Watchdog gives Herts Fire and Rescue Service 28 days to improve safety checks

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has identified “serious concerns” about Hertfordshire’s brigade which jeopardise public safety.

The watchdog said home fire safety checks for those most at risk must be prioritised and completed promptly.

Inspector Lee Freeman said: “We have serious concerns about an aspect of Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (HFRS) performance which is putting public safety at risk.

“Today (Thursday, October 24) we have issued an accelerated cause of concern on prevention activity as it is particularly concerning that this isn’t a sufficiently high priority for the service.

“The service must create a robust system to define levels of risk and prioritise home fire safety checks to those most at risk in a timely manner.

“We have made five recommendations for the service to address this accelerated cause of concern, and we will closely monitor their progress.”

According to the inspectorate, within 28 days the service should develop an action plan to:

• Develop and implement a prevention strategy that prioritises people most at risk of fire and that any work it carries out to reduce risk is proportionate;
• Create a robust system to effectively and consistently define the levels of risk in the community;
• Formulate and maintain clear timeframes relative to risk;
• Provide training to staff and raise their awareness so they fully understand their role in prevention;
• Ensure the prevention department has enough resources and review whether full-time and on-call firefighters can offer more capacity.

In response, Hertfordshire’s chief fire officer, Alex Woodman, said: “We take the concerns raised by the inspectorate very seriously and the issues raised will be resolved thoroughly, quickly and transparently.

“More than 1.2 million people living, working and visiting Hertfordshire rely on us to keep them safe and to save lives. It is an extremely important role, and we know that fire prevention is a key part of protecting our communities from harm.

“Last year Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service received nearly 26,000 calls for help and our crews responded to over 11,000 emergencies and incidents.

“Additionally, crews and colleagues visited thousands of homes to offer advice and support to those who may be more vulnerable to fire in their homes as part of our Home Fire Safety Visits.

“I’m proud of our service and the dedication of those who work here – we have already been taking big steps to reduce risks and prevent incidents in Hertfordshire.

“I recognise we need to do better and we will work closely with HMICFRS to ensure the recommendations are actioned and we’ll share updates on progress with the public on our website.”