Working paper no 6. A review of integrated risk management plans in fire and rescue services: stage 1

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Lakoma, K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2583-3813, Toothill, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5233-1683 and Murphy, P ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-4448, 2019. Working paper no 6. A review of integrated risk management plans in fire and rescue services: stage 1. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

The production, implementation and maintenance of up-to-date Integrated Risk Management Plans (IRMPs) has been a mandatory requirement for all Fire and Rescue Authorities and Services in the UK since they were introduced by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The publication of IRMPs is intended to reassure the public that Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) are aware of all of the risks to people and property in their areas and that appropriate action is being taken to protect the public, prevent and mitigate harm and expedite response to incidents. FRS will be aware that the government’s most recent National Fire and Rescue Framework for England (Home Office 2018) assumes that IRMPs are both publicly available and adequate to underpin or inform strategic decision-making as well as operational service delivery.

Despite this fundamental and strategic role in public protection and service delivery, the research team became aware during the initial stages of this project that neither the government, nor the service is currently systematically reviewing the content, currency nor fitness for purpose of the existing IRMPs.

As part of their new service inspections, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) are reviewing whether the activities and services provided by FRS are based on risks identified in the IRMPs, and that their activities and services reflect the risks identified in their IRMPs (HMICFRS 2018). The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) are currently undertaking (with Nottingham Trent University) a national review of Community Risk Methodology underpinning IRMPs. However, as far as we are aware, there are currently no proposals by the Home Office, or HMICFRS or NFCC to systematically investigate the adequacy of current IRMPs to establish whether they are fit for purpose, and follow the best available practice. In addition, FRSs have recently been criticised for failure to evaluate their prevention activities and to establish the effects/benefits they are having to the public (HMICFRS 2018).

The principal objective of the current research project is therefore to start to review Integrated Risk Management Plans in FRS. Although we would strongly support a more comprehensive study, we do not have the resources, at this time, to complete a comprehensive assessment of all IRMPs, nor do we currently have the resources to investigate every part of the IRMPs.

The research team are therefore undertaking a review of specific aspects of IRMPs, and for practical reasons have had to base this on a sample of FRS.

Item Type:	Working paper
Creators:	Lakoma, K., Toothill, A. and Murphy, P.
Publisher:	Nottingham Trent University
Place of Publication:	Nottingham
Date:	2019
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	18 Mar 2019 11:04
Last Modified:	18 Mar 2019 11:06
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/36059