Cleveland Fire Brigade Rated Top Performing Fire Service in the North East & Yorkshire

Cleveland Fire Brigade has been praised for its performance having been graded as one of the top performing fire and rescue services in the country in an independent report published today.

The recognition comes from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) who carried out a comprehensive inspection of the Brigade, and judged it as:

• Good at effectively keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks;

• Good at efficiently keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks;

• Good at looking after its people

The HMICFRS team inspected Cleveland Fire Brigade between May and July 2022, assessing areas covering operational and support functions and interviewing a broad range of staff.

This is the third time that CFB has been inspected by HMICFRS, the first taking place in 2018 when the Brigade was also judged to be good in all three areas, and in 2020 when the response to the Covid-19 pandemic was praised.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services, Roy Wilsher said: “I am pleased with the performance of Cleveland Fire Brigade in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks. We were pleased to see that the brigade has made progress since our 2018 inspection.”

He continues: “The brigade has made improvements against all the areas we identified. Areas where we have seen the greatest improvement are in fire protection and operational response. We have also seen good improvements in efficiency and in how the brigade looks after its people.”

He concludes by saying: “Overall, this is a good performance from Cleveland Fire Brigade, both for the communities it serves and for the people who work for the brigade.”

The results mirror those of the inspection in 2018/19, with the new report highlighting improvements, including:

• The Brigade has made clear changes to its culture, and has a strong set of values;

• Improvements have been made in recruiting women into operational roles.

• Improvements have been made to prevention, protection, and operational response activities and staff productivity has increased to drive efficiencies.

Chief Fire Officer Ian Hayton said: “I am incredibly proud of this achievement and recognition of the improvements we have made since the last inspection. I would like to pay tribute to the tremendous support we get from our communities, businesses, partner agencies and other organisations right across the area. I would also like to thank our staff for their professionalism, dedication and hard work in continuing to make a positive difference to the safety and lives of the people in Cleveland.

He continues: “The report highlights our effectiveness in keeping people are safe in their homes with our Safer Homes Visits and our support for business safety. It also recognises our excellent emergency response times, which are among the fastest in the country. The good rating for efficiency means that we have managed our budget and spent our money properly and appropriately through good financial planning, positive partnership working and good use of external funding.”

He concludes by saying: “I am delighted that our top priority of putting our people first, looking after their health and wellbeing and training and development has been recognised with a ‘good’ rating for people.”

The Chair of Cleveland Fire Authority, Councillor Paul Kirton, added: “This is a well-deserved outcome for Cleveland Fire Brigade and gives assurance to our communities that they continue to receive a first-class fire and rescue service, helping to make Teesside safer and stronger.”