 7

Caption CompetitionCan you think of a caption for this photo?

It’s just a bit of fun and the rules are simple. Think of the best, wittiest, funniest caption to the picture posted.

Entries will be judged on their humour and originality. If you have a photo that might be suitable for a future edition, please get in touch.

Email: [email protected]

The winner will be announced in the next issue.

Brickwork Answers: 1.HEARTY 2.EARTH 3.TEAR 4.EAT 5.TAPE 6.PALATE




Kids Corner Help the lost Firefighter to find the fire engine

Start

End

Can you find ten differences between the two drawings of the cottage?

Safer Times Autumn 2011County Durham and Darlington

Next Edition

If you have anything interesting to say and would like to share it with your colleagues, then why not include it in Safer Times. Maybe you have an interesting photo you would like to share? We want to hear from people across the Service with stories, photos, incidents, events; in fact pretty much anything you would like to write about.

So send your submissions to Karen Pallister and try to keep them less than 300 words for a single page (or 600 for a double). But please remember, an interesting story might need no more than 50 words, so give it a try! Wherever possible, try to include good quality images, as separate jpeg files, providing detail of people in the photos.

Please be aware that your articles may be edited.

For next edition (Winter 2011) which will be published at the end of December, submissions should be received no later than the first week of November.

safer times autumn

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