Communities and Local Government
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- Fire and resilience
- Resilience and response to emergencies
- New Dimension
- New Dimension - Long Term Capability Management project (LTCM)
New Dimension - Long Term Capability Management project (LTCM)
Background
The majority of New Dimension equipment and vehicles have now been rolled out to the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), together with training, funding, crewing (for USAR) and the processes and structures to support it.
As a result Communities and Local Government are now focussing on embedding these capabilities within the FRS through the Long Term Capability Management (LTCM) project. The aim of this project is to create a sustainable future for the New Dimension capability by ensuring that it is fully integrated into the core business of the FRS and standards are maintained to guarantee national interoperability.
Four Key Elements of the LTCM Project
i) The long-term maintenance contract - to ensure that New Dimension vehicles and equipment are kept to a high standard, remain interoperable and that the capability does not degrade over time, the Department, through Firebuy Ltd, has procured a 16-year maintenance contract. In July 2008, the Department announced that Vosper Thornycroft Critical Services (VTCS) were awarded the £100m contract. Commencement of the contract started on 1 October 2008.
ii) Long-term funding - Communities and Local Government recognises that Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) need continuing funding to enable them to deliver the New Dimension operational capabilities in the future. The Department therefore announced in July 2008 that future funding amounting to £80m will be provided to the FRAs over the next three years (2008/09, 09/10 and 10/11). In addition to this, it is also committed to paying the fixed costs of the maintenance contract.
iii) Transfer of assets - New Dimension equipment and vehicles are currently owned by Communities and Local Government, however the Department is looking to transfer ownership of these assets to the FRAs by the end of March 2009. This will ensure that New Dimension capability can be fully integrated into FRS core business and provide FRAs with full control over the equipment that they host.
Communities and Local Government have already been in consultation with FRAs over a draft transfer of ownership agreement and will be circulating a revised version of this agreement later this year taking into account responses received from FRSs. The Department believes that with the award of the maintenance contract and confirmation of long-term funding, all elements are in place to ensure that FRAs are able to successfully sign up to transfer.
iv) Assurance function - Communities and Local Government have liaised closely with the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) over future governance arrangements for New Dimension capability. As a result of these discussions, a CFOA-led Assurance Body has been established and will collectively decide and implement, on behalf of the FRS, appropriate arrangements to maintain levels of assurance required by central government that the capabilities remain fit for purpose.
The aim is to transfer strategic management for New Dimension capability over to the Assurance Body over the next few months at which point it will become the National Resilience Assurance Board. In the meantime transitional arrangements have been put in place and handover of responsibility has begun, led by the New Dimension Transition Board.
