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ORH FIRE CASE STUDY Developing an Estate Strategy for the West Midlands CLIENT West Midlands Fire Service CONTEXT The West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) provides fire fighting and rescue capabilities to 2.6 million people from around 1,600 staff and 100 operational vehicles deployed across 39 whole-time stations. A need was identified to support the development of long-term plans for appliance deployments across a network of stations that provide even better cost-effective risk and response cover. SOLUTION An initial option was identified for an improved configuration that resulted in the building of 8 new fire stations in strategic locations to replace 10 existing stations, whilst maintaining the same number of pumping appliances. The initial option formed the basis of a 12-week consultation process, and comments and suggestions received back from members of the public, the unions and other stakeholders, were taken into account in developing a final option which was put forward and approved by the Authority (click here for the final option). APPROACH • ORH’s unique modelling capabilities provided the framework for identifying and evaluating the effectiveness of a considerable number of options. • Optimisation techniques (based on a genetic algorithm) were used to generate optimum deployment options, before applying simulation techniques to test the robustness of these options and fine-tune them in close consultation with WMFS. • Sensitivity analysis was then undertaken to add confidence to the final solution by examining the impact of moving towards the final configuration on a range of risk factors and by factoring in future developments and anticipated population growth. • The outputs of the analysis and modelling work were checked and validated with the client to ensure the approach was robust. BENEFITS • A clear and transparent evidence-based approach was applied that withstood the scrutiny of public consultation. • The objectives of the study were closely aligned to the FRS’s key corporate priorities, specifically to deploy appropriate resources, to deliver a value for money service and to ensure continuous improvements. • A Service-wide assessment of station locations and appliance deployments was undertaken, made possible by the use of technology previously unavailable to WMFS. • A flexible approach was adopted that incorporated feedback received during consultation to enhance the initial option and to identify a final option. • A future-proof solution was identified that was shown to be robust against population growth.