West Midlands 2021/22
Read more about West MidlandsThis is HMICFRS’s third 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 outstanding.
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.
Wendy Williams, HM Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services
HM Inspector's summary
It was a pleasure to revisit West Midlands Fire Service, and I am grateful for the positive and constructive way that the service engaged with our inspection.
I congratulate West Midlands Fire Service on its first-rate performance in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks.
The service has made excellent progress in many areas since our 2019 inspection and is more effective in every area. It has addressed areas for improvement to ensure it looks after its people better. And it continues to make sure that it uses its resources well and provides value for money.
My principal findings from our assessment of the service over the past year are as follows:
- It is outstanding in how it understands the risk of fire and other emergencies. This means that it knows how and where fires are most likely to happen so it can target its activity to mitigate those risks.
- It continues to be outstanding in the way it responds to fires and other emergencies. It makes sure that it has resources in the right place so it can respond to emergencies in the fastest possible time. This helps to keep the public safe and save lives.
- It has improved how it looks after its people. I was pleased to see the service communicates better with its staff and looks after their health, safety and well‑being. Staff are beginning to see the benefit of its work to improve the culture of the organisation. Well-looked after staff can be more effective and efficient in how they work to keep the public safe. I look forward to seeing the continued improvements that the service makes in this area.
There are many positive findings from this inspection, and we found that all areas for improvements identified in our last inspection have been addressed. But the service can still make further improvements, such as in the way it assures itself of the competence of its workforce. And it should continue the good work it has done so far to make sure that its values are demonstrated at all levels of the organisation.
Overall, however, I commend the performance of West Midlands Fire Service. I am sure the service will be committed to improving yet further.