The first four Fire Standards for fire and rescue services in England are to be published on www.firestandards.org on 16 February 2021. This is a monumental announcement, building upon and driving professionalism within our sector.
These initial Fire Standards have an operational response focus, outlining what front-line best practice should look like. The standards are about identifying what it is to be prepared, how best to respond and then how to learn and embrace new thoughts and technologies to drive a culture of innovation and prevention. The four Fire Standards are:
- Emergency response driving
- Operational preparedness
- Operational response
- Operational learning
The three operational Fire Standards are underpinned by the National Operational Guidance (NOG). The key to services successfully achieving these Fire Standards is the successful implementation of NOG.
Supporting guidance and implementation support for all Fire Standards will be provided by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), drawing on their unique network and subject matter expertise. An online guide to help services with implementation of NOG is being launched at this time.
Suzanne McCarthy, Chair of the Fire Standards Board (FSB), commenting on the publication of these Standards said: ‘These Fire Standards are the first of a suite of standards that the Fire Standards Board will be producing which will cover activities carried out by fire and rescue services. The aim of these organizational standards is to drive improvement and enhance professionalism, helping to identify what good looks like for the benefit of both fire and rescue service personnel and the communities they serve.’
These Fire Standards and the others that will follow will contribute to shaping professional fire and rescue services that all who work in them can be proud of. They will help drive improvements and fuel innovation.
Other Fire Standards in the pipeline include Code of Ethics, Community Risk Management Planning, Prevention and Fire Protection, the former due to be published within the next few months.
We urge you to keep abreast of these developments by following us on www.firestandards.org on twitter @FireStandards and LinkedIn @Fire-Standards-Board
Background
The Fire Standards Board was created in 2019. It was established to oversee the identification, development and maintenance of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England.
