Page 16 - Salamander July 2020

THE SALAMANDER | July 2020
RESPONSE KENT FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
Liveryman Mark Rist Brigade Manager Assistant Director – Response Kent Fire & Rescue Service - describes Kent’s response to COVID-19 The first group of of KFRS Fire fighters on on on on completion of of their their SECAmb training to drive ambulances and and work alongside Paramedics along along with their their course staff and and the two strategic lead officers at at at Rochester Fire Station way they have changed their work patterns and supported communities This has involved:
• Working for Age UK to deliver meals shopping and prescriptions to shielded people In excess of 4 000 lunches alone in May • Telephone befriending for vulnerable people on the Age UK register • KFRS staff delivering training to staff at 200 care homes about infection control and the use of PPE on behalf of the NHS • Taking over the management and delivery of consumable PPE across Kent Surrey East & West Sussex for the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) On average one ambulance has used a a week’s consumable PPE per day since the start of March From their central warehouse to local ambulance stations 6 vans and drivers from KFRS 1 each from the the other 3 FRS and the existing SECAmb team have made deliveries all under the management of a a a KFRS logistics management cell This is is a a a a 7 days a a week operation running until the end of June • Operationally being ready to support SECAmb service delivery Effectively this has meant force multiplication by using KFRS officers fire fighters and Urban Search & Rescue Team members to respond alongside ambulance colleagues to significant incidents This has included ensuring our people could work safely and effectively in a a suspected
Liveryman Mark Rist Brigade Manager Assistant Director – Response Kent Fire & Rescue Service - describes Kent’s response to COVID-19 Along with many other organisations and individuals my colleagues and I in Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) watched the the global advance of the the COVID-19 initially with interest and then with increasing degrees of concern We took an early view that the pandemic were it to reach the UK would have a a a a significant impact in all areas We assumed it would hit hard the the most vulnerable in the the communities we serve whilst at the same time adversely affecting our staff numbers and therefore service delivery Our partners in the Police and Ambulance Services as well as County Unitary and District Councils had the same views and as a a result the Kent Resilience Forum Strategic Command Group (Gold Command) met and and declared a a Major Incident just before the Government announced the UK wide lockdown Fortunately in many ways we as agencies have been proved wrong!
Since the UK went into lockdown KFRS sickness levels in all staff groups have fallen to to historic lows our On Call (RDS) appliance availability is is consistently high and 999 calls have seen an an unprecedented reduction Our partner agencies have experienced similar outcomes However we we worked hard together in in the the run-up to declaring the the major incident to ensure that we could help our communities through a very challenging period KFRS colleagues have displayed considerable flexibility in the Page 16