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C u s t o m e r S e r v i c e E x c e l l e n c e
Detailing the customer service you can expect to receivefrom Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service and how to
make a comment or complaint about our service
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Introduct ion
I hope you find this leaflet helpful in providing you with a clearer understanding of theservices provided by Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) and the standard ofservice you can expect from us.
A number of core values underpin everything that NIFRS aims to do. These valuesindicate the importance that NIFRS attaches to the quality of service it provides. Thisbooklet outlines the standards of service we intend to meet.
If our service falls short of these standards, or you are dissatisfied with them, we wouldlike to hear from you. This leaflet outlines NIFRS Complaints Procedure and how tocomplain if you are not satisfied with the service you have received.
Your Fire & Rescue Service is changing to create a safer Northern Ireland and we wouldlike to hear from you if you have any comments which you would like to make about ourservice to you.
Colin Lammey Chief Fire Officer
Our Mission:“To deliver a fire and rescue service
and work in partnership with others toensure the safety and well-being of
our community”
We aim to:
1 Provide and maintain an efficient and effective fire and rescue service which is responsive to the needs of the Community in Northern Ireland.
2 Reduce the incidence of fire and other emergencies by the provision of an efficient and effective safety education, advice and legal enforcement service.
3 Lead, plan and manage organisational change in relation to Government expectations recognising the need to consider capacity to deliver.
4 Provide a well equipped, skilful and highly motivated workforce, able to work safely and whose composition reflects the diverse Community that we serve.
5 Provide a service committed to quality and continuous improvement and that represents value for money.
6 Contribute to a better and safer environment by developing NIFRS “Green” initiativesin line with environmental legislation and policy.
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How to contact Northern I re land Fire & Rescue Service
You may call in person, via telephone or write to NIFRS Headquarters, NIFRS TrainingCentre or any of our Area or District Headquarters. Office hours are 9am to 1pm and1.45pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue ServiceHeadquarters1 Seymour StreetLisburnBT27 4SXTel: 028 9266 4221Fax: 028 9267 7402
A minicom/text phone service is available for the profoundly deaf on 028 9262 8800.
Fire & Rescue Service Training Centre79 Boucher CrescentBelfastBT12 6HU Tel: 028 9038 9800
You can also visit our website at www.nifrs.org or email to [email protected].
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Northern I re land Fire & Rescue Service Area
NIFRS serves the entire population of Northern Ireland, an area of over 5,500 squaremiles, with a population of 1.71 million, providing them with a range of fire and rescueservices.
NIFRS is divided into 4 operational command areas - Northern, Southern, Eastern andWestern.
The 4 Area Commands are supported by 14 Districts, strategically placed across NorthernIreland and which create a community focus for NIFRS activities. District Commands areresponsible for the fire stations in their District.
There are 68 fire stations throughout Northern Ireland serving their local communities,providing an emergency response to operational incidents and a wide range of communitysafety activities.
Western Area Command
Western Area Headquarters 10 Crescent Link, Londonderry, BT47 5FRTel: 028 7131 1162
Crescent Link District Headquarters10 Crescent Link, Londonderry, BT47 5FRTel: 028 7131 1162
Omagh District Headquarters 1 Killybrack Road, Omagh, BT79 1DQ Tel: 028 8224 1190
Cookstown District Headquarters 36 Chapel Street, Cookstown, BT80 8QD Tel: 028 8676 5936
Enniskillen District Headquarters 2/4 Tempo Road, Enniskillen, BT74 6HR Tel: 028 6634 6946
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Eastern Area Command
Eastern Area Headquarters 6 Bankmore Street, Belfast, BT7 1AQ Tel: 028 9031 0360
South & East District Headquarters Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3ETTel: 028 9047 3189
North & West District Headquarters 63-67 Whitla Street, Belfast, BT15 1JPTel: 028 9075 4776
Northern Area Command
Northern Area Headquarters 22-26 Waveney Road, Ballymena, BT43 5BATel: 028 2564 3370
Ballymena District Headquarters 22-26 Waveney Road, Ballymena, BT43 5BATel: 028 2563 1939
Coleraine District Headquarters Suite 8, River House, Castle Lane,Waterside, Coleraine, BT51 3DR Tel: 028 7034 2469
Glengormley District Headquarters 165 Church Road, Glengormley, BT36 6HH Tel: 028 9084 0225
Lisburn District Headquarters 1 Prince William Road, Lisburn, BT28 3AN Tel: 028 9260 3360
Community Development Department21 Henry Street, Ballymena BT42 3AATel: 028 2565 1806
Southern Area Command
Southern Area Headquarters Thomas Street, Portadown, BT62 3AH Tel: 028 3833 2222
Portadown District HeadquartersThomas Street, Portadown, BT62 3AHTel: 028 3839 4690
Bangor District Headquarters 92 Newtownards Road, Bangor, BT19 1SZ Tel: 028 9127 1906
Newry District Headquarters Upper Edward Street, Newry, BT35 6AX Tel: 028 3083 5633
Downpatrick District Headquarters 24 Strangford Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6SR Tel: 028 4483 9308
Standards of Service - Responding to Emergencies
You can expect us to:
Answer your emergency call within 10 seconds of receipt at NIFRS Regional ControlCentre.
Mobilise the appropriate attendance of one or more fire appliances to deal with anyemergency incident within 60 seconds of receipt of a call at NIFRS Regional ControlCentre.
NIFRS provides an emergency response to incidents in line with the Northern IrelandEmergency Response Standards, as follows:
We will attend an operational incident with the appropriate number of personnel andappliances.
These standards are based on a Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC) Risk Model andprimarily target risk to life from fires involving dwellings.
NIFRS is continuing to develop these standards to take account of non-fire incidents, firesin buildings other than dwellings and major incidents.
