Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

Performance Committee

Meeting to be held on Monday 14 September 2026

Performance Management Information for quarter 1, 2026-27

(Appendix 1 refers).

Contact for further information – Sam Pink, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO)

Tel: 01772 866801

Executive Summary

This paper provides a clear measure of our progress against the Key Performance

Indicators (KPI) detailed in the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2027.

Recommendation

The Performance Committee is asked to note the Quarter 1 Measuring Progress report, including two positive, and two negative exceptions.

Information

As set out in the report.

Business Risk

High

Environmental Impact

High – the report apprises the Committee of the Authority's progress.

Equality & Diversity Implications

High – the report apprises the Committee of the Authority's progress.

HR Implications

Medium

Financial Implications

Medium

Legal Implications

None

Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985

List of background papers

Paper:         

Date:           

Contact:      

Reason for inclusion in Part 2 if appropriate: N/A

Measuring Progress

Performance Report

Quarter 1: April 2026 – June 2026

Introduction

The following pages set out Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s (LFRS) Performance Framework, an explanation of how our Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI) are measured and how we are performing.

The document illustrates our performance across all our KPI’s and where appropriate, by an analysis of the KPI’s which are classified as being in exception, along with an analysis of the cause and actions being taken to improve performance.

Contents	Page (s)
Introduction	2
Table of Contents	3
Explanation of Performance Measures	4
Performance Framework and Indicator Trends	5 – 7
Key Performance Indicators	8 – 48
Glossary	49

Table of contents

Executive Summary. 1

Explanation of Performance Measures. 4

Performance Framework and indicator trends. 5

1.1 Overall Staff Engagement 8

1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT) 10

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC) 14

1.2.3 Staff Absence Green Book. 15

1.3.1 Workforce Diversity. 18

1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited. 19

1.4 Staff Accidents. 20

2.1 Risk Map. 21

2.2 Overall Activity. 22

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF) 24

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties. 25

2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 26

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (ABF) - Commercial Premises. 27

2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 28

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises) 29

2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity) 31

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires. 32

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings. 33

2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises. 34

2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (Rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc.) 35

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC) 36

2.8 Prevention activities delivered. 37

2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks. 38

2.9.1 Fire Safety Activity. 40

2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC) 41

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 42

3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance. 43

3.3 Fire Engine Availability. 44

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget 45

4.2 Partnership Collaboration.. 46

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction.. 48

Glossary. 49

Explanation of Performance Measures

KPI’s are monitored either by using an XmR^[1] chart, comparing current performance against that achieved in the previous year’s activity, or against a pre-determined standard - for example: the response standard KPIs are measured against a range of set times.

The set times are dependent upon the risk rating given to each Super Output Area (SOA), which is presented as a percentage of occasions where the standard is met.

^[1]XmR chart explanation (Value [X] over a moving [m] range [R]).

An XmR chart is a control chart used to highlight any significant changes in activity so that interventions can be made before an issue arises. It can also highlight where activity has decreased, potentially as a result of preventative action which could be replicated elsewhere.

Activity is deemed to be within standard if it remains within set upper and lower limits. These limits are based upon the previous three years activity and are set using a statistically derived constant, approximately equivalent to three standard deviations.

An exception report is generated if the upper, or lower, XmR rules are breached.

The following rules are applicable to the XmR charts and define when an exception has occurred:

· A single point beyond the Upper Control Limit is classified as a negative exception.

· A single point beyond the Lower Control Limit is classified as a positive exception.

Example XmR chart: In the example below, this KPI would produce a negative exception for meeting rule 1, as the activity, represented as a dark blue line, for May 2021 (    ) is above the Upper Control Limit (UCL) and a positive exception in September 2021 (    ) for meeting rule 2, being below the Lower Control Limit (LCL).

Performance Framework and indicator trends

The Combined Fire Authority sets the Service challenging targets for a range of key performance indicators (KPI) which help them to monitor and measure our performance in achieving success and meeting our priorities. Performance against these KPIs is scrutinised every quarter at the Performance Committee.

The following graphic illustrates our priorities and how their respective KPI’s fit within the overall performance framework.

This section also provides an overview of the performance direction of the KPIs. Each KPI is shown within its priority, with an indicator called Sparklines; which are the inset summary charts and indicate the relative direction of travel over the last four quarters. The last point of the chart represents the most recent quarter. Sparkline’s are simple indicative indicators and are not intended to have labelled points or axes.

1.1 Overall Staff Engagement

A written update on staff engagement will be provided on a quarterly basis.

Scope and definition:

Staff engagement is achieved through a variety of activities carried out every day across the service including station visits, digital staff sessions, appraisals, and team meetings. This includes a programme of wellbeing interactions such as workplace toolbox talks, station visits, workshops, peer support, trauma risk management (TRiM) interventions, health and wellbeing campaign activities, and wellbeing support dog visits. All members of staff can raise questions, ideas and improvements on the Service’s intranet and staff are regularly involved in testing and trialling new equipment and ways of working. Surveys and consultations are held on specific matters when required.

A comprehensive staff survey is undertaken periodically to gain insight from all staff on a range of topics including leadership, training and development, health and wellbeing, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. The feedback is used to shape future activity and bring about improvements and new ideas. The survey includes a staff engagement index which is a measure of overall staff engagement based on levels of pride, advocacy, attachment, inspiration and motivation. The current staff engagement index score is 69% (2025).

