Agenda item
Minutes:
The Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) presented a comprehensive report to the Performance Committee. This was the 3rd quarterly report for 2025/26 as detailed in the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2027.
In quarter 3, two Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), 1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook, and 2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks were shown in positive exception and one KPI was shown in negative exception, 1.2.1 Staff Wholetime Absence Wholetime (WT).
Members examined each indicator in turn focusing on those KPIs in exception as follows:
KPI 1 – Valuing our people so that they can focus on making Lancashire safer
1.1 Overall Staff Engagement
Members received an update on how staff were engaged during the period.
From October to December 2025, 27 station visits were carried out by Principal Officers and Area Managers as part of the service-wide engagement programme.
Forty-seven wellbeing interactions were undertaken ranging from workshops with crews to wellbeing support dog interactions.
In November, the Service held its annual Celebration of our People event to recognise dedication and achievements across the organisation. More than 50 people were honoured with Long Service Good Conduct Awards, Star Awards, Chief Fire Officer’s Commendations, Bravery Awards, Academic Achievements and Humanitarian Medals. One Hundred and thirty-six submissions were received from members of staff nominating their colleagues for a Star Award.
Engagement took place with operational staff regarding several improvements to Tarleton, Preston, and Fulwood fire stations and a staff poll was conducted to ascertain interest levels in a salary sacrifice scheme.
The Service’s new Modern Ways of Working Forum was launched and promoted which encouraged staff across the Service to submit ideas for smarter ways of working using technology that would lead to improvements in efficiency and productivity.
A new regular Watch Managers’ Forum was also established to keep wholetime and functional watch managers informed of what was happening in service delivery and give them the opportunity to share feedback and be involved in changes.
The latest staff survey was launched on 2 July 2025 and ran for eight and a half weeks until 29 August 2025. An independent research service coordinated the survey. It was delivered online and via paper copies which were sent to all stations.
The survey was supported by 51 visits to on-call and wholetime crews on station by the Communications Team. Three focus groups with on-call staff, wholetime supervisory managers, and support staff were also held to gain qualitative feedback to complement the survey data. In total, 511 responses to the survey were received (equating to 44% of staff).
The responses reflected good representation across different roles, ranks, and geographical areas of the Service.
The engagement index was calculated based on five questions that measured pride, advocacy, attachment, inspiration, and motivation; factors that were understood to be important features shared by staff who were engaged with the organisation.
For each respondent, an engagement score was calculated as the average score across the five questions, where strongly disagree was equivalent to 0, disagree was equivalent to 25, neither agree nor disagree was equivalent to 50, agree was equivalent to 75 and strongly agree was equivalent to 100. The engagement index was then calculated as the average engagement score in the organisation. This approach meant that a score of 100 was equivalent to all respondents saying strongly agree to all five engagement questions, while a score of 0 was equivalent to all respondents saying strongly disagree to all five engagement questions.
|
Year |
Engagement Index |
Response Rate |
|
2025 |
69% |
44% |
|
2023 |
74% |
49% |
|
2020 |
79% |
44% |
|
2018 |
70% |
43% |
|
2016 |
64% |
31% |
The survey results highlighted areas of success as well as areas for development and the feedback would be considered by the Service and used to inform current and future planning. Feedback would also be provided to staff to demonstrate that views had been listened to in terms of action taken as a result.
1.2.1 Staff Absence Wholetime
This indicator measured the cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all wholetime staff divided by the total average headcount strength. This followed the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) reporting methodology.
Annual Standard: Not more than 8 shifts lost.
Annual Shifts Lost ÷ 4 quarters = 2
Quarter shifts lost: 3.04
Cumulative total number of shifts lost: 7.43
The negative exception report was due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being below the Service target for quarter 3.
The element of that section of the report referred to sickness absence rates for the period 01 April 2025 to 31 December 2025.
The agreed target performance level was 8 shifts lost per employee per year for wholetime staff, which equated to a target of 6.00 shifts lost per employee per year for quarter 1 to quarter 3. The actual shifts lost for the period for that group of staff was 7.43, which was 1.43 shifts above target. During the same period of the previous year, 6.05 shifts were lost which was an increase of 1.38 shifts lost per wholetime employee compared to the same period of the previous year.
A total of 4,542 wholetime absence shifts lost = 7.43 against a target of 6.00.
The number of cases of long-term absence which spanned over the total of the 3 months remained at 4 cases in Q3. The absence reasons were:
- Mental Health 3 cases
- Other absence types 1 case
Two hundred shifts were lost during quarter 3 as a result of the above four cases of long-term absence. This was in comparison to 114 shifts which were lost during the same quarter of 2024-25. Those cases accounted for 0.33 shifts lost per person over the quarter.
