Gloucestershire fire service 'must continue to improve'

Gloucestershire's Chief Fire Officer Mark Preece said he understood there was a "long way to go" but was pleased with the progress

Improvements have been made at a fire service in special measures but "there is more to be done", inspectors say.

Last July, workplace culture at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) was deemed "inadequate" by His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Re-visiting in November, HMICFRS found it had "slowly started to improve".

Chief GFRS Fire Officer Mike Preece said he was pleased with progress.

Mr Preece said that while he was "absolutely pleased" for staff and those "working really hard" to make sure they continued to improve, he remained "focused" knowing "there's a lot of work to do".

'Growing understanding'

GFRS was moved into an enhanced monitoring process by HMICFRS, known as "engage", after they found the service was lacking progress on values, culture and diversity.

A report by HMICFRS also said there were many incidents of bullying and harassment and the service was "inadequate" at promoting the right values for staff.

In November Wendy Williams, of HMICFRS, said she was "pleased to see signs of progress" and "growing understanding of the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion."

She said the service had prioritised work on "improving its culture", "increasing the visibility and approachability of its leaders" and "clear access to wellbeing support".

Ms Williams also said they had looked at managing staff workloads and had made amendments to recruitment and promotion processes.

'Build on momentum'

However, she said while most staff were starting to see "small but positive changes", some still continued to "feel isolated" and "have little trust in the service's commitment to improve".

The inspector added the service "needs to continue to build on this momentum" and grow "from small steps to significant initiatives".

Mr Preece told BBC Radio Gloucestershire the service needed to be more diverse and representative of the community.

His Majesty's Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Wendy Williams said she was "pleased to see signs of progress" at the service

He said they were working towards a workplace which "is inviting" for everyone.

"For us to deliver a first class service to our communities, it's about having staff that are motivated that are competent and safe to do that role," he said.

"We can only do that if we create the right workplace"

The service anticipates a full inspection later this year.