Station Commander

Promotion Process Booklet and

Assessment Guide

Page Assistant Chief Fire Officer Message 1

Our Service 2

Our Vision and Values 4

Our Behaviours 6

Job Description 7

Person Specification 9

Terms and Conditions 11

Process Timeline 13

Assessment Centre 14

Assessment Criteria 15

General Guidance 16

Process Feedback 17

Contents

1

I am pleased that you are interested in finding out more about Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) and the role of station commander. CFRS is a high performing service that is willing to do things differently and constantly looking to improve. We demonstrated this as one of the services in the first tranche of the new government commissioned inspection process. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the Service was 'good' across all three core areas as well as all eleven sub-sections, one of only two services across the country to achieve this. We were also one of only three services to achieve ‘good’ overall for looking after staff. We are committed to protecting the community and it was particularly pleasing that the inspectorate recognised our understanding of the risks in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and how we manage these. They noted some of the positive work we have done to reduce that risk, working with partners to ensure that those in our communities most vulnerable from fire are protected as much as they can be. The full report inspection report can be found on our website. We have worked hard to ensure we are making the best use of our resources across the county, being innovative to find new solutions to provide a better service. An example of this is roaming fire engines to provide cover in areas where on-call crews are not available. The aim is to reduce attendance times to emergency calls while also delivering fire prevention activity. The roaming pumps will not work out of a fixed fire station, but will be sent to areas north and south of the county each day. When not attending incidents, the crews will be carrying out community safety work including safety visits to elderly and vulnerable residents, as well as visiting local businesses to ensure they comply with fire safety legislation. If you are successful in your application, you will join a highly motivated and close knit team of managers who are committed to leading the Service to operational and community safety excellence. As a station commander you will immediately be able to play a vital role in helping to develop and translate the Service’s strategic direction into efficient, effective actions that produce clear and measurable outcomes. You will be selected because you have the knowledge and skills to successfully perform in the role but more importantly because you have the behaviours and qualities required to build a cohesive team able to deliver outstanding performance. We look forward to receiving your application and hope to have the opportunity of working with you. Jon Anderson Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Assistant Chief Fire Officer’s Message

2

Our community The population of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is approximately 852,500. Cambridgeshire has a diverse and resilient economy. Situated in the heart of the East of England, Cambridge is less than one hour from London, just twenty minutes from London Stansted airport, which has excellent links to most major European cities and Cambridge also hosts its own private airport. Cambridgeshire has good access to the national motorway network with the A1, A14 and M11 roads which provide easy connections to the Midlands, the North, London and the east coast ports of Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth and Harwich. The Fire Authority The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority is the governing body responsible for delivering a fire and rescue service to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It was established in 1998 when Peterborough City became a unitary authority. Seventeen elected members make up the Authority, all of whom are serving councillors. There are 13 members appointed by Cambridgeshire County Council and four members from Peterborough City Council, reflecting the proportion of tax payers in each of the two council areas. The political make-up of the Authority reflects the number of members from the political parties on each of the appointing county and unitary authorities. A Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected annually. Our structure We currently operate from 28 fire stations across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 27 of which are operational. We have four wholetime stations, three day crewed and the remainder are on-call stations, one of which is a voluntary fire station. Our fleet contains a number of different types of fire appliance, including rescue and light rescue pumps, aerial appliances, hazardous materials and command units, as well as a high volume pump. Management, professional support departments and our Combined Fire Control, which takes emergency calls from residents in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, are all based at our Service Headquarters in Huntingdon. We employ more than 600 members of staff, made up of 247 wholetime operational staff, including Principal Officers, around 200 on-call firefighters, 42 members of staff in our Combined Fire Control and 144 staff in professional support roles.

Our Service

3

The Service is run by a chief fire officer who is also the chief executive of the Service. The chief fire officer is supported by a deputy chief executive and an assistant chief fire officer, who form the chief officers group. Each chief officer is responsible for a number of departments and functions and is supported by a management structure from across the organisation.

