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Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) needs to do more to improve how it keeps people safe from fire and other risks, and how it promotes the right values, culture and diversity within its workforce, the fire inspectorate has said.

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Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2023/25 – Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has graded Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s performance across 11 areas. The inspectorate found the service was ‘adequate’ in two areas, ‘requires improvement’ in six areas and ‘inadequate’ in three areas.

HMICFRS said that while Gloucestershire FRS has made some improvements, there has been a lack of progress since the previous inspection and more changes are needed. In particular, the service needs to improve its arrangements for inspecting buildings and taking action to make sure staff and the people in the buildings are safe. The inspectorate also said the service should improve how it promotes its values, a positive workplace culture, and the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Roy Wilsher said:

“We have concerns about the performance of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.

“Despite the service’s intent and considerable effort, we were disappointed to see that it hasn’t made the progress we expected since our last inspection in 2021.

“We are concerned the service’s departments don’t always work together very well, and we saw occasions when the service was more focused on trying to increase output instead of reducing the greatest risk to the public.

“While the service has deteriorated in some areas since our last inspection, we recognise there have also been some improvements, which the service should take encouragement from. We will continue to work closely with the service and its leadership team to review the progress it’s making.”

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Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2023/25 – Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service

Notes

1. For further information, please contact the HMICFRS Press Office on 0300 071 6781 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk.
2. This inspection contains our third assessment of the service’s effectiveness and efficiency, and how well it looks after its people. We have measured the service against 11 areas and given a grade for each.
3. We haven’t given separate grades for effectiveness, efficiency and people as we did previously. This is to encourage the service to consider our inspection findings as a whole and not focus on just one area.
4. We have expanded our previous four-tier system of judgements to five. These changes mean that it isn’t possible to make direct comparisons between grades awarded in this round of inspections with those from previous years.
5. A reduction in grade, particularly from good to adequate, doesn’t necessarily mean that there has been a reduction in performance, unless we say so in the report.
6. Read more information about the 2023-25 assessment framework for fire and rescue service inspections.