FRSA chair warns zero-hour contract reforms could harm fire services
The Fire and Rescue Service Association wants on-call firefighters to be exempt from proposed changes to zero-hour contracts
A trade union supporting firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire is asking the Government to leave on-call firefighters out of proposed reforms to zero hour contracts.
The Government wants to make changes that provide employees with greater security and predictability in their working schedules and recently put their plans to public consultation.
The Fire and Rescue Services Association (FRSA), chaired in Dorset and Wiltshire by Andy Elliott, responded to the consultation with its request for decision makers to recognise the unique role and circumstances of on-call firefighters.
Andy told us that the FRSA recognises the intention behind the changes, but said that on-call firefighters are needed as part of an emergency response system.
On-call firefighters have a pager with them when they're at home or at work, allowing them to respond to an emergency call. If enough of the crew respond with availability, they can be deployed to an incident or to provide cover for another station. Some stations deploy more regularly than others.
Andy said the changes, if they include on-call firefighters, could fundamentally change how contracts are delivered within the service.
"What is not possible for a fire rescue service, is it does not have the ability to predict the demand placed upon its firefighters, the on-call firefighters," he explained. He highlighted that recent weeks of wildfires have seen greater periods of need within the service, as it leant upon the on-call members to support full-time staff.
Andy said: "Some of those firefighters are out for long hours, days sometimes, whereas there are other periods of the year where they may only go out for one or two hours during the week. So because it's an emergency demand, it's not based on predictable work activity, which arguably these reforms are set to address."
He warned that the changes could have a negative impact on the on-call service and make it very challenging for it to operate as it currently does so and could create a recruitment barrier.
Andy also highlighted the role of primary employers: "It's really important that the government recognise the role that primary employers for on-core firefighters play in this process, and if the legislation makes that more difficult and challenging for them, they may step away and refuse to allow their employees to attend emergency incident."
The FRSA, which has opposed the closure of eight on-call fire stations in Dorset and Wiltshire earlier this year, says the needs to be greater investment in on-call provision.
Andy said there is a worry that once the weather becomes wetter and flood risk grows, the impact of wildfires may be forgotten, and then once the flooding has subsided, the role of on-call firefighters will again fade from the forefront of Government minds.
"They may not be putting fires out every minute of the day, but they are providing that encore essential resilience to fire and rescue services to enable them to sustain these prolonged periods of work activity," he said.
The Government is reviewing the results of its consultation before deciding its next steps.