1. Rural Communities The Invisible Risk
John Bonney
Chief Officer
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

2. Engaging with the Hard to Reach
Sparsity
Low income
Isolated individuals
Suspicious of authority
Low levels of legal compliance
Sparsity may not show up on data analysis
Agricultural workers are of lowest wage rates, in often poor, badly maintained houses, sometimes without mains electricity (New Forest)
Practical people – in agriculture – resist bureaucracy – enjoy face to face contact
They are literally and socially far aware from public service
Poor health and suicide incidents
Use of high risk equipment, chemicals and low levels of compliance
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

3. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

4. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

5. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Risk Profile
“As well as having one of the highest fatal accident rates of any industry in the UK, agriculture is also the only high risk industry that has to deal with the constant presence of children.” (HSE)
“1.7% of the working population are employed in agriculture and they form 19% of all workplace fatalities.” (HSE)
3 times more likely to have an accident than construction industry.
400 children accident in last ten years
1 worker dies per week in rural industry
1.7% of population – 19% of all fatalities
Accident in S and S&E 142,890 – highest region in country
2004/5 10 deaths
6390 major accidents resulting in serious injury
Fatality profile – 10% members of public
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

6. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Animal Rescue
Hampshire is strange mixture of affluent and agricultural (typified by this picture)
Stock joke of cats up trees/bird stuck in chimney (83% of public say they would risk their own lives for an animal)
But there is real risk – for unprepared, trained and equipped staff
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

7. Hampshire Rural Community
In 2006
388 incidents on farms
Hazmat
Fires
rescues (human and animal)
Co-responders
17% of economy/28%livelihood
This is to premises which are:
Difficult to find
Isolated
Profile described before
Mixture of residential/industrial
Very low levels of compliance with Fire Safety Order
Poor levels of safety awareness, almost non-existent training
Recovery rates less than 20%
9,000 work on farm
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

8. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

9. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

10. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Animal Rescue
Small animal rescue (83)
Estimate savings
250 Manager hours
750 Firefighter hours
70% no further attendances
Large animal rescue (50)
Training
Expertise
Proportionate response
133 animal rescues – 50 large and 83 small
Hampshire established some time ago trained animal rescue advisors on a call out arrangement
We have now begun a pilot whereby;
- Dedicated Rural Safety Officer is supported by
- 3 Retained Rural Safety Advisors
They respond to animal rescues in conjunction with the RSPCA
Most of saving is for whole time firefighter
Large Animal Rescue
Provide awareness training not only for own staff, but to agricultural students in Sparsholt – DEFRA advice
They will mobilise either to assess incident or as a specialist officer
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

11. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Rural IRMP
Prevention
Protection
Response
Resources
Saw value of Officers beyond animal rescue to support more widely IRMP – pilot in New Forest (37.5k hectares).
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

12. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Prevention
Rural Safety Visit
HFSV
Guidance
Rural Safety Advice
Rural Safety Officers attend farms referred mainly through word of mouth – incredibly important or through partner agencies, NFU Forestry Commission
Surveying safety of tenants in Forestry Commission premises
Will undertake HFSV in domestic residential property
Guidance on good housekeeping
Safer practices, dangers of tractor tyres with children
Vehicle operations – sight lines, roll over
Post fire visits
Will discuss, provide our and HSE leaflets
Building a relationship of trust
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

13. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

14. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Prevention
Dealing with rural emergency training
Countryside events
Liaison with Forestry Commission
Defra and HSE advice for those industries say must receive emergency training. Lecture at Sparsholt
Attendance at these important given sparsity of community
Around planting and forestry production techniques
Arson reduction measures – even possible youth engagement schemes around Forestry activities
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

15. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

16. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Protection
Fire Safety Order
Chemical/Acetylene Cylinder Amnesty
Operational Intelligence
RSO’s work in conjunction with Technical Fire Safety and NFU to provide general guidance
Developing in conjunction with refuse company for free disposal of illegal/out of date chemicals and acetylene cylinders.
Provide information on;
Grid reference
Water supplies - into Risk Intelligence database
Access
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

17. CFOA Spring Conference 2007

18. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Response
Attendance at;
Fires
Hazmat
Animal Rescue/Evacuation
Wildland Fires
Wild land fires – major impact on heritage, SSSI
Environment highly dangerous
Our RSO’s work as specialist advisors at the more substantial incidents
Provide general training to own staff – Recruit, RDS, Crew Managers and Watch Managers, Incident Training
Co-train with forestry workers – development of Fire Plans with owners
CFOA Spring Conference 2007

19. CFOA Spring Conference 2007
Managing Resources
Partnerships
Funding
Policy Development
This is clearly an area of high demand given interest of partnerships (SCATs, Forestry Commission, HSE, Police, MPs support, RSPCA)
Police, Pub, Horse, Farm Watch Programmes to ‘Country Watch’
European funding – supporting commoners/rural communities
70k cost 50% net through sponsor/savings
Both locally and with CFOA; Animal Rescue; Policy
CFOA Spring Conference 2007