Dec 1999 BBC
21 December 1999
HM CHIEF INSPECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES' ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED
Publishing his second Annual Report as Chief Inspector of Fire Services, Graham Meldrum said he was 'encouraged' by the rise in the number of ethnic minority and female firefighters. Statistics gathered from equal opportunities annual returns showed an increase in the year March 1998/99 of over 15% - from 434 to 502 - in the number of women, and over 12% - from 513 to 577 - in the number from ethnic minorities employed as firefighters.
However, the Chief Inspector guarded against complacency. Referring to the Inspectorate's thematic review Equality and Fairness in the Fire Service, published in September, Mr Meldrum said: "There is a general view that the fire service continues to perform well and is highly regarded by the community it serves. There are some areas, however, which the Inspectorate has identified for improvement. "Our first thematic review showed that the service has a lot of work to do to create equal opportunities. The report made uncomfortable reading and no-one involved in the fire service can ignore its findings no mater how good the performance at incidents may be. "I am pleased to note, however, that positive initiatives are underway in many brigades and much has already been achieved."
The Chief Inspector also highlighted the need for brigades to co-operate closely when undertaking cross-border work to maximise efficiency: "If brigades work in isolation, it can lead to unsafe working environments and detract from operational efficiency."
The Chief Inspector's report also shows:
- At 31 March 1999, there were 33,656 full time and 14,665 retained firefighters in England and Wales;
- In 1998 the number of fires attended by brigades was 13% fewer than 1997;
- The total number of incidents attended fell for the third successive year by 9% to just under 900,300;
- For the sixth year running, malicious false alarms (those that fire brigades thought were knowingly given) fell - to 74,100 from 132,700 in 1993;
- The Fire Service share of total local authority spending in England and Wales in 1998/99 was #1,372.5 million, #65 million (5%) more than for the previous year. Under the Comprehensive Spending Review the settlement for 1999/2000 has provided for an increase of #49.8 million (3.6%)
NOTES FOR EDITORS: 1. The Chief Inspector's Annual Report covers events associated with, and affecting fire brigades in England and Wales over the year 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999. Media copies of the report are available from the Home Office Press Office .