Government have confirmed that they are looking at the creation of a fire and rescue college as per the recommendation in the Grenfell Inquiry report
A written question submitted by Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart in relation to firefighter training and standards saw Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire, and Local Growth at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Alex Norris MP confirm that the government plan to launch a consultation on the creation of a new fire and rescue college.
In his answer, given on 10 April, Norris said: “The Government has accepted in principle the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry’s recommendation to establish a college of fire and rescue. A necessary first step will be to consult on the most appropriate functions for a college – which could, as recommended by the Inquiry, include training provision and standards – and how it could best be structured and delivered. We expect to launch this consultation later in 2025.”
Acknowledging that this process would require input from other bodies with the fire sector, he confirmed that “government will continue to work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to keep the public safe”.
He also said that “implementing a new professional body for the fire and rescue sector would be a complex, long-term project requiring legislation and investment.”
Responses to a previous consultation on the fire reform white paper, that ran between May and July 2022, showed “an overwhelmingly positive response to the creation of a College, which could develop practice across the prevention, protection, and response functions that fire professionals undertake”, with 75% of respondents noted as being in favour or strongly in favour.
The proposals put forward by the Home Office (then in charge of fire policy) during this consultation were aimed at strengthening the development of individuals and the overall professionalism of fire and rescue services, setting the direction on data, research, leadership, ethics, and professional standards. It proposed placing “future responsibility for professional standards with the College of Fire and Rescue” and creating statutory powers “to enable it to lead the profession, including to create a statutory code of ethics and to set standards on leadership”.
It was also proposed that any such College could be given powers mirroring those of the College of Policing, to “help it drive change”.
It is unclear at present what the remit of the newly announced consultation will be or how much this previous consultation will feed into it.