There were 33 cases of long-term absence which were recorded within the 3 months:
- Musculo Skeletal 13 cases
- Mental Health 12 cases
- Hospital/Post Operative Procedure 2 cases
- Other absence types 6 cases
There were 301 shifts lost which related to Respiratory related absences including Coronavirus absence. This was compared to 61 shifts lost in Q1, 132 shifts lost in Q2 of 2025-26 and 205 shifts lost in the same quarter of 2024-25.
The Service managed staff absence through a formal Absence Management Policy supported by the Human Resources (HR) system iTrent, which provided monthly absence reports to managers and HR Business Partners. Employees absent due to mental health or stress were referred early to Occupational Health, and all returning employees completed return-to-work interviews and relevant risk assessments.
Support mechanisms included Occupational Health guidance, Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and the Firefighters Charity. If an employee did not return promptly, absence review meetings were held to explore support options such as modified duties or redeployment; outcomes could include dismissal or ill-health retirement.
Formal review thresholds were triggered by:
- Short-term absence: 3+ period in 6 months or 14 days absence; or
- Long-term absence: reviews at 3,6,9 and 11 months.
Recent increases in absence could possibly relate to respiratory illness, although no national rise in Covid/flu was evident. Flu vaccination reimbursement was offered; however, an earlier offering this intervention might improve absence rates.
The Service was analysing absence data for trends, such as school-holiday spikes. Recent formal absence meetings included 10 at Stage 1 and none at Stages 2 or 3. Managers aimed to facilitate earlier returns through meaningful modified duties.
Occupation Health Unit referrals were high across Q1-Q3, including many follow-up appointments. Referrals could be preventative as well as related to absence. A breakdown between absence-related and non-absence related referrals was not available.
In response to a question from the Chair as to whether the Service compared against other Services, such as the Police, in relation to Musculo skeletal absences, the ACFO explained that the Service did not benchmark against the Police but did use national sickness data for comparison of categories and themes.
Councillor Sidat queried whether the Musculo skeletal injuries were related to being on-duty and how they were managed. The ACFO advised that the data for injuries revealed a mixture of internal and external factors as the nature of the job was physical, some injuries could occur in the workplace, and some injuries could also be attributed to recreational activities outside of the workplace. To manage those types of injuries, the Service provided high-quality physiotherapy, Occupational Health Support, and rehabilitation through the Firefighters Charity. Proactively, the Service encouraged a fitness culture providing staff with gym facilities to maintain fitness. The number of referrals to physiotherapy had increased, and feedback from staff had been positive.
In response to a question from County Councillor Asghar regarding mental health support, the ACFO confirmed that there was immediate support through the TRiM programme for anyone who had experienced a traumatic incident. For long term cases, there was access to a Psychotherapist, The Employee Assistance Programme, and the Firefighters Charity. The ACFO had met with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to discuss proactive action taken prior to operational stress such as the Hope Programme which was delivered through the Firefighters Charity which helped to build resilience, and assisting managers to recognise low level indicators of stress to prevent situations from reaching crisis point. Area Manager, Phil Jones, added that the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and International Search and Rescue (ISAR), who dealt with devastating and traumatic incidents at home and overseas, had an enhanced, bespoke mental health support programme designed to help manage the risk of developing PTSD.
1.2.2 Staff Absence On-Call (OC)
This indicator measured the percentage of contracted hours lost due to sickness for all on-call contracted staff.
Annual Standard: No more than 2.5% lost as a % of available hours of cover.
Cumulative on-call absence (as a % of available hours cover) at the end of the quarter, 1.51%.
1.2.3 Staff Absence Greenbook
The ACFO explained that Grey book referred to operational staff and Green book referred to support staff who were generally non-operational. There were some dual contract green book staff who provided on-call cover whilst fulfilling their green book role.
This indicator measured the cumulative number of shifts (days) lost due to sickness for all green book support staff divided by the average strength.
Annual Standard: Not more than 8 shifts lost.
Annual Shifts Lost ÷ 4 quarters: 2
Quarter shifts lost: 0.97
Cumulative shifts lost: 4.10
The positive exception report was due to the number of shifts lost through absence per employee being below the Service target for quarter 3.
The agreed target performance level was 8 shifts lost per employee per year for Green Book staff, which equated to a target of 6.00 shifts lost per employee per year for quarters 1 to quarter 3. The actual shifts lost for the period for this group was 4.10, which was 1.90 within target. During the same period of the previous year, 5.10 shifts were lost which was a decrease of 1.00 shifts lost per green book employee compared to the same period last year.
During the period, April – December 2025, absence statistics showed non-uniformed personnel absence above target for the quarter with 0.97 shifts lost in the quarter against a target of 2.00 shifts lost.
