Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service has made 'notable progress', inspectors find

In 2021, the fire service was told it "required improvement" in key areas

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has made "notable progress" since its last inspection, government inspectors have said.

In 2021, CFRS was told it "required improvement" in key areas.

Following another visit in January, inspectors said the service had made "a determined effort" to address the issues.

The report said the service's new action plan "clearly sets out" how the cause of concern would be addressed.

Despite being told overall the service's process for updating risk information on mobile data terminals (MDTs) had "improved considerably", it said more work was needed to make sure the latest correct information was consistently available on all MDTs.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said an online form was used to record and share risk information between the prevention, protection, operations and risk departments.

The latest inspection found the service had improved

It said fire service staff understood the process, and there was a dashboard report that tracked the sharing of risk information. The report added each department took responsibility for making sure the information was noted and appropriate action taken.

The report said this was a notable improvement in how risk information was shared, but that some was still not being shared with firefighters sent to an emergency.

Concluding, it said Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service had "recognised the problems with its risk information collection and sharing process".

It continued: "While the service has made positive progress overall, we found some areas that need further attention to make sure reliable, accurate and consistent information is recorded and given to firefighters.

"We will continue to monitor progress against the cause of concern through updates from the service and during our next scheduled inspection in 2023."