County fire service makes progress, inspectors say

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) has made "strong progress and demonstrated clear and sustained improvement", according to the latest inspection which also suggested there was work to be done over response times.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said performance in Warwickshire was good in six areas and adequate in the four others assessed by inspectors.

The service was last given a full inspection in 2023 but HMICFRS has since carried out revisits to look at specific criteria.

Inspector Kathryn Stone OBE said the service had "made strong progress against all the areas for improvement we found at our last inspection".

However, inspectors also found causes for concern, particularly over the availability of fire engines, response times and making the service sustainable for the future.

Inspectors' report acknowledges that at the time of the inspection, the service was introducing changes approved in 2024 that the County Council claimed would guarantee more appliances being available at peak times.

Stone said although those changes were not yet fully implemented, those that had been introduced had made improvements.

The report, released on 17 June, rated the service as "good" when it came to:

• Understanding fire and risk
• Preventing fire and risk
• Promoting values and culture
• Ensuring fairness and diversity
• Leading people effectively
• Maintaining a "right people, right skills" approach

HMICFRS said since its previous inspection, the way WFRS was assessed had been streamlined. That meant, it said, that it was not "always possible to directly compare grades awarded in this round of inspections with those in previous years'.

Four areas were rated as "adequate", including:

• Responding to fire and emergencies
• Responding to major incidents
• Public safety through fire regulation and
• Best use of resources and future affordability.

Stone said: "I am pleased with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's performance in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.

"It still needs to do more work in some areas, including protection quality assurance, estates programmes and debriefing after incidents and training.

"It is aware of this and has clear plans in place."

Ben Brook, chief fire officer at WFRS, welcomed the results of the report and said it was all part of "our journey of continuous improvement".

"We will be fully considering all aspects of the report, and this is an opportunity to build on our strengths, address areas for improvement with purpose, and keep the service moving forward for our people and our communities," he added.

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