Our Governance and Legislation

Like all public-sector bodies, North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority is required to operate in accordance with numerous pieces of legislation including:

• The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004;
• The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (Wales) Order 2007;
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974;
• The Civil Contingencies Act 2004;
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005;
• The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009;
• The Equality Act 2010;
• The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011;
• The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015;
• The Welsh Government Fire and Rescue National Framework 2016;
• The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2017;
• The UK Data Protection Act 2018;
• The Serious Violence Duty 2022;
• The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023.

Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 Statement

The sustainable development principle of the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 states “All Public Services should act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

We are committed to meeting our duties under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Throughout the development of our Community Risk Management Plan, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 goals were considered to ensure we contribute to their achievement.

Our Improvement and Well-being Objectives (defined under the What do we intend to do during the life of this plan? Section of Our Five Principles, achieve the seven well-being goals in several ways. We have ensured that the actions for our Improvement and Well-being Objectives have been developed in accordance with the sustainable development principle.

The following explains how North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority has set well-being objectives in accordance with this principle.

Our Prevention and Protection Principles we will contribute towards a Prosperous Wales by working innovatively to keep people safer in their homes and businesses. By reducing the costs associated with fire death, injury, damage and disruption we will enhance our support to the local economies of North Wales. Through our People Principle we will recruit, develop and retain a highly skilled, motivated and bilingual workforce that represents and champions the diversity of the communities we serve and we will adopt eco-friendly practices in our daily operations to cut down on carbon emissions as part of our Environment Principle.

Our Environment Principle and underpinning objectives contribute towards a Resilient Wales by adopting eco-friendly practices in our daily operations to cut down on carbon emissions and other environmental impacts and by raising environmental awareness amongst our staff and our communities.

We will contribute to a Healthier Wales through our Prevention Principle by delivering safe and well checks to our most vulnerable citizens and making every contact count by sharing any health and wellbeing concerns identified with relevant partners. Through our People Principle we will support our workforce to be physically fit and mentally resilient and through our Response Principle we will improve emergency cover in our more rural, less densely populated areas.

Through our People Principle we will identify and maximise staff potential through effective people management and development, leading to a high-performance culture, where people value and respect each other, thereby contributing to a More Equal Wales.

Through our Prevention, Protection, Response and Environment Principles we will contribute to a Wales of Cohesive Communities ensuring fires in homes, businesses or on open land are either prevented or the impact is minimised as far as possible.

We will contribute to a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language, through our People Principle by offering access to our services and the ability to communicate with us in Welsh and supporting our staff to speak their preferred language in the workplace and to offer opportunities to staff who wish to learn Welsh. Through our Protection Principle we will work with local partners to keep heritage sites and buildings safe from fire.

We will play our part in a Globally Responsible Wales through our Environment and Protection Principles. We will reduce our own carbon emissions by switching our fleet of diesel Fire Engines to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, purchasing only zero or ultra-low emissions cars and vans and phasing out gas and LPG heating from our estate. Through our Protection work we will seek to avoid or limit the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere as a result of industrial or environmental waste fires.

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 also identifies the following five ways of working which we must consider and act in accordance with when planning and making decisions:

Balancing short term needs with long-term needs

Taking a longer-term view in our 2024-29 Plan allows us to consider how future trends and changes will impact the public and our services, including climate change, projected demographics of an ageing population and financial constraints affecting public services;

Putting resources into preventing problems

Our preventative activity ranges from working with businesses and building owners to make premises safe to working with individuals and groups to change behaviour, all with the aim of preventing the need for an emergency response;

Using an integrated approach, balancing social, economic, and environmental needs

Our planning process is undertaken collectively by involving various stakeholders including our staff, our partners and members of the public to ensure the impact of proposals are fully explored;

Collaborating with others to help meet well-being objectives

We work with a wide range of partners at a strategic and local level, including the Local Resilience Forum and Public Service Boards, to develop and deliver risk mitigation approaches;

Involving others to reflect the diversity of an area

Our consultation and engagement activities ensure there are opportunities for the public, locally elected politicians, partnership agencies and our staff to contribute views and ideas.

Our Socio-Economic Duty Statement

Since March 2021, public bodies in Wales have had to consider how strategic decisions affect those who live in less favourable social and economic circumstances, for example, experiencing poverty or unequal access to services such as transport. Such disadvantage can result in inequalities of outcome including poorer health, lower educational attainment, and less favourable work opportunities.

We therefore give due regard to socio-economic disadvantage in making strategic decisions, which contributes to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 goals.

This plan has been subject to an Equality Impact Assessment, which you can read here, to ensure that it is fair and does not present barriers to participation or disadvantage any protected groups from participation during consultation and implementation.

