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Fire authorities tasked with long term capability management |
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Fire and rescue authorities are to take ‘full and direct’ responsibility of New Dimension assets from April next year according to the Fire and Resilience Directorate. The Department for Communities and Local Government has released a Fire and Rescue Service circular providing an update on long term management of the New Dimension capability. The circular comes in response to questions raised during recent road shows and invites fire authorities to complete a pro-forma stating what capacity they have to undertake front-line New Dimension maintenance. The Long-Term Capability Management (LTCM) project is responsible for putting in place management structures and systems to maintain capabilities in the long-term. Key aspects of the strategy are to ensure:
• The New Dimension capability is fully integrated into FRS core business • Standards are maintained to ensure national interoperability of equipment and personnel
• FRS resilience capabilities are maintained and reviewed against national planning assumptions. The project proposes the following:
• Fire and rescue authorities take full responsibility for the management of New Dimension assets from April 1, 2008. The circular states that from the beginning of the New Dimension project, ministers have been clear that the capability was to be mainstreamed into local delivery and become the full responsibility of FRAs. ‘A core business of the FRA is to manage capability to mitigate risk and it is therefore appropriate for them to take ownership for these new resilience assets’.
• Firebuy have been engaged to procure and manage a national service contract to provide best value for maintaining the assets. This will cover maintenance and servicing, operational logistics and customer and management support services.
• An Operational Assurance body or organisation be installed to ensure the appropriate maintenance of national resilience and interoperability of the capability. DCLG is engaging with CFO and the LGA to develop the structures and systems required. The implementation of the solution is structured around four LTCM work streams: Ownership, Maintenance, Operational Assurance, and Finance.
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