All posts by : Iain Hoey

NSL, the UK’s largest parking enforcement specialist and part of Marston Holdings, is working in partnership with councils across the UK to help manage the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The company is providing Covid Marshalls to support the police and council enforcement officers in monitoring and managing busy public areas, to protect local communities and ensure that town centres are safe places to visit.

According to NSL Strategic Account Director Richard O’Malley:  “The pandemic has reinforced our commitment to working in the community and ensuring that people stay safe as they go about their daily lives.  We are proud that our Covid Marshalls are able to make such a positive impact and will continue to work closely with councils over the coming months, delivering a bespoke service to meet their specific requirements as government guidelines evolve.”

With the infrastructure and recruitment processes already in place, NSL has the ability to rapidly scale up its workforce to meet this demand from councils.  The company has received hundreds of applicants for each advertised position, many with frontline customer service expertise and newly unemployed as a result of the pandemic.  Successful applicants have already been employed with new and existing council clients including Bracknell Forest and Trafford.

According to Trafford Council’s Strategic Growth Team: “We are delighted by the friendly and professional way in which our Covid Information Officers are providing advice and support for local businesses on Covid-safe practices and ensuring safe, socially distanced queuing in public spaces.  They are also supporting the night economy, helping to ensure that outside eating/drinking areas are safe and meet government guidelines.”

Covid Marshalls receive full training to ensure the effectiveness of every interaction. They are also fully equipped with PPE including face coverings and hand sanitiser as well as radios and mobile phones.  When required, they also wear bodycams and work in pairs when operating at night.

“NSL can scale up to meet client requirements in as little as one week enabling an effective response to be delivered to meet changing government lockdown rules,” continued O’Malley.  “We are committed to ensuring the safety of every employee as well as members of the public and operate strict daily cleansing regimes for all equipment and vehicles used.”

Thousands of UK firefighters are being readied to rollout the Covid-19 vaccine, the Home Office have confirmed.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) have been in dialogue with the Government throughout the pandemic, and many firefighters have already assisted in the fight against Covid.

NFCC Chair Roy Wilsher said : “For months, dedicated and skilled firefighters across the entire UK have gone above and beyond to assist those who need help the most. 

“We have thousands of firefighters who are ready, willing and able to take on more in the fight against COVID-19. Today’s announcement means thousands of firefighters are being equipped to support one of the biggest means to combat the virus and reduce its devastating impacts”.

The announcement means that UK firefighters will now be able to continue with mass testing, assisting ambulance services and vaccination.

Minister for Fire Lord Greenhalgh said: “Since the start of the pandemic, firefighters and FRS staff have played a crucial role in supporting the fight against coronavirus.

“From delivering essential medical supplies and transporting patients to hospital, to providing training on preventing infections to care home staff, our fire service has met the challenges of this pandemic admirably.

“I am immensely proud of their efforts – they have proved themselves to be ready, willing and able to support the national effort to protect the NHS and save lives.”

The Grenfell inquiry has been suspended until at least February, following a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in London.

A statement on the inquries official website stated: “it was a difficult decision, but the increase in transmissibility of the new variant of Coronavirus means that there is a significant increase in the risk of infection.

“The Panel is keen to maintain the momentum of the Phase 2 hearings, and so has made the decision to switch to remote hearings as soon as possible. The Panel recognises that the subject of remote hearings was fully explored with core participants last spring during the first 2020 lockdown, and that it was not in favour of that option for the reasons it gave. However, the Panel has decided it is better to have remote hearings than no hearings at all while the current restrictions are in place.”

Since the pandemic, the Grenfell inquiry had been operating in person, albeit with a smaller attendance than before. The delay means that there is now a risk of the hearing continuing in to 2022.

The Minsistry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have confirmed that cable testing and certification service experts BASEC have been designated as an approved body for UK Construction Products Regulation testing as of 31^st December 2020.

MHCLG position has been confirmed as below:

“The agreement that was reached with the EU at the end of 2020 did not include a provision which would allow for mutual recognition of conformity assessment. Our understanding of the EU Commission’s position is that type test reports issued by UK notified bodies will no longer be valid for the EU market from 1 January 2021. Test type reports issued by UK Notified Bodies will continue to be valid for the GB market, and will allow manufacturers to affix the UKCA marking.

“The UK’s position is that it is down to individual UK bodies to decide whether or not to accept EU-issued type test reports to enable UKCA marking and ultimately whether or not retesting is required.”

Manufacturers and suppliers of BASEC approved cables can now confidently set and update Declaration of Performance (DoP) processes to fully comply with UKCA requirements, subject to a valid Certification or Certification of Constancy of Performance (CoCP) being in place. Ensuring compliance to the designation which shall take effect from the end of the transition period.

London firefighters have once again stepped up to assist London Ambulance Service (LAS) to boost their emergency response, as Covid-19 infection rates have sharply increased in the capital. Today 125 firefighters are helping the LAS, with a further 60 set to be trained and dispatched next week.

Over 100 London firefighters commit to aid the LAS

Since the agreegment began in April 2020, London firefighters have responded to 100,000 incidents whilst driving ambulances with the LAS. A new agreement put in place in December has seen over 100 firefighters volunteer to drive ambulances, as LAS try to fight the spike of Covid-19 cases in the capital.

Similar to the joint collaboration in April, the extra support has been agreed nationally between the National Employers, National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Brigades Union and recognises the need to support local authorities and the NHS, including ambulance services.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“On behalf of all Londoners, I want to thank our hardworking firefighters for continuing to work tirelessly during the pandemic to keep Londoners safe. We are incredibly grateful to those from the London Fire Brigade who have volunteered to drive ambulances with the London Ambulance Service.

 “The situation with the virus in London is extremely serious. In the midst of the biggest public health crisis we have seen in our lifetime, the Brigade has stepped up to support our blue light services when they are under immense pressure. Our firefighters have shown once again that our frontline heroes are the very best of us.”

Ready, willing and able

London Fire Brigade Commissioner Andy Roe said: 

“We’re ready, willing and able to support the national fight in combating Covid-19. At this crucial stage in the pandemic firefighters have once again volunteered to step up to support a joint emergency response to Covid-19. The arrangement will help keep ambulances on the road and get vital care to those who most need it. 

“It makes me very proud to see so many firefighters eager to step up and volunteer at such a challenging time. Since April 100,000 incidents got an ambulance sooner because we’ve been assisting the London Ambulance Service.” 

Garrett Emmerson, CEO London Ambulance Service, said:

“We continue to be grateful for the support that LFB have been giving us since the first peak of the pandemic in the spring of last year. Back in April, we trained over 300 firefighters to support our frontline colleagues, and we’re delighted to have some of them, along with some newly trained firefighters, driving trucks for our clinicians who are working harder than they’ve ever worked in the most challenging of conditions.”

Having been trained by London Ambulance Service clinicians in basic life-saving skills as part of the training programme all London firefighters receive and already holding qualifications to drive emergency vehicles on blue lights, each London firefighter who has volunteered to help us will be trained and ready to support our skilled paramedics on the road in a day.