Developing our Service
We are here to protect and save.
We work every day with our communities and partners to prevent emergencies and to make you safer in your home, place of work, and places you visit.
Responding to current and future risks in our two counties by changing the way we work means that we will continue to do this.
Changes in how we live and work
As the make-up of our communities and the way in which people live their lives changes, their need for our service does too.
Not only do our lives and habits change but our population is changing too, with new housing developments, commercial building, and changes to road and rail networks.
Deaths from fires are reducing as a result of years of prevention work but incidents still occur and we are always ready to respond.
Some people are more at risk of being involved in a fatal fire. For example, those aged over 85 have a much higher rate of fatal fires. In Devon and Somerset, it is predicted that the number of people aged over 85 will nearly double (43% increase) in the next ten years. By prioritising and increasing our capacity to deliver targeted prevention and protection activities in our communities we will reduce the risk of incidents happening.
By adapting to the changes around us we will ensure that our service matches the risks of today and is able to respond to the risks of tomorrow.
Things we need to consider
We need the right availability of firefighters, vehicles, and equipment, where they are needed, to ensure that we can give the right response, at the right time, while making efficient use of these resources.
We need to have the right capacity to deliver targeted prevention and protection activities in our communities, focusing on the known risks in each area.
We also need to make significant financial savings. The funding we receive is changing, with anticipated reduced grants from central government. Alongside this, costs are increasing, so we will need to meet a potentially significant revenue shortfall to enable the Service provision to continue.
Where we're investing
- Stations - refurbishing or rebuilding where required.
- Fleet - replacing older fire engines and looking at new types of vehicles.
- Equipment for our firefighters, such as new lightweight Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and escape hoods.
- Improved digital technology to support our work.
Community Risk Management Plan
Our Community Risk Management Plan (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/pre-engagement-risk-plan) (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/community-risk-plan)(CRMP) runs from April 2022 until 2027.
Change and improvement programme
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has started work on a change programme (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/developing-the-service/change-and-improvement-programme) to enable it to meet significant financial challenges next year and in future years.
Safer Together
In 2019 we undertook detailed research and analysis to assess the risks in our communities. This was the start of a change programme we called Safer Together (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/developing-our-service/safer-together).