Measurement/update:

From April to June 2026, 12 station visits were carried out by principal officers and area managers as part of our service-wide engagement programme. 29 wellbeing interactions were undertaken ranging from workshops with crews to wellbeing support dog engagements and two engagement visits by the human resources team.

An extended leadership workshop was held with middle and senior managers, and five Watch Managers' Forum events took place to keep wholetime and functional watch managers informed of what is happening in service delivery and give them the opportunity to share feedback and be involved in changes. Two Staff Forum events were held for all staff to hear directly from the chief fire officer about current work and future plans, raise issues that matter to them, and share ideas to help shape the direction of our Service.

The Service engaged with staff over topics relating to our facilities, fleet, and equipment including breathing apparatus, personal protective equipment, training facilities, and heavyweight drones. Our Firefighting Tactics Group is evaluating various lengths of 38mm diameter hose, which is a lightweight firefighting hose, to identify any that can provide a greater amount of water with the agility of a lighter-weight hose. 

Engagement index:

An engagement index is calculated based on five questions measuring pride, advocacy, attachment, inspiration and motivation; factors that are understood to be important features shared by staff who are engaged with the organisation.

For each respondent an engagement score is calculated as the average score across the five questions where strongly disagree is equivalent to 0, disagree is equivalent to 25, neither agree nor disagree is equivalent to 50, agree is equivalent to 75 and strongly agree is equivalent to 100. The engagement index is then calculated as the average engagement score in the organisation.

This approach means that a score of 100 is equivalent to all respondents saying strongly agree to all five engagement questions, while a score of 0 is equivalent to all respondents saying strongly disagree to all five engagement questions.

The survey results highlight areas of success as well as areas for development and the feedback will be considered by the Service and used to inform current and future planning. Feedback will also be provided to staff to demonstrate that views have been listened to in terms of action taken as a result.

1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime (WT)

Quarter shifts lost 2.58

To ensure LFRS aligns to national standards, absence is calculated using the quarterly number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime staff divided by the total average headcount strength. This follows the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) reporting methodology.

Annual Standard: Not more than 8 shifts lost.

This is represented on the chart as annual shifts lost divided by 4 quarters, which equates to a quarterly standard of two.

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

2.58

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being above the Service target for quarter 1.

This section of the report refers to sickness absence rates for the period 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2026.

The agreed target performance level is 2 shifts lost per employee per quarter for wholetime staff. The actual shifts lost for the period for this group of staff is 2.58, which is 0.58 shifts above target for the quarter. During the same quarter the previous year, 1.98 shifts were lost which is an increase of 0.60 shifts lost per wholetime employee compared to the same quarter last year.

Analysis

1,515 wholetime absence shifts lost in the quarter = 2.58 against a target of 2.00.

The number of cases of long-term absence which spanned over the total of the three months remained at four cases in Quarter 1. The absence reasons being:

Reason	Case/s
Absence reasons include: Musculoskeletal, Heart, Cardiac and Circulatory problems, and Hospital/Post Operative	4
Total	4

134 shifts were lost during the quarter as a result of the above four cases of long-term absence, compared with 179 shifts lost during the same quarter of 2025-26. These cases account for 0.23 shifts lost per person over the quarter.

The number of long-term absence cases which were recorded within the three months has increased from 27 in Quarter 4 of 2025-26 to 36 in Quarter 1 of 2026-27:

Reason	Case/s
Musculoskeletal (Other/Unable to define - 5 cases, Upper limb – 5 cases, Back - 2 cases, Shoulder – 2 cases)	14
Hospital/Post Operative Procedure	6
Mental Health (Other)	5
Other absence types	5
Mental Health (Work Related Stress)	3
Other known causes (not specified)	3
Total	36

During Quarter 1, long-term sickness was the main contributor to wholetime absence, accounting for 917 of the 1,515 shifts lost, compared with 598 shifts lost to short-term sickness. The highest causes of wholetime sickness by shifts lost were hospital/post-operative absence, mental health, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Measures the Service takes to manage absence

The Service has an Absence Management Policy which details our approach to managing absences to ensure that staff time is managed effectively, and that members of staff are supported back to work or exited from the Service in a compassionate way.

The Human Resources (HR) system iTrent automatically generates monthly reports to line managers and HR Business Partners in relation to employees and their periods and reasons for absence, and these are closely monitored. Where employees are absent due to a mental health condition, or a stress-related condition, they are referred to Occupational Health Unit (OHU) as early as possible. Employees returning to work have a return-to-work interview and stress risk assessment, or individual health risk assessments are completed where required.

The Service has several support mechanisms available to support individuals to return to work or be exited as appropriate including guidance from Occupational Health, access to Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), access to an Employee Assistance Programme and the Firefighters Charity.

Where an employee does not return to work in a timely manner an absence review meeting will take place with the employee and the line manager and a representative from Human Resources. The meetings are aimed at supporting an individual back to work which can include modified duties for a period, redeployment, but ultimately can result in dismissal, or permanent ill health retirement from the service.

The Absence Management Policy details when a formal review of an employee’s performance levels would normally take place. In terms of short-term absence, a formal review would take place where an employee has three or more periods of absence in six months, or an employee has 14 days absent. In terms of long-term absence, a formal review will normally take place at three, six, nine and 11 months.

A key challenge for supporting operational staff return to work is that the threshold for fitness and return to work for operational firefighters is higher than in other occupations due to their hazardous working conditions.

