National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) News

A further convoy of UK fire service kit and equipment has now left the UK and is on its way to Ukraine to provide vital support to the Ukrainian firefighters who are hard-pressed dealing with the throes of war. The convoy which has been supported by the Home Office has been organized by UK charity FIRE AID and International Development, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), and the wider fire industry. Difficult conditions imaginable This second deployment to provide life-saving kit and eq...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is delighted to welcome the publication of the Fire Investigation Fire Standard by the Fire Standards Board. The Fire Investigation Fire Standard focuses on ensuring Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) deliver effective, efficient, and valid fire investigations into the origin, cause, and development of fire. Fire Investigation Fire Standard The development of this standard has been led by NFCC Lead for Fire Investigation, Chris Blacksell as part of the NFCC...

Following more than 25 wildfire incidents in the last weekend of March 2022 alone, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is urging the public to take additional precautions. In one of the incidents, a large-scale wildfire in Devon and Somerset has called in ten fire appliances in attendance, with alerts out for similar fires in both South Wales and Lancashire, in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition, a six hectare wildfire in East Sussex has also been reported on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Till...

The biggest UK fire service convoy – made up of 22 vehicles and more than 5,000 items of kit and equipment, donated by UK fire and rescue services, has been deployed to support firefighters in Ukraine, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.  More than 60 volunteers from FIRE AID and fire and rescue services are taking the convoy into Poland. It will then make its way into Ukraine, providing vitally needed equipment to support firefighters, emergency services and volunteers, battling together o...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has announced that the Data Management Fire Standard is now open for consultation, closing 27th April, 2022.  Data Management Fire Standard The Data Management Fire Standard has been developed with expert input from the NFCC Digital and Data Program, NFCC Leads for Data, Apollo Gerolymbos and Andy Hopkinson, Government Digital Services and colleagues, with data expertise from a wide range of fire and rescue services. 

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is joining fire services across the UK in donating items of kit and equipment to Ukraine to support firefighters on the frontline. UK charity, FIRE AID and International Development (FIRE AID), and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) are coordinating donations of more than 5,000 items of fire and rescue equipment and PPE which will be sent in convoy to Ukraine.   West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is sending: 12 pallets of fire kit 12 pallets...

Fire services across the UK are donating thousands of items of kit and equipment to be sent to Ukraine, to support firefighters on the frontline. UK charity, FIRE AID and International Development (FIRE AID), and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) are coordinating donations of more than 5,000 items of fire and rescue equipment and PPE which will be sent in convoy to Ukraine. Eighteen fire engines, thermal imaging cameras for finding victims, generators, lighting, hoses, rescue eq...

Testing and maintenance of fire alarm is mandatory under the fire safety order and also a requirement within BS5839-1 2017, the standard for fire detