3 – Introduction of alternative duty systems
We would like to introduce a self-rostering duty system across all our full-time fire stations and change the timings of our shifts.
Proposal
- Introduce a self-rostering duty system across all our full-time shift and day crewed stations.
- Review the start/finish times and duration of shifts at our full-time fire stations, dependent on staff consultation.
- Although this does not require public consultation, it is important context as it supports our other proposals in aligning our emergency response resources to when emergencies are most likely to happen and increases our productivity.
Why are we proposing this?
- Our current start/finish times are 08:00 to 18:00 (dayshift) and 18:00 to 08:00 (night shift). Our risk profile tells us that most incidents happen between 09:00 and 22:00 so a change to the start/finish time of a shift would better match this.
- We already have self-rostering systems operating effectively at 2 of our day crewed stations and in our Control Room.
- The benefits of using a self-rostering duty system are proven and numerous, including:
- Alignment with the incident demand profile, providing a greater immediate response capability;
- Providing flexibility for staff around work/life balance and appealing to a broader, more diverse range of applicants;
- Greater ability to balance crewing fluctuations and maintain crewing at optimum, improving our resilience;