Absence rates among Wholetime staff currently exceed the Service target, highlighting the need for a targeted strategy to address this concern.

In-depth analysis has been conducted on the leading causes of long-term absence, which include musculoskeletal issues, hospital/post-operative recovery, and mental health-related absences.

During the quarter, 49 individual absence episodes are attributable to musculoskeletal cases, 16 were classified as long-term (over 28 days) involving back, upper limb, and other/undefined conditions. At the end of the quarter, four employees off due to long-term absence remained absent.

Regarding hospital/post-operative absences, seven long-term cases were recorded; three employees have since resumed work. All cases received support from OHU, and formal absence meetings were held as required by policy when absence triggers were met.

For mental health—other, five long-term cases were identified, primarily stemming from personal or family circumstances. Only two cases remain active. Absence management protocols are being implemented, with comprehensive support offered and discussions regarding modified duties underway to facilitate workplace reintegration.

Further to the above absence levels the service has also developed a comprehensive action plan aimed at reducing absence levels. This includes:

· HR absence data will be shared with Human Resource Business Partners and Service Delivery Managers, with a view to meeting staff who are taking excessive periods of time off.

· Area Managers and HR will review attendance levels and any action being taken on a monthly basis.

· ACFO and Head of People will continue to review long-term sickness absence cases to ensure absence management policy is being followed and cases managed appropriately.

· Welfare meetings with HR and the line manager will take place after four weeks of absence.

· Modified duty will be an active proposition for anyone off long-term sick.

· HR will deliver training on Absence Management and Individual Stress Risk Assessments.

· HR will identify those managers who do not take action and fail to complete the absence management process – they will be required to attend training.

· It is proposed that any member of staff who has hit a trigger or had a period of absence (excluding disability related absence) will be prohibited from undertaking Associate Trainer, or volunteering for overtime for a period of three months. 

· The Absence Management Procedure will be updated.

· Review and refresh the weekly Absence Report which goes to Station Managers.

· Review and refresh the weekly Absence Report which goes to Area admin teams which is sent on to Area Managers. 

· Develop a People Dashboard which will include absence related data.

1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC)

Cumulative Absence 1.66%

To ensure LFRS aligns to national standards, absence is calculated using the quarterly number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime staff divided by the total average headcount strength. This follows the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) reporting methodology.

Annual Standard: No more than 2.5% lost as a percentage of available hours of cover.

Cumulative On-Call absence, as a percentage of available hours of cover at end of the quarter, 1.66%.

Cumulative On-Call absence (as % of available hours of cover):

1.66%

1.2.3 Staff Absence Green Book

Quarter shifts lost 1.61

The cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all Green Book staff divided by the average strength. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) have changed the reporting methodology used and the average strength figures used in this report are based on headcount and not full-time equivalents (FTE).

Annual Standard: Not more than 8 shifts lost.

This is represented on the chart as annual shifts lost divided by 4 quarters, which equates to a quarterly standard of two.

Cumulative total number of shifts lost:

1.61

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a positive exception report due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being below the Service target for Quarter 1.

The agreed target performance level is eight shifts lost per employee per year for Green Book staff. The actual shifts lost for the period for this group of staff for Quarter 1 is 1.61, which is 0.39 within target. During the same quarter in the previous year, 1.85 shifts were lost, representing a decrease of 0.24 shifts lost per Green Book employee.

Analysis

During the period, April 2026 – June 2026, absence statistics show non-uniformed personnel absence below target for the quarter, with 1.61 shifts lost in the quarter against a target of 2.00 shifts lost.

412 non-uniformed absence shifts lost = 1.61 against a target of 2.00 during Quarter 1. There were no cases of long-term absence which spanned over the total of the three months. The number of long-term absence cases recorded in the quarter increased from four cases in Quarter 4 of 2025-26 to six cases in Quarter 1 of 2026-27.

Reason	Case/s
Mental Health (Other)	3
Other absence types	3
Total	6

320 shifts were lost during the quarter as a result of the above six cases of long-term absences, this is in comparison to 245 shifts lost during the same quarter of 2025-26. These cases account for 1.25 shifts lost per person over the quarter.

412 Green Book absence shifts lost in the quarter = 1.61 against a target of 2.00.

During Quarter 1, Green Book absence continued to be driven by a small number of long-term absence cases accounting for 1.25 shifts lost out of the total 1.61 shifts lost. The cases related to mental health conditions, Hospital/Post operative recovery, Ear/Nose/Throat issues and Heart/Cardiac conditions.

Mental Health was the highest cause of long-term absence accounting for 90 shifts over three individual occurrences. These absences were not specifically identified as work-related stress but other mental health issues.

In summary, absence is predominantly medically supported and longer‑term, not short‑term casual sickness.

Measures the Service takes to manage absence

The Service has an Absence Management Policy which details its approach to how it will manage absence ensuring that staff time is managed effectively, but also members of staff are supported back to work or exited from the Service in a compassionate way.

The Human Resources (HR) system iTrent automatically generates monthly reports to line managers and HR Business Partners in relation to employees and the periods and reasons for absence and these are closely monitored. Where employees are absent due to a mental health condition, or a stress-related condition, these employees are referred to Occupational Health Unit (OHU) as early as possible. Employees returning to work have a return-to-work interview and stress risk assessment, or individual health risk assessments are completed where required.

The Service has several support mechanisms available to support individuals to return to work or be exited as appropriate including guidance from Occupational Health, access to Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), access to an Employee Assistance Programme and the Firefighters Charity.

