National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) News

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is delighted to initiate the NFCC Middle Leadership Programme project for the benefit of UK fire and rescue services. Led by Project Executive ACFO - Matt Cook, in conjunction with the project team under NFCC’s Leadership Programme, the project aims to provide a standardized approach to developing middle managers, both operational and support, for the fire sector. NFCC Middle Leadership Programme project The project will incorporate blended and so...

Residents are urged to take simple steps to protect themselves from accidental fires and carbon monoxide poisoning as they look to keep warm and reduce energy use this winter.  As temperatures drop heading into the coldest part of the year, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) is highlighting the potential risks of finding alternative, unsafe ways of heating and lighting their homes as the cost of living continues to increase. Stay Fire Safe campaign The Service is supporting Na...

Mark Hardingham, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council said, “The NFCC is committed to supporting all aspects of the development of UK fire and rescue services, including culture and professionalism. The Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade contains disturbing and difficult information." "We support LFB for recognizing the need and commissioning this work as a positive step on a long, difficult but vitally important journey." Immediate action “We need to tak...

The former Firefighter - Tony is being acknowledged at an award ceremony for the fire prevention work he has conducted over the last 15 years. Tony is a finalist in the first-ever National Fire Chiefs Council’s Celebrating Prevention Awards 2022 in their Outstanding Contribution Award category. Tony's determination  The father of two and grandfather of seven joined West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) in 1977 and he said that one incident in particular made him determin...

The Environment Services Association (ESA) has launched it's latest ‘Take Charge’ recycling campaign to counter the rising number of fires caused by batteries that have not been disposed of correctly. recycle batteries First launched in 2020, the campaign aims to warn consumers of the dangers related to ‘zombie’ batteries, which can be a potential fire risk if they are thrown away alongside residual waste or via other recycling methods. Instead, it urges consumers to r...

As the cost of living crisis worsens across the country, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is warning there could be a sharp increase in accidental fires in the home. NFCC is concerned that the UK could see an increase in fire-related serious injuries – and potentially fatalities – as people try to find alternative ways to stay warm, light their homes, and reduce energy as bills soar. Keeping communities safe And to combat this, NFCC is launching its new national campaign, &...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has responded to the Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) building safety reform consultations. These key consultations, which closed on 12 October, lay out the principles that will determine what the new building safety regime will look like during construction and once in occupation. Lack of detail and clarity  NFCC has raised concerns about the lack of clarity and detail on some of the issues within the consultation...

Rob MacDougall, Director of Community Safety and Chief Fire Officer at Oxfordshire County Council, has been appointed National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) People Programme Executive. The appointment follows the departure of Ann Millington, Chief Executive for Kent Fire and Rescue Service and former NFCC People Programme Executive, after 11 years in the post. supporting the NFCC network Having joined the sector in 1998, Rob has enjoyed a wide and varied career in Oxfordshire, and even took a sh...

Vital equipment has been donated by West Yorkshire firefighters to help those battling to save lives in Ukraine.  West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has added to the special convoy that left the UK this weekend to head to Poland. Once it arrives the equipment will be handed over to the Polish State Fire Service, with support from Germany en route, to help support firefighters in Ukraine. boats and PPE Among the equipment are six inflatable boats and a box of PPE equipment don...

A CPD (Continuing Professional Development) event is being held at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on 29 September 2022.  Led by NFCC’s End Point Assessment Partnership team, the newly established event is for fire and rescue services in England who have existing apprentices and is either looking for an End Point Assessment Organization (EPAO) or are looking to release members of staff to assist the assessments as an Independent End Point Assessor (IEPA).  New assessment...

Ron Alalouff reviews the tighter regulation of fire safety in the design and construction of buildings coming into effect on 1 December. In the last twelve months, the government has moved to strengthen a range of fire safety provisions in building regulations and guidance, including drawing up tougher standards on the use of combustible materials on medium-rise blocks of flats between 11m and 18m high. Changes in Act The changes are being brought about by the Building Etc (Amendment) (Englan...

A stark warning about the risks of taking shortcuts in an attempt to save fuel costs has been given by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Group Commander - David Girrity told a meeting of the Midlothian Police, Fire and Rescue Board that fires in homes will increase as the cost-of-living crisis hits households, according to the Edinburgh Evening News. Single occupancy households Group Commander - David Girrity said: “The poverty of fuel, I can see that exacerbating the issues in rela...

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is proud to lend its support to Business Safety Week to help keep customers in the county safe from fire risks. The annual campaign, organized by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), runs from 5 - 11 September and aims to make businesses aware of their fire safety responsibilities and provide employees with the information they need to help prevent and respond to fires at work. Measures to reduce fire risk  Many fires in the workplace will have devast...

The Emergency Services Show offers the perfect opportunity for fire and rescue professionals to see and handle the latest kit while sharing experiences and exchanging best practices with the entire UK emergency services community. Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 21-22 September, the event showcases how technology and innovation are transforming emergency response for all blue light services and first responders. More than 450 exhibitors will showcase the latest innovations, extensive l...

Fires remain the greatest threat facing those responsible for safeguarding the built heritage. While other risks such as theft, flood and even insect or fungal infestation can damage buildings and their contents, only fire can destroy them completely. Each year, throughout the world, there are fires in all types of historic and heritage buildings – in 2019 alone there were 400 serious fires recorded in such properties. A number of these fire outbreaks reach serious proportions, where mea...

