Inspectors raise concerns at Cornwall Fire Service

HMICFRS said that despite good progress being made on the recommendations, there is still more work to be done

A cause of concern has been highlighted at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service by official inspectors.

In September, the service was asked by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to show how it planned to prioritise the provision of gender-appropriate facilities for staff at all service establishments.

The service was believed to have completed "a number of tasks" towards improving facilities, but had not developed interim arrangements for welfare facilities at two stations, inspectors said.

The fire service said HMICFRS had recognised "good progress" it had made and it would "continue to work with the inspectors".

'Work to be done'

HMICFRS said the plan should include arrangements for funding and a realistic time frame for implementation.

However, the fire service had secured £1.3m more in capital funding from Cornwall Council to support the planned improvements, the inspector added.

In a letter to the fire service, HMICFRS said that, despite good progress being made on the recommendations, there was still more work to be done.

It said: "While the action plan is comprehensive, we can’t determine how effective it will be to address the recommendation to provide adequate, gender-appropriate facilities for staff at all service establishments.

"We will return to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service on a date to be agreed in the near future.

"We will assess whether the service has made satisfactory progress with its action plan."

Inspectors said an action plan was supported by detailed work that sets out how the service intends to address the recommendations, including:

• Gap analysis of station facilities against health and safety legislation and approved codes of practice

• Prioritising works on stations to improve welfare and changing facilities, and storage for firefighting PPE

• Indicative timescales for completing works on stations

• Incident welfare planning and provision

• Arrangements for the procurement and provision of gender-appropriate workwear and PPE

Chief Fire Officer Kathryn Billing said: "I am pleased that the HMICFRS has recognised the good progress we have already made against their recommendations, and that they are happy with the plan of action we have in place to address any remaining issues.

"We will continue to work with the inspectors to ensure we meet all recommendations within the near future."