Where an employee does not return to work in a timely manner an absence review meeting will take place with the employee and the line manager and a representative from Human Resources. The meetings are aimed at identifying support to help an individual to return to work which can include modified duties for a period, redeployment, but ultimately can result in dismissal, or permanent ill health retirement from the service.

The Absence Management Policy details when a formal review of an employee’s performance levels would normally take place. In terms of short-term absence, a formal review would take place where an employee has three or more periods of absence in six months, or an employee has 14 days absent. In terms of long-term absence, a formal review will normally take place at three, six, nine and 11 months.

1.3.1 Workforce Diversity

Diversity Percentage (Refer to charts)

Workforce diversity as a percentage: Performance measure of how representative our staff are of our communities, to monitor equality and diversity within LFRS.

Combined diversity percentage of Grey Book and Green Book staff. Outer circle represents the position at the current quarter, with the inner circle illustrating the position at the same quarter the previous year.

Diversity percentage by Grey Book staff and Green Book staff. Counts will include double counts if dual contract between Grey and Green Book.

Characteristic	Diversity	Grey Book	%	Green Book	%
Gender	Female	Grey	11%	Green	63%
	Male		89%		37%
Ethnicity	Other than white	Grey	4%	Green	6%
	White		92%		85%
	Not stated		4%		9%
Sexual orientation	LGBT	Grey	6%	Green	4%
	Heterosexual		64%		69%
	Not stated		30%		27%
Disability	Disability	Grey	4%	Green	7%
	No disability		94%		86%
	Not stated		2%		7%

1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited

Diversity Percentage (Refer to charts)

Workforce diversity recruited as a percentage: Performance measure of our success in recruiting a diverse workforce to monitor equality and diversity within LFRS.

Combined cumulative diversity percentage of Grey Book staff and Green Book staff. Outer circle represents the current period, with the inner circle illustrating the same period of the previous year.

During the quarter, there were a total of six new recruits.

No further breakdown is provided to prevent the possible identification of individuals due to the small numbers of recruits during certain periods.

3

1.4 Staff Accidents

Activity 19

This KPI details the numbers of accidents which have involved LFRS staff members at work within the quarter.

As part of our Health and Safety Management System we report and investigate all accidents which occur within LFRS to identify any learning opportunities which can contribute to improving our safety culture within the Service.

As the body ultimately responsible for health and safety performance, this KPI enables Fire Authority members to view LFRS progress on managing health and safety risks within LFRS.

Quarterly activity increased by ten incidents over the same quarter of the previous year.

Total number of staff	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
accidents	19	19	9	9

2.1 Risk Map

Risk Score 30,048

This indicator measures the fire risk in each Super Output Area (SOA). Risk is determined using fire activity over the previous three fiscal years along with a range of demographic data, such as population and deprivation.

Specifically, the risk score for each SOA is calculated using the formula shown below. Once an SOA has been assigned a score, it is then categorised by risk grade.

The County risk map score is updated annually before the end of the first quarter. Standard: To reduce the risk in Lancashire - an annual reduction in the County risk map score. An improvement is shown by a year-on-year decreasing ‘Overall Risk Score’ value. The inset table below shows the latest count of risk areas against the previous year, along with the overall risk score compared to the previous year.

Risk Grade	Very High	High	Medium	Low	Overall Risk Score
2026 count	11	47	325	562	30,048
2025 count	12	51	333	545	30,532
Direction / % Change

2.2 Overall Activity

Quarter Activity 4,646

The number of incidents that LFRS attend with one or more pumping appliances. Includes fires, special service calls, false alarms and collaborative work undertaken with other emergency services. For example, missing person searches on behalf of the Lancashire Constabulary (LanCon) and gaining entry incidents at the request of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

A breakdown of incident types included within this KPI are shown on the following page.

Quarterly activity decreased 8.33% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Incidents	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
attended	4,646	4,646	5,068	5,068

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	1,549	1,443	1,471	1,411	1,448

2.2 Overall Activity Breakdown

Quarter Activity 4,646

Incidents attended by LFRS consist of a myriad of different types. The breakdown below, whilst not an exhaustive list, aims to illustrate how activity captured within KPI 2.2 Overall Activity is split by the different types of incidents.

The chart figures represent the count and percentage each activity contributes to the quarter’s activity, whilst the inset table breaks the incident types down further.

	False Alarm incidents make up 41% of activity. Fire alarm due to apparatus incidents account for 26% of incidents, good intent false alarm 15%, and malicious false alarms account for 1%.
	Fire Primary incidents encompass Accidental Dwelling Fires, which account for 40% of primary fires and are shown in KPI 2.3.
	Fire Secondary incidents are caused by either a deliberate or accidental act, or the cause is not known. Deliberate fires mainly involve loose refuse and currently account for 47% of secondary fires, with 53% being an accidental or not known cause.
	Special Service incidents are made up of many different activities, so only a selection of types, such as Gaining entry to a domestic property on behalf of NWAS, Road Traffic Collisions (RTC), effecting entry, animal assistance incidents can be shown. Other types can range from hazardous materials incidents, to spill and leaks or advice only.

2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF)

Quarter Activity 225

The number of primary fires where a dwelling has been affected, and the cause of fire has been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘Not known’.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding disused property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 15.38% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Dwelling	Year to date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Fires	225	225	195	195

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	75	59	62	58	59

2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties

Quarter Activity 13

ADF criteria as 2.3. The number of fire related fatalities, slight and serious injuries.

