Let’s say that a unit had an issue with their building, put in all the right requests for it to be repaired, escalated it via the appropriate channels and were told it would be fixed when the building was refurbed the following year.
Let’s also say that refurb did indeed happen the following year (causing the unit to be kicked out for 6 months).
The refurb went badly, with numerous snags that needed fixing.
The refurb didn’t fix the fault that was previously reported.
Regional Commandant saw the fault during an inspection for the Morris Trophy and recommended it for immediate repair.
The fault was since re-reported, but when all the work orders were binned off from the system we were asked to resubmit.
Work orders were resubmitted and another 6 months has passed, with them completely ignored, and the issue has gotten worse - to the point where the building may become unusable / unsafe.
…
Since escalation along the chain of command doesn’t work, where’s the next best place to go? Local MP? Recently re-elected high profile mayor? Social media? The press?
Answers on a postcard (to be stapled to the face of the head of RFCA…).
contact HQAC… speak to the Logs dept. the team there are very helpful and can put pressure on RFCAs and WXos more importantly they know of ALL issues that were reported to them and paid for. So IF your RFCA is anything like ours they may of claimed the money spent it and then penciled in the repair for next year depending on if they get a budget
WXos are utterly clueless on building matters especially on what they need to do to abide by the law!
Also remember RFCA is only a glorified facility management company YOU/ HQAC are the owner and client treat them as such and dont let anyone tell you otherwise!
I would suggest local politicians and the Lord Lieutenant, if they’re involved with RFCA. MP is probably the next step of escalation - always good to have another option if the first don’t work.
We’re likely to have similar issues with RFCA, although a different one I suspect (no elected mayor), so anything that works would be really good to know about!
I was always told that there was no money, but the faults the ACF flagged were fixed, when ours seemed to get lost in the system.
Then told “We remove the faults from the system at the end of the year, so you’ll need to resubmit them”. One case in point, was a request to fix a heater in the staff office, when I was the Adj. Every year the request was put in, and now its finally been fixed, after 12 years and 3 OCs!
"Unable to use building due to significant H&S aspects caused by long-standing un-rectified / logged faults & linked causal revisions to risk assessments (slip hazards due to wet floors, unknown damage to electrical installation, etc, etc).
Unless faults fixed by XXXXX, I intend to seek assistance from local MP to find alternative facilities."
Unless the faults are fixed by xxxxx date, the Sqn Civilian Committee IAW with AP1919A and ACP 10 will contact our local MP to source alternative suitable, health and safety compliant accomodation. ORG Form 003 will be sent notifying WHQ.
Civilian committee to write a letter before action to RFCA/MOD threatening judicial review of their inaction to rectify safety issues in accommodation for minors.
ACF and RFCA are in a much closer relationship, the CAA (a RFCA employee) does a visit to ACF and sees a problem and can get things moving or fix themselves. We have to see the problem, do some paperwork, send it to Wing where it gets put in the roundtuit drawer, we nag about it, get told it’s been passed to RFCA (5 mins after we’ve nagged), we nag again, get told no money (which equals not bothered about it). A year later we repeat and so on.
Why CAAs aren’t responsible for Air Cadet huts as well remains a mystery, probably buried in the annals. But it would be bloody good as it would be one less thing sqn cdrs would have to do.
As for escalation shut the squadron until further notice email all parents, local councillors, MP(s), Wg Cdr, RC and CAC stating why and some blurb about affecting youth picking whatever things you think will hit a nerve. Region and Cranwell will retort with a snotty that you’ve gone outside the organisation and ignore RFCAs failings as they wouldn’t see any problem with it, given that your RC doesn’t seem to be that bothered, not that any other RCs and higher would be bothered.
