#NotJustFires- send us your video content

At the FirePRO conference at the end of last year, an idea was born to run a national campaign addressing the comment made in the Thomas Review around the lack of public awareness of the role of the modern day firefighter/FRS. (That's somewhat an abbreviated version but you all understand me).

Since then, a few of us have bumped our heads together and would like to push forward a free idea that everyone can get involved in.

It starts by each FRS sending in a maximum 45 seconds of video content (can be a mix of one long clip or multiple short videos) showing examples of what their firefighters do that is not just fires (you can see where the hashtag grew from!). A selection of the videos - ensuring every FRS and every angle is covered - will be compiled together and then made available for all to use. We'll hit the social media sphere with the content, bash out other local examples with the hashtag and go from there.

Other ideas further down the pipeline include an agreed date nationally that we ALL do a 24 hour tweetathon on highlighting what else FRS do #notjustfires

We would also really like this content to address the other big talking point at the minute of diversity/positive action/inclusion in the FRS.

What next?

Email ehrenl@manchesterfire.gov.uk with a link to a dropbox or WeTransfer with your video content. Please mark the file clearly with who you are so we can make sure everyone is included.

Deadline: Monday, March 11 midday

Examples of what you could shoot (or if you've already got footage, that's perfect!):

- Safe and Well visit

- Training carers

- Work with health organisations

- Youth schemes

- Education in schools

- Work in prison

- Police partnership work - modern slavery, sexual exploitation etc

- Working with landlords

- Multi-agency hubs

- Fire setter intervention

- Supporting Pride

- Open days

- Charity work

- Dementia awareness

- Mind blue light/health and wellbeing

- Co-responding

This list is not exhaustive and all our firefighters do different things.

Let us know your thoughts - get in touch with Leanne Ehren (ehrenl@manchesterfire.gov.uk) or FirePRO Chair James Morton (james.morton@hantsfire.gov.uk) with any questions.

Home Office plea for insights on On-Call Firefighter recruitment campaigns

The Strategic Communications team within the Home Office is leading on a research project to develop effective communications messages for recruitment of On-Call Fire Fighters (OCFFs). The findings from the research will inform communications products (recruitment campaign materials) which can be used by Fire and Rescue Services as required.

They are working with a specialist research agency who will be speaking to current OCFF, ex-OCFF and potential recruits to find out more about the barriers and motivations of becoming an OCFF. The research agency will also be speaking to employers about employing OCFF within their organisations.

What we need from you:

The Strategic Communications team need to hear from Fire and Rescue Services to find out more about your local On-Call Firefighters recruitment campaigns. In particular

• how you identify channels and audiences for recruitment campaigns
• any evaluation and insight into what works/doesn’t with recruitment campaigns
• what sort of centrally produced communications products you would find useful (we will work with Fire and Rescue Services to develop these products)

The information from the research agency and from above will help to inform a central resource of communications products which Fire and Rescue Services can use to support local recruitment campaigns.

Contact Kerry Charlesworth by Friday 03 March 2017:

Please contact Kerry Charlesworth from the Home Office Strategic Communications team in the Home Office on Kerry.Charlesworth@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk if you have any information on your local On-Call Firefighters recruitment campaigns which you would be able to share with her, or if you are interested in knowing more about this project.  

FRS communicators asked for feedback on Fire Kills campaign

The Home Office is currently leading a strategic review which will determine the direction of fire safety communications. This will include reviewing the campaign messages and adverts, how the campaign communicates with key audience groups and perceptions of the Fire Kills visual identity and tone of voice.

As part of the review they want to hear from Fire and Rescue Services about what they think about the campaign and what they think are the important fire safety and prevention messages which we should be giving to the public to prevent domestic fires

To share your views, use the survey below

http://www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/firekillscampaign_SCMIU_KC/