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MOST FIRE and rescue authorities in England are on track to meet ambitious national fire safety targets, but more is needed to continue the rate of improvement – so says the Audit Commission in its latest independent assessment of fire authorities.
All 46 fire authorities in England were reviewed in the Audit Commission’s assessment process for 2007-08. Scores were given on how they are performing in three main areas: use of resources, direction of travel (improvement), and service assessments (planning to deal with fires and other emergencies).
According to the Commission, all fire services are on track to meet the Government’s target for reducing the total number of fires. In addition, most brigades – some 90% – are on schedule to achieve the national target of a 20% reduction in fire deaths by 2010.
Over half of brigades are improving well in preventing fires. However, the Commission warns of ‘early signs that performance is starting to level off’ and that some authorities need to learn more from better-performing authorities. In addition, while all services are achieving efficiency savings, none is performing strongly in providing value for money to the communities they serve.
The Commission also calls on fire authorities to now address more complex issues, including improved workplace diversity, levels of fire cover and staff numbers, and the matching of resources to risk and demand.
Commenting on the assessments, Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) president, Steve McGuirk, said: ‘CFOA is satisfied with the findings of the report, but there is no room for complacency.’ He also expressed concern that ‘tight financial settlements on fire services for the period 2008-11 could slow or even jeopardise the improvements highlighted by the Audit Commission’.
More information about the assessments is available from: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/fire
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