1,049 non-uniformed absence shifts lost = 4.10 against a target of 6.00 during quarters 1 to quarter 3. There were no cases of long-term absence which spanned over the total of the 6 months.
The number of long-term absence cases recorded in the quarter decreased from 10 in Q2 to 4 in Q3:
- Mental Health 2 cases
- Other absence types 2 cases
During the quarter, 60 shifts were lost as a result of the 4 cases of long-term absences, this was in comparison to 406 shifts lost during the same quarter of 2024-25. These cases accounted for 0.23 shifts lost per person over the quarter.
Respiratory related absences accounted for 83 lost shifts, which included Coronavirus absence. This was compared to 40 shifts lost in the same quarter of 2024-25.
The Service managed staff absence through a formal Absence Management Policy supported by the Human Resources (HR) system iTrent, which provided monthly absence reports to managers and HR Business Partners. Employees absent due to mental health or stress were referred early to Occupational Health, and all returning employees completed return-to-work interviews and relevant risk assessments.
Support mechanisms included Occupational Health guidance, Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and the Firefighters Charity. If an employee did not return promptly, absence review meetings were held to explore support options such as modified duties or redeployment; outcomes could include dismissal or ill-health retirement.
Formal review thresholds were triggered by:
- Short-term absence: 3+ period in 6 months or 14 days absence; or
- Long-term absence: reviews at 3,6,9 and 11 months.
Recent increases in absence could possibly relate to respiratory illness, although no national rise in Covid/flu was evident. Flu vaccination reimbursement was offered; however, an earlier offering this intervention might improve absence rates.
The Service was analysing absence data for trends, such as school-holiday spikes. Recent formal absence meetings included 10 at Stage 1 and none at Stages 2 or 3. Managers aimed to facilitate earlier returns through meaningful modified duties.
Occupation Health Unit referrals were high across Q1-Q3, including many follow-up appointments. Referrals could be preventative as well as related to absence. A breakdown between absence-related and non-absence related referrals was not available.
In response to a question from the Chair as to whether any cases of respiratory illnesses were work/smoke-related, the ACFO explained that there were none to her knowledge and highlighted that Firefighters underwent a medical examination every three years which included a lung function test and were checked for occupational exposure to contaminants.
1.3.1 Workforce Diversity
This indicator measured diversity as a percentage.
Combined diversity percentage of grey book (operational) and green book (support) staff. The percentages outside of the brackets represented the current quarter, with the percentage within the brackets illustrating the same quarter of the previous year:
Gender: Female 22%(23%) Male 78%(77%)
Ethnicity: BME 4%(4%) White 91%(92%) Not stated 5%(4%)
Sexual Orientation: LGBT 5%(4%) Heterosexual 63%(60%) Not stated 32%(36%)
Disability: Disability 4%(3%) No disability 93%(94%) Not stated 3%(3%)
Diversity percentage by Grey Book Staff and Green Book Staff. Counts included double counts if the member of staff was dual contracted between Grey and Green Book.
Separate diversity percentage of grey book (operational) and green book (support) staff:
Gender: Female Grey book 11% Green book 62%
Male Grey book 89% Green book 38%
Ethnicity: BME Grey book 3% Green book 6%
White Grey book 92% Green book 85%
Not stated Grey book 5% Green book 9%
Sexual Orientation: LGBT Grey book 5% Green book 3%
HeterosexualGrey book 62% Green book 68%
Not stated Grey book 33% Green book 29%
Disability: Disability Grey book 3% Green book 6%
No disability Grey book 95% Green book 88%
Not stated Grey book 2% Green book 6%
1.3.2 Workforce Diversity Recruited
This new indicator measured workforce diversity recruited as a percentage.
Combined diversity percentage of grey book (operational) and green book (support) staff. The percentages outside of the brackets represented the current quarter, with the percentage within the brackets illustrating the same quarter of the previous year:
Gender: Female 22%(39%) Male 78%(61%)
Ethnicity: BME 1%(7%) White 91%(65%) Not Stated 8%(28%)
Sexual Orientation: LGBT 4%(3%) Heterosexual 86%(85%) Not stated 10%(12%)
Disability: Disability 1%(7%) No disability 94%(88%) Not stated 5%(5%)
During quarter 3, there were a total of 43 new entrants.
It was noted that a further breakdown of the data would not be provided as it may enable the identification of individuals, due to the small numbers of persons recruited during certain periods.
1.4 Staff Accidents
This indicator measured the number of accidents which occurred to staff members at work within the quarter: Wholetime, On-Call and Greenbook.
Total number of staff accidents, 21 for quarter 3; year to date 44; previous year to date 45. Quarterly activity increased 31.25% (5 incidents) over the same quarter of the previous year. Year to date activity decreased 2.22% over the same period of the previous year.
