Agenda item

Cllr Dr Nathan Ley, Cabinet member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, and Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Safety, have been invited to present a report on Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Improvement.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer and Director of Community Safety, was invited to present a report on Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service improvement.

The Chief Fire Officer introduced the significant improvement plan, highlighting it as a major change and addressing both His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) recommendations and broader service improvements. The Fire Improvement Board had been established and had its first meeting, with HMICFRS showing support for the approach. The recommendation was for the Committee to endorse the Fire Improvement Board as the method to track improvements and to agree that the Chief Fire Officer should report annually on progress.

Following the Chief Fire Officer’s introduction, members raised a number of questions and concerns about the report, including the following:

• The scale of false alarms was highlighted by members as an area of concern.  The Committee was advised that a consultation with the public about false alarms had been completed, and a new policy had been adopted to address this issue, the implementation of the new policy was delayed. This was to allow for broader engagement with the business community. The policy aimed to reduce the number of unwanted fire signals and is expected to have an immediate impact upon its implementation next month.

• The service received internal support from Oxfordshire County Council's IT and digital services and collaborated with external partners through the National Fire Chiefs Council to explore national data and digital solutions, aiming to enhance digital capabilities and boost efficiency and response times.

• The Committee was advised that the service was focused on improved communication around feedback processes.  The introduction of an independent reporting line was highlighted as a measure to provide staff with a confidential way to raise issues.

Members expressed their concerns that since the previous report the service had seen a downgrade of all criteria to either adequate or required improvement.  Members were assured that the grades in the report reflected a change in the grading system by the HMICFRS, which affected the overall assessment.

It was explained that if any areas for improvement were identified in the report, the service would automatically receive an "adequate" rating instead of "good." This change in grading criteria contributed to the shift in grades observed.

The impact of a significant pay dispute, which nearly led to industrial action, was acknowledged as having affected the service's capacity to focus on certain areas, potentially influencing the grades received.

The service was taking steps to address these issues, including improving communication around feedback processes and introducing an independent reporting line for staff to raise concerns, aiming to rebuild confidence in the feedback system and address the concerns highlighted by the HMICFRS.

• The proportion of staff reporting that they had experienced bullying and harassment was also highlighted by members. The need to address this issue was pressed by members who were curious as to what the service was doing to rectify this.

It was acknowledged that some staff had experienced bullying and harassment. It was demonstrated that the service was actively addressing these issues by focusing on resetting behaviours and values across the organization.  This included introducing an independent reporting line for staff to raise concerns confidentially, aiming to improve the feedback process and ensure issues are addressed appropriately. Incidents of bullying and harassment were being investigated thoroughly, with a commitment to taking robust action where necessary.

The service was also engaging in conversations across the organisation about standards, values, and behaviours, with a key focus on improving the culture and ensuring a supportive environment for all staff.

• Members questioned the diversity of the service and the general make-up of the Oxfordshire Fire and rescue service., including what changes had occurred to the service and whether there was a national trend behind recent changes or whether these changes were more unique to Oxfordshire demographics and trends.

During the discussion, it was highlighted that the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is actively striving to enhance diversity within the service. Whilst some progress has been made, such as an increase in operational female firefighters and a slight rise in firefighters from minority groups, it was noted that there was still substantial work required to improve diversity further.

It was also acknowledged that the service predominantly relied on on-call firefighters, which outnumbered whole-time firefighters, presenting challenges in retaining and recruiting personnel from diverse backgrounds. To tackle these issues, targeted recruitment and development strategies were being implemented to ensure a more diverse workforce.

• Members questioned whether the promotion process, which only 41% thought was fair with too many people in temporary promotions, affected the retention rate of the service. Questions were raised to what was being done to improve the promotion process and make the process more transparent.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that there were challenges with temporary promotions, with a number of part-time firefighters, and a commitment to running promotional processes more regularly to reduce their number. 

The service was working on improving transparency and fairness in the promotion process, including explaining the process more clearly and involving individuals from outside the organisation on interview panels.

• It was noted that the number of home safety checks being carried out across Oxfordshire was substantially lower than the national figure. It was questioned whether this was policy, or if the service simply did not have the resources to carry out the requisite home safety checks.

It was explained that the Service was focusing on targeting the most vulnerable individuals for these checks.

While the overall number of checks had decreased, this approach ensured that resources are used more effectively to reach those in greatest need. The service was working on improving the precision of targeting vulnerable individuals through better engagement and understanding of community needs.

This strategy aimed to ensure that those who can benefit most from home safety checks received them, while acknowledging that some individuals could access safety information through other means.

The Committee resolved to request the following ACTIONS

·       Include the expected and actual benefits and outcomes to new policies in future reports.

·       That a representative of the HMICFRS should be invited to attend the annual report of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service to the Committee.