Agenda item

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Craig Parkin, Chief Fire Officer, presented the report detailing the outcomes from the report regarding the recent inspection of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and highlighted the following points:

(a)  As part of round three of fire service inspections HMICFRS introduced a new grading of ‘adequate’. HMICFRS grading framework is now as follows:

·  Outstanding – the Service has substantially exceeded the characteristics of good performance.

·  Good – is the ‘expected’ graded judgment, based on policy, practice or performance that meets pre-defined grading criteria that are informed by any relevant national operational guidance or standards.

·  Adequate – the Service has demonstrated some of the characteristics of good performance, but identified areas where the Service should make improvements.

·  Requires Improvement – the Service has demonstrated few, if any, of the characteristics of good performance and a substantial number of areas where the Service needs to make improvements have been identified.

·  Inadequate – there are causes for concern and recommendations are made to the Service to address these findings.

(b)  HMI Lee Freeman KPM, thanked the Service for the “positive and constructive way” the Service engaged with the inspection and commented “the Service has made progress since our previous inspection, we found it had maintained or improved performance in almost all areas.”

(c)  Nottinghamshire is one of only two Services to be inspected so far (totalling 18 inspections to date), to receive a grading of ‘Good’ in 10 areas of inspection.

(d)  In the 2024 Nottinghamshire inspection report just one area for improvement (AFI) was given. This is the lowest number of AFIs to be issued to any Service to date in round three of the inspections. The average number of AFIs being received by Services is 17.

(e)  To oversee the required improvement it is proposed that the same, robust governance and scrutiny arrangements are adopted as with the previous AFIs from the round two inspection. This would involve the adoption of the AFI by Members of the Fire Authority, and progress and management of the AFI being discharged to the Community Safety Committee.

(f)  The Service did not receive any ‘Causes for Concern’ (CfC). So far in round three inspections, eight Services have received a total of 36 CfCs.

During the discussion that followed, the following comments were made:

(g)  The report is excellent, and the hard work of the Service is recognised in achieving the outcomes it has. The journey from 2018 to now us remarkable and demonstrates what can be achieved through hard work and commitment. The positive working culture should be a hallmark and badge of pride.

(h)  The media need balance in the news they report. The report has been sent out to news channels, but has not been a media focus.

(i)  All members of staff should be written to thank them for their hard work and congratulate them on the outcomes achieved.

Resolved to

(1)  Note the outcome of the HMICFRS inspection report and the progress made by the Service.

(2)  Acknowledge the area for improvement highlighted by HMICFRS and approve governance and scrutiny through the Fire Authority Community Safety Committee.

(3)  Request that the Chief Fire Officer write to all members of staff to thank them for their hard work and congratulate them on the outcomes achieved.