Salamander issue 3

Page 19

www.flickr.com/photos/wcoff103/

MEET THE CHIEF

Peter Hopkins

PR & Marketing Committee

Worshipful Company of Firefighters

firefighter safety and staff

welfare, in particular good

mental health and well-being.

As one of the champions for the

MIND blue light programme, I

have a keen interest in making

sure we do what we can to make

conversations about mental

health and our wellbeing normal

and part of the workplace.

Even when an organisation is

not facing change, stress and

worries can overwhelm even

the most robust individuals. It is

important for me that staff know

there is help available and they

are not alone. Building resilience

and a safe environment to talk

about concerns is important.

We have recently established

a “healthy mind” group and our

own workforce are helping to

shape developments in this key

area.

The unexpected

Somechangecannotbeplanned

for – the tragedy at Grenfell

Tower meant we all had to

change our short term priorities.

We saw a significant increase in

the number of queries from the

public, concerned about their

own homes and, with over 230

residential high rise properties

on our patch, this has been

a real team effort. On the

ground, our Business Safety

teams and our station crews

carried out inspections and risk

assessment checks alongside

partner agencies and they were

able to offer reassurance to the

local communities, face to face.

I know that their contribution

when people were concerned

was hugely valued. We also

carried out many briefings,

meetings with local authority

leaders, local councillors and

MPs about the issues and our

approach.With thepublic inquiry

yet to begin and investigations

ongoing, we do not yet know

the full story behind this terrible

fire and must be prepared

for further work to come our

way. I am really pleased that,

through our Deputy Chief, Mark

Andrews, the Service has been

able to support the technical

panel considering the fire safety

testing and advice.

Health

Health is another area I am

passionate about and offers

opportunities to make positive

changes for The benefit of the

public. As a volunteer, I have

been a community responder

for four years and attended

many Red 1 and Red 2 calls. In

East Sussex, we are looking at

how we can support Immediate

Emergency Care Response

locally, taking into account

some of the reservations which

have been raised nationally. But

that’s not the only opportunity

within health which represents

a change for us. ESFRS has

been working with local GPs

to help reach some of the most

vulnerable patients and we

have been involved in smoking

cessation programmes. We

have also been commissioned

to extend our normal home

safety visits to install handrails

and safety equipment in

homes in East Sussex. Some

may question whether this is

a role for a fire and rescue

service. There are however

clear benefits, especially if we

are already undertaking home

visits as part of our fire safety

programme. You only have to

consider what would happen if

an individual fell while cooking

or smoking and was unable to

save themselves. Preventing a

fall also reduces future mobility

issues, minimises medical

assistance needs and reduces

pressure on the NHS.

Community Engagement

Being brought up in a rural

community in South Wales

meant that community work

is intrinsic for me and I have

inherited my passion for

supporting charity work and

fundraising from my mother.

I currently fundraise for 5

charities. I firmly believe that

Public Sector and Emergency

Service strategic leaders have

a role in Community leadership.

I am thrilled that East Sussex

Fire and Rescue Service has a

vibrant volunteer section, with

currently over 90 volunteers

supporting road, water and

fire safety, but also supporting

our firefighters. We have

some very talented staff who

contribute their skills in many

ways to strengthens community

resilience, helping community

groups to help themselves.

The future firefighter

For our operational crews

and indeed for the public, this

means that a firefighter is so

much more than that traditional

image of just fighting fires, even

if that is still the element of our

role that captures the media

attention. They are involved in

significant prevention activity

and undertake risk inspections

and educate and inform the

public on a daily basis. It’s

prevention rather than cure and

we are uniquely placed to deliver

real tangible improvements in

the lives of the people we serve.