The fire and rescue sector has made some good progress nationally but government needs to press ahead with reforms, according to the chief inspector of fire and rescue services.
In his latest ‘State of Fire and Rescue’ annual report, published last month, HMCIFRS Andy Cooke found that urgent improvement is needed to values, culture and the management of misconduct.
Fire and rescue service leaders also need to take a strategic approach to service improvements; and the inspectorate needs additional powers to ensure action is taken on its recommendations – for example, by legally requiring fire and rescue authorities to publish a response to inspection reports.
Cllr Frank Biederman, Chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee, said the report showed the “fantastic job” firefighters do in difficult circumstances, against the background of a challenging financial picture.
He added: “Improving culture and values is of paramount importance to the sector, and the report makes clear that further work must be done on this important issue. This work is vital to the sector, and there are still too many incidents of unacceptable behaviours that must be addressed.
“Before any wider systematic changes are made to inspection, it is vital that the sector is given the resources it needs to progress the issues highlighted in the report, such as reduced workforce capacity, which is hampering the ability to fully address increasing risks such as wildfires and lithium battery fires.
“Unless these financial issues are addressed, the recommendations in this report will have little to no impact if implemented.”