Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service "requires improvement" says report

Several areas for improvement have been highlighted in the annual report of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

The report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that the service ‘requires improvement’ in the three key areas of ‘effectiveness’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘people’.

Under the latter category the service was found to be ‘inadequate’ for diversity, with inspectors noting there was ‘no current strategy for equality, diversity and inclusion’.

Inspectors also found that the service was not representative of its community, noting that only 4.5 percent of firefighters were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, compared to Greater Manchester’s BAME population of more than 16 per cent.

The report adds: “The facilities for women, such as toilets and showers, aren’t fit for purpose at some stations. There is evidence that this is making it difficult to post women to those stations.”

However, it noted that the service was starting to implement improvements at the time of the inspection.

In total, seven areas of the service were identified as requiring improvement, while four were deemed to be good – including effectiveness at responding to fires and other emergencies.

HMI inspector Phil Gormley said of the full report: “We are disappointed in what we found in our first inspection of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

“I recognise it has been a period of significant change and challenge, with governance transferred to the Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 and the service implementing recommendations made by Lord Kerslake following the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena.

“The service is also undertaking a comprehensive organisational review which may impact on future delivery.”

He added: “Our inspection found the service is effective at responding to emergencies and generally does so in a timely manner. It has processes in place to learn from incidents it attends.

“It also has a good understanding of local risks. However, the service has insufficient staff working within its risk-based inspection programme to ensure high-risk premises are complying with fire safety regulations.”

The service’s record on efficiency and sustainability was said to be mixed.

“We found that the service has a good track record of making savings. However, the service is operating in a financially unsustainable manner, using reserves to cover budget shortfalls. This cannot continue in the long term,” he said.

“Worryingly, the service does not have proper controls in place to monitor and manage the skills of its workforce. We also found examples of poor culture and behaviour and an unacceptable lack of facilities for women at some stations.

“I look forward to seeing the service improve in response to our findings.”

Chief Fire Officer, Jim Wallace, said: “I am pleased to see that HMICFRS has found us to be good at understanding the risks we face and, crucially, responding to fires and other emergencies. This shows that when you call us to an incident, we are good at providing the required response to deal with it and keep you safe.

“We are, however, disappointed to have been rated as ‘inadequate’ at ensuring fairness and promoting diversity. We provided evidence at the inspection that we feel demonstrates good work that goes on within the service in this area and since the inspection have shown how we are continuing to make improvements. I do not feel this reflects the reality of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service as we continue to strive to make this a welcoming place for everyone to work. 

“This includes introducing an Inclusivity Strategy and improved Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity staff training package. We also have a core of passionate and dedicated staff carrying out diversity and inclusivity work.

“Our attraction strategy has already had significant success recruiting from underrepresented groups and Home Office Data shows that we have the second highest percentage of new female recruits in England and the highest percentage of new recruits from minority ethnic backgrounds in England.

“In other areas, we have acknowledged ourselves the need for improvement to lay the foundation for a stronger organisation and that is why we initiated Programme for Change, a major review of the entire service. This is looking at all areas of the fire service and largely our direction of travel is consistent with HMICFRS’ findings.

“We have already started work on many of the improvement areas referred to in the report and will continue to look at how we can improve moving forward.”

Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes for Policing, Crime and Fire added: “Fundamentally people want to know that when there is an incident, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will respond quickly and effectively, so it is reassuring that the inspectors found the service is good at this.

“There are a number of areas identified where improvement is needed, and GMFRS is already taking action. The Programme for Change announced by the Mayor and upon which we are consulting is designed to improve further the effectiveness and efficiency of the service.

“However, given the remarkable work that has been done at GMFRS to improve representation amongst women and ethnic minorities, it is disappointing that inspectors did not recognise the real progress that has been made in this incredibly challenging field.”

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter

Additional reporting and information: Neal Keeling, Michelle Kight