Making Every Contact Count (MECC) Presentation

Last week proved a great success when members of Community Safety and Neath Port Talbot Command profiled their holistic approach to Home Fire Safety visits to members of the Fire Authority and partner organisations. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

MAWWFRS Head of Community Safety Karen Jones explained the initiative,
“One of the objectives in the Annual Improvement plan for 2016-17 is to deliver a more holistic home safety product to those most at risk in our communities and we are expanding our work with partners so that we also promote their advice and interventions to further improve the safety and health of our communities. This concept of Making Every Contact Count is intended to improve lifestyles and reduce health inequalities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Community of Glynneath was identified as a suitable area to promote a number of partner interventions so that the impact could be assessed. Work commenced on this pilot with our partners in October 2015. Members of Glynneath On-Call Crew and the Community Safety Team in Neath Port Talbot were provided with additional awareness training provided by partner agencies to enable them to promote additional health and safety messages. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

These areas include Floods and Water Safety, Winter Warmth including Carbon Monoxide, Smoking Cessation and Slips, Trips & Falls, Crime Prevention, Scamming and Arson Reduction”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The day was a chance for all of those involved in the Project to hear a testimony from someone who had benefited directly from this new approach to Home Fire Safety checks. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

83 year old Mrs Swan said, ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“In November of last year my son and I placed an emergency call to the Fire Service after the carbon monoxide alarm was activated. It turned out it was due to my downstairs neighbors fire place and not my own. However, the Fire Service went above and beyond to make sure that I was safe and contacted NPT Housing on my behalf to receive an alternative form of heating”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Jones continued, ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Mrs Swan’s story reveals the effectiveness of the partnership working approach and holistic element that this project takes. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We would like to thank our partners: National Resouces Wales, Neath Port Talbot Homes, Care and Repair Neath Port Talbot, Age Connect and South Wales Police, for this excellent example of partnership working to better the communities we protect”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​