East Sussex fire service makes improvements in annual inspection

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has been to visit East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) and the report is now out.

This assessment examines the service’s effectiveness, efficiency and how well it looks after its people. It is designed to give the public information about how their local fire and rescue service is performing in several important areas, in a way that is comparable with other services across England.

Matt Parr inspected the service and revealed it has made progress since the 2019 assessment. Here are the headlines of the report:

The extent to which the service is effective at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good. It required improvements in the 2018/19 assessment.

The extent to which the service is efficient at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good. It was good in the 2018/19 assessment.

The extent to which the service looks after its people requires improvement. It required improvements in the 2018/19 assessment.

Mr Parr said: “I am pleased with some of the performance of East Sussex Fire and Rescue in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks, although it needs to improve in some areas to provide a consistently good service. East Sussex Fire and Rescue has made good progress since our last inspection. I encourage it to continue with its efforts to make improvements in the areas we have highlighted.”

Chief fire officer Dawn Whittaker said: “The report has recognised the hard work of our staff to improve the whole organisation, and safety within our communities, particularly after the tragedy at Grenfell.

“I am especially pleased the inspectors spoke to so many of our staff, and looked across the entire Service before reaching their judgement. This ensures our report is as comprehensive and wide-ranging as possible.

“We are not complacent. The report identifies some areas for improvement and recognises that there is work underway to address these. We will now consider the findings in detail and use these to ensure we continually improve.”

Chairman of East Sussex Fire Authority Roy Galley said: “The Fire Authority is pleased that the report recognises the clear and significant progress the service has made. We would like to thank all those involved.

“Progress does not stop here. This report is just one way our service to the community is monitored to ensure we continue to deliver our commitments to the public in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.”

Full report here

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