Our fire stations

4

Our vision is for safe communities where there are no preventable deaths or injuries from fire or other emergencies. Put simply, this means we want to reduce risk and save lives. To achieve this, we need to achieve operational and community safety excellence in the most cost effective way (value for money), putting people at the centre of everything we do – both people in the community in terms of their safety and diverse needs and our own staff in terms of training, development and health and safety. These are our four strategic aims.

Our Vision and Values

5

For each of our strategic aims we have set out what we aspire to achieve in each of the areas: Community Safety Excellence

We understand the risk in our communities We are inclusive in our approach and tailor our services to meet the needs of

our diverse communities We work with partner agencies in a targeted, proactive and effective manner

and are perceived as a key contributor to community safety We have a high level of customer satisfaction in our activities.

Operational Excellence

We have competent, confident and skilled staff We have the right skills, equipment and resources in the right places We have a learning culture looking to continually improve the way we deliver

our services. People

We continually strive to improve the service we deliver We listen and engage with staff, communities and our partners to improve

what we do We develop our staff and encourage them to reach their potential.

Value for Money

We actively seek collaborations We have effective and efficient working practices We continuously monitor how we are performing, sharing what we do with

others and taking best practice from others. We strive to incorporate three key values into every aspect of our work: Dignity Our treatment of people should conform to a standard of behaviour that is socially acceptable to all members of the community we serve. Respect the differences in groups of employees and the public. We should take into account the right for people to be different and value diversity rather than demean it. Welcome people into the workplace. We should create a working environment that is open and inclusive, which offers help and support.

6

Working with staff, we have developed a set of behaviours that we expect everyone in the organisation to demonstrate.

Our Behaviours

7

Responsible to: Group Commander Responsible for: Watch Commander/Watch MAIN DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES 1. Lead, monitor and support people to resolve operational incidents

Review and determine incident status Assume responsibility and implement action to support those involved in the

incident Debrief following resolution of incident

2. Determine solutions to hazards and risks identified through inspection and

investigation

Plan inspections and investigations Implement inspections and investigations Respond to findings following inspections and investigations Present evidence at formal proceedings

3. Plan and implement activities to meet service delivery needs

Plan and allocate work activities to meet service delivery needs Agree budgets and resources for work activities Implement and evaluate work plans to achieve objectives Make recommendations for improvements to work activities

4. Manage the effective use of resources

Plan the use of physical resources Obtain physical resources Ensure the availability of supplies Monitor the use of physical resources

5. Select required personnel

Identify personnel requirements Select required personnel

6. Manage the performance of teams and individuals to achieve objectives

Allocate and delegate work to teams and individuals Agree objectives and work plans with teams and individuals Assess the performance of teams and individuals Provide feedback to teams and individuals on their performance Resolve performance issues with teams and individuals

7. Develop teams and individuals to enhance workplace performance

Identify the development needs of teams and individuals Plan the development of teams and individuals Develop teams to improve performance Deliver individual learning and support for development Evaluate the development of teams and individuals

Job Description

8

8. Manage yourself to achieve work objectives

Organise and structure personal work activities to achieve objectives Develop and continuously improve productive working relationships Implement personal development plan to continuously improve personal

performance 9. Provide information to support decision making

Obtain information for decision making Record and Store information Analyse information to support decision making Advise and inform others

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITIES 1. Equality and Inclusion

Support and promote the Service's statement, policies and procedures on Equality and Inclusion in employment and service delivery

2. Health, Safety and Risk

Ensure that health, safety and risk issues are factored into all areas of activity Support and promote the Service’s Health and Safety policies and procedures

to maintain a safe and healthy working environment 3. Personal Development

Responsible for updating own practices and professional knowledge Undertaking personal development activities as agreed with line manager

4. General

To undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time commensurate with the role.

