Fire service praised by inspectors

The service was rated as "good" by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which said fire chiefs were providing an effective service, keeping the public safe and making the best use of its resources.

The inspection examined the service’s effectiveness and efficiency at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks, and how well it looks after its people and manages its resources.

The Inspectorate said the service was "good at understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies" and that its 'safe and well' visits to homes and businesses across the county were "at the heart of the service’s good strategy for preventing fires".

The service's full-time workforce has fallen by 24 per cent over the last five years, the report revealed.

HMICFRS said: “We are very pleased with the performance of SFRS in keeping people safe and secure, and, in particular, in how it looks after its people.

“Overall, we commend SFRS for its performance. We are confident it is well equipped for this to continue.”

Staffordshire's Chief Fire Officer, Becci Bryant said: “We work very hard to ensure we do the best we can to keep the people of Staffordshire safe. The service is nothing without its people and this report reflects the commitment and hard work of everyone across Staffordshire Fire and Rescue.

“A highlight of the report for me has been the rating of the service’s culture as ‘outstanding’. Having a positive and inclusive culture which enables our people to perform at their best which is critical to the delivery of an effective and efficient service.

“I’m also pleased the report recognises the work we carry out around fire safety. Our Fire Safety Team works hard carrying out inspections and giving advice to make sure buildings in Staffordshire meet fire safety standards and are safe for people to use. In recognition of the importance of this work we’re recruiting three new degree apprentices to bolster the team.”

The HMICFRS inspectors singled out the community sprinkler project for recognition. Spriklers have been rolled out since the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.

And Ms Bryant said: “I’m really proud that the inspectors recognised the service’s community sprinkler project and everything it’s achieved. Sprinklers can and do save lives and we’re working closely with social housing providers to retrofit sprinklers in residential buildings taller than four storeys in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. We’ll continue to push to achieve our target of having them fitted in all such buildings by 2026.

She added: “I’m very pleased with the HMICFRS report but it’s important to remember that these inspections are not a competition. They’re about rating how well each fire and rescue service is serving its community and they are an opportunity for services to learn from each other.

"All services can be called upon through mutual aid to help other fire and rescue services, as we did with the Whaley Bridge dam incident, so I welcome all opportunities to learn from each other to improve for our people and communities.”