Coronavirus: Fire service taking steps to protect staff and public

Shropshire’s fire service has brought in a raft of measures in an attempt to avoid the spread of coronavirus among staff and members of the public.

Changes have been made to training and contact with the community in an attempt to avoid a staffing crisis and the risk of passing the virus to vulnerable people.

Councillor Nigel Hartin raised the issue at a meeting of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority’s strategy and resources committee.

He said: “How are we taking forward the message to our own staff in terms of how we are dealing with incidents? What systems have we got in place for if the situation gets significantly worse?”

Chief fire officer Rod Hammerton said the service was “planning for the worst but hoping for the best.”

The committee heard measures were already being implemented to minimise the risk to staff, with planned training exercises for multiple stations disbanded to avoid potential contamination between crews.

Assistant chief fire officer Simon Hardiman said it was hoped the workforce would not be badly affected if an outbreak did occur, due to employees being of working age and generally healthy and fit.

“We are looking at using our pandemic flu business continuation plan, which talks about 50 per cent of the workforce potentially being affected,” he said.

“We have put some quite robust planning assumptions in place. We have got a Covid-19 working group.”

Mr Hardiman said risk assessments were being carried out before staff were sent to carry out safety audits at business premises, and members of the public were to be phoned ahead of safe and well checks to establish whether they may be infected.

Supply of equipment is also a concern, with potential shortages identified in things like gloves and masks due to an increase in members of the public buying them.

The committee also heard options for remote or home-working were also being looked at where possible, and HR staff were advising employees who may have to take time off to look after children if schools were to close.