Emergency response inadequate, says report
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) is “inadequate” at responding to emergencies – the worst possible rating, a damning report has found.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has “serious concerns” about how the organisation keeps people safe and secure from fire and other risks.
AFRS’S mobilisation system, which records information and dispatches firefighters and fire engines to incidents, “isn’t reliable and crashes during 999 calls, which results in the public receiving a slower response to emergencies”, inspectors found.
The report by HMICFRS inspector Wendy Williams, published this week, says the service does not have an effective system to gather and record relevant and up-to-date risk information, including details of tower blocks, to help protect firefighters, the public and property during an emergency.
Ms Williams raised concerns about the way the service prevents fires and other risks after finding residents at greater risk from fire were not prioritised for home safety visits, which were decided instead on location and convenience.
She was also concerned about AFRS’S culture and said staff in some teams showed “unacceptable behaviours, such as using sexist or inappropriate language and disguising this as banter. And, worryingly, some staff don’t have the confidence to report these issues,” the inspector’s report added.
Government watchdog HMICFRS assessed how well AFRS performed in 11 areas and rated it inadequate in four – understanding fire and risk, preventing fire and risk, responding to fires and emergencies, and promoting values and culture.
Five others “require improvement” – the second lowest of five gradings – and two were judged to be adequate, with none “good” or “outstanding”.
As a result, the inspectorate has placed the service in an enhanced level of monitoring to help it address “causes of concern”.
Avon Chief Fire Officer Simon Shilton has apologised and says steps are already being taken to make improvements.
He said: “There can be no denying that His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ inspection report into the service makes for uncomfortable reading. That said, as a service we welcome the challenge and support to ensure we are the best service we can be, however, I’m sorry if local people feel let down.
“I accept these are the Inspectorate’s findings, and I want to reassure our local communities we have already put plans in place to address some of the concerns raised. It is disappointing, despite the hard work undertaken by our staff to deliver the best possible service to our communities, it’s clear the pace of change has not been sufficient against the challenging financial and political backdrop we’ve faced this past year. There is more to be done to tackle and improve on the areas highlighted going forward, particularly in relation to our provision of risk critical information and in creating a more inclusive culture.
“However, I feel strongly that the findings do not represent who we are as a service.”
AFRS said it had addressed concerns over the reliability of its mobilising system software, which is used by about 80 per cent of UK fire and rescue services. It said they continued to meet response standards and that the inspectorate’s report acknowledged it had effective arrangements for dealing with multi-agency incidents.
Avon Fire Authority chair Cllr Brenda Massey said: “It’s important our local communities know and have confidence the service will respond to them in an emergency. However, the inspectorate has highlighted areas for improvement and the authority and I will continue to work with the chief fire officer and the service to ensure pace of positive change, working together to ensure the necessary improvements and progress are made and reported on.”
CFO Shilton said cultural challenges were also being addressed, including leadership training and an external
review into the handling of past staff complaints, grievances and discipline cases.
He said: “We recognise there is more work to do and, while we may not be able to fix the past, we are focused on improving current staff experiences and ensuring a supportive and inclusive organisation where our staff can thrive – and one where we maintain the public’s confidence in us as a service. We have made, and continue to make, significant changes – implementing initiatives, systems and support mechanisms to make our communities safer and make our service stronger.”
AFRS has drawn up an action plan based on the report’s recommendations. The report said the organisation had “no response strategy” to fires and other emergencies.
On the mobilisation system, the report said: “We were concerned to hear about a particular ambulance service request for an emergency response to a serious road traffic collision.
“While the fire control operator was recording the information to dispatch
resources, the system crashed.
“This resulted in the fire control operator having to use a different console and restart the whole process as other operators were busy taking other calls. These concerns have placed unnecessary stress on fire control staff. At the time of our inspection, the service told us that the mobilisation system had crashed or frozen on 20 occasions in the past 12 months. But members of staff told us this has happened many more times and some staff have stopped reporting the problem.”
The report said firefighters could not always access risk information, including for high-risk, high-rise buildings.
“Concerningly, we were told by firefighters that on one occasion when they were reviewing the risk information on their way to an incident, a completely different building was displayed that had no relevance to the incident they were attending.”
The inspection took place in June and July, and the service will be reinspected next month to review progress.