9

Job Title: Station Commander Date of last review: February7, 2017

CORE COMPETENCIES

CRITERIA ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE MEASUREMENT

EXPERIENCE

Substantive wholetime Watch Commander and be able to demonstrate comprehensive evidence of competence at Watch Commander Level

Application Form

ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Leads groups to achieve excellence by the establishment, maintenance and management of performance requirements

Assessment

Creates and implements effective plans to deliver a range of organisational objectives

Application Form and Assessment

Recognises the potential political impact and implications of actions from a strategic perspective

Assessment

ATTITUDE AND APPROACH

Supports change and seeks opportunities to promote improved organisational effectiveness

Assessment

Consistently projects and promotes a confident, controlled and focused attitude in high challenging situations

Assessment

Committed and able to develop self, individuals and teams to improve organisational effectiveness

Assessment

Communicates effectively both orally and in writing Application Form and Assessment

Person Specification

10

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice or give correct information in accurate spoken English

Assessment

Leads, involves and motivates others both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in the community

Application Form & Assessment

Understands and applies relevant information to make appropriate decisions which reflect key priorities and requirements

Application Form & Assessment

Maintains an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working

Assessment

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Commitment to equality and fairness Assessment

GENERAL

A full and current driving licence that entitles you to drive in the UK without restrictions* Application Form

Satisfactory unaided eyesight and colour vision Medical and Fitness Exam on

appointment Satisfactory hearing

Medical and Fitness Exam on appointment

* Reasonable adjustment will be made for those candidates who may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010. However, it is essential that the successful candidate can travel to any part of the county when require

11

Station Commander B (Combined Fire Control)

Salary The current pay for Station Commander B Fire Control is

£42,082 per annum.

Annual Leave Annual leave entitlement is 33 days per year (comprising of 28

Scale A days and 5 Scale B days), plus any long service leave and normal public holidays (8 days).

Duties and place of work

The core accountabilities are as described in the job description for this post. The post holder is liable to undertake such duties as may be reasonably required of them, commensurate with their grade, at their place of work at Fire Service Headquarters, Huntingdon or at any other of the Authority’s establishments or other locations within the county.

Hours of work

You will be conditioned to the 42 hour working week, based on a nine day fortnight. The normal working hours are 08:45 – 17:10 hours; if you are required to work in excess of these hours you will be granted time off in lieu by agreement with your manager.

Sick pay The provisions of the scheme agreed by the National Joint

Council for Local Government Services as set out within the Grey Book apply.

Fairness at work

The Service values diversity in the organisation and the community by: Treating everyone fairly and with respect Providing varying solutions for different needs and

expectations Promoting equal opportunities in employment and progression

within the Service Challenging prejudice and discrimination

Political Restriction

This post has been designated as Politically Restricted under Part 1 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. As a consequence the successful candidate is unable to undertake any public political activities or stand for membership of public/political authorities.

Criminal Convictions

The post holder will be required to declare prior to and at any time during their employment any criminal convictions and notify any pending prosecutions to the Chairman of the Fire Authority. This includes driving/speeding offences.

Terms and Conditions

12

Station Commander B

Salary The current pay for Station Commander B is £43,428 per

annum

Annual Leave Annual leave entitlement is 33 days per year (comprising

of 28 Scale A days and 5 Scale B days), plus any long service leave and normal public holidays (8 days).

Duties and place of work

The core accountabilities are as described in the job description for this post. The post holder is liable to undertake such duties as may be reasonably required of them, commensurate with their grade, at their place of work at Fire Service Headquarters, Huntingdon or at any other of the Authority’s establishments or other locations within the county.

Hours of work

You will be conditioned to the 42 hour working week, based on a nine day fortnight.

The normal working hours are 09.00 - 17.00 hours; if you are required to work in excess of these hours you will be granted time off in lieu by agreement with your manager.

Sick pay The provisions of the scheme agreed by the National Joint

Council for Local Government Services as set out within the Grey Book apply.

