Liaise with all necessary internal and external stakeholders e.g. Trust staff, PFI partners, Local Government, The Fire and Rescue Service, the Health and Safety Executive on matters of fire precautions. Forge and maintain excellent working relationships with managers at all levels to ensure that the resources of the Trust Infrastructure Division contribute to the delivery of patient care.
Provide professional fire safety leadership and management throughout the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust (MYTT), ensuring compliance with current statutory requirements, codes of practice, Trust policies and procedures, Department of Health Firecode, and other guidance e.g. Health Technical Memorandum and Health Building Notes suite of documents, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Building Regulations, British Standards, and European Directives. Ensure that the Fire and Rescue Service and Local Authority Building Control are informed of any work that may affect the fire safety of any building, and that any modifications to fire systems are comprehensively commissioned and documented, with site plans, system schematics, and local Fire Brigade information updated and current through dialogue and audit.
Identify the Trust's status regarding compliance with current fire legislation and guidance, escalate non-conformities, and recommend corrective actions while forecasting resources required. Be responsible for strategic ownership of monitoring and reporting to demonstrate required actions and ensure compliance with regulations. Lead the Operational Fire Safety Committee, ensuring meetings are regular and documented. Liaise with Trust staff and others when conducting fire safety audits and fire risk assessments, compile standardised professional management reports as necessary, and incorporate them within the Divisional management systems. Provide support and guidance to the Divisions on compliance with Fire Safety legislation.
Minimise the risk of fire occurring by establishing and maintaining safe fire procedures within a complex healthcare environment through the delivery of fire awareness training and liaison, specifying fire warning and firefighting systems. Organise fire drills and monitor their effectiveness, compiling accurate records of staff training and drills. Manage specialist investigations of all fire incidents, producing appropriate reports for the identified Board level Director with Fire Safety Responsibility. Record, investigate, and report on fire incidents and unwanted fire signals.
Investigate and respond to complaints, both formal and informal, in accordance with the Trust's complaints procedure. Maintain comprehensive records of all fire incidents and investigations, ensuring that trends are identified and that advice is given to the appropriate people for remedial action to reduce incidents. Keep records of all fire incidents and false alarms, ensuring that fire reports are prepared in a timely manner to a standard format and where necessary, issue remedial advice on emergencies. Manage the maintenance of fire safety records and the development of local fire safety manuals for Trust premises.
Manage, lead, and support the 24-hour emergency cover Fire Response Team, delivering specialist training at regular intervals. Manage and supervise the adequate provision, siting, and maintenance of firefighting equipment, life safety systems e.g. emergency lighting, fire safety signage, and systems, ensuring all required records are maintained in a current state through audit and due diligence to confirm compliance. Provide specialist advice and guidance to the Infrastructure Division for initial design input in the preparation of capital schemes to deliver effective facilities, maximizing safety and minimising revenue costs and risk.
Monitor adherence to the Trust's Fire Policy and work to ensure that the Trust's health and safety policies and procedures are adhered to. Specifically, ensure that the activities of contractors working on site do not compromise fire safety through personal inspections. Prepare and deliver a programme of fire lectures to all staff to educate them on the need for fire safety awareness, and through scheduled informative and constructive training, promote the need to prevent fire and follow proper fire procedures in the event of a fire. Support the Training Department with maintaining a register of staff who have been trained and those requiring training.
Produce, review, and update comprehensive fire risk assessments for all Trust properties and properties where Trust staff and patients work or deliver a service. Identify capital investment requirements to ensure full compliance with national and international standards. Ensure that satisfactory means are in place to carry out the statutory testing of all fire safety installations and equipment throughout the organisation and that such equipment complies with the appropriate regulations. A sound knowledge and understanding of the relevant Building Regulations and Standards and their application, as well as those of the appropriate British Standards or equivalent regarding all fire safety installations and equipment, is required.
Utilise computers with appropriate keyboard skills to enable the use of Trust software including Microsoft Office and Outlook. The ability to prepare, produce, and deliver PowerPoint slide presentations for statutory fire awareness training is required. Undertake complex risk assessments, carry out option appraisals, and deliver a balanced judgment of actions.
Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information, make appropriate decisions, and report back at Trust Board and Executive Team when required. Produce highly detailed reports containing an analysis of reported fire incidents, identifying patterns, trends, and recommendations. Produce an Annual Fire Report and ensure it is delivered effectively within timescales. Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, and often contentious information where a high degree of persuasion, motivation, training, and empathic skills are required to obtain agreement and cooperation.
Essentially self-directing using the general guidance contained in Firecode. Formulate long-term plans or proposals that may be difficult to achieve without extensive discussions and guidance to management. Required to receive and understand complex information and legislation and disseminate this to all levels within the Trust to advise on various subjects relating to fire, where persuasion, motivation, and understanding will be required through support and management to achieve the necessary standards. Develop and maintain effective partnerships with other Divisions and Services regarding fire safety issues, working with all levels of Trust staff and PFI partners across all sites and community premises to ensure ongoing awareness of fire procedures and policies through regular consultation and organized fire safety training.
Daily contact with Operational Managers and PFI partners regarding site access, road closures, building works, etc. Regular written and verbal contact with building consultants, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Wakefield District Council Environmental Health, and Building Control. A sound in-depth knowledge and understanding of fire, coupled with the experience of how the dangers from fire may be reduced for the greater safety of patients, staff, and visitors. Attendance at periodic private and local authority seminars and lectures relating to fire safety research and development is required to ensure that advice is available to management on current issues.
Critically examine working practices within the department to identify cost improvements and effective measures, develop and implement action plans.
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