Agenda item

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Damien West, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, presented the report which provides an overview of national reports issued by his Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and provides an update on inspection preparation activities by this Service.

The following points were highlighted and members’ questions responded to:

a)  Report covers two key areas, the first report of the new Chief Inspector Fire rescue and secondly the commencement of the third round of in sections by the inspector and the plans preparing for the inspection later this year;

b)  Stay to the fire report was published in January and reviews, inspections of the previous year;

c)  Three inspection areas covered are efficiency, people and effectiveness;

d)  Overall, the had been a decrease in efficiency with regard to:

i.  resource management and affordability across the sector,

ii.  with the range of issues including inadequate preplanning the collaborative arrangements;

iii.  lack of fully developed saving plans; 

iv.  staff shortages,

v.  issues with resource management;

vi.  challenges associated with funding and governance arrangements;

e)  It was stated that most Services could improve their productivity through using more effective performance management, such as utilising whole time firefighters more prevention activity, and the more efficient use of technology;

f)  National productivity targets have been developed to support the use of whole time firefighter capacity in prevention and protection tasks which linked to the local community risk management plan (CRMP);

g)  Effectiveness was examined within five the key areas, with most services lacking a link between the CRMP and daily operations, whilst responding well to incidents, but with capacity to improve some response standards;

h)  Fire fatalities have increased nationally, reflecting the need to raise fire prevention to a higher priority within prevention strategies. Fire protection improvements across the sector following the Grenfell Tower incident were acknowledged;

i)  The common challenges of recruiting staff, particularly to specialist roles, and diversifying work forces through recruitment and positive action was recognised;

j)  Some services were recognised for the risk critical training, and efforts to develop training in other skills, including leadership, management, equality, diversity and inclusion;

k)  Following the spotlight report on values and culture, an immediate sector wide response is swiftly required. This service submitted a report to its human resources committee, outlining the responsive approach;

l)  report sets out this Service’s inspection preparation program for the third round of inspections which are due to begin in January 2023;

m)  variations on previous inspection approaches are outlined in the report, along with how the Service is planning to respond;

n)  The inspectorate will undertake a full review with advance notice provided and a dedicated contact in HMICFR with a good 2-way relationship with allot of scrutiny with an open approach;

o)  Performance management should be considered in the broader sense of business management and not just the management of poor individual performance.

Members commented:

p)  Welcomes the preparedness of the Service for the inspection and the additional of an extra grade;

q)  There is concern that the Service is expected to improve through performance management but the influences responsible for performance impacting elements, such as pay and a shortage of staffing, are outside of the resourcing ability of the Service. If the Service doesn’t have enough staff or funding, performance will be impacted, which is not appropriate;

r)  Performance management referred to in the report needs to be explained in more detail in the Service’s reports and communications, even though tit originates from the nationally issued State of Fire report;

s)  Staff on the ground have told members that it takes an unreasonable length of time to refer vulnerable people to the Service for Fire/Home safety checks, even though there is a good working relationship with partners.

Resolved to note the report.