8Substantive Response Area
High
Medium
Low
Attendance Time of Appliances
1st Appliance 2nd Appliance
6 mins 9 mins
12 mins 15 mins
21 mins 24 mins
Customer Service Excel lence - Responding to Emergencies
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We wi l l :
Send a written acknowledgement within 7 days of NIFRS receiving any fire safety enquiry.
Inspect, as soon as possible, hotels and guest houses, leisure centres, shops, factoriesand betting, gaming and amusement arcades and if necessary issue a list of requirementsto bring the fire safety measures to a satisfactory standard.
Issue a Fire Certificate within 90 days when NIFRS requirements have been met, withfloor plans showing the location of fire safety measures throughout the building. Furtherinspections of these premises may be carried out to ensure fire safety standards aremaintained.
Inspect any other premises on request and issue a written report, makingrecommendations to bring the fire safety measures to a satisfactory standard. The reportwill be issued within 60 days of the initial request.
Provide advice and information leaflets on request on all fire safety matters.
Give talks on fire safety matters to interested groups. A suitable date for the talk will beagreed within 14 days.
Publish advice in local newspapers and broadcast on both radio and television throughoutthe year.
Customer Service Excel lence - Community Fire Safety Off icers
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Customer Service Excel lence - Contact ing NIFRS
NIFRS recognises that excellent customer service is integral to the delivery of high qualitypublic services and is committed to meeting the needs of customers in a professionalmanner.
You can expect the following standards when contacting us:
In Wri t ing
We will acknowledge all externalcorrespondence requiring aresponse within 5 working days ofreceipt (excluding private andconfidential correspondence).
We will respond to thiscorrespondence, giving our name,within 15 working days from dateof acknowledgement. If thisresponse is likely to take longer,we will inform you of our progressat least every 10 working days.
By Telephone
We will answer all non-emergencytelephone calls promptly and anamed member of staff will dealwith you in a courteous manner.
Cal l ing in Person
If you have an appointment we aim to see youwithin 5 minutes or contact you on arrival if therewill be an unavoidable delay.
If you call in person and do not have anappointment you will be greeted courteously byreception staff and can expect to be informedwithin 5 minutes of arrival if a member of stafffrom the department is available.
If you call in person without an appointment anda member of staff from the relevant department isnot available, we will contact you within 5 workingdays.
Customer Service Excel lence - Consult ing with Customers
We wi l l :
Conduct 2 Emergency Response Customer Satisfaction Surveys per year and aim tokeep satisfaction levels of those surveyed at or above 99%.
Conduct one Fire Safety Inspection Customer Satisfaction Survey per year and aim tokeep satisfaction levels of those surveyed at or above 99%.
Acknowledge all customer Comment Cards, where possible, within 5 working days andreport on outcomes, if necessary, within 15 working days.
Acknowledge all consultation responses received during our consultation periods, wherepossible, within 5 working days and update you on the outcomes after the consultationperiod has ended.
Automatically acknowledge all comments submitted via our website and respond, wherenecessary, within 15 working days.
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Customer Service Excel lence - Complaints
Complaints Procedure
NIFRS believes that by listening to and acting upon your complaints we can improve theservice provided to you. If you believe you have cause for complaint, please follow thesteps detailed below. You can complain by phone, in writing, in person or via our website.You can help when contacting us by giving us as much information as possible.
How to Make a Complaint
Step 1
The quickest way to get a problem sorted out is by taking the matter up with your localfire station, or the District or Command Headquarters in your area.
Step 2
If you prefer, or if you are not happy with the action taken locally, please write to ourComplaint’s Officer:
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (Community Development) Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters 1 Seymour Street Lisburn BT27 4SX
or via email to: [email protected]
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What wi l l happen when you complain:
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receipt.
Normally, you will be given a full written explanation within 15 working days.
However, other more complex complaints will take longer to investigate and you will bekept informed during each stage of the investigation of your complaint until the matter hasbeen resolved.
All complaints will be dealt with impartially, in confidence and investigated thoroughly.
We monitor the way we deal with complaints to ensure we meet our targets for handlingand resolving them.
Taking your Complaint further
If you remain dissatisfied, there is an independent avenue for taking the complaint furtherthrough the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints - The Ombudsman.
You can contact the Ombudsman:
By writing to:
The Ombudsman Freepost BEL 1478 Belfast BT1 6BR
Or by phoning: 0800 343424
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Listening to our Customers
To ensure that our standards meet the customer’s requirements, we will always consideryour views and opinions. As a customer, you must have the opportunity to influence thedecisions we make on your behalf. We want to make it easy for you to give us your viewsand concerns and aim to make our services more responsive to your needs.
To help us improve our services, we will take on board your views in several ways:
* Consider the findings of regular consultation with customers of all our services and act on these findings.
* Invite your comments on our services through our Comment Cards and our online form.
Monitor ing and Reviewing
As a Fire & Rescue Service we will continue to try to improve our service to you, thecustomer. We will review our performance every year and set challenging targets forraising standards of service provision. We will maintain a record of all comments andcomplaints. Analysis of comments and complaints will be used to review performance andinform service changes.
Keeping you Informed
We aim to ensure that we communicate well with our customers and we will provide youwith information in the following ways:
* our Annual Report * our Business Plan * news releases to the Media * our website www.nifrs.org
You can obtain a copy of this Leaflet, on request, in alternative formats such as large print, Braille, disc and audiocassette to meet the needs of those who are blind or visually impaired, and in minority languages to meet the needsof those who are not fluent in English. For further information, please contact:
Corporate Communications Manager Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters 1 Seymour Street Lisburn BT27 4SX Phone: 028 92664221 Minicom: 028 9262 8800 Email: [email protected]