Fire & Rescue Inspection
FRS 2018-19 CoC Recommendations: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service
Published 20 December 2018
Cause of Concern recommendations tracked by HMICFRS for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (2018-19)
6
Recommendations
6
Completed
National — applies to all forces
Recommendations (6)
| # | Recommendation | Directed at | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should implement national operational guidance, specifically in relation to the completion of analytical risk assessments and decision logs. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |
| F2 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should improve how it monitors operational incident command and feedback processes. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |
| F3 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should improve its operational assurance by debriefing firefighters effectively and passing on any learning to all staff. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |
| F4 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should improve the information available to staff in the critical control centre, so that they can make effective decisions about the mobilisation of fire engines. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |
| F5 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should regularly update risk information on mobile data terminals so that firefighters responding to incidents can see the most up-to-date information. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |
| F6 | Cause of concern: We have serious concerns about Cornwall FRS’s response to incidents. The service consistently doesn’t meet target response times for fires, especially in remote areas served by on-call stations. It is sometimes slow to update mobile data terminals with risk information. Staff often rely on paper records. Staff in the critical control centre aren’t confident in the ICT systems which show availability of staff and fire engines. This leads to increased resources being mobilised or delays in attending incidents. Operational crews don't regularly record information because they aren’t all completing risk assessments or decision logs, in line with national guidance. Frontline staff don’t all understand how to identify vulnerable people or how to use the referral process for vulnerable people and safeguarding. The service doesn’t consistently gather essential learning from operational incidents, or pass this on to all staff. Recommendation: The service should train staff better in how to identify vulnerable people and use safeguarding referral procedures, and should ensure staff use these consistently. | Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service | Completed |