P2-31 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Inspect London Fire Brigade control room operations

Recommendation

That His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (the Inspectorate) inspect the London Fire Brigade as soon as reasonably possible to assess and report on: a) the extent to which the control room is now integrated into the organisation; b) the effectiveness of the arrangements for identifying the training needs of control room staff, delivering effective training and recording its outcomes; c) the effectiveness of the control room generally; d) the ability of the control room to handle a large number of concurrent requests for advice and assistance from people directly affected by fires or other emergencies; and e) the quality and effectiveness of the arrangements for communication between the control room and the incident commander. (113.55)

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Gov.uk progress update, 2026-02-01, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspected the London Fire Brigade (LFB) in February 2024, publishing its findings in November 2024. According to the Gov.uk progress update, 2026-02-01, the inspection found that LFB had made significant improvements in performance since January 2022, demonstrating enhanced risk understanding and outstanding major incident response (Gov.uk progress update, 2026-02-01).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted
Accepted HMICFRS Initial Response
16 Jan 2025

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) accepts this recommendation. HMICFRS most recently inspected London Fire Brigade in February 2024 on their effectiveness, efficiency and people management. The findings were published in November 2024. Overall, HMICFRS found that London Fire Brigade had made significant improvements in their performance since their previous inspection in January 2022. London Fire Brigade has improved its understanding of risk, continues to respond quickly to fires and is seen as outstanding in responding to major and multi-agency incidents.

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Accepted HMICFRS Follow-up
26 Feb 2025

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) accepts this recommendation. HMICFRS most recently inspected London Fire Brigade in February 2024 on their effectiveness, efficiency and people management. The findings were published in November 2024. Overall, HMICFRS found that London Fire Brigade had made significant improvements in their performance since their previous inspection in January 2022. London Fire Brigade has improved its understanding of risk, continues to respond quickly to fires and is seen as outstanding in responding to major and multi-agency incidents.

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Progress Timeline
Official Report
01 Feb 2026

HMICFRS inspected LFB in February 2024; findings published November 2024. LFB demonstrated significant improvements since January 2022 inspection, with enhanced risk understanding and outstanding major incident response. The necessary assurance has since taken place, and this recommendation is complete and fully discharged.

Source
Report Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report 04 Sep 2024
Responsible Bodies
HMICFRS Primary
Recommendation age 1.5 yrs
Last formal update 01 Feb 2026