National Fire Chiefs Chair, Mark Hardingham provides an update on the range of NFCC activity during his first two months in office.
Having stepped down as Chief Fire Officer for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, Mark Hardingham now leads the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supported by CFO Justin Johnston from Lancashire and CFO Phil Garrigan from Merseyside.
He said that he welcomed the focus on fire and fire reform, referring to the upcoming Fire Reform White Paper and the second part of the Home Office review of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Mark chaired his first Council meeting last month where members agreed the NFCC’s Plan for 2021-24. This includes a proposed budget of £8.4 million for NFCC activity for this year. £2 million of this is allocated to the work of the NFCC’s Protection Policy and Reform Unit. Funding for the NFCC comes from the Home Office and levies on fire and rescue services.
Mr Hardingham said:
“This essential piece of work clearly outlines how we will deliver the changes we want to see. It not only reflects what could impact on the fire and rescue service in the short-term, but sets out our longer-term strategic commitments, while ensuring we have the flexibility to meet emerging threats.”
Fire and rescue services continue to assist with the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Hardingham applauded the ongoing vaccination efforts, confirming that fire and rescue service staff have now given 300,000 vaccinations already and thousands of hours of support for community testing.
He referred to the government’s consultations on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and the revisions to BB100 concerning sprinklers in schools. On the latter, he said the consultation was “extremely disappointing.”
Marking the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, Mr Hardingham said:
“This is an incident that still dominates many aspects of our work and that of the wider fire sector. At the ongoing inquiry, the recent evidence about decisions on the refurbishment being focussed more on the aesthetics of the building than the fire safety of those within it strikes to the heart of some of the problems and perceptions of fire safety.”
He also noted the ongoing inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombings, which will: “undoubtedly raise further areas of learning for NFCC, FRS and emergency service partners.”
Concluding his update, Mr Hardingham added:
“I would like to thank colleagues for their support and I look forward to updating you regularly on the work of NFCC and how we are working to support fire and rescue services, while working with parliamentarians, government departments and other partners to drive change for the better.”