HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS)
Printable version |
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service must take immediate action to prioritise prevention activity
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service should urgently review how it carries out its prevention activity, the fire inspectorate has said.
Get the report : Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service: Accelerated cause of concern
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said prevention activity isn’t a sufficiently high priority for the service, and it must act to implement a robust and consistent method of identifying risk and vulnerability.
To address this concern, the inspectorate says the service needs to prioritise home fire safety checks to those most at risk and make sure the checks are completed in a timely manner.
HMICFRS has therefore issued an accelerated cause of concern to Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. This process is accelerated when a service’s failures raise concerns about risks to public safety – as is the case with the service.
As the concern is so serious, the inspectorate has decided to report it now, rather than waiting until the full inspection report is published.
HMICFRS has recommended that Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service should make sure:
- it develops and implements a prevention strategy that prioritises people most at risk of fire and that any work it carries out to reduce risk is proportionate;
- it creates a robust system to effectively and consistently define the levels of risk in the community;
- it creates and maintains clear timeframes relative to risk;
- it provides training to staff and raises their awareness so they fully understand their role in prevention; and
- its prevention department has enough resources to carry out all its prevention activity and it reviews whether wholetime and on-call firefighters can offer more capacity to prevention.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services Lee Freeman said:
“We have serious concerns about an aspect of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s performance, which is putting public safety at risk.
“Today we have issued an accelerated cause of concern on prevention activity as it is particularly concerning that this isn’t a sufficiently high priority for the service.
“The service must create a robust system to define levels of risk and prioritise home fire safety checks to those most at risk in a timely manner.
“We have made five recommendations for the service to address this accelerated cause of concern, and we will closely monitor their progress.”
Get the report : Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service: Accelerated cause of concern
Notes
- For further information, the HMICFRS Press Office can be contacted at 0300 071 6781 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk.
- If our inspection identifies a serious or critical shortcoming in a service’s practice, policy, or performance, it will be reported as a cause of concern. A cause of concern will always be accompanied by one or more recommendations.
- When we identify causes of concern during our inspections, we normally provide details in the subsequent service report. In some cases, such as when we discover significant service failures or risks to public safety, we report our concerns and recommendations earlier. This is called an accelerated cause of concern.
Original article link: https://hmicfrs.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/news-feed/hertfordshire-frs-must-take-immediate-action-to-prioritise-prevention-activity/