KPI 2 - Preventing, fires and other emergencies from happening and Protecting people and property when fires happen
2.1 Risk Map Score
This indicator measured the fire risk in each Super Output Area (SOA), of which there were 941. Risk was determined using fire activity over the previous 3 fiscal years along with a range of demographic data, such as population and deprivation. The County risk map score was updated annually and presented to the Performance Committee in the quarter 1 reporting period.
Annual Standard: To reduce the risk in Lancashire – an annual reduction in the County risk map score.
(Dwelling Fires ÷ Total Dwellings) + (Dwelling Fire Casualties ÷ Resident Population x 4) + Building Fire + (IMD x 2) = Risk Score.
The current score was 30,532 and the previous year’s score was 30,750 which meant that the fire risk continued to reduce.
2.2 Overall Activity
This indicator measured the number of incidents that LFRS attended with one or more pumping appliances. Incidents attended included fires, special service calls, false alarms, and collaborative work undertaken with other emergency services i.e.: missing person searches on behalf of the Lancashire Constabulary (LanCon) and gaining entry incidents at the request of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).
Incidents attended, year to date 13,879; previous year to date 12,936. Quarterly activity decreased 1.92% over the same quarter of the previous year.
In quarter 3, the Service attended 4,185 incidents. The report presented a chart which represented the count and percentage that each activity had contributed to the overall quarter’s activity:
- Total False Alarm Calls (due to apparatus, good intent and malicious) – 1263, 30%
- Good Intent False Alarm – 651, 16%
- Malicious False Alarm – 52, 1%
- Total Primary Fire Calls (accidental dwelling / building and deliberate dwelling / commercial fires and other primary fires) – 456, 11%
- Total Secondary Fire Calls (deliberate and accidental fires) – 527, 13%
- Total Special Service Calls (critical incidents, gaining entry, RTCs, Flooding and other critical incidents) – 1220, 29%
2.3 Accidental Dwelling Fires (ADF)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected, and the cause of the fire had been recorded as 'Accidental' or 'Not known'.
Members noted that a primary fire was one involving property (excluding derelict property) or any fires involving casualties, rescues or any fire attended by 5 or more pumping appliances.
Accidental Dwelling Fires, 200 in quarter 3; year to date 563; previous year to date 518. Quarterly activity increased 5.82% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.3.1 ADF – Harm to people: Casualties
This indicator reported the number of fire related fatalities, slight and serious injuries at primary fires where a dwelling had been affected and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental or Not known.’
A slight injury was defined as; a person attending hospital as an outpatient (not precautionary check). A serious injury was defined as; at least an overnight stay in hospital as an in-patient.
Fatal 1 in quarter 3; year to date 2; previous year to date 6
Injuries appear Serious 4 in quarter 3; year to date 7; previous year to date 6
Injuries appear Slight 12 in quarter 3; year to date 24; previous year to date 24
County Councillor Tetlow queried the maximum of 10 casualties and the ACFO confirmed that 10 casualties represented the tolerance level. In quarter three, there had been a high number of casualties despite a relatively low number of incidents. The Service used the data to analyse trends such as age, and cause of the incidents which helped inform future prevention delivery to high-risk individuals.
Members noted that the casualties related to residential incidents.
2.3.2 ADF – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected, and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘'Accidental' or 'Not known'.
Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types.
The table in the report showed a breakdown of fire severity with a directional indicator that compared:
Current quarter, combined percentage of 86% against same quarter of the previous year, combined percentage of 87%.
Combined quarterly percentage decreased 0.77% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.4 Accidental Building Fires (ABF) (Commercial Premises)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a building had been affected (which was other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling), and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘'Accidental' or 'Not known'.
ABF (Commercial Premises), 45 in quarter 3; year to date 161; previous year to date 188. Quarterly activity decreased 21.05% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.4.1 ABF (Commercial Premises) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a building had been affected (which was other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling), and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘'Accidental' or 'Not known'.
Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types.
The table in the report showed a breakdown of fire severity with a directional indicator that compared:
- current quarter, combined percentage of 77% against
- same quarter of the previous year, combined percentage of 68%.
Combined quarterly percentage had therefore increased 9.36% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.5 Accidental Building Fires (Non-Commercial Premises)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, private summerhouse, or other private non-residential building had been affected, and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘Not known.’
ABF (Non-Commercial Premises), 16 in quarter 3; year to date 94; previous year to date 58. Quarterly activity remained static against the same quarter of the previous year.
2.5.1 ABF (Non-Commercial premises: Private garages and sheds) – Harm to property: Extent of damage (fire severity)
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a private garage, private shed, private greenhouse, private summerhouse, or other private non-residential building had been affected, and the cause of fire had been recorded as ‘Accidental’ or ‘Not known.’
