South Yorkshire Fire And Rescue Service


Partnership Definition

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue differentiate partnerships and initiatives.  We view a partnership as a joint working arrangement where the partners (who may otherwise be independent parties) co-operate to create an organisational structure or process designed to secure a common goal, sharing information, risk and rewards, partnerships are normally defined in the simplest sense as:

A partnership is a working arrangement where the partners:

•  Are otherwise independent bodies
•  Agree to cooperate to achieve a common goal
•  Create a new organisational structure or process to achieve this goal. (Separate from their own organisation)
•  Plan and implement a jointly agreed programme. (Often with joint staff or resources)
•  Share relevant information
•  Pool risks and rewards

Partnerships are formed between a number of individuals, agencies or organisations with a shared interest.  There is an overarching purpose for the partners to work together and a range of specific objectives. Partnerships are formed to address specific issues and may be short or long term.

Innovation project - Innovation projects are proposed methods for reducing incidents that have not been traditionally used, have only previously been piloted or require resources over and above what can be accommodated within the day to day requirement.

Partnerships within South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue are divided into three categories:

  • Statutory Partnerships - High level formal relationships pertaining to legislation e.g. Crime and Disorder Act 1998, where shared objectives demonstrate a clear alignment to the strategic aims of the Fire and Rescue Service.  Examples are the four Local Authority partnerships currently attended under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDRP's)

  • Voluntary Formal Partnerships - Where partnerships are entered into voluntarily, but have a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) which not only stipulates what each partner will deliver, but how the partnership will be managed.  An example of this level may be District Heads of Agencies, Joint Agencies Groups (JAG), working in partnership to deliver local community plans (Anti Social Behaviour, Arson etc). Smoke Alarm Partnerships form a large sub group of this category and are indentified and dealt with separately in the database, and have their own administration protocols.

  • Voluntary Informal Partnerships - Where relationships are established at an "operational level" and are "unsigned".  They are mutually beneficial and therefore considered useful to maintain for differing periods.  An example of this type of partnership may be with the local Tenants and Residents Association (TARA) in specific locally targeted initiatives.