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Fire and Rescue Performance Assessment report gives thumbs up |
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The Audit Commission’s Fire and Rescue National Report 2007 - Scores and analysis of performance in fire and rescue authorities
has indicated that the majority of fire services are improving well in responding to the challenges of modernisation. It states that greater emphasis is now being placed on fire prevention and community safety. However, it suggests the rate of improvement is variable with the gap between the strongest and weakest performers widening. ‘For many services the results of improved fire prevention activity has yet to result in a sustained reduction in fires’.
The majority of fire services are improving well with one service, West Yorkshire, improving strongly. The remainder are improving adequately and no service is failing to improve. Over two thirds (69 per cent) of fire services are performing strongly or well in planning for and responding to emergencies. The rest are performing adequately. ‘This is an encouraging picture, but the service assessment also shows that services’ prevention and protection activities tend to be more effective than their emergency response’. The majority of fire and rescue authorities are on track to meet the national target to reduce accidental fire deaths by 2010. However, the report states that seven services are not. ‘They need to sustain their focus on this area if they are to meet the target in three years’ time’ it maintains.
The report maintains that firefighter training is becoming risk-based, but training for retained (volunteer) firefighters and staff above watch manager is less consistent. Also, slow to improve is fire services’ approach to equality and diversity. ‘Current performance remains poor when compared with other public sector organisations. While there is evidence that fire services are starting to embrace the equality agenda, more remains to be done. The workforce in most fire services is not representative of the community that it serves. This means services are less able to engage with the communities that are often most at risk from fire death and injury’.
The report confirms that fire services are engaged in a range of projects and initiatives aimed at improving the safety of their communities and reducing fire risk. However, because ‘most fire services are not yet able to identify measurable outcomes from this work, evaluating costs and benefits is a significant challenge’.
Achieving economies of scale for the smaller fire services is a concern, the report identifies, however it does commend some smaller services for managing capacity constraints and can demonstrate high levels of performance. Overall, it commends fire services for increasingly working well in partnership with other public and voluntary sector organisations to deliver community fire safety initiatives. It states: ‘Good results have been achieved in increasing home fire risk assessments and reducing arson. Partnership working is also enabling fire services to contribute effectively to crime reduction and road safety initiatives, particularly through engagement with children and young people’. On financial resourcing fire services are performing well with 40 (85 per cent) services performing either well or strongly in their use of resources. Three fire services achieved the highest score (performing strongly) and no service is performing below minimum standards.
Thirty-six services are performing well in delivering value for money. The remaining 11 services are performing adequately. The report affirms: ‘The majority of services are meeting their efficiency targets and a number are now beginning to tackle more challenging issues such as staffing structures and levels of fire cover. In doing so they will be better placed to continue to deliver value for money in the future’.
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