Extent of fire, heat and smoke damage was recorded at the time the ‘stop’ message was sent and included all damage types.
The table in the report showed a breakdown of fire severity with a directional indicator that compared:
- current quarter, combined percentage of 38% against
- same quarter of the previous year, combined percentage of 37%.
Combined quarterly activity had therefore increased 0.50% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.6 Deliberate Fires Total: Specific performance measure of deliberate fires
This indicator provided an overall measure of primary and secondary fires where the cause of fire had been recorded as deliberate.
Deliberate Fires – 370 in quarter 3; year to date 1,773; previous year to date 1,474. Quarterly activity decreased 16.10% against the same quarter of the previous year.
2.6.1 Deliberate Fires – Dwellings
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where a dwelling had been affected, and the cause of fire had been recorded as deliberate.
Deliberate Fires – Dwellings, 21 in quarter 3, year to date 57; previous year to date 65. Quarterly activity decreased 8.70% over the same quarter of the previous year.
2.6.2 Deliberate Fires - Commercial Premises
This indicator reported the number of primary fires where the property type was a building, other than a dwelling or a private building associated with a dwelling, and the cause of fire had been recorded as deliberate.
Deliberate Fires – Commercial Premises, 38 in quarter 3; year to date 117; previous year to date 102.
Quarterly activity increased 22.58% over the same quarter of the previous year.
A second incident activity line was shown on the graph which excluded Crown premises which fell outside of the Service’s legislative jurisdiction.
County Councillor Riggott asked how the Service worked with Crown Premises to minimise the risk of deliberate fires. Area Manager, Matt Hamer responded that incidents were managed under the Fire Safety Order (FSO), although responsibility for Crown premises fell within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and the Crown Inspectorate. The Service worked with crown premises, including probation services and prisons, and the Fire Investigation Team would collect and analyse data from fire investigations. It had been found that some inmates had used electronic smoking materials as an ignition source for attacks or self-protection purposes. To address deliberate fires, the Service had undertaken a trial with tamper proof vapes, and fire safety talks were given by the Community Safety Team. Additionally, 12 weeks pre-release the Service provided a half day safety session covering safety information and relevant legislative changes. If an incident had malicious intent, prison sentences could be extended to act as a deterrent, however, through the Prison Working Group chaired by the Service, prevention and protection education was considered the most effective approach.
In response to a question from County Councillor Asghar regarding the response from inmates to the safety packages delivered by the Service, Area Manager explained that inmates had been involved with the design of the package and the feedback had been positive. Engagement was enhanced through the family centre with advice shared with inmates’ families and the Service worked with the art department in prisons to design prevention messaging which added value to the initiative.
2.6.3 Deliberate Fires – Other (rubbish, grassland, vehicles etc).
This indicator reported the number of primary and secondary fires where the property type was other than a building, except where the building was recorded as derelict, and the cause of fire had been recorded as deliberate.
The majority of deliberate fires were outdoor secondary fires and included grassland and refuse fires. Derelict vehicle fires were also included under secondary fires.
Deliberate Fires – Other, 311 in quarter 3; year to date 1,599; previous year to date 1,307. Quarterly activity decreased 19.64% over the same quarter of the previous year.
In response to a question from the Chair regarding whether a lack of bins in public spaces contributed to bin and rubbish fires, the ACFO advised that bins fires could be accidental attributed to discarded smoking materials, but rubbish fires were not linked to evidence where they were due to the amount of lack of bins. Area Manager, Phil Jones explained that periods of dry weather contributed with some individuals setting rubbish fires. Accurate reporting by crews had been encouraged, noting that incidents were only classifying as deliberate if that was known.
2.7 Home Fire Safety Checks
This indicator reported the percentage of completed Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSC), excluding refusals, carried out where the risk score had been determined to be high.
An improvement was shown if:
- the total number of HFSC’s completed was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year; and
- the percentage of high HFSC outcomes was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year.
HFSCs completed, 5,559 in quarter 3; year to date 22,901; previous year to date 18,268. Quarterly activity decreased 7.9% against the same quarter of the previous year.
HFSCs with high-risk outcomes, Quarter 3, 52%; previous year Quarter 2, 51%.
High risk outcomes increased 0.9% against the same quarter of the previous year.
Members noted that Dynamic Resource Management could have a direct impact on prevention activity due to fire engine cover.
