Fire service failures 'could risk public safety'

8 hours ago

James RobinsonLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Chief Fire Officer Keith Carruthers (left) and deputy chief Stephen Kennedy were recently appointed

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Keith Carruthers and deputy chief Stephen Kennedy are standing with their arms behind their back and smiling brightly at the camera. There white and red fire service crest is mounted on the white wall behind them. They are both wearing dark blue fire service short sleeved button-up shirts with light blue name badges. — Chief Fire Officer Keith Carruthers (left) and deputy chief Stephen Kennedy were recently appointed

A troubled fire service has been told to take urgent action after failures were uncovered by inspectors.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) was issued with an "accelerated cause of concern", handed out when a "fire service's failures raise concerns about public safety".

The fire inspectorate said the service did not gather information about high-risk premises effectively - data which was "vital for helping protect firefighters and the public during an emergency".

NFRS's new chief Keith Carruthers, who has been in post for a matter of weeks, said the service was developing an action plan.

The assessment is another blow for the fire service after a troubled year in 2025 which saw the chief and deputy leave their posts and a damning report identified a "culture of fear" in the organisation.

'Not confident'

In the latest inspection, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the service did not effectively gather and record site-specific risk information (SSRI).

These are detailed, pre-collected data for high-risk premises which is used to inform firefighter tactics.

Examples were found of risk information that was not "effective, accurate or up to date", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Furthermore, the service was found not to have given staff the "appropriate support" to collect risk information.

Of 478 sites requiring an SSRI, only 37 had been reviewed by its quality assurance panel, the inspectorate found.

HMICFRS' interim chief inspector Michelle Skeer said: "I am not confident the service has identified all places of risk."

In response, Carruthers said: "We are developing an action plan which will ensure all sites are reviewed appropriately and will respond to HMICFRS recommendations in line with their timeline."

He said a full inspection expected later would "provide an opportunity for me as the newly appointed Chief Fire Officer to take stock and plan for the future of the service".

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