His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) released their report today (23 April), assessing that overall, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is providing a good service to the public.
This inspection was HMICFRS’s third assessment of the Service’s effectiveness and efficiency, and how well it looks after its people.
Of the 11 areas inspected, RBFRS received ‘Good’ grades for eight of them. The remaining three were graded as ‘Adequate’.
In an increasingly challenging inspection process, with the addition of the ‘adequate’ grade which maps against the previous ‘good’ grade, The Service is rightly proud of the continued improvement recognised by HMICFRS in this inspection. It is testament to the commitment of all staff to professionalism and community service.
The principal findings are as follows:
- The service continues to provide an effective prevention, protection and response for the public, by working well with other fire and rescue services and organisations such as the police, local authorities and health providers.
- The service is working hard to transform its estate, technology and ensure staff are being productive at work. This is supporting the service to improve its ways of working and provide a more efficient service to the public.
- Staff are proud to work for the service and the culture is positive. Concerns can be raised and will be dealt with appropriately. The service looks after its people and this enables them to put the community at the heart of what they do.
The Service has addressed many of its areas for improvement from the last inspection in 2022. This includes efforts to reduce the burden of unwanted fire signals following a public consultation and ensuring that it is monitoring the collection of risk information, making it quickly available to staff responding to incidents.
Responding to the report, Councillor Jeff Brooks, Chair of Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, said: “This assessment provided by HMICFRS is clear. RBFRS is a fantastic Service, made up of dedicated staff offering exceptional services to our residents.
“As a Fire Authority, we have challenged ourselves to have plans which not only maintain the positive levels of service offered, but crucially invest in equipment, fire stations and training to equip RBFRS for the years ahead.
Wayne Bowcock, Chief Fire Officer, said: “Our staff should be proud of the assessment delivered by this report. RBFRS has consistently been rated as a ‘Good’ service by HMICFRS and this does not happen by coincidence.
“I am privileged to witness the professionalism and commitment from staff across the Service, working as one team, every day, to make this possible. We will now reflect on this positive assessment and recommendations, before we challenge ourselves to raise the bar even higher, for the benefit of our staff and communities.”