Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has promised improvements called for by the fire inspectorate will be made to the county’s fire service.
While His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found the service was rated as good in five areas in six it was classed as requires improvement.
The independent inspection is carried out over a year. Outstanding is the best outcome possible, followed by good, adequate, requires improvement, and inadequate.
The inspectorate said they were pleased to see the service had made good progress against several areas for improvement including engaging with the public, having a sound financial plan, strengthening assurance processes and effectively identifying those who are most at risk in the community.
“When my office took on governance responsibility for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, they inherited a cause of concerns from assets to estates to finance,” Mr Allen said. “With the proper support, the chief fire officer and his staff have been able to really put in the work to improve.
“The service is embarking on a journey of continuous improvement, and I will do whatever I can to support them.”
The Inspectorate found:
- Understanding fires and other risks – Good
- Preventing fires and other risks – Requires improvement
- Protecting the public through fire regulation – Good
- Responding to fires and other emergencies – Good
- Responding to major and multi-agency incidents – Good
- Making best use of resources – Requires improvement
- Future affordability – Good
- Promoting the right values and culture – Requires improvement
- Getting the right people with the right skills – Requires improvement
- Ensuring fairness and promoting diversity – Requires improvement
- Managing performance and developing leaders – Requires improvement
Among comments in the inspectorate’s report was that not all operational staff were familiar with high-risk premises within their station areas recommending a structured programme of visits to high-risk premises should be created.
Lee Freeman, His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services, says the service had made good progress since its last inspection in 2023.
He said: “I am satisfied with some aspects of the performance of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks. But there are areas in which the service needs to improve.
“Since our last inspection, the service has seen a change in governance. The police, fire and crime commissioner now oversees it.
“We were disappointed that the service hasn’t made enough progress in other areas. For example, it needs to upgrade its IT provision to improve efficiency, productivity and oversight. And it needs to make sure its recruitment processes are accessible to applicants from a range of backgrounds.
“I encourage the service to continue to improve in the areas we have highlighted and look forward to seeing how this benefits the public and the organisation in the future.”
The review identified issues with recruitment including a lack of diversity and inconsistencies in the management of certain selection processes and incomplete documentation for the workforce development group’s decisions and outcomes.
Staff reported concerns about a lack of transparency and consistency in how the workforce development group operated.
Inspectors also found a high number of staff were in temporary roles which they said was limiting staff development and a significant gap in succession planning remained.
Mr Allen added: “HMICFRS has provided recommendations – none of which are a surprise, these areas for improvement were raised by the chief and his senior leadership team beforehand and work had already started to move these concerns forward.
“I intend to take these recommendations forward to ensure that we can provide a better service to our public.
”I will ensure that these recommendations are taken forward so that we work towards being outstanding in all areas.”
