Health and Safety

Policy owned by Health and Safety

Policy applies to: Employees, Members, Volunteers

Statement of intent

As chief executive, I recognise the particular challenges that we face keeping ourselves safe in emergency situations whilst delivering our service to our customers. As an organisation, our core functions include protecting life and properties in the event of a fire, extinguishing fires, rescuing, and protecting people at road traffic collisions and other emergencies. In other words, this means that we must send our firefighters into dangerous situations in order to save lives.

Additionally, we may also operate in situations where:

our customers will expect us to act even where the risks outweigh the benefits
many incidents develop at speed, some can develop in unexpected ways, in emotionally charged situations – and out firefighters may, from time to time, be confronted with situations outside their experience
there may sometimes be incomplete or inaccurate information about the incident
we may not be able to control or mitigate some aspects of the working environment
firefighters use operational discretion to respond dynamically to extreme situations.

Whilst striving to achieve the best expectations of our customers, I confirm the commitment of the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority to reducing risks to all of our colleagues to the lowest level that we can by:

promoting and encouraging a fit and healthy workforce, including mental health and wellbeing
ensuring that bullying and sexual harassment does not happen in Kent Fire and Rescue Service
provide adequate information, instruction, and training to ensure our colleagues and others working on our behalf have the required skills and knowledge to take operational decisions with a high level of situational awareness
giving assurance that incident commanders will have full support for the decisions that are made on the incident ground
ensuring that risk management and awareness are fundamental parts of our strategy
pre-planning for significant risks that exist within our communities
conducting risk assessments which identify significant hazards, developing safe systems of work which are effectively implemented, and testing their effectiveness
ensure the provision and maintenance of safe machinery, and equipment
engage the cooperation of unions and employees at all levels through consultation and the promotion of health, safety and wellbeing awareness
researching, innovating and investing in operational equipment to improve the outcomes for the public as well as firefighter safety.

The authority ranks its health and safety objectives alongside its service performance objectives and as a result I am committed to the principle that effective management of health and safety makes a significant contribution to our overall performance. This is by reducing injuries, ill health, other losses and protecting the environment. As a minimum standard the authority commits to comply with the provisions of all relevant health and safety legislation, industry best practices, and other applicable requirements.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous learning by thoroughly investigating incidents and near-misses, understanding their root causes, and implementing corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence. By looking at aspects of black box thinking, we aim to uncover underlying causes and improve our management controls, recognising that accidents often stem from organisational issues rather than human factors. We are creating a psychological safety in debriefing and other aspects of our work, so people feel able to discuss mistakes and ways to improve without fear of blame.

Our commitment extends to minimising our colleagues’ exposure to contaminants at work, both at the incident ground and within our premises. The director of response and resilience, who also serves as the service's health and safety director, and the health and safety manager are responsible for ensuring that we meet all health, safety and wellbeing obligations.

We strive to provide competent technical advice, resources, information and training on health and safety matters to support everyone in fulfilling their responsibilities within the management framework. Health and safety management is viewed as a fundamental aspect of every manager’s role, form the first-line supervisors to our senior leadership team.

We place a responsibility on all managers and supervisors to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their teams, extending their duty of care to all individuals affected by the authority’s activities. Active participation in the continual improvement and implementation of the safety management system is encouraged for everyone.

Effective health and safety management requires the cooperation and commitment of all service colleagues. Communication and consultation on safety issues are vital, and provisions have been made for active consultation with appointed safety representatives. The service will regularly report its health and safety performance to the corporate management board, fostering transparency and accountability.

The physical and mental wellbeing of us all is extremely important to us. We aim to learn from every experience to continuously improve our support systems. Through the provision of an occupational health service, an employee assistance programme, a network of wellbeing champions and mental health first aiders, we are dedicated to fostering a positive wellbeing culture. We encourage everyone to speak openly about their personal experiences and any concerns related to health, safety and wellbeing, using these insights to enhance our practices and prevent future issues.

Finally, we remind everyone that each of us has an obligation to take reasonable care for our own health and safety, and for the safety of others who may be affected by our actions at work. By embracing black box thinking, we can embrace that mistakes become learning, so we do not repeat them. Every incident allows us to continuously improve our practices. We must always make proper use of items provided in the interest of safety and co-operate with the authority to enable us to successfully carry out our responsibilities. This collaborative approach ensures that we not only meet our obligations but also contribute to a safer and healthier working environment for everyone.

Senior responsible manager: Ann Millington
Authorised by: Chief Executive
Direct enquiries to: Ian Collin, Health and Safety Manager
Date implemented: 01/04/2025
Review by: 01/04/2026
Security classification: Not protectively marked
Version number: 3.1
Version change summary: Added risk management and testing of planned response