significant pay increase for PCSOs who join Fire Brigade

[falkor]

“The required level of fitness and training was discussed and it was agreed that the abstraction for training and fitness would be minimal and all PCSOs need not apply if they don’t wish to do it, although it would significantly increase their salary."

Braintree & Witham Times 5 Sep 2014
Police community support officers and retained firefighters could end up sharing roles, under a radical new scheme.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and Essex Police are in the early stages of talks to pilot the scheme in Braintree and Uttlesford.

A report to Essex Fire Authority said the fire service struggles to recruit for retained positions and a meeting has been held between police and fire chiefs at Braintree.

It added: “The presentation proposed that PCSOs were trained as retained firefighters during the daytime and in return the retained firefighter will pick up some of the police task local demand.

[powdermonkey]

Bonkers idea. What next? Train as paramedics?

[averagejoe90]

[the dark lord]

Bonkers idea. What next? Train as paramedics?

Not a bad idea, the waterfairies have someone on each vehicle who has advanced First Aid and I seem to spend several hours each week waiting for ambulances.


OR how about training as a MH nurse/CPN?

[powdermonkey]

dark lord,

We have basic first aid training, which I think is enough. My concern would be, if we had training as either firefighters or paramedics or even both, is what exactly would our role be? Would we be PCSO's or some strange amalgamation of all three roles? How much medical kit would we be expected to carry? How much policing work would we get done & how often would we get extracted to jobs involving those other skills instead?

[the dark lord]

dark lord,

We have basic first aid training, which I think is enough. My concern would be, if we had training as either firefighters or paramedics or even both, is what exactly would our role be? Would we be PCSO's or some strange amalgamation of all three roles? How much medical kit would we be expected to carry? How much policing work would we get done & how often would we get extracted to jobs involving those other skills instead?

Just a couple of defibs and a couple of two gallon extinguishers.

It was a bit tongue in cheek...



The ambulance service passing jobs on to the police is a particular problem in my area.


Feeling suicidals, self harmers, not taken meds, pre aranged MH warrants all get passed to us with the ambulance not allocating.

[powdermonkey]

Yep, we get them as well. Those sort of jobs should get binned off straight away back to the NHS. We're short staffed & should concentrate on core policing. Plus, whilst we get a bit of awareness training regarding mental health issues, we don't have the skills to deal with sufferers.

[falkor]

so DEVON PCSOs are seeing a huge increase in salary (I expect) after becoming PCSO/ fire brigade! fantastic

[7133]

Absurd idea. Although I imagine that the gung-ho in the ranks would find it exciting

[Big Brother]

So what is the "significant" increase in salary.....?

[falkor]

according to the newspaper Braintree and Witham Times a report to the Essex Fire Authority stated "The presentation proposed that PCSOs were trained as retained firefighters during the daytime and in return the retained firefighter will pick up some of the police task local demand. The required level of fitness and training was discussed and it was agreed that the abstraction for training and fitness would be minimal and all PCSOs need not apply if they don’t wish to do it, although it would significantly increase their salary."

[powdermonkey]

I have a colleague who I've just discovered is a retained firefighter. This isn't a formal arrangement but something he does. He tells me that he gets £500 a month for this. As it isn't a formal arrangement between the force and the fire service he does this in his spare time. As for how much time he does and what hours, I'd have to ask him.