The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Board has launched its Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for 2008/09.  This plan focuses on enhancing emergency cover in 4 key areas – incidents that arise from climate change conditions such as flooding or wildland fires; risk assessment of heritage buildings and monuments in Northern Ireland; road traffic collision response times and the provision of enhanced medical skills for NIFRS personnel.

 

Bill Gillespie, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Board, explains – “Integrated Risk Management Planning is our approach to providing emergency cover in Northern Ireland.  It allows us to ensure we have the right resources in place to help protect and ensure the safety of the public and our firefighters at a range of emergency situations that we respond to i.e. fires, road traffic collisions and other specialist rescue incidents. 

 

“IRMP is about modernizing and enhancing emergency cover for the people of Northern Ireland.  For this year’s IRMP Action Plan we consulted widely with the public and NIFRS personnel over a 12 week period and received good consultation feedback to each of our proposals.  Taking each proposal forward will further enhance our close working relationships with key partner agencies and will ensure that NIFRS is at the forefront of developing best practice operational standards in responding to a wide range of emergency incidents.”  

 

Louis Jones, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service continued – “Our proposals reflect the changing needs of emergency cover not only in Northern Ireland but indeed right across the UK and Europe, for example in relation to climate change last spring we were experiencing abnormally hot conditions which resulted in a huge number of wildland fires and come summer 2007 we found ourselves responding to wide spread flooding incidents across Northern Ireland.  It is therefore important for NIFRS to examine these issues in more detail in order to help deliver the best possible fire and rescue service and ensure the safety and well-being of our community.”

 

Concluding, Bill Gillespie said “On behalf of the NIFRS Board I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond during the consultation period.  For a copy of the Consultation Feedback and to access the IRMP 08/09 Action Plan please go to www.nifrs.org.”