Kent 2018/19
Read more about KentThis is HMICFRS’s first annual assessment of fire and rescue services. This assessment examines the service’s effectiveness, efficiency and how well it looks after its people. It is designed to give the public information about how their local fire and rescue service is performing in several important areas, in a way that is comparable with other services across England.
The extent to which the service is effective at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good.
The extent to which the service is efficient at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks is good.
The extent to which the service looks after its people is good.
Zoë Billingham, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services
HM Inspector's summary
We are pleased with the performance of Kent Fire & Rescue Service in keeping people safe and secure. But it needs to improve in some areas to give a consistently good service.
Kent FRS is good at providing an effective service. It is good at:
- understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies;
- preventing fires and other risks;
- responding to fires and other emergencies; and
- responding to national risks.
But it requires improvement to the way it protects the public through fire regulation.
We judge the efficiency of its service to be good. It is good at making the best use of resources and at providing an affordable service.
It is good in the way that it looks after its people. It is good at:
- promoting the right values and culture;
- ensuring fairness and promoting diversity; and
- managing performance and developing leaders.
But the service requires improvement to the way it gets the right people with the right skills.
Overall, we commend Kent Fire & Rescue Service for its performance. This provides a good foundation for improvement in the year ahead.