Fire service marks 999 joint working

The fire service has marked one year since the new Policing & Crime Act 2017 law came into force, by publishing details of dozens of areas of joint work with the police and other emergency services.

The list shows the strides that have been taken since the new law received Royal Assent on January 31 last year, placing a new statutory duty on all three emergency services to look at opportunities to work with one another better to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The list features 30 ways that SYFR it is working more closely with the region’s 999 services - from training and community safety work, to shared teams, equipment and buildings,

The bulk of the collaborative work undertaken by SYFR both before and after the Act came into force involves South Yorkshire Police, although the fire service says it is also working closely with the ambulance service and other local fire and rescue services. Highlights include a new shared fire and police station in Maltby, which went live at the end of last year, and a jointly delivered Princes Trust Team Programme, which has helped to transform the lives of more than 120 young people in less than two years.

SYFR deputy chief fire officer Martin Blunden said: “Whilst there is now a legal duty on all emergency services to work more closely together, for us the real benefits of collaboration with the police, ambulance and other fire services are to the communities we serve. Whilst each of the emergency services retains its own unique skills and specialisms, we’re working together to provide local people with the most efficient and most effective service possible.”