Avon Fire and Rescue Service deemed 'inadequate', report finds

A fire service is "inadequate" at responding to emergencies, a report has found.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has "serious concerns" about how Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) keeps people safe.

The force's mobilisation system, which dispatches resources, would crash during 999 calls, causing delays.

Chief fire officer Simon Shilton has apologised to the public.

He said: "As a service we welcome the challenge and support to ensure we are the best service we can be, however, I'm sorry if local people feel let down.

"I feel strongly that the findings do not represent who we are as a service and what I know the dedicated staff I work alongside daily, strive for the service to be."

He added that the service, which covers Bristol, Bath, parts of Somerset and South Gloucestershire, has already taken steps to address the issues.

The report, conducted between June and July this year, graded AFRS on 11 criteria.

Out of the 11, the service scored the lowest on four - understanding fire and risk, preventing fire and risk, responding to fires and emergencies, and promoting values and culture.

The service was told it requires improvement on a further five criteria and was rated adequate on two others.

Inspector Wendy Williams raised concerns about AFRS's culture and said staff in some teams demonstrated "unacceptable behaviours, such as using sexist or inappropriate language and disguising this as banter".

"And, worryingly, some staff don't have the confidence to report these issues," she added.

The inspectorate found firefighters could not always access risk information, including for high-risk, high-rise buildings.

It said: "Concerningly, we were told by firefighters that on one occasion when they were reviewing the risk information on their way to an incident, a completely different building was displayed that had no relevance to the incident they were attending.

"Some operational staff told us it was more of a risk to use the risk information during their response."

Avon Fire Authority chair, councillor Brenda Massey said the findings were "regrettable" considering how much improvement work was already taking place.

"It's important our local communities know and have confidence that the service will respond to them in an emergency," she added.

Dave Roberts, fire brigade union South West regional secretary said: "This damning inspectorate report into Avon Fire and Rescue Service exposes a service in a state of crisis.

"The service has been rated inadequate at preventing and responding to fires. Response times are slower than the national average.

"This is an emergency."

The service will be inspected again next month to review progress.

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