Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to be probed over failures
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service chiefs will be quizzed next week over failures to look after its staff and how they keep the public safe.
Inspectors raised serious concerns last month over a “bad culture” among the fire service and judged it is inadequate at looking after its own staff.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also found the county’s fire service requires improvement at effectively keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.
Inspectors also raised serious concerns about the way the county’s fire service promotes its values and culture, and how it is improving the understanding of the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
In view of the findings, HMICFRS inspector Wendy Williams has been in regular contact with the chief fire officer Mark Preece as she does not underestimate how much improvement is needed.
Mr Preece said in a recent interview that he is committed to improving the fire service but it may take some time to change people’s perception of it.
“The biggest challenge is around how we improve the culture because that takes a lot more effort to bring that change about. It’s not just about people behaving differently, it’s about people feeling differently when they come to work,” he said at the time.
Mr Preece is also confident the service can improve in how it keeps people safe and has already made improvements on attendance times. He says responding to emergencies is “paramount” and the service is in a strong position.
“In whatever emergency, we will be there in a timely fashion. That has never wavered. We have got professional and competent staff who are really committed to their communities and want to take the service forward.”
An update to the recent HMICFRS inspection will be provided at Gloucestershire County Council’s fire and rescue scrutiny committee next week.
Councillors will be able to quiz fire chiefs about their progress in improving the service at the meeting on September 2.
Words from Carmelo Garcia for the Local Democracy Reporting Service.