The Chief Fire Officers Association

Publicity Line

CFOA continues its support for the sector-led approach to managing and maintaining New Dimension (ND) assets that support national resilience.  We believe this will ensure that ND capability can be fully integrated into FRS core business, and from an FRA perspective, will ensure that both control and ownership lies with those bodies charged with protecting their communities.

CFOA is adamant that the responsibility for future provision of national resilience capability continues to lie with central government and that its funding should be both adequately and transparent to both the public and FRA's.

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

• Continue to work in partnership with the LGA on the National Resilience Board to deliver a sector-led approach to sustaining New Dimension capabilities into the future through establishment of an assurance framework and body managed by CFOA through the FRS National Resilience Board.

• Manage the technical arrangements for ND capabilities including scrutiny of the management of the maintenance of the operational fleet of vehicles and equipment.

• Deliver assurance on upkeep of assets and operational capability to CLG through a separate entity known as CFOA (National Resilience) Ltd (CNR). CFOA will deliver its responsibilities through the activities of the FRS National Resilience Board, it's capability leads and the National Resilience Assurance Team.

• Ensure, through CNR, that ND capabilities are fit for purpose, do not degrade over time, continue to be interoperable between FRAs whilst also providing specialist guidance and advice, access to a national training programme and a fully managed minor asset refresh programme.

• Closely monitor financial and governance arrangements (up to and beyond 2010-2011) where responsibility for provision of this ND national resilience capability still rests with government to ensure there is no additional financial burden to FRA's. We will strongly advocate that future funding should not be subsumed into the RSG where transparency around quantum and allocation will be lost.

• In terms of transfer of ownership of ND assets to FRA's, whilst we see this as the logical next step, we encourage each fire and rescue authority to seek its own advice to satisfy themselves that any associated risk can be managed adequately before consenting to the transfer.

• CFOA recognise there are liabilities and governance issues that need to be reconciled by each FRA before transfer but believe such a transfer forms part of a process which will see the sector take control of an important component of national resilience.