· A slight injury is defined as: a person attending hospital as an outpatient (not precautionary check).

· A serious injury is defined as: at least an overnight stay in hospital as an in-patient.

Casualty Status	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Fatal	2	2	1	1
Injuries appear Serious	3	3	1	1
Injuries appear Slight	8	8	8	8
Total	13	13	10	10

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous 3 years.	4	3	4	3	3

2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Percentage 80%

ADF criteria as 2.3. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at ADF’s, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Combined quarterly percentage decreased 5.20% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	26-27 Q1	26-27 Q2	26-27 Q3	26-27 Q4	Ç/ò	25-26 Q1	25-26 Q2	25-26 Q3	25-26 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	25%	-	-	-	ó	25%	26%	26%	27%
Limited to item 1st ignited	18%	-	-	-	Ç	15%	11%	15%	13%
Limited to room of origin	38%	-	-	-	ò	45%	48%	46%	49%
Limited to floor of origin	12%	-	-	-	Ç	10%	7%	9%	7%
Spread beyond floor of origin	6%	-	-	-	Ç	3%	6%	3%	3%
Whole Building	1%	-	-	-	ò	2%	2%	1%	1%
Combined percentage	81%	-	-	-	ò	86%	85%	87%	89%

2.4 Accidental Building Fires (ABF) - Commercial Premises

Quarter Activity 69

The number of primary fires where a building has been affected, which is other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling, and the cause of fire has been recorded as Accidental or Not known.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding disused property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 21.05% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
(Commercial Premises)	69	69	57	57

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	23	19	17	21	20

2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Percentage 64%

ABF criteria as 2.4. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at ABF’s, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Combined quarterly percentage decreased 1.14% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	26-27 Q1	26-27 Q2	26-76 Q3	26-27 Q4	Ç/ò	25-26 Q1	25-26 Q2	25-26 Q3	25-26 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	16%	-	-	-	ò	21%	20%	20%	16%
Limited to item 1st ignited	13%	-	-	-	ò	19%	19%	13%	2%
Limited to room of origin	35%	-	-	-	Ç	25%	36%	42%	56%
Limited to floor of origin	22%	-	-	-	Ç	19%	12%	11%	18%
Spread beyond floor of origin	3%	-	-	-	Ç	2%	0%	7%	2%
Whole Building	11%	-	-	-	ò	14%	13%	7%	6%
Combined percentage	64%	-	-	-	ò	65%	75%	75%	74%

2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)

Quarter Activity 34

The number of primary fires where a private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, private summerhouse, or other private non-residential building has been affected, and the cause of fire has been recorded as Accidental or Not known.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding disused property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity decreased 12.82% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Accidental Building Fires	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
(Non-Commercial Premises)	34	34	39	39

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	11	7	9	6	6

What are the reasons for an Exception report

This is a negative exception report due to the number of accidental non-commercial building fires being above the upper control limit during April and May of quarter one.

Analysis

A high number of accidental fires involving private garden sheds, private garages, and other private non-residential buildings were responsible for breaching the upper control limits in the months of April and May. Fires within such building types are often seasonal, coinciding with periods of warm weather, with this year’s activity closely matching those of the previous year which recorded similar weather and temperatures.

Quarter one totalled 34 incidents over the three-month period with private garden sheds accounting for 32.4%, private garages 29.4%, and a mix of other non-residential buildings, such as outbuildings, allotment sheds, dog kennel etc. accounting for the remainder.

Due to the nature of the construction of these buildings 61.8% of the incidents resulted in the extent of damage affecting the whole building, 26.5% were limited to room or floor of origin, and 11.8% limited to the item first ignited or was smoke/heat damage only.

The most common recorded cause of ignition was spread from a secondary fire due to the burning of garden or household waste.

Activity levels in June have now returned to below the previous three-year average.

Actions being taken to improve performance

Due to the prolonged period of dry weather, we have seen a large increase in accidental private building fires.

The main reason for this is the lifestyle changes during periods of warm weather, such as spending more time outdoors, with activities using hot processes, such as barbeques, along with burning away of weeds and having fires to discard of garden and other waste.

The key actions taken across all districts seeing an increase:

· Utilising the virtual library to provide leaflets for Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC), warning of the dangers of garden fires and barbeques.

· Social Media posts by the service and individual service accounts.

· Post fire activity and leaflet drops in areas of accidental building fire activity.

2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial Premises: Private Garages and Sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)

Quarter Percentage 18%

ABF criteria as 2.5. Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage is recorded at the time the STOP message is sent and includes all damage types.

The table below shows a breakdown of fire severity at ABFs, with a direction indicator comparing the current quarter to the same quarter of the previous year.

An improvement is shown if the combined percentage of fires is limited to heat and/or smoke damage only, the item 1^st ignited or to the room of origin, is higher than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

As the property types of sheds and garages are typically of a single room construction, there is an increased likelihood of the whole building being affected.

