Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) has selected Motorola Solutions’ command center technology, including Control Room Solution (CRS), to strengthen the service’s call handling and emergency dispatch. The solution will help to increase the speed, effectiveness, and resilience of Leicestershire FRS’s incident response to support frontline and community safety. Ongoing software maintenance will help ensure the critical system remains current. Serving a population of over one million people across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland, Leicestershire FRS manages around 15,000 calls and attends 8,000 emergency incidents on average per year. Wide range of emergencies The service responds to a wide range of emergencies, from fires to road traffic collisions  The service responds to a wide range of emergencies, from fires to road traffic collisions and search and rescue missions, while also providing community safety and fire prevention services. “Our control room is integral to our emergency response capabilities. It is the first point of contact in any emergency and acts as the ‘eyes and ears’ for our teams," said Callum Faint, chief fire and rescue officer, of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. “Emergency call handlers operate in fast-moving and uncertain environments. They need to be able to gather vital information from emergency calls and quickly relay the details to response teams to help ensure the safety of frontline personnel as they work to protect communities.” Single intuitive system Motorola Solutions’ CRS integrates the control room’s communications into a single intuitive system Motorola Solutions’ CRS integrates the control room’s communications into a single intuitive system, accelerating response times and improving operational efficiency. The hosted solution enables the control room to build a clear picture of events from multiple data sources, including real-time data from devices in the field and provides secure bulk storage for media assets. It supports collaboration and mutual aid between fire services during spate conditions, where a large number of calls are received simultaneously across multiple locations.  Simplifying workflows “We have developed a solution that enhances the tools available to the control room while simplifying workflows,” said Fergus Mayne, U.K. and Ireland country manager, Motorola Solutions. “Our objective is always to enable control room operators to focus on the call at hand, allowing them to dispatch the appropriate resource as efficiently as possible.”

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.