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is set to launch a Direct Entry Scheme in September. The scheme will enable those with proven leadership skills, from a variety of sectors, to apply for Station Manager and Area Manager roles without needing to have fire service experience or without needing to have taken the traditional firefighter promotional route. A recruitment campaign will begin in September through appointed recruitment experts at Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd. acquire, deve...

This revision follows extensive consultation by NFCC, in partnership with a wealth of fire sector stakeholders, and saw over 500 comments on the guidance and accompanying Equality Impact Assessment from across the industry, including leaseholder groups. The document replaces the third edition, which was published in October 2020. The consultation and subsequent revision are the product of a review commissioned by the government following the withdrawal of the Consolidated Advice Note and the pu...

Since NFCC’s launch of the Person Centred Framework, fire and rescue services across the UK have been adopting the framework’s standards and methodologies. Following this success, a standardized data collection system to support Home Fire Safety Visits has been launched on their website. Standard Data Requirement The Standard Data Requirement for the Person Centred Framework is intended as best practice guidance, giving each service something to work towards. Standardized data...

Fire and rescue services have shown encouraging improvements, including continuing to be well prepared to respond to major incidents, evident in last week’s heatwave, a positive shift in fire protection, and a continued strong focus on health, safety, and welfare.  These are some of the findings from a report released by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), looking at the results of recent inspections of 15 fire and rescue services.&nbs...

The National Collaborative PPE Framework is celebrating five years of success in delivering high-quality PPE to Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) across the UK. Launched in June 2017 to streamline the PPE procurement process, the scheme has since delivered protective clothing to around two-thirds of FRSs across the country, equating to more than 30,000 firefighters. Created with a view to sharing best practices and delivering efficiencies, the National Framework is managed by the National Fire Ch...

As school holidays begin, West Yorkshire firefighters are advising parents and guardians to talk to children and young people about water safety, to try and help prevent drownings in our region. This comes as part of World Drowning Prevention Day, where the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a call for people around the world to 'do one thing' to prevent drowning. Drowning Drowning is one of the major causes of death globally for children and young people aged 1-24 years,...

Major incidents were declared on Tuesday 19 July 2022 by fire services in London, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, following a devastating outbreak of fires on the hottest recorded day in the UK. nine fires In London, over 400 firefighters were tackling at least nine fires through the night that began on Tuesday. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has detailed where their resources were sent as the day went on: 30 fire engines and 175 firefighters att...

Fire and rescue services across the country have attended an unprecedented number of calls during the recent spell of hot weather, managing in very difficult conditions despite the huge increase in demand.  Control room staff in fire and rescue services have been dealing thousands upon thousands of calls and ensuring help gets to where it is needed as quickly as possible. The Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) briefed the prime minister on the situation and hourly reports ar...

Residents throughout the county can now access home fire safety information, with a personalized action plan, online in their own time. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service launches a new home safety check tool, available via their website, that will enable people to carry out their own home fire risk assessment for free. The online tool takes the answers given and creates an action plan that can be saved and printed, giving basic, simple tips to help keep their home fire safe. Internet-Enab...

In order to inform an NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council) Health and Wellbeing strategy, colleagues from Nottingham Trent University have been tasked with conducting a survey, to map health and well-being across fire and rescue service staff, in order to better understand current and future needs.  Health and Well-being strategy The NFCC Health and Wellbeing strategy will reflect the health and well-being needs of people in the fire safety industry, across all careers.  Led by Dr. R...

As the cost of living soars across the UK, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is urging people to take fire safety precautions in the home to stay safe. The advice comes ahead of NFCC’s national Home Fire Safety Week taking place between June 13th and 19th which aims to keep people safer from fire in their homes. Cause of fires NFCC is concerned that people may put themselves at additional risk as to the cost of living increases and remind people to buy, charge and run electrical p...

The National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) People Programme has launched four new tools, in order to support fire and rescue services in the selection, recruitment, nurturing and growth of diverse talent. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Hub, Recruitment Hub, Talent Management Toolkit and Coaching and Mentoring Portal are the culmination of months of hard work, by National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) project teams and colleagues from across the fire and rescue sector. Each tool champi...

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is supporting National Sprinkler Week, helping to raise awareness of how sprinkler systems can protect people, property, and firefighters. The campaign, established by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), has begun and will run until Sunday 22 May, with fire services across the country taking part. Calls are also being made by the NFCC for government to remedy building regulations in relation to sprinklers, which currently differ across the UK. The NFCC are p...

The families of two much loved mother,s who lost their lives in a tragic care home fire, have backed the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) campaign urging the government to improve sprinkler regulations in England. Daphne Holloway, 88 and Ivy Spriggs, 91 sadly lost their lives, after an accidental fire ripped through Newgrange Care Home, in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, on 8th April 2017.  NFCC’s ‘Think Sprinkler’ campaign Daphne & Ivy’s daughters,...

“We’re delighted to be returning to FIREX International this year and we relish the opportunity it presents to connect with our members, customers, and the wider fire safety sector,” said Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA). He adds, “FIREX will see the launch of several new and exciting FPA services including our Material Identification Laboratory, for identifying building insulation material; two fire resistance test f...