2.8 Numbers of prevention activities such as Childsafe, wasted lives etc
Members received an update on the number of sessions delivered against the following prevention activities during the quarter:
ChildSafe, 279 sessions delivered to 7,871 students;
RoadSense, 242 sessions delivered to 7,761 students;
SENDSafe, 3 sessions delivered to 49 students;
Wasted Lives, 44 sessions delivered to 4,153 students;
Biker Down, 3 sessions delivered to 38 attendees;
FIRES, 46 referrals opened prior to Q3 and carried over. 38 referrals received in Q3. 41 referrals closed in Q3. 43 referrals carried to 2025-26, Q4;
Partner Training (including care providers), 22 sessions delivered to 330 delegates;
Specific Education packages – delivered Water Safety, BrightSparx, ASB, Deliberate Fire Setting etc (Covers key stages 2, 3 and 4). 134 in-person BrightSparx sessions to 18,137 pupils. 6 virtual delivery BrightSparx sessions at 25 schools, to 14,748 pupils.
Arson Threat Referrals – 193.
In response to a question from Councillor S Sidat as to whether the BrightSparx education package included firework safety, Area Manager, Matt Hamer confirmed that the package covered bonfires, safety for firework and sparkler use at home, and the action to take in the event of a burn. Ideally, the Service advocated attending organised, controlled events.
2.9 Business Fire Safety Checks
This indicator reported the number of Business Fire Safety Check (BFSC’s) completed and whether the result was satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If the result of a BFSC was unsatisfactory, fire safety advice would be provided to help the business comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. If critical fire safety issues were identified, then a business safety advisor would conduct a follow-up intervention.
- The pro rata BFSC target was delivered through each quarter.
A +/-10% tolerance was applied to the completed BFSCs and the year to date (YTD) BFSCs, against both the quarterly and YTD targets. When both counts were outside of the 10% tolerance, they would be deemed in exception which enabled local delivery to flex with the needs of their district plan over the quarters.
BFSCs completed, 719 in quarter 3; Cumulative 2,241; YTD target, 1,875; previous YTD 2,750.
Cumulative YTD BFSCs being satisfactory, 2,024. Top 5 completed satisfactory premise types (Shops 723, Offices 347, Factories/Warehouses 274, Other Workplaces 207, Other Public Premises 141).
Cumulative YTD BFSCs being unsatisfactory, 217. Top 5 completed unsatisfactory premise types (Shops 83, Factories/Warehouses 33, Other Workplaces 27, Offices 17, Licensed Premises 15).
The positive exception report was due to the number of completed Business Fire Safety Checks (BFSCs) being greater than 10% of the quarterly target, and the cumulative year to date target.
Service delivery personnel had carried out BFSCs in their respective districts over the last 2 years, and BFSC work was now embedded into business-as-usual activity. The KPI dashboard and District Intel Profiles were used to identify and target both the business types and business locations for that activity.
Councillor S Sidat asked if the Service carried out enforcement regarding the sale of fireworks. Area Manager, Matt Hamer explained that the Service worked closely with Trading Standards. The Fire Safety Team received a list of licenced establishments which was shared with operational crews for information in the event of an incident. Unlicenced sales were picked up through BFSCs and reported to Trading Standards who were the regulatory body. The ACFO advised that on Bonfire Night, a multi-agency approach was used to target the improper use of fireworks with monitoring taking place through attendance at North West Fire Control and intervention taking place where necessary.
The Chair referenced a ski resort bar fire in Switzerland and asked if that incident influenced prevention work in pubs and clubs. Area Manager, Matt Hamer advised that sparklers and a polystyrene roof had been involved in the ski resort fire, with two similar incidents occurring in the north west. One of the incidents involved sparklers in bottles and helium balloons, and the other was the ignition of green foliage. A newsletter had been relayed through licensing teams to focus on the fire rating and risk assessment of decorations in establishments. The Service would go through findings from incidents, taking lessons, which informed education and safety messages for responsible persons.
2.9.1 Fire Safety Activity (including Business Fire Safety Checks)
This indicator reported the number of Fire Safety Enforcement inspections carried out within the period which resulted in supporting businesses to improve and become compliant with fire safety regulations or where formal action of enforcement and prosecution had been taken for those that failed to comply.
An improvement was shown if the percentage of audits that required formal activity was greater than the comparable quarter of the previous year.
Total Fire Safety Enforcement Inspections, Quarter 3, 404;
Formal Activity in Quarter 3, 8%, same quarter of the previous year 8%.
Quarterly activity remained static against the same quarter of the previous year.
Members noted the cumulative number of Fire Safety inspections undertaken for 2025/26 was 1,248.
2.10 Building Regulation Consultations (BRC) (number and completed on time)
Where the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applied to premises (or would apply following building work) the building control body must consult with LFRS for comments / advice regarding fire safety. LFRS should make any comments in writing within 15 working days from receiving a BRC.
This indicator provided Members with information on the number of building regulations consultations received during the period together with improvement actions.
In Quarter 3, Building Regulation Consultations received 265, of which 242 were completed within the timeframe (LFRS should make comments in writing within 15 working days of receiving a BRC).