Future Trends Report Wales 2021

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 places a duty on Welsh

Ministers to prepare a Future Trends Report every five years. The Report provides an overview of four big drivers of change:

• People and Population,
• Inequalities,
• Planetary Health and Limits,
• Technology

These drivers of change are likely to affect Wales’ achievement of the seven well-being goals, and has been referenced during the development of this plan.

The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009

Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales must make arrangements for continuous improvement in the exercise of its functions, by setting itself objectives in each financial year against at least one of seven functions.

Below, we have identified which of our improvement and well-being objectives, outlined under the What do we intend to do during the life of this plan? section of Our Five Principles, will support delivery against these functions;

Strategic Effectiveness All of Our Principles

Service Quality Our Prevention, Protection and Response Principles

Service Availability Our Response Principle

Fairness Our Prevention, Protection and Response Principles

Sustainability Our Environment Principle

Efficiency All of Our Principles

Innovation All of Our Principles

The Welsh Government Fire and Rescue National Framework 2016

This Framework outlines that the overriding aim of Fire and Rescue Authorities should be to keep people, communities, businesses and the environment in Wales safe from fires and other hazards as effectively and efficiently as possible.

To support that aim the Framework specifies the following key objectives for Fire and Rescue Authorities;

• Continually and sustainably reducing risk and enhancing the safety of citizens and communities – Our Prevention and Protection Principles support the delivery of this objective.
• Responding swiftly and effectively to incidents - Our Response Principle supports the delivery of this objective.
• Being clearly and publicly accountable for delivery and funding, manifesting the highest standards of governance - Our Annual Governance Statement, Annual Performance Assessment and Publication of Authorities Statement of Accounts supports the delivery of this objective.
• Maintaining downward pressure on costs and taking all opportunities to realise efficiencies - Our Annual Governance Statement, Annual Performance Assessment and Publication of Authorities Statement of Accounts supports the delivery of this objective.
• Working effectively with partners to improve efficiency and citizen and community well-being - Our Prevention and Protection Principles support the delivery of this objective.
• Valuing and developing the workforce to the highest standards - Our People Principle supports the delivery of this objective.

The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011

The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 requires that the Welsh and English languages should be treated equally in the conduct of public business in Wales. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service recognises and values the rich diversity of our communities and the significance of our cultural heritage and we are committed to ensuring that in conducting public business in Wales, the Welsh and English languages are treated based on equality.

The Welsh Language Commissioner issued the Fire and Rescue Authority with their Compliance Notices on 30 September 2016. This document lists which of the Welsh Language Standards that apply to the Authority and gives details about what services citizens can expect to receive in Welsh.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority publishes an annual report which demonstrates how we maintain compliance with the Welsh Language Standards.

The Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011

The Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011 includes a public sector equality duty that requires public sector bodies, in the exercise of their functions to have due regard for the need to:

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under this Act.
• Advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
• Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The Act requires public authorities to publish equality objectives, to enable the authority to better perform the general duty and must review its equality objectives every four years. North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority meets this requirement by publishing progress against its equality objectives annually.

Public Services Boards (PSBs)

In addition to the duties placed on individual public bodies, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 also requires each local authority area to form a Public Services Board (PSB).

With regard to the area covered by North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, three Public Services Boards have been established:

• Isle of Anglesey and Gwynedd.
• Conwy and Denbighshire.
• Flintshire and Wrexham.

Each Public Services Board has published a ‘Well-being Plan’ to identify its priorities and how it is working to achieve those priorities in its area.

Gwynedd and Isle of Anglesey Objectives

• We will work together to mitigate the effect of poverty on the well-being of our communities.
• We will work together to improve the well-being and achievement of our children and young people to realise their full potential.
• We will work together to support our services and communities to move towards Zero Net Carbon.

Conwy and Denbighshire Objectives

To make Conwy and Denbighshire a more equal place with less deprivation. We have also identified four key themes to support our main objective, these include;

• Well-being – Communities are happier, healthier and more resilient in the face of challenges, such as the Climate Change and Nature Emergency, or the rising cost of living.
• Economy – There is a flourishing economy, supported by a skilled workforce fit for the future.
• Equality – Those with protected characteristics face fewer barriers.
• Housing – There is improved access to good quality housing.

Wrexham and Flintshire Objectives

• Build flourishing communities by reducing inequalities across environment, education, employment, income and housing.
• Improve community well-being by enabling people of all ages to live healthy and independent lives.

We continue to work with and support the PSBs in our area. This will include benchmarking our activities against each of the above to have a better understanding of how we can be effective members of our PSBs, collaborating and taking an integrated approach to delivering services, to help people feel safe and well in their daily lives.

Our work with the PSBs demonstrates our commitment to the sustainable development principle of the WFGA, the seven goals of the WFGA and applying the five ways of working.

More information about the PSBs can be found by following the links below;

Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board

Conwy and Denbighshire Public Services Board

Flintshire and Wrexham Public Services Board