Chief Inspector calls for ‘significant reforms’ across fire and rescue services in England

In his first annual assessment of fire and rescue services in England, Her Majesty’s Chief inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Sir Thomas Winsor acknowledges the strong commitment from firefighters to protect the communities they serve.

The sector’s greatest strength is in how it responds to emergencies, with demonstration of a number of life-saving initiatives and a strong health and safety culture. However, the fire and rescue sector needs significant reform in several areas.

In his report published on 15th January, Sir Thomas states that the sector needs to improve how it complies with building fire safety regulations.

He also stated that, despite some examples of outstanding culture in some services, other services needed to do more to address ‘toxic’ environments for staff and improve the diversity of the workforce.

Sir Thomas acknowledges the importance of strong trade union representation. However, he has expressed concern that union influence sometimes prevents necessary reform in some areas.

He also highlighted there being ‘unjustifiable variation’ in the level of service the public receives, across the country.