Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) presented the report to members and advised that the draft timeline had been approved by the Planning Committee.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service's (LFRS’s) Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) was a five-year plan for how the service would make Lancashire safer. The service had started work on the next CRMP, which would set out the direction of the Service from 2027 to 2032, based on the greatest risks to the people and communities of Lancashire.

The environment LFRS operated within was constantly changing and new risks to communities frequently emerged. It was LFRS’s job to make sure it was equipped to deal with these changing risks by adapting services and skills to prevent, protect and respond effectively.

To help shape the CRMP and options for how LFRS delivered services in the future, the service wanted to engage and consult with a wide range of stakeholders in two phases. This report detailed plans for phase one of consultation.

From week commencing 12 January to 15 March 2026, LFRS would explain the challenges and drivers for change and invite views on its proposed direction of travel. Phase one would allow the service to listen and learn about community and workforce priorities, before drafting its CRMP and developing options for how services may be delivered in the future. There would then be a second phase of consultation in more detail.

Key challenges and drivers for change were;

• Changing risk: risks changed over time, differed by area and demographic, and needed different interventions to reduce the likelihood of happening or to lessen the consequences.
• Changing demand: the number and types of fires attended had gone down and the types of emergencies responded to had changed, with incidents such as assisting other agencies on the rise, and the challenges of dealing with climate change in respect of flooding and wildfire increasing.
• Fire engine availability: the number of fire engines available fluctuated during each day and the lowest availability was often when demand was highest, particularly in rural areas where on-call firefighter availability was reduced due to recruitment and retention challenges. LFRS wanted to balance this to a sustainable model that provided more resources when demand was highest.
• Lancashire’s population: the makeup of communities was changing and more vulnerable people required tailored prevention support.
• Budget pressures: income had not kept pace with rising costs and future funding was uncertain, requiring efficiency savings to ensure financial sustainability.
• LFRS buildings: many fire stations were outdated and not fit for modern operational needs, maintenance costs were increasing and vital investment was needed.
• Technology and innovation: there were opportunities to modernise the types of vehicles used and how LFRS got the right skilled people and equipment to incidents as quickly and safely as possible.
• Future investment: as a high performing fire and rescue service, LFRS needed to continually invest in people, systems, and assets to deliver the best possible services.

Potential areas for change were identified as;

• Re-locating or merging stations and vehicles to better match risk and demand.
• Changing staffing (duty) systems to deploy resources more flexibly based on risk and demand.
• Reviewing the response model for attending emergencies.
• Reviewing the way prevention, protection and support services were delivered.
• Rationalising LFRS’s estate and reinvesting in training facilities and more efficient buildings.

The purpose of the consultation was to understand community needs and expectations of LFRS to shape the services CRMP and options for how it delivered services in the future. LFRS also wanted to strengthen trust and confidence between the community and the Service.

In phase one LFRS would share information about its services, financial position, challenges and opportunities and ask for views on:

·         The services delivered and what was most important to people.

·         The issues and risks the service could face in the future, such as the impact of extreme weather, new technology, and how the area LFRS served grows and changes.

·         What people think LFRS should prioritise for investment.

·         How LFRS used and organised resources in relation to risk and demand including people, systems and assets.

County Councillor A Ali left the meeting at 11:02.

All the feedback would be analysed independently and used to draft the CRMP 2027-32 and develop options for delivering services in the future before consulting again in more detail in phase two during summer / autumn 2026.

It was noted that due to the adjournment of the December CFA Meeting there had been an amendment to the proposed timeline, with the new consultation start date 12 January 2026.

The proposed timeline was as follows.

• W/c 12 January 2026: Phase one consultation starts.
• W/c 2 February 2026: Mid-point consultation review and implementation of any required adjustments to the consultation plan.
• W/c 9 March 2025: Closure review to determine if sufficient response had been obtained or whether additional activity was required.
• 15 March 2025: Phase one consultation ends.
• January to June 2026: Draft CRMP 2027-32, review core strategies, conduct Service Review and develop options for how services were delivered in the future.
• 13 July 2026 Planning Committee: Draft CRMP and Service Review documents approval to consult.
• July - October 2026: CRMP and Service Review phase two consultation.
• 16 November 2026 Planning Committee: Final draft CRMP and Service Review proposals for consideration and recommending to full Combined Fire Authority.
• 14 December 2026 full CFA: Final CRMP and Service Review proposals for approval.
• 1 April 2027: CRMP 2027-32 and core strategies published.
• 1 April 2027 - 31 March 2032: Service Review implementation.

The DCFO explained that depending on the number of efficiencies required the final CRMP and service review proposals may be taken to the February 2027 meeting rather than the December 2026 meeting.

County Councillor A Ali rejoined the meeting at 11:04.

The Chair commented that fires represented 27% of all incidents attended by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) with an increase of flooding and special service incidents. The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) explained that the risk in Lancashire was changing and the service recognised that through its strategic assessment of risk. The nature of incidents was changing with the types of incidents attended broadening and falling within the special services category.

The Chair requested that a report be taken to the Performance Committee relating to battery fires.

In response to a question from County Councillor I Duxbury in relation to the number of false alarms that the service attended, the DCFO explained that the full data in relation to false alarms was presented to the Performance Committee, the number of malicious false alarm calls were very low with many calls relating to fire alarm activations at commercial and domestic premises with causes including calls of good intent and apparatus and equipment faults.

In response to a question from County Councillor L Parker in relation to engagement with electric vehicle manufacturers, the CFO explained that there was an NFCC working group which focused on electric vehicles, liaising with manufacturers and sharing best practice. He explained that technology was moving quickly and it was important that the service and the NFCC monitored developments, utilised national learning and developed safe responses. He added that LFRS had an internal working group which looked at new items of technology to deal with electric vehicle fires. County Councillor L Parker asked if the service was happy with the level of engagement from manufacturers, the CFO confirmed that the NFCC group was very active in this area, liaising with a number of vehicle manufacturers.

The Chair requested that a report be taken to Performance Committee relating to fires within houses of multiple occupancy (HMO’s), the Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) confirmed that this had been requested and would be brought to the next Performance Committee.

Resolved: - That the Authority endorsed the first phase of consultation to take place in early 2026. The Service would use the feedback to draft the CRMP 2027-32 and to develop options for how services may be delivered in the future, before consulting again in more detail in phase two during summer / autumn 2026.