Fairness at work

The Service values diversity in the organisation and the community by: Treating everyone fairly and with respect Providing varying solutions for different needs and

expectations Promoting equal opportunities in employment and

progression within the Service Challenging prejudice and discrimination

Political Restriction

This post has been designated as Politically Restricted under Part 1 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. As a consequence the successful candidate is unable to undertake any public political activities or stand for membership of public/political authorities.

Criminal Convictions

The post holder will be required to declare prior to and at any time during their employment any criminal convictions and notify any pending prosecutions to the Chairman of the Fire Authority. This includes driving/speeding offences.

13

Process Timeline

14

The Assessment Centre will be held remotely Via Skype for business We will have two members of the Recruitment Team acting as centre coordinators, and we be available to meet and greet you via Skype to complete a candidate brief with you. We will also be around in between your assessments so if you have any questions whilst at the assessment centre, please do not hesitate to ask. Dress code is standard uniform. Assessment methods Several exercises will form the assessment centre to assess different skill sets and behaviours across a number of areas in the job description and person specification. The behaviours which are looked for align with the Leadership Framework.

Assessment Centre

15

Station Commander B (Wholetime and Fire Control)

Assessment Method Core Criteria Assessed (from Person Specification) The Purpose of the Assessment

Interview

Leads, involves and motivates others both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in the community.

Leads groups to achieve excellence by the establishment, maintenance and management of performance requirements.

Committed and able to develop self, individuals and teams to improve organisational effectiveness.

Ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice or give correct information in accurate spoken English.

Delivery and structure of answer.

The purpose of the assessment is to allow the candidate an opportunity to go into detail about their skills and experiences, as well as their values and behaviours in line with the role. It will give the interviewers chance to probe and explore the areas linked to the person specification in each question.

Report Writing Exercise

Creates and implements effective plans to deliver a range of organisational objectives

Communicates effectively both orally and in writing. Understands and applies relevant information to make

appropriate decisions which reflect key priorities and requirements.

Recognises the potential political impact and implications of actions from a strategic perspective.

Supports change and seeks opportunities to promote improved organisational effectiveness.

Commitment to equality and fairness.

The purpose of the exercise is to determine the candidate's ability to communicate clearly in writing, provide information which takes into account external factors, shows rationale behind decision making, is written in a structured way and is suitable for the intended audience.

Online Assessment

Communicates effectively in writing. Understands and applies relevant information to make

appropriate decisions which reflect key priorities and requirements.

The purpose of the exercise is to determine the candidate thought process when presented with different scenarios.

16

Presentation The assessors will aim to put you at ease and support you throughout your presentation. The main area’s you should consider when presenting are:

Time keeping Planning and organising How you communicate Confidence Ability to answer questions

When preparing and delivering your presentation bear in mind that there is a time limit set on your presentation. Interview Review the job description and person specification. Use STAR format to structure your interview questions and try to practice beforehand. Situation – set the scene Task – describe the purpose Action – explain what you did Result – share the outcome The interview’s role is to capture as much relevant information from you as possible, therefore detailed examples need to be given. Using the STAR format will help you to do this. If you are asked a question that you don’t understand or need repeating that’s absolutely fine to ask the interview’s to re-phase or repeat it. You can take notes in with you if you wish, but we advise for all candidates to not read from the notes constantly, use your notes as prompts where necessary. Workplace From feedback received from those who went through the Supervisory Promotion Process in 2019, we felt it would be useful to create a closed Workplace group dedicated to those applying for the process to allow opens discussions, the opportunity to ask questions and for Recruitment to answer any questions and post information including the pre-application briefing session recording and FAQ document.

General Guidance

17

Below are some comments from candidates about various parts of the process that was ran in 2019

“The pre-application was delivered well, good level of detail given, put candidates at ease.”

“The job advert was well communicated.”

“The team always responded in a friendly, professional and timely manner throughout the application stage.”

“The interview and presentation parts of the assessment were really relevant.”

“The venue for the assessment centre was good and those assessing created an open and welcoming environment.”

“The process was organised, fair and transparent.”

Process Feedback