Features Editor Lorna King speaks to Fire Knowledge Director Dave Etheridge OBE about a unique partnership that will provide a safe space to practice for promotion for every level within the fire and rescue sector.

As we navigate our way out of the pandemic and into a more cautiously confident way of living, attentions have returned in full force to the scrutiny of how well the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is doing its job. I am, of course, referring to both the Home Office White Paper on Reforming Our Fire and Rescue Service published in May and the second tranche of round two HMIFRS inspections more recently published in July.

Amongst all the findings in both reports, there is a clear winner when looking for the area in need of the most improvement: how well the FRS looks after its people, and in the recent interview I had with Fire Knowledge Director Dave Etheridge OBE for this article about a new cost recovery partnership designed to widely assist and support services to improve in this area, he made the following comment: “Even services that are rated ‘good’ in how they look after their people – it’s still their weakest area and one where we are here to assist.”