Community facilities terms and conditions

1. Introduction

The Staffordshire Fire and Rescue estate has thirty three fire stations. We aim to ensure that we maximise the use of the community facilities by providing free access to some of our sites to people in our community that will benefit the most. It is intended to provide accessible meeting spaces for the use of the local community to enhance the health and wellbeing of our local population.

The Staffordshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority will provide community groups and partners with free facilities when they meet one of the following objectives;

  • Contributes to an objective detailed within Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services Safety Plan
  • Contributes to reducing the risks within your community based on local Prevent Teams priorities
  • Agrees that they will interact with the Fire Service to assist with promoting our safety messages and advice

2. Scope

This document intends to set out the criteria for the acceptable use of our facilities including any exclusions.

3. Criteria

Room bookings are available to anyone in the community who contributes to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Safety Plan 2020-2024, however we do have specific criteria in place.

Strategic Partners

Our Strategic Partners are integral in ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of the communities Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire. We have defined these groups as follows:

  • Staffordshire Police
  • Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership
  • The Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office including commissioned services
  • Health Partners (NHS Trusts and commissioned services, ICB, MPFT etc.)

All other room users

The rooms are open to any valid Community Group that wishes to use them subject to availability and acceptance of the Community Room Usage Terms and Conditions (appendix 1).

The rooms will be available on a three month booking period.

Precedence for rooms we be given to Staffordshire Fire & Rescue or it’s strategic partners. Every effort will be made to limit disruption to community groups should rooms no longer be available due to a change in circumstances.

4. Acceptable room usage

The rooms can be used for a variety of activities that enhance or benefit the community both directly and indirectly. This could be but is not limited to:

  • Meetings – with the exception of away days/team building days
  • Internal and external training – external training must be free of charge
  • Drop in centres
  • Community engagement
  • Community medical advice/services – this includes some low level fitness activities organised by the NHS

5. Exceptions

We aim to make the station facilities accessible to the community however we reserve the right to turn down, withdraw or provide access outside of this document should it be necessary to do so.

6. Exclusions

This is a free community facility. Although we appreciate that all community based activities are important we are unable to accept applications for room usage where there is a charge.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Educational classes
  • Weight management groups
  • Fitness classes
  • Child care
  • Any other commercial ventures
  • External meetings
  • External training

7. Health and safety

The Community Group is responsible for ensuring that events held in the Room by the Community Group during Room Times will be properly supervised to ensure no inappropriate incidents occur during its use. Examples of this would include damage to the premises or using the facilities for political purposes. In circumstances where incidents do occur the Supplier reserves the right to refuse any future booking of the room by the Community Group.

8. Site inductions

All room booking are subject to Station inductions and completed risk assessments, failure to attend an induction or provide a suitable risk assessment may affect room availability.

9. Insurance

Strategic Partners, other public sector organisations, national organisations and established community groups are expected to hold their own Public Liability Insurance however smaller independent local community groups may be covered under the Staffordshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority insurance policy.

10. Withdrawal of facilities

We reserve the right to amend or withdraw the community facilities at any time with immediate effect.