Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor J Hugo and County Councillor L Parker with County Councillor A Joynes in attendance as substitute.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

None received.

Resolved: That the Minutes of the last meeting held on 2 February 2026 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented the report to members, the draft Community Risk Management Plan 2027-2032 provided details of what Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service intended to do over the forthcoming five-year period to identify, assess and mitigate the full range of fire and rescue related risks within Lancashire. The risk management planning processes provided the opportunity to demonstrate how the service intended to fulfil its responsibilities in a clear, cohesive way, to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services teams, communities, and other interested parties. In writing a Community Risk Management Plan each Fire Authority must pay due regard to the National Framework guidance issued by central government, maintaining a clear and current understanding of the risks that affected Lancashire’s communities underpinned everything that the service does – driving both its governance and planning arrangements.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained the approach taken in producing the Community Risk Management Plan including timelines and outlined the approach to the service review which would entail reviewing all Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services to ensure they were well prepared to deliver the activities and interventions in the new Community Risk Management Plan.

The Community Risk Management Plan 2027-2032:-

·         Highlighted Lancashire’s risks;

·         Explained how Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service would manage and reduce fire and rescue related risk in Lancashire;

·         Set out the services priorities and values;

·         Identified the services core strategies 

·         Set out the services ambitions against each priority and stated how the service aimed to deliver these;

·         Illustrated how Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service would measure and assure performance.

The paper taken to Planning Committee on 17 November 2025 outlined the services approach to the development of the Community Risk Management Plan. Initially it was intended that development work and consultation would include a wider Service Review, delivered at the same time. Whilst elements of the Service Review were underway, it was proposed that the Response (Emergency Cover Review) element of the Service Review which would include public consultation, would now commence in July 2027 and would include reviews of prevention, protection, response and corporate services.

A pre-consultation document was submitted in December 2025 to the full Combined Fire Authority meeting for approval to engage with communities and staff. The two-phased approach to consultation allowed the service to gather early insight to inform the development of the draft Community Risk Management Plan.

Phase one Consultation was carried out from 13 January 2026 to 15 March for nine weeks and explained the challenges and drivers for change and invited views on the services proposed direction of travel.  Phase one allowed the service to listen and learn about the services communities’ and workforce priorities.

There were 2,223 responses to the consultation including:

• 1,911 residents representing every district in Lancashire.
• 119 partner agencies, parish and town councils, voluntary and community groups.
• 73 businesses.
• 110 employees.

There were high levels of agreement with overall views on Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service including the degree to which people trust the services safety advice, believed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4-26/27

Area Manager Tom Powell presented the report to members.

2025-27 Inspection: 

The 2025-27 His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services inspection process was well underway; there was a greater focus on governance arrangements and their effects on services. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services would not evaluate the governing authority itself; instead, they would assess how Combined Fire Authority governance directly influenced Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. The people assessment would consider whether governance and oversight frameworks promoted a positive organisational culture, as well as whether the established code of conduct standards effectively supported workforce health and well-being. Leadership at all levels, values and culture, and a more detailed review of major incident preparedness would also be examined.

Change in Leadership:

Michelle Skeer OBE QPM had been appointed as His Majesty's interim Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, following approval by His Majesty the King. Michelle took up the role on 1 April 2026, succeeding Sir Andy Cooke, who left office at the end of March. Michelle brought 36 years of experience across policing and fire and rescue and would become the first woman to hold the post.

Northern Region His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and Chief Fire Officer Roadshow

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service would host a Northern Region His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and Chief Fire Officer Roadshow on Monday, 20 July 2026.

The purpose of the roadshow was to provide an opportunity for members of the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and Chief Fire Officer team to meet with Chief Fire Officers and their Deputies from across the North. This engagement aimed to support constructive dialogue, explore current challenges, enhance transparency around the inspection approach and strengthen working relationships. Early feedback and insight from services would also be gathered in order to shape the development of the 2028-2030 inspection programme.

2025– 27 Inspection Activity Update:

A total of fourteen inspections had now been completed with ten reports published. The Organisational Assurance Team continued to monitor national trends and learning from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services reports.

Department and Service Delivery Visits:

The Organisational Assurance Team had developed and implemented the new reality?testing station visit for Service Delivery. The visit content had been systematically aligned to both the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services characteristics of good and the Fire Standards Board criteria, ensuring that assurance activity was focused on the most relevant and appropriate areas. The reality?testing visit covered 33 His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services characteristics of good performance and 43 Fire Standards criteria. The primary objective of the visits was to provide assurance to the organisation regarding crew knowledge and understanding across a range of critical topics. The station visits went live on 1 April 2026, and to date 6 units had been completed.

Annual  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5-26/27

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented the report to members. The Annual Service Report was produced annually by the Service as part of its accountability to measure progress against the items set out as deliverables as part of the Annual Service Plan. These actions were derived from the medium-term strategic goals highlighted in the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-27.

The Annual Service Report highlighted a number of key deliverables against the priority areas of people, prevention, protection, response and value for money related work streams:

·         Valuing our people so they can focus on making Lancashire safer

• Create an organisational culture where diversity is encouraged and valued
• Develop leaders who build and maintain trust in the Service
• Tailor training and development for on-call firefighters
• Invest in safety, health and wellbeing initiatives
• Encourage and listen to employee voice
• Service headquarters and leadership and development centre masterplan
• Upgraded fire station facilities
• A Celebration of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services people
• Honours and awards

·         Preventing fires and other emergencies from happening

• Deliver targeted fire prevention activity
• Evaluate Year 2 education packages
• Expand fire safety community engagement

·         Protecting people and property when fires happen

• Transform fire protection and business safety
• Deliver tailored protection advice in diverse business communities
• Implement organisational learning in response to national events
• Address mid-rise premises risk across the county
• Support national activity to address unsafe cladding on buildings

·         Responding to fires and other emergencies quickly and competently

• Review emergency cover in Preston
• Optimise emergency cover through dynamic cover software
• Strengthen our response to climate change emergencies
• Strengthen firefighting and rescue capabilities
• Adapt on-call response to increase emergency cover
• Invest in our fleet and equipment

The report included a summary of the Service’s performance in relation to responding:

Overall activity

• 17,663 incidents attended
• 5,342 fires attended
• 668 road traffic collisions attended
• 110 missing person searches
• 745 gaining entry to property incidents in support of North West Ambulance Service

Average attendance time

• Overall - 8 minutes 54 seconds
• Critical fire response – first fire engine attendance – 7 mins 50 seconds
• Critical special service response – first fire engine attendance – 8 minutes 49 seconds

Total availability of the first fire engine at each of the services 39 fire stations – 89.55%.

·         Delivering value for money in how we use resources

• Review how we use our resources
• Maximise productivity and efficiency
• Drive efficiencies through digitalisation
• Improve performance management culture
• Collaborate with other public services

County Councillor J Ash congratulated the Deputy Chief Fire Officer on his award of the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) Servant Leader Listening Award, details of which were contained within the report.

Resolved: That the committee noted and endorsed the Annual Service Report 2025-26.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer presented the report to members.

At the Lancashire Combined Fire Authorities Annual General Meeting on Monday 15 June 2026, a paper was brought in relation to piloting a change to the crewing system at Fleetwood fire station from the current wholetime 2-2-4 duty system to a Flexible Day Crewing system (resolution 13-26/27).

The Combined Fire Authority approved the request that the Chair of the Authority and the Chief Fire Officer take a final decision on the implementation of the Fleetwood Flexible Day Crewing pilot, taking account of consultation outcomes and further analysis.

It was noted in that paper that a public consultation on this proposed change had started on 1 June and ran until 30 June. Decisions on whether or not to run public consultations ordinarily sat within the remit of the Planning Committee. However, as this pilot, if it was to be effective, needed to be implemented as soon as possible, waiting until the date of this Planning committee meeting to seek authorisation for the public consultation was not feasible. As such, the urgent business procedure was used to seek approval for the public consultation. The Chair and vice-Chair of the full Authority, and the Chair of the Planning committee were all consulted by the Chief Fire Officer and all consented to the running of the public consultation. In accordance with the urgent business procedure, this report on the use and outcome of that procedure was being brought to the next committee meeting for information.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer provided an update that following the public consultation, where the service had received around 150 responses, and carried out various local engagement with crews, the public and local Elected Members, including the Local MP, the Chief Fire Officer and the Chair of the authority had agreed the progression of the pilot with frequent reviews being undertaken to understand the impact. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that the main feedback received as part of the consultation related to response times to incidents and that around 150 responses had been received and many of them citing concerns over longer attendance times at night. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer explained that these responses were expected, as ultimately it would be viewed by many as a reduction in service; however he also explained that the data presented to the Combined Fire Authority recently, included comparisons to risk levels in other areas of the county that had a similar crewing model in place, to what was being proposed as part of the Fleetwood pilot. He also explained that the pilot had been supported by the Fire Brigades Union and staff that live in Fleetwood but worked at other stations in the county, who would likely transfer to the station and trial system.

Councillor G Baker commented that the public appeared to feel that this was a backwards step, he also advised that he had been contacted by a reporter for comment on the pilot. The Deputy Chief Fire  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7-26/27

The next scheduled meeting of the Committee has been agreed for 10:00 hours on Monday 16 November 2026 in the Main Conference Room, at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Fulwood.

Further meetings are:    scheduled for Monday 8 March 2027

                                           proposed for Wednesday 14 July 2027

The next meeting of the Committee would be held on Monday 16 November 2026 at 10:00 hours in the main Conference Room at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Fulwood.

Further meeting dates were noted for 8 March 2027 and agreed for

14 July 2027.

Councillor G Baker remarked that the service being inspected last by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services reflected the positive performance of the service and commended officers for this.