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30
Jan 2023
North Yorkshire fire chief admits ‘work to do’ following damning report
The chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has admitted there’s “work to do” following the publication of a highly critical report that questioned the service’s ability to respond to fires.
The report was published last week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and it graded North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service following an inspection last year.
It found the service had deteriorated in most areas since its last full inspection in 2018/19.
The report said the organisation's overall effectiveness “requires improvement” and more needs to be done to keep people safe and secure.
The inspection found that the number of available fire engines sometimes falls to below minimum levels.
It also said the way the service manages its finances is “inadequate” due to the “fragility” of the budget. It described the overall financial situation as “precarious”.
Read more
- Fire service availability ‘incredibly concerning’ says North Yorkshire commissioner
- North Yorkshire fire service has adequate funding, says minister
- ‘Serious concerns’ over North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue finances, say inspectors
While the report was largely critical of the service provided to the public, it did praise the organisation for its fire prevention work and how it responds to major incidents.
Chief fire officer, Jonathan Dyson, responded to the report at a public accountability meeting last week for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
He said progress has been made since the inspection took place and tried to reassure the public that it is able to respond to incidents.
Mr Dyson said:
Mr Dyson was appointed by Conservative Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe in May 2022, which was after the inspection took place.
Commissioner Metcalfe told the meeting:
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