Response to HMICFRS Report

The first independent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been released today (17th December)

The report considers how effective the Service is at keeping people safe from fire and other risks, how efficient the Service is at keeping people safe from fire and other risks and how well the Service looks after its people.

We were praised for our effectiveness at keeping people safe from fire and other risks with a rating of good. In the two other areas we were rated as requiring improvement.

CFO Andrew Brodie said “I think the report provides a fair and balanced view of our Service and there are no surprises for us in it, we’d already identified them since I started here in January.

“I’m especially pleased that we’ve been recognised for the work we do to keep people safe from fire and other risks. I hope this provides reassurance and confidence to our communities. Ensuring people can be safe and feel safe is our purpose as a fire service.

“There are some areas for improvements that have been identified and we’ve started work on these already. We’ve worked hard to identify ways to balance our budget and hope to do so earlier than planned. The next steps will identify further savings so we can invest in our staff, buildings, vehicles and equipment.

“People are our greatest asset and the report recognises our commitment to staff welfare and wellbeing. We know that we must improve the diversity of our staff and this is an area we’ll continue to focus on. We held special taster days for women as part of our recent wholetime firefighter recruitment campaign and we’re planning to build on this for future recruitment. We’ve kept in touch with women who were unsuccessful in the process and recently held an information and training day to help maintain their interest. Our collaboration with North Yorkshire Police could provide opportunities to work together on this.

“I would like to thank to staff from across the service for all their work. We’ve been through tremendous change in the last year and staff have remained committed throughout to delivering the best possible service to our communities.”

 The report can be viewed on the HMICFRS website: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/