Cleveland Fire Brigade bosses hail low Covid-19 absence figures

Cleveland Fire Brigade bosses said of the 549 employees across the organisation, as of last week, they have had 16 people off work with confirmed Covid-19 since March.

The latest meeting of Cleveland Fire Authority heard, as of Wednesday last week (December 9), they had at that point two employees off with confirmed Covid-19, along with one off who was suspected to have the virus, while six were off self-isolating.

Ian Hayton, chief fire officer, said the low number of staff who have had to be off due to Covid-19 is a ‘testimony’ to their approach and safety, adding most organisations will not have such low figures.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: “If you looked at those figures, nine people at this moment, out of a workforce of 550, are in some way affected by Covid-19.

“I think it’s a testimony to actually the approach that we’ve taken in relation to the protection of our workforces and the additional measures that we put in to ensure their safeguarding.

“I suspect there aren’t many organisations whose figures are as low as that.”

He added some staff, where possible, have also taken to agile working, or working from home, to help ensure staff safety while still carrying out their roles during the pandemic.

Cllr Marjorie James, Hartlepool representative on the fire authority, questioned if there had been staff off multiple times self-isolating, noting it has been a problem elsewhere in the region.

She said: “I’m aware that there are a number of employers within the Tees Valley that are at the moment struggling to deal with the number of absentees who are saying they are self-isolating.

“In some cases they have been on self-isolation three or four times over the period.”

Mr Hayton noted they have had instances of people being off more than once due to self-isolation, such as for a partner, and then a child testing positive for Covid, but they ask for evidence behind each case.

He said: “We were very much aware of that and certainly what we sought is confirmation in relation to the rational as to why the individual is once again going into self-isolation.

“So a confirmation that their partner, child or whoever, was actually forcing them into self-isolation, so we put a system in place to actually make sure that we managed that.

“We did ask for and do ask for that evidence.”

Cllr Lynn Hall, the Stockton-on-Tees representative on the authority, stressed the safety of the workforce was paramount and praised the support in place for staff.

She said: “I think from the isolation point of view, we’ve got to support our staff who are self-isolating because that’s the only way we can in fact beat this virus.

“It is difficult when family men and women have children and then they’re self-isolating and I think we have to support the staff wholeheartedly in that, and I’m sure as an authority you have protected your workforce fully and I commend you for that.”

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