West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton has been appointed as the new Chief Fire Officer to lead Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, becoming the organization’s first female chief.  Set to start her new role later this year following a handover period with current Chief Fire Officer, Neil Odin, Sabrina joins them from her position as chief of the neighboring fire service in West Sussex. Prior roles of Sabrina  Sabrina, who has previously held senior fire service roles with London Fire Brigade and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Sabrina, who has previously held senior fire service roles with London Fire Brigade and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service prior to joining West Sussex in 2019, was awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal for distinguished service and gallantry in the 2023 Birthday Honors.  Speaking of her appointment, Sabrina said: “I am truly honored to have been appointed to lead Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and am incredibly excited to begin this new role to ensure that the Service continues to deliver for the residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight."  Service’s improvement plan Sabrina added: “I would like to formally put on record my thanks to the Service’s current Chief Fire Officer, Neil Odin, who I have been privileged to work alongside for many years. I know that his time leading the Service will leave a lasting legacy that I will work with to ensure that residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are kept safe from the risk of fire and emergencies."  “I am incredibly proud of the time that I spent at West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, where I was equally as privileged to work with some incredible people as we worked together to deliver the Service’s improvement plan. It is with a heavy heart that I leave the Service, but know that I am leaving the Service in safe hands and I take with me many fond memories and friendships."  “I am very much looking forward to working with all colleagues at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service to uphold all of the fantastic work that all of its teams deliver each and every day to keep the residents living and working in its communities safe.”  Chief Fire Officer for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority Chairman, Cllr Rhydian Vaughan MBE said: “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Sabrina as our new chief fire officer for Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The role of chief fire officer is one of huge responsibility, and following our rigorous recruitment process, I am certain Sabrina is the right person to lead us forward.”  “I am very much looking forward to welcoming Sabrina when she formally joins us later this year. As a fire authority we look forward to working with her and to support her in being at the helm of this incredible organization." Sabrina joined South Wales Fire and Rescue  Sabrina joined South Wales Fire and Rescue at 18 years old in 2001 after sharing homelessness from the age of 15 Sabrina joined South Wales Fire and Rescue at 18-years-old in 2001 after experiencing homelessness from the age of 15. Selling the Big Issue, she developed a curiosity to serve in the fire service in the hope of being able to help people when they needed it most.  As well as being an ambassador for The Big Issue, she is also an advocate of Prince William’s Homewards foundation, and during her time at South Wales, led a partnership of uniformed youth groups of which HRH King Charles (then The Prince of Wales) was patron.  Educational Background of Sabrina In her time working in the fire sector, Sabrina has completed numerous secondments, including to the Welsh Government, HMICFRS, interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer in Surrey and currently serves as the NFCC’s Improvement Chair and National Lead for Working Dogs.  Alongside serving, Sabrina has studied psychology at both the Open University and Cardiff University, completing a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience, and has since been awarded numerous honorary doctorates.  Several significant incidents Sabrina was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the London Fire Brigade As well being a published author, her research into the decision-making of incident commanders has received many academic accolades and influenced policy change across the world.  In 2015, Sabrina was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the London Fire Brigade, where she was a commander in the response to several significant incidents, including the Westminster Bridge and Finsbury Park terror attacks, and in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. Following a 34-year career in the fire service, Neil Odin is due to retire after more than seven years in the top job.  Sabrina leadership skills Neil said: “As well as her commendable and notable professional successes over more than two decades, I have also had the privilege of working with Sabrina for many years."   “Embodying our Service Values, Sabrina will bring a fresh outlook, strong leadership skills, and invaluable experience, ensuring the Service continues to adapt, improve and thrive. I know that she will find Hampshire and Isle of Wight a great place to work, and receive a warm welcome from the staff, partners and communities.” 

