Our focus so far
Our primary purpose remains clear: we are here to protect and save. In doing this, we strive to be an efficient and effective fire and rescue service, which is learning-focused and operates with professionalism, fairness, and respect. Since the launch of our CRMP, our focus has been on the key areas:
Culture
Our Service fully believes in and is committed to being a welcoming, inclusive, and fair organisation, which puts communities first. The strengths of our workforce are built upon its diversity and experiences, and we recognise the need for our organisation to represent the communities it serves.
By adopting the code of ethics published by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), we have made improvements to workplace cultures. All our staff, individually and as teams, are aware of their responsibility to exhibit integrity, dignity, respect, and be role models that are proud to serve their communities.
Our Chief Fire Officer, Gavin Ellis, is leading our organisation through this time of cultural and ethical awareness.
Finance
Our Service has not been immune to financial pressures; we have had to absorb unbudgeted impacts of rising fuel and energy costs, as well as meeting the nationally agreed pay increases awarded to operational and support staff. To limit the impact of these pressures, tighter controls on expenditure have been implemented, recruitment was temporarily restricted to allow for staff numbers to reduce naturally through retirement or leavers, and a review of the buildings we own has identified some which could be mothballed to reduce ongoing costs or sold to provide a one-off income.
Providing our services
Operationally, we experienced a greater than expected number of fires in open ground, partly due to two very hot and dry summers. Our experience of extreme weather events in recent years has caused us to reassess how we respond to and manage the needs of communities affected by these incidents, and to develop our research of the possible impacts of climate change.