Statement of assurance - 2024 to 2025 - Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue

Lincolnshire FRA has carried out its functions in accordance with the defined statutory and policy framework in which it is required to operate. The key documents setting this out are:

• The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
• The Civil Contingencies Act 2004
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Fire Safety Act 2021
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations
• Building Safety Act 2022
• The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (England) Order 2007
• The Localism Act 2011
• The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England
• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975
• Serous Violence Duty
• The Care Act 2014
• Equality Duty 2010
• Policing and Crime Act 2017

Planning

2024 to 2025 was the first year of the four-year community risk management plan (CRMP). The CRMP:

• outlines the strategy for managing risk across Lincolnshire
• details strategic priorities and how resources are allocated to address the risks identified in the community risk profile for 2024 to 2028

The CRMP is reviewed annually. This ensures it stays current and responsive to new challenges and community needs.

The CRMP captures the services strategic intent in the medium term (four-year period). To allow the service to monitor and measure delivery, an annual service plan is produced. This breaks the four year CRMP into four sections. The annual service plan allows for review of priorities and targets. This supports a culture of continuous improvement and allows for a periodic review of delivery and achievements.

Progress against agreed actions is measured by the performance management board on a quarterly basis. This offers scrutiny at the highest level within the service.

Community risk management

The approach to community risk management is supported by a variety of modelling processes. This ensures a delivery model that is integrated across all aspects of service delivery, for example:

• response
• prevention
• protection

LFR adopts a structured, evidence-based approach to community risk management. This ensures that resources and prevention efforts are targeted where they are most needed to protect:

• life
• property
• the environment

This process allows us to:

• identify local risks such as:
  • residential fires
  • road traffic collisions
  • flooding
  • rural risks
• prioritise prevention, protection, and emergency response activities based on risk levels
• promote community safety through:
  • education
  •  home safety checks
  • targeted interventions for vulnerable groups

Risk identification and management

We use a combination of:

• data-driven tools
• partnership intelligence
• operational experience

This helps us to:

• identify and manage risks
• use incident data, demographic analysis, and risk modelling to map high-risk areas
• work closely with partner agencies to share information and develop coordinated risk reduction strategies, for example:
  • police
  • health services
  • local authorities
• regularly review operational response capabilities, ensuring resources are aligned with identified risks, such as:
  • stations
  • crews
  • equipment
• conduct proactive fire safety inspections for businesses and community premises to reduce risk of incidents

Resilience and business continuity

Having robust business continuity (BC) plans in place is essential. This minimises the impact of a disruption on the ability to deliver an effective service to the community. LFR continue to develop, maintain and test plans to deal with major disruptions of service. These include:

• staff shortages
• loss of premises
• technology failure
• loss of information
• loss of a key supplier or partner

Regular exercises of business continuity plans, and taking part in national and local exercises, supports continuity and currency. Participation exercises allow LFR to demonstrate that plans are current and agile to support critical service requirements. All exercises and BC events are debriefed to ensure areas of good practice and areas for improvement are identified. With learning captured, details are reported into LFR’s internal mechanisms This allows required updates to be made.

Collaboration

Collaboration is a central pillar of the service delivery model. We recognise the complex and evolving risks facing communities. Therefore, we actively work alongside a wide range of partners to deliver services that are:

• effective
• efficient
• sustainable

These partnerships include close operational collaboration with:

• Lincolnshire Police
• East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS)
• local authorities
• voluntary sector organisations
• participation in regional and national resilience forums

Through these collaborative arrangements, there is the enhanced ability to:

• prevent incidents
• respond to emergencies
• improve community safety outcomes

Importantly, joint working:

• reduces duplication of effort
• enables the pooling of resources
• ensures a more coordinated approach to major incidents and large-scale emergencies

Furthermore, collaboration supports the commitment to financial sustainability and public accountability by contributing to:

• value for money
• improved risk management
• shared learning

By embedding collaboration within its core operations, services remain responsive to local needs while aligned with:

• national standards
• the expectations of stakeholders

Examples of effective partnerships in 2024 to 2025

• Right care right person - a joint working protocol developed with Lincolnshire Police and EMAS. This sees a considered efficient response to calls from partners where support for gaining entry into properties where vulnerable individuals are in need of support.
• Full time officer has been embedded within the Road Safety Partnership. They will deliver partnership objectives towards road safety across the county. This individual also links into the wider national road safety partnership, offering insights into national initiatives.
• The service has been working with the Safer Lincolnshire Partnership to secure funding to support activities in-line with the Serious Violence duty. LFR established a fire cadet section with the funding. This aims to support crime and anti-social behaviour in a targeted manner.
• Our partnership with EMAS and LIVES sees co-responding activities being delivered from 26 locations across the county. This is funded through an integrated care board grant.
• The Arson Task Force is a partnership between LFR and Lincolnshire Police. A focus on arson reduction, linking with wider anti-social behaviour issues, has allowed us to support county wide arson reduction initiatives. The partnership has developed and committed to the national fire stoppers initiative. This offers round-the-clock support to communities who witness or are subject to arson related attacks.
• The prevention team developed a relationship with Lincolnshire Community Volunteer Services (LCVS), They are in the process of on-boarding the first cohort of LFR volunteers.
• The fire protection team have been actively engaged with targeted business engagement. They have worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce. Support for compliance with fire protection legislation has been a key part of activities. We have also supported police colleagues, with a targeted campaign. This helps to identify commercial premises that have the potential to be engaged with human trafficking and sexual exploitation offences.
• Prevention and protection teams have been working closely with Lincolnshire’s Housing Standards group, offering advice and support. An information sharing agreement (ISA) has been signed by all partners. This allows risk critical information to be shared.

Performance

The CRMP captures the delivery strategy. The strategy is predicated against four strategic pillars, with supporting narrative outlining our strategic intent on how we will deliver services:

• safer communities:
  • understanding our communities and the risks they face
  • being inclusive in our approach and tailoring services to meet the needs of our diverse communities
  • working with partners in a targeted, proactive and effective way
• service delivery:
  • having competent, confident and skilled staff
  • having the right skills, equipment and resources in the right places to reduce risk
  • having a learning culture and continually improving what we do and how we do it
  • striving to achieve a high level of service
• value for money:
  • making objective decisions based on evidence
  • making appropriate use of public money and providing best value
  • continually monitoring how we perform, sharing what we do, and embracing best practice from others
• people:
  • becoming an employer of choice through building a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace that enables our people to thrive in a safe environment
  • giving our people the skills required to perform to the best of their ability and provide them with opportunities to realise their full potential
  • being role models, showing visible and inclusive leadership and challenging behaviour that falls short of our high standards

Over the four year period of the CRMP, strategic priorities are identified and captured against the four pillars. The strategic priorities provide direction of travel and show a clear intent for delivery.