Combined quarterly percentage decreased 7.35% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire severity	26-76 Q1	26-27 Q2	26-27 Q3	26-27 Q4	Ç/ò	25-26 Q1	25-26 Q2	25-26 Q3	25-26 Q4
Limited to heat and/or smoke	9%	-	-	-	Ç	5%	3%	6%	0%
Limited to item 1st ignited	3%	-	-	-	ò	10%	3%	11%	14%
Limited to room of origin	6%	-	-	-	ò	10%	15%	22%	14%
Limited to floor of origin	20%	-	-	-	Ç	5%	3%	6%	0%
Spread beyond floor of origin	0%	-	-	-	ó	0%	0%	0%	0%
Whole Building	62%	-	-	-	ò	70%	76%	55%	72%
Combined percentage	18%	-	-	-	ò	25%	21%	39%	28%

2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires

Quarter Activity 576

The number of primary and secondary fires where the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

This is an overall total measure of deliberate dwelling, commercial premises, and other fires, which are further reported within their respective KPIs.

Quarterly activity decreased 33.33% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Fires	576	576	864	864

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	192	161	172	160	151

2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings

Quarter Activity 24

The number of primary fires where a dwelling has been affected, and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding disused property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 26.32% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires -	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Dwellings	24	24	19	19

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	8	7	5	7	7

2.6.2 Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises

Quarter Activity 44

The number of primary fires where the property type is a building, which is other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling, and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

A second incident activity line is shown which excludes Crown premises which fall outside of our legislative jurisdiction.

A primary fire is one involving property (excluding disused property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues, or any fire attended by five or more pumping appliances.

Quarterly activity increased 10.00% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires -	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Commercial	44	44	40	40

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	15	12	12	12	12

2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (Rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc.)

Quarter Activity 510

The number of primary and secondary fires where the property type is other than a building, except where the building is recorded as disused, and the cause of fire has been recorded as deliberate.

The majority of deliberate fires are outdoor secondary fires and include grassland and refuse fires. Abandoned vehicle fires are also included under secondary fires.

Primary fires are when the incident involves casualties or rescues, property loss or five or more pumping appliances attend the incident, and can include large scale moorland fires or vehicle fires which are not abandoned.

Quarterly activity decreased 36.96% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Deliberate Fires -	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
Other	510	510	809	809

	Current mean	3 Year mean	2025-26	2024-25	2023-24
Current mean activity and the monthly mean activity over the previous three years.	170	145	156	144	134

2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC)

Quarter Activity 50%

The percentage of completed HFSCs, excluding refusals, carried out by LFRS personnel in the home, where the risk score has been determined to be high.

An improvement is shown if:

· The total number of HFSC’s completed is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year and,

· The percentage of high HFSC outcomes is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year.

Quarterly activity decreased 1.14% against the same quarter of the previous year, whilst the high-risk outcomes remained static.

	2026-27		Ç/ò	2025-26
	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes	Progress	HFSC completed	% of High HFSC outcomes
Quarter 1	5,829	50%	ò/ó	5,896	50%
Quarter 2	-	-	- / -	6,047	51%
Quarter 3	-	-	- / -	5,442	50%
Quarter 4	-	-	- / -	5,865	54%

Cumulative year to date activity

2.8 Prevention activities delivered

Activity	Description	Targets for delivery	Data for quarter 1 2026-27
ChildSafe	Fire Safety education package to Year 2 (key stage one)	Offered to all year two pupils	69 sessions delivered to 1,922 students
RoadSense	Fire and Road Safety education package to Year 6 (key stage two)	Offered to all year six pupils	88 sessions delivered to 3,021 students
SENDSafe	Fire Safety education package for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)	Offered to all SEND schools	One session delivered to 18 students
Wasted Lives	Pre Driver information session in workshop or assembly format. Aimed at Year 10 or Year 11 in high school (key stage four)	Increase delivery aligned to district risk in the academic year	13 sessions delivered to 1,309 students
Biker Down	Three-hour course aimed at Powered 2 Wheel riders covering incident management, first aid and the science of being seen	Deliver a minimum of 12 sessions per year	Three sessions 61 attendees
FIRES	Fire setting intervention delivered to 4-17 year olds. Referrals made by anyone who might work or support the family of a child who is setting fires	Deliver an intervention to all referrals	48 referrals opened prior to Q1 and carried over. 57 referrals received in Q1. 52 referrals closed in Q1. 56 referrals carried to 2026-27, Q2.
Partner Training (including care providers)	LFRS deliver a ‘train the trainer’ package to organisations/agencies within health and social care. There are currently 190 preferred partners, and 73 standard partners registered with LFRS. Partnerships are reviewed and RAG rated quarterly	Increase the number of partners rated green on the RAG report and continue to review partnerships and provide training	23 sessions delivered to 240 delegates
Specific education sessions such as Water Safety & Bright Sparx	Education package delivered either virtually or in person to educate about Water Safety, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), deliberate fire setting etc. Covers key stages two, three and four	Increase delivery	Water Safety – 39 in-person sessions to 6,672 students, and 11 virtual sessions to 7,845 students. ASB – one session, 60 students.
Arson Threat Referral	Bespoke service where a threat of arson has been made. Referrals largely come from the Police.	Meet demand from LanCon	218 visits completed

2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks

Quarter Activity 737

Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSC) are interventions which look at different aspects of fire safety compliance, including risk assessments, fire alarms, escape routes and fire doors. If the result of a BFSC is unsatisfactory, fire safety advice will be provided to help the business comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. If critical fire safety issues are identified, then a business safety advisor will conduct a follow-up intervention.

· The pro rata BFSC target is delivered through each quarter.

