Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
 Printable version
|
 E-mail this to a friend
|
Audit Commission says majority fire and rescue services are improving well or strongly
The Fire Minister Sadiq Khan today welcomed the Audit Commission's report that shows that the majority 37 (82 per cent) of the fire and rescue services are rated as improving well or strongly.
The Government also agrees that workplace diversity remains a major issue, impacting directly on fire services' ability to carry out fire prevention work. The independent report from the Commission recognises that accidental fire deaths are at their lowest level since the late 1950s.
Fire and Rescue Minister Sadiq Khan said:
"It is good to see that most Fire and Rescue Services are improving. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in helping us get this improvement.
"The Commission rightly recognises the achievements of the Service in helping to drive down fire incidents and fire deaths, while making improvements in efficiency.
"We will look at those lagging behind to see what more can be done to speed up their improvement. We will continue to challenge those failing to make good progress and work with the Fire and Rescue Service to recognise and spread good practice and innovation.
"We share the Audit Commission's continuing view that a more representative workforce makes it easier for the service to connect with the different communities most at risk from fire.
"It is clear from the report that while many Fire and Rescue Services are improving their performance on community engagement and are working hard to make connections with the most vulnerable sections of our society much still needs to be achieved to create a more representative workforce. That is why last year, we published the equality and diversity strategy which included a new recruitment challenge for the country's fire and rescue services to ensure the number of minority ethnic staff recruited reflects the local working population by 2013 and that by the same date women make up at least 15 per cent of recruits to the operational sector."
The benefits of a more diverse workforce are clear:
* it supports the Service's key objective - to save lives;
* it improves the Service's understanding of the local communities it serves;
* it builds public trust and improves relationships with those communities.
Note to Editors
The Audit Commission has published the results of three assessment processes they have undertaken for Fire and rescue Authorities in 2008-9. These are published in the form of a scorecard for each authority: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk
The Audit Commission scorecards cover three assessment areas:
* direction of travel - rate of improvement since Fire CPA 2005;
* use of resources and
* service assessment - how well the fire service plans to respond to emergencies and prevent incidents and an assessment against key BVPIS.
The score cards show:
* 32 services (71%) assessed as improving well;
* 16 services (44 assessed) achieved the highest marking for service assessment;
* Greater Manchester, Kent & Medway and Merseyside have achieved the highest Use of Resources scores for the last three consecutive years.
The Audit Commission is independent of Government and is responsible for the performance assessment framework for the Fire and Rescue Service in England. Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) for Fire was introduced in 2005 when each authority was given a rating based on corporate assessment. The Commission looked at issues like leadership, staff training, and performance.
The Fire and Rescue Service as a whole lags far behind other public services like the police. Currently just 3.4 per cent of staff are from a minority ethnic background. In the police, one in twenty is now from a minority ethnic background.
Media Enquiries: 020 7944 3288
Email:
press.office@communities.gsi.gov.uk
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom
