MOPA completes field-leading study of Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service building estate
MOPA have just completed a comprehensive review of Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) building estate assessing how fire stations can improve dignity and well-being for fire-fighters and staff.
This field-leading study is one of the first of its kind and will stand as an exemplar as emergency public services nationwide continue the process of reflection and close evaluation begun in recent years.
The investigation addressed 3 main questions:
• Are the facilities equitable for male and female Firefighters? And if not, how do they fall short?
• Do the station layouts demonstrate Best Practice zoning of operational space to ensure that the spread of contaminants is controlled? Here the surveys sought to establish how the FBU Best Practice Guidelines within the Minimising Firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents Interim Best Practice Report had been implemented.
And;
• Does the condition and form of the estate reflect the Cultural Values of the Service?
The report sits in the context Nazir Afzal’s Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade (commissioned following the tragic suicide of fire-fighter Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit who took his own life following a prolonged period of bullying at work), and reflects the NFRS commitment to providing a diverse and inclusive work-space which supports the health and well-being of all staff.
To undertake the study, a gender-balanced team of twelve architectural professionals across a collaborative team including our friends at Ensemble , visited forty-four facilities over a period of 5 months – a mix of On-Call, Day crew and Wholetime stations, and the Bowthorpe training centre. Utilising a bespoke methodology, the team compiled 3600 individual data sets considering Layout and Zoning, Spatial Use, Inclusion and Access, Building User Journeys, Healthy Workplace, Safe Use of the Site, Staff Well-being and Amenities.
The study demonstrates clearly the investment which will be required by NFRS over the coming years and decades, and is intended to support NFRS and they prioritise works required. Surveys showed that facilities across the estate are not equal for male and female Firefighters, and the long history of a single gender Fire and Rescue Service means that to achieve gender equity investment is required in the building fabric. The findings also showed that the condition and form of the estate does not reflect the Cultural Values of the Service in many respects, and that Fire Stations do not yet demonstrate best practice zoning of operational space. Along with wider upgrades to the building fabric, addressing these shortcomings will enable NFRS to provide modern, diverse and inclusive workplaces for a healthy, gender-balanced workforce.
You can read MOPA’s opinion piece here about how architecture might be able to support organisations in the process of cultural transformation.