Area Manager, Matt Hamer commented that requests for further information could affect the timeframe for completion, as could staffing levels at times, and added that the Service was working to improve the number of competent staff.
KPI 3 - Responding to fire and other emergencies quickly
3.1 Critical Fire Response – 1st Fire Engine Attendance
This indicator reported the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident in less than the relevant response standard.
The response standards included call handling and fire engine response time for the first fire engine attending a critical fire, as follows: -
- Very high-risk area = 6 minutes
- High risk area = 8 minutes
- Medium risk area = 10 minutes
- Low risk area = 12 minutes
The response standards were determined by the risk map score and subsequent risk grade for the location of the fire.
Standards were achieved 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, was less than the relevant response standard. Expressed in minutes & seconds.
Critical Fire Response – 1st Fire Engine Attendance, Quarter 3, Very High 05:31 min; High 06:06 min, Medium 07:19 min, Low 09:03 min.
Q3 overall 07:49 min. Year to date overall 07:50 min. Previous year to date overall 07:40 min.
3.2 Critical Special Service Response – 1st Fire Engine Attendance
This indicator reported the ‘Time of Call’ (TOC) and ‘Time in Attendance’ (TIA) of the first fire engine arriving at the incident in less than the relevant response standard.
The response standard included how long it took the first fire engine to respond to critical special service (non-fire) incidents where there was a risk to life such as road traffic collisions, rescues, and hazardous materials incidents. For these critical special service call incidents there was a single response standard of 13 minutes (which measured call handling time and fire engine response time).
Critical Special Service Response – 1st Fire Engine Attendance, 08:44 min in quarter 3; year to date 08:42 min; previous year to date 08:36 min.
In response to a question from the Chair regarding animal rescues and whether mistreated animals were reported to the RSPCA, the ACFO stated that the Service had a duty of care to report mistreated animals to the RSPCA. However, the Service was generally called to animal rescues where animals were in distress such as horses entering ice. Additionally, Acting Area Manager, Kirsty McCreesh advised that the Service had access to Vets who could assist when needed and could make direct referrals to the RSPCA.
3.3 Total Fire Engine Availability
This indicator measured the availability of the 1st fire engine at each of the 39 fire stations. It was measured as the percentage of time the 1st fire engine was available to respond compared to the total time in the period.
Standard: to be in attendance within response standard target on 90% of occasions.
Total Fire Engine Availability, 89.67% in quarter 3; year to date 89.19%; previous year to date 87.45%.
Quarterly availability increased 0.37% over the same quarter of the previous year.
KPI 4 - Delivering value for money in how we use our resources
4.1 Progress Against Allocated Budget
Members received an update on spend against the approved budget for the year.
The annual budget for 2025/26 was set at £77.5 million. At the end of quarter 3 there was a small underspend of £0.2m (budget £55 million, spend £54.8 million). This was mainly attributable to savings on Wholetime pay due to the structure reducing earlier than anticipated, offset against additional on call costs and higher than budgeted pay awards of 3.2% for all staff compared to the 3% budgeted.
The annual revised capital budget for 2025/26 was £12.6 million and spend at the end of December was £3.9 million. Slippage of £6.7 million had been identified.
Quarter 3 variance -0.26% (Revenue budget variance).
4.2 Partnership Collaboration
Under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, blue light services were under a formal duty to collaborate to improve efficiency, effectiveness and deliver improved outcomes.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS), Lancashire Constabulary and North West Ambulance Service had met at both tactical and strategic levels and had agreed and signed a strategic statement of intent which contained the following aims:
- Improved Outcomes – The collaboration maintains or improves the service we provide to local people and local communities;
- Reduce Demand – The collaboration should contribute towards our longer-term strategic objective of decreasing risk in communities and reducing demand on services;
- Better Value for Money – The collaboration produces quantifiable efficiencies either on implementation or in the longer term;
- Reduced inequalities within our communities – The collaboration contributes towards reducing inequalities wherever possible.
The report outlined the progress of major workstreams overseen in Lancashire by the Blue Light Collaboration Board (BLCB). These workstreams were managed through both Strategic and Tactical meetings, supporting improved outcomes, better value for money, reduced demand, and addressing inequalities in communities.
Leadership Development
Lancashire Fire and Rescue service (LFRS), Lancashire Police (LanCon), and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) continued to seek efficiencies and foster professional relationships across Blue Light Services.
Following the success and positive feedback from the three leadership events held in 2025, one hosted by each blue light service, planning was underway for another series of events in 2026. It was proposed that they would follow a similar format, with each blue light service hosting one of the events.
The group was continuing to progress a cross-service coaching and mentoring network where people with similar roles at a comparable level were identified to link with each other in the role of either a coach or mentor. The events that ran in 2025 provided an opportunity for the attendees to be briefed on the benefits of that and indicate whether they would be willing to enter into a coaching or mentoring arrangement which received a positive response.