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) has gone live with the latest major release of Infographics’ Web and Mobile App-delivered FireWatch fire service management software. FireWatch provides WSFRS with a single integrated platform covering HR, Training and Development, Availability & Workforce Planning, Asset Management, and other areas. With this latest rollout, the service has transformed employee interactions with FireWatch into a re-designed, modern, graphically and KPI-driven User Experience (UX) where end users can see and action their integrated tasks and data in one place within the single system. Extensive user testing Plus, with access provided via the FireWatch Cloud, users have ‘anytime, anywhere’ access. Once fully deployed, single-sign-on via Azure Active Directory (AAD) integration will enable end users to use their existing Office 365 credentials to automatically authenticate and access the system, further simplifying the UX. The upgrade to FireWatch 7.8 has now provided our staff with all the functionality of FireWatch" The deployments involved extensive user testing and close collaboration between Infographics and West Sussex to provide a smooth transition, access to significant new application functionality, and updated Microsoft Azure Cloud hosting delivering Software as a Service (SaaS). Steve Buchanan-Lee, WSFRS’s Group Manager for Operational Training & Development, said: “The upgrade to FireWatch 7.8 has now provided our staff with all the functionality of FireWatch wherever they are and whatever they are doing. The improved user-end experience now allows much easier access to live data and reports, in a format that is both technically and visually easier to process.” Several vital improvements “Improvements have already been seen in the monitoring and management of maintaining our availability for Operational response, for our communities, and we are continuing to explore further functionality in the use of FireWatch 7.8 to improve our support of staff competence and the management of Operational appliances and equipment.”    The rollout of the new FireWatch v.7.8 Web Client UX alongside the FireWatch Mobile App has delivered several vital improvements, as identified by extensive testing, feedback, and approval cycles within West Sussex FRS user communities. Delivering clear benefits The key areas of transformation are summarised as follows: Ability to work from anywhere Convenience of a secure, single sign-on Modern look and feel Ease of use and navigation Efficiency of push notifications Greater visibility through station and organization status views Self-service for maintenance of personal info and contact details Simplicity of adding detachments and holidays Improved visibility and management of qualifications Their last move from their previous ‘on-premise’ architecture to Microsoft Azure Cloud hosting with SaaS access also delivered clear benefits. The key ‘gains’ that the implementation teams identified at West Sussex FRS through their analysis included: Greater scalability Increased security Improved accessibility Easy, streamlined upgrades Reduced equipment costs Increased flexibility Self-Service capabilities Russell Wood, Commercial Manager at Infographics, said: “It is gratifying to see all the hard work by Infographics and the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service team pay off with such a successful rollout.” “We are already learning about the positive impacts the v.7.8 FireWatch Web and App rollout is having, helping the West Sussex team to provide an integrated system and processes, modernize their user experience, deliver self-service capabilities, and improve the security, flexibility, and scalability of their deployed solutions via our Microsoft Azure Cloud with SaaS delivery. This is a major step forward not only for West Sussex but all our clients looking to emulate their success and plan their upgrades to FireWatch 7.8.”

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has been awarded a grant from the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund. This is a new funding pot encouraging the creation of a UK regulatory environment that supports innovation and growth. Teaming up with the National Fire Chiefs Council, the University of Northampton, and Eyecademy Ltd, the West Sussex-led project will deliver a new web-based fire risk assessment tool. The interactive tool will improve users' understanding of fire safety. fire risk assessment tool Using the grant fund of £195,840, West Sussex will work with partners to create an interactive tool alongside new guidance and tips for businesses that will be hosted by the National Fire Chiefs Council and made freely accessible for all. The fire risk assessment tool will help businesses better understand their legal obligations under the Fire Safety Order and how to comply with them. The NFCC said that it wanted to encourage a cultural shift in the way that businesses seek and are provided with fire safety advice. Regulator’s Pioneer Fund Regulators and local authorities apply for grants of up to £200,000, with projects anticipated by March  Regulators and local authorities could apply for grants of up to £200,000, with projects expected to deliver by end of March 2022. The fund, administered by the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, received 41 applications, with 21 projects awarded a total of £3.7 million. Mark Andrews is the Deputy Chief Fire Officer of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, and is the NFCC’s Business Safety lead.  On securing the funding, Mark Andrews said: “I am delighted that the Regulator’s Pioneer Fund have recognized in awarding this grant just what a real difference this new virtual training tool will make to both businesses and residents across the country." He adds, “This is a fantastic joint project that will draw on expertise across the sector to create something that is not just free and easy to use, but informative and helps businesses to understand their legal obligations and how to comply with them, while reducing the risk of suffering a significant impact from fire. Using new technology, we intend to encourage a cultural shift in the way that businesses seek, and are provided with, fire safety advice.” Cutting edge of innovation Business Minister Lord Callanan said: “Good regulation should spur entrepreneurship, not stand in its way, and this project will help keep the UK at the cutting edge of innovation." He adds, "The business safety training tool could pave the way for exciting developments in the sector, bringing benefits to British businesses and consumers alike.”