A +/-10% tolerance is applied to the completed BFSCs and the year to date (YTD) BFSC’s, against both the quarterly and YTD targets. When both counts are outside of the 10% tolerance they will be deemed in exception. This enables local delivery to flex with the needs of their district plan over the quarters.

	2026-27				Ç/ò	2025-26
	BFSC completed	Quarter Target	BFSC Cumulative	YTD Target	Progress	BFSC completed	Quarter Target
Quarter 1	737	625	737	625	ò	769	625
Quarter 2	-	625	-	1,250	-	753	625
Quarter 3	-	625	-	1,875	-	719	625
Quarter 4	-	625	-	2,500	-	819	625

Cumulative year to date activity

Top five completed BFSCs: satisfactory and unsatisfactory premise types.

What are the reasons for the Exception

This is a positive exception due to the number of completed Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSC) being greater than 10% of the quarterly target, and the cumulative year to date target.

Targeting Strategy

Service delivery personnel have been carrying out BFSC’s in their respective districts for over two years, and this work is now embedded into business-as-usual activity.

The KPI dashboard and District Intel Profiles are used to identify and target both the business types and business locations for this activity.

2.9.1 Fire Safety Activity

Quarter Activity 11%

The number of Fire Safety Enforcement inspections carried out within the period resulting in supporting businesses to improve and become compliant with fire safety regulations or to take formal action of enforcement and prosecution of those that fail to comply. Formal activity is defined as one or more of the following: enforcement notice or an action plan, alterations notice or prohibition notice.

An improvement is shown if the percentage of audits ‘Requiring formal activity’ is greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year. This helps inform that the correct businesses are being identified.

Quarterly activity increased 1% against the same quarter of the previous year.

	2026-27								2025-26
Quarter	Fire Safety Enforcement Inspections	Formal Activity	% Formal Activity	Informal Activity	% Informal Activity	Satisfactory Audit	% Satisfactory Audit	Progress	% Formal Activity	% Informal Activity
1	467	50	11%	400	86%	37	8%	Ç	10%	91%
2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7%	85%
3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8%	86%
4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5%	89%

2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC)

Building Regulations: If a business intends to carry out building work it must do so in accordance with the requirements of current Building Regulations.

There are two building control bodies that can be used, the Local Authority or an Approved Inspector.

These bodies are then responsible for ensuring compliance with building regulations which generally apply when:

· Erecting a new building

· Extending or altering an existing building

· Providing services and/or fittings in a building

· Altering the use of a building

Purpose of the consultation process: If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) applies to the premises, or will apply following the work, the building control body must consult with LFRS. LFRS then comments on FSO requirements and may also provide additional advice relevant to the building type which may exceed minimum requirements but, if adopted, would further enhance safety or resilience (e.g. use of sprinklers).

LFRS cannot enforce building regulations but can offer observations to the building control body regarding compliance if it is felt the proposals may not comply. In addition to securing a safe premises, an important outcome of the process is to ensure that the completed building meets the requirements of the FSO once occupied, so that no additional works are necessary.

Building Regulation Consultations	26-27 Quarter 1	26-27 Quarter 2	26-27 Quarter 3	26-27 Quarter 4
Received	268	-	-	-
Completed within timeframe ^[1]	268	-	-	-
% Completed within timeframe	100%	-	-	-

^[1] LFRS should make comments in writing within 15 working days of receiving a BRC.

3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance

Quarter Response 07:42

Critical fire incidents are defined as incidents that are likely to involve a significant threat to life, structures or the environment. Our response standards, in respect of critical fires, are variable and are determined by the risk map (KPI 2.1) and subsequent risk grade of the Super Output Area (SOA) in which the fire occurred.

The response standards include call handling and fire engine response time for the first fire engine attending a critical fire, and are as follows:

· Very high risk area = 6 minutes	· Medium risk area = 10 minutes
· High risk area = 8 minutes	· Low risk area = 12 minutes

We have achieved our standards when the time between the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident, averaged over the quarter, is less than the relevant response standard. Expressed in minutes & seconds.

Critical Fire Response	Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4	Year to Date	Previous Year to Date
Very High (6 min)	05:47	-	-	-	05:47	05:51
High (8 min)	06:12	-	-	-	06:12	05:47
Medium (10 min)	07:02	-	-	-	07:02	07:06
Low (12 min)	09:10	-	-	-	09:10	09:00
Overall	07:42	-	-	-	07:42	07:37

[Out of standard response times are expressed within square brackets]

3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1^st Fire Engine Attendance		Quarter Response 08:32

Critical special service incidents are non-fire incidents where there is a risk to life, for example, road traffic collisions, rescues and hazardous materials incidents. For these incidents there is a single response standard which measures call handling time and fire engine response time.

The response standard for the first fire engine attending a critical special service call = 13 minutes.

We have achieved our standards when the time between the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident, averaged over the quarter, is less than the response standard. Expressed in minutes & seconds.

Critical Special Service Response	Quarter 1	Quarter 2	Quarter 3	Quarter 4	Year to Date	Previous Year to Date
(13 min)	08:32	-	-	-	08:32	08:37

[Out of standard response times are expressed within square brackets]

3.3 Fire Engine Availability

Quarter Availability 89.86%

This indicator measures the total availability of the 1^st fire engine at each of the 39 fire stations. It is measured as the percentage of time the 1^st fire engine is available to respond compared to the total time in the period.

Standard: 90%

Quarterly availability increased 0.53% over the same quarter of the previous year.

Fire engine availability	Year to Date	2026-27 Quarter 1	Previous year to Date	2025-26 Quarter 1
WT, FDC, DCP & OC	89.86%	89.86%	89.32%	89.32%

4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget

Quarter variance -0.16%*

The total cumulative value of the savings delivered to date compared to the year’s standard and the total.

As a public service we are committed to providing a value for money service to the community and it is important that once a budget has been agreed and set, our spending remains within this.

The annual revenue budget for 2026-27 is £80.5 million. Spend of £20.0 million is broadly in line with the allocated budget at the end of the first quarter with a small underspend on pay as a result of carrying vacant posts.

The annual revised capital budget for 2026-27 is £10.1 million and spend at the end of June was £1.1 million. 

*Revenue budget variance:

-0.16%

4.2 Partnership Collaboration

A written update on partnership collaboration will be provided on a quarterly basis.

Scope and definition:

The Policing and Crime Act 2017 places a statutory duty on the Police, Fire and Rescue, and Ambulance Services to collaborate where it supports improved efficiency and effectiveness. This duty is intended to strengthen joint working across blue light services and improve outcomes for communities, including more effective emergency response.

This report provides an update on the key workstreams overseen in Lancashire by the Blue Light Collaboration Board (BLCB), alongside regional and national collaboration activity undertaken by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS). Collaborative activity is assessed internally against its contribution to efficiency, effectiveness, value for money, partner benefits and positive outcomes for Lancashire communities.

BLCB workstreams are managed through strategic and tactical meetings, supporting improved outcomes, better value for money, reduced demand and action to address inequalities within communities. The chairing of these meetings rotates between the partner services, with LFRS currently holding responsibility

Leadership Development

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS), Lancashire Police (LanCon) and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) continue to identify efficiencies and strengthen professional relationships across blue light services.

The second session of the Get a Grip of Your Leadership programme has now been delivered successfully, with the final session scheduled for September 2026. The programme brings together participants from all partner organisations to build leadership capability and support stronger cross-sector relationships. Following the links developed through the programme, each organisation has also begun identifying potential mentors and mentees for a pilot cross-sector mentoring scheme.

Health and Wellbeing

The group aims to understand the health and wellbeing offer across each blue light service and identify opportunities to work collaboratively to support the wellbeing of colleagues in a joined-up way.

A second Firelight Project Experience Day was held on 17 June 2026 and was well attended by representatives from all services. The pilot programme has now concluded, and the evaluation has been shared with each service. Feedback indicates that the pilot was successful, with positive improvements reported against the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale across the majority of measures.

Estates and Co-location

The estates and co-location initiative between LFRS, NWAS and LanCon seeks to identify opportunities for shared sites that improve collaboration and deliver value for money. Local Government Reorganisation also provides an important opportunity to consider a more joined-up approach to public-sector estates across Lancashire. As new unitary authorities review their property portfolios, there may be scope to develop co-location, shared facilities and improved utilisation which would support more accessible and integrated community and public-safety services.

Fleet

Heads of Fleet from the three services meet regularly to share best practice, information and standards across their respective fleets. Work continues to identify areas of similarity where collaboration could benefit the services and ensure interoperability is considered in strategic fleet decisions. A dedicated workstream is also exploring the introduction of electric vehicles and opportunities for shared access to charging infrastructure.

4.3 Overall User Satisfaction

Percentage satisfied 98.49%

The percentage of people who were satisfied with the service received from the total number of people surveyed.

People surveyed include those who have experienced an accidental dwelling fire, a commercial fire, or a special service incident that we attended.

The standard is achieved if the percentage of satisfied responses is greater than the 97.50% standard.

During the quarter, 73 people were surveyed; 69 responded that they were very or fairly satisfied.

Question	Running Total	Number Satisfied	% Satisfied	% Standard	% Variance
Taking everything into account, are you satisfied, dissatisfied, or neither with the service you received from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service?	4,247	4,183	98.49%	97.50%	0.99%

Glossary

Glossary of abbreviations.

ABF…………….	Accidental Building Fire
ACFO…………..	Assistant Chief Fire Officer
ADF…………….	Accidental Dwelling Fire
ASB…………….	Anti-Social Behaviour
BFSC…………..	Business Fire Safety Checks
BLCB……….....	Blue Light Collaboration Board
BRC……………	Building Regulation Consultation
DCP……………	Day Crewing Plus
FDC……………	Flexible Day Crewing
FSO……………	Fire Safety Order
FTE…………….	Full-time equivalents
HFSC……….....	Home Fire Safety Check
HMO…………...	House of Multiple Occupancy
HR……………..	Human Resources
IMD…………….	Indices of Multiple Deprivation
KPI……………..	Key Performance Indicator
LanCon………..	Lancashire Constabulary
LCL…………….	Lower Control Limit
LFRS…………..	Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
NFCC………….	National Fire Chiefs Council
NWAS…….…...	Northwest Ambulance Service
OC……………..	On-Call
OHU…………...	Occupational Health Unit
Qn……………..	Quarter 1 etc.
RAG…………...	Red-Amber-Green
RTC……………	Road Traffic Collision
SEND………….	Special Educational Needs Disabilities
SOA…………...	Super Output Area
TIA…………….	Time in Attendance
TOC…………..	Time of Call
TRiM………….	Trauma Risk Management
UCL…………...	Upper Control Limit
WT…………….	Whole time
XmR…………...	Value [X] over a moving [m] range [R]
YTD……………	Year to Date