Emergency Planning Officer: Appointment

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A decision made on 28 September 2018

Decision Reference: MD-C-2018-0152
Decision Summary Title:	Pan Channel Islands Emergency Planning Officer		Date of Decision Summary:	20 September 2018
Decision Summary Author:	Acting Chief Fire Officer		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Chief Minister Briefing Note Pan Channel Islands Emergency Planning Officer		Date of Written Report:	20 September 2018
Written Report Author:	Acting Chief Fire Officer		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The appointment of a Joint Emergency Planning Officer to perform the same function in both Jersey and Guernsey.
Decision(s): The Chief Minister, with the support of the Home Affairs Minister and Assistant Minister, approved the secondment of Guernsey’s Emergency Planning Officer as Jersey’s Emergency Planning Officer on an equal share basis.
Reason(s) for Decision: To enable greater pan island collaboration and so reduce duplication of effort and deliver a more coherent resilience and civil contingencies arrangement for both Jersey and Guernsey.
Resource Implications: Initially, the sharing of the function will require an increase in revenue expenditure of approximately £40,000 per annum. This additional expenditure will be allocated from within existing and future revenue budgets allocated to the Justice and Home Affairs department with the aim of accruing future efficiencies from improved joint working.
Action required: The Acting Chief Fire Officer to implement and oversee the secondment of the Guernsey EPO as Jersey’s EPO.
Signature:		Position: Senator John Le Fondré Chief Minister
Date Signed		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Emergency Planning Officer: Appointment

Report

To: Senator J Le Fondre - Chief Minister

From Acting Chief Fire Officer P. Brown

Date: 20 September 2018

Subject: Secondment of Guernsey’s Emergency Planning Officer

Introduction

1.1 Following discussion between the Chief Executive Officers of the States of Jersey and the States of Guernsey, it was agreed that both jurisdictions would seek to collaborate on resilience and civil contingencies (emergency planning) matters. Both Islands have similar resilience arrangements and face the same main risks. In relative terms therefore, the work to harmonise various functions and to address administrative and governance differences is minimal when set against the potential benefits of working jointly on the management of risk.

1.2 The key and first enabler is the statutory post of Emergency Planning Officer. Creating a joint function at this level provides that officer with the relevant access and authority to pursue a range of future harmonisation projects that are anticipated to further strengthen and streamline resilience and civil contingencies work in both islands.

2. Implementation

2.1 The Chief Minister is requested to decide to appoint Guernsey’s Emergency Planning Officer as Jersey’s Emergency Planning Officer so that the incumbent may, on a trial basis, perform both roles, supported in each jurisdiction by an assistant officer.

2.2 If approved, the post holder, who is a former senior officer from Guernsey’s emergency services and is considered well suited to perform the joint role, will remain an employee of Guernsey’s public sector, and will, for line management purposes, report through the Guernsey government structure. During the trial, the post holder will be accountable to the Acting Chief Fire Officer for emergency planning matters in and affecting Jersey.

3. Resources

3.1 The finance teams in Jersey and Guernsey have agreed a mechanism for jointly sharing the costs of the post. Initially, an increase in expenditure in the region of £40,000 per annum will be required from the revenue budget allocated to the Justice and Home Affairs department to cover costs associated with the sharing arrangement.

4. Recommendation

4.1 It is recommended that the Chief Minister decides to approve the secondment of the Guernsey Emergency Planning Officer as the statutory Emergency Planning Officer for Jersey on an equal share basis. The Chief Minister should note that the Home Affairs Minister and Assistant Minister have been consulted, and are supportive of the proposal.

Official