Fire Service: Changes to nursing ranks and the creation of healthcare management posts

The new rank insignia for nurses and healthcare managers in the professional fire service are set out in the Order of 4 April 2017 amending that of 8 April 2015. The number of grades for nurses has been reduced from 4 to 3 (with the removal of the ‘Head Nurse’ grade), and the ‘healthcare manager’ category has been created, comprising 3 levels.   Patrick Hertgen, Vice-President of the French Fire Service responsible for patient care, states that ‘healthcare manager’ is the job category that replaces ‘senior nurses’. See the table from the National Association of Fire Service Nurses: ©ANISP   Healthcare managers:
Members of the employment cadre carry out their duties within the departmental fire and rescue services, as part of the health and medical rescue service referred to in theArticle L. 1424-1 of the General Code for Local Authorities.
They are involved in all the tasks set out in Article R. 1424-24 of the same Code.
They manage and coordinate the activities of the fire service’s nursing staff – both professional and volunteer – who are involved in all the operations assigned to the departmental fire and rescue services.
As such, they are intended to fill the posts of head nurse or cluster nurse as set out in the the aforementioned decree of 25 September 1990, provided that the job-specific induction training requirements set out in a joint order issued by the Minister responsible for civil protection, the Minister responsible for the civil service and the Minister responsible for health have been met.
Middle and senior management within the professional fire service assist the chief medical officer, the chief pharmacist and the doctors of both professional and voluntary fire brigades.
They are involved in training programmes for nurses and professional and volunteer firefighters. Holders of the rank of senior healthcare officer in the professional fire service carry out their duties in departmental fire and rescue services classified as first-category services within the meaning of theArticle R. 1424-1-1 of the General Code for Local Authorities. They are intended to work there as head nurses.
Senior medical officers in the professional fire service also carry out management and training duties for medical officers within the professional fire service. They may be assigned tasks involving several internal units within the departmental fire and rescue service, in addition to those units where staff supervision is normally the responsibility of healthcare managers. They may also be appointed to lead projects within the departmental service.