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To fill the void left by the abolition of HM Fire Service Inspectorate a new body, said to better represent the changing face of the fire and rescue service, is being set up.
The Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser unit is to be set up by the summer, and will be tasked with providing ministers and civil servants with independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues. It will be headed up by a chief fire rescue adviser, who is currently being recruited by the Department for Communities & Local Government.
The unit will advise ministers and senior staff on the structure, organisation and performance of the service. It will also be responsible for disseminating good practice to fire and rescue services, and will advise and liaise with government, local authorities, professional bodies and other parties.
Fire minister Angela Smith paid tribute to the contribution HM Fire Service Inspectorate has made to the fire and rescue service, and its contribution to the reduction in fire deaths since the late 1950s. But, she added, the fire and rescue service has changed to better meet the challenges of today’s world, and a new professional advisory unit would better reflect these changes.
Chief Fire Officers’ Association president, Phil Toase, commented: “We welcome this announcement and look forward to working with the Adviser when appointed. The fire and rescue service has been transformed over the last few years, but there is still work to be done to meet the challenges facing our communities. We believe that the new arrangements, headed up by an experienced high level fire professional, will add momentum to the improvement programme.”
But concerns about a dilution of independent fire safety expertise at the centre of government have been voiced in some quarters. Writing in the March 2007 issue of FSE, former fire industry trade association secretary general, Brendan Gately, said:
“The demise of the fire safety legislation branch of the DCLG is of major concern. This has been compounded by the loss of Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectors…Whatever the future arrangements for fire safety’s place in government, improvement can only happen with a unified approach and with the right central resources in place.”
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