Health and Wellbeing
A new collaborative group was formed earlier in the year, bringing together Health and Wellbeing leads from all 3 Services. The group was led by LFRS, and its goal was to understand and align the health and wellbeing offerings across Blue Light’s organisations, exploring joint opportunities to support staff. It was recognised that there were a number of similarities in the challenges faced by personnel across the 3 services, such as dealing with distressing incidents and shift work. By collaborating and sharing mechanisms to support staff, interventions could be optimised.
The group’s initial step was to share policies and procedures for best practice and learning. Work planned for the group included continuing to develop the idea of a Tri-service wellbeing event for any member of blue light staff and continuing to explore the possibility of a joint blue light fitness and nutrition support offer. LFRS and LanCon were developing an online module for mental health awareness, to be available to all staff and shared more widely once completed.
Estates and Co-location
The estates and co-location initiative between LFRS, NWAS, and LanCon aimed to identify opportunities for shared sites enhancing collaboration and value for money. Successful co-location at Lancaster, St Annes, Darwen, Preston, and other Fire Stations had improved operational efficiency and fostered stronger inter-service relationships, ultimately benefiting Lancashire communities.
An updated Blue Light Collaboration Project Initiation Document had provided direction for the Estates and Co-location sub- group, which was exploring further collaboration. Quarterly meetings between Heads of Estates from LFRS, NWAS, and LanCon had shown that benefits extended beyond site sharing. The project’s objectives, principles, and expected benefits had been updated. The group was also considering system knowledge exchange, shared procurement specifications, and joint supplier frameworks.
Fleet had now been added as part of that group and had started work to explore the opportunities around joint servicing of vehicles across the blue light services. The group were also assessing the viability of sharing the use of Vehicle Maintenance Unit (VMU) facilities in cases of high demand or business continuity. Work had already been carried out to reduce the number of Notices on Intended Prosecution (NIPs) sent to blue light partner agencies, where appropriate. Further workstreams would be identified as the group matured such as electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure, collisions, and driver management.
Community First Responder
A cost-benefit analysis by the New Economy showed that Emergency Medical Response (EMR) yielded a return of £4.41 for every £1 invested. In areas with EMR co-responding, firefighters were dispatched alongside ambulance services for suspected cardiac arrests, with the first to arrive providing life-saving care. The parallel response increased the likelihood of timely intervention. Whilst that model had been successful in parts of the UK, the steer was now to phase out EMR in favour of supporting the CFR volunteer Framework.
In Lancashire, the CFR workstream enabled LFRS staff volunteers to respond to life-threatening emergencies from their workplace. Since April 2025, nearly 2025, nearly 300 incidents had been attended by LFRS personnel acting within phases 1 and 2.
- Phase 1: Green book staff respond voluntarily while on duty.
- Phase 2: Flexi Duty Officers (FDOs) respond while on duty.
- Phase 3: On Call staff respond within their communities.
LFRS were currently at the point of developing Phase 3. Stations had been identified to align with NWAS data indicating greatest demand for CFR and where implementation of the scheme would maximise the positive impact.
Recruitment
Recruitment was the most recent subgroup to be set up and was still in its infancy. The group were looking at opportunities for joint recruitment initiatives, exploring ways to improve the vetting and references protocol, reviewing best practice for supporting applicants with neurodiverse conditions and consider cost saving collaboration through shared recruitment events and recruitment material.
Councillor S Sidat asked whether the Fire Service would commence action without the police in a scenario where both services were requested through a 999 call. Acting Area Manager, Kirsty McCreesh advised that it would be dependent on the incident type. If it were a fire, the Service would begin immediately, however, in the event of other incidents, such as gaining entry, support may be required from the National Inter-Agency Liaison Officers (NILO) on duty to understand any risks posed to ensure the Service made informed decisions.
4.3 Overall User Satisfaction
People surveyed included those who had experienced an accidental dwelling fire, a commercial fire, or a special service incident that the Service attended.
The standard was achieved if the percentage of satisfied responses was greater than the standard.
Annual Standard: 97.50%
In quarter 3, 76 people had been surveyed and the number satisfied with the service was 73. The running total number of people surveyed was 4,074 with 4,016 of those people being satisfied with the Service; 98.58% against a standard of 97.50%; a variance of 1.08%.
The Chair thanked Officers for an excellent report and positive work.
County Councillor J Tetlow moved to note and endorse the Quarter 3 Measuring Progress report; seconded by Councillor S Sidat.
Resolved: - That the Performance Committee noted and endorsed the Quarter 3 Measuring Progress report, including two positive and one negative exception.
Supporting documents:
PDF 2 MB