Kent 2021/22
Read more about KentThis is HMICFRS’s third assessment of fire and rescue services. This assessment examines the service’s effectiveness, efficiency and how well it looks after its people. It is designed to give the public information about how their local fire and rescue service is performing in several important areas, in a way that is comparable with other services across England.
The extent to which the service is effective at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good.
The extent to which the service is efficient at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is outstanding.
The extent to which the service looks after its people is good.
Roy Wilsher, HM Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services
HM Inspector's summary
It was a pleasure to revisit Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and I am grateful for the positive and constructive way that the service engaged with our inspection.
I congratulate Kent Fire and Rescue Service on its excellent performance in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks. We have judged the service to be outstanding in four areas and good in all the others. There are many positives to report.
I am pleased how the service has progressed since our last inspection, including addressing seven of the eight areas for improvement that we had identified.
My principal findings from our assessments of the service in the last year are as follows:
- The service has a thorough understanding of the risks it faces.
- It has set clear priorities for the use of its resources, and it has well-structured risk‑based plans.
- The service has introduced a range of measures to ensure that its workforce is productive.
- Senior leaders have a clear vision for the service’s culture, and lead by example.
Also of note are the innovative practices that we have found:
- The service has developed a process to gather and use risk information in a timely and effective way.
- The presentation, clarity, and purpose of the service’s plans is excellent.
And the promising practices we have identified:
- The service makes excellent use of its procurement arrangements.
- The national Core Code of Ethics has been used to support a positive culture.
- The service has introduced a neurodiversity passport to reduce the burden on individuals who need reasonable adjustments.
The service has assessed an appropriate range of risks and threats after a thorough risk management planning process. When assessing risk, it has considered relevant information collected from a broad range of internal and external sources.
It has set clear priorities for the use of its resources, and it has well-structured plans. It knows what it wants to achieve based on a thorough understanding of risk. The service has explained its objectives and priorities clearly in a set of well-presented strategies which are fully aligned with its customer safety plan.
We are pleased to see that the service’s arrangements for managing performance clearly link resource use to its customer safety plan and strategic priorities. The service continues to take steps to make sure the workforce is as productive as possible. This includes implementing new ways of working.
Senior leaders have a clear vision for the culture of the service, and staff described a working environment with positive behaviours firmly in place, that are accepted, demonstrated and understood throughout the organisation.