Lincolnshire Collaborative Emergency Medical Response Seminar
The RFU attended a seminar this week based on the excellent work carried out by Lincolnshire FRS in association with LIVES (Lincolnshire Integrated Emergency Services) which has been in existence since 1999.
This excellent work is now spreading across the rest of the East Midlands with many new Co-Responder schemes now coming online.
The latest development in Lincolnshire is the Joint Ambulance Conveyancing Project where fire service Co-Responders respond to medical emergencies in an Ambulance vehicle. The vehicle is then used to convey a patient to hospital with an Ambulance Service Paramedic providing patient care while en route to the hospital.
This is a great example of essential collaborative working between the Fire and Ambulance services that will deliver real improvements to seriously ill people in Lincolnshire communities.
The RFU has fully supported the development of fire service Co-Responder schemes for many years and fully supports this excellent new initiative. These schemes enhance the value of On-Call fire stations within their communities, promotes recruitment/retention and enhances stations availability.
The Ambulance Service benefits by providing a more rapid attendance to seriously ill patients with improved patient outcomes. Providing such a service can only be described as a win-win for all involved.
We believe that not only will this and similar schemes expand across the East Midlands region but across the UK. It is clear from recent communications with the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service that the expansion of role will take place, it is a case of when and the finer detail of the new roles.
The RFU has always been a forward thinking organisation, choosing to embrace and shape change rather than clinging onto what has gone on before. We firmly believe that for the Retained Duty System to be sustainable in the long term, the role of a firefighter will have to evolve with greater collaboration with other services.
If you are like minded and want to support the aims of the RFU you can join today.
Station Rep Packs
The role of a station rep is the key link between RFU HQ, the local committee and our members, we have provided a toolkit for station reps that can be accessed via our website here.
Alternatively, if you are interested in becoming either a station rep or part of the local committee please contact RFU HQ via email here.
Member details
You can, as a member update any changes in personal circumstance via our website, it is important that we hold the correct contact information for you to enable us to communicate in a prompt and timely fashion.
You can update your details here.
National Pay Increase
As predicted last month, the National Employers pay offer of 1% has been formally agreed within the NJC and will take effect from 01 July 2015.
The updated national pay scales are available here.
Where do you fit in?
Change in the fire service is an inevitability, the question is whether it is for the better. Those who know what the RDS needs for it to be robust yet flexible and have long term sustainability are the people who work it. If the direction that is taken is left to others, as has been the case in the past, matters could deteriorate further.
The RFU will provide the opportunity to for your voice to be heard at the highest level, if you want and are able to play a part in shaping the future we want to hear from you. You can provide your contact details via RFU HQ here.
