The firefighters and staff of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) have been congratulated on their “commitment and determination to drive improvement for their community” by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), who visited the service to check on progress following an earlier inspection.
HMICFRS carried out their first inspection of NFRS in November 2018 and their subsequent report raised concerns about fire engine availability and the way training in critical safety skills was managed.
An improvement plan was put in place and in March, Inspectors visited again to check progress.
This time, the Inspectors found that NFRS had prioritised improvement and that there was no longer any cause for concern about their performance.
Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey said he is delighted that the focus of firefighters and staff on these priority areas has been so effective and that this is particularly welcome news at a time when the covid 19 emergency is a cause of such concern.
The Inspectors said that:
- Measures introduced to improve fire engine availability are proving effective, with a minimum number achieved on 95%-99% of occasions – “a vast improvement” confirmed by the report
- Staff are now all up to date with their safety-critical training
The Inspectors now said they do not need to revisit the Service to monitor these areas of performance.
Stephen Mold, Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: “At such an uncertain time for the country, this is welcome and reassuring news that I am proud to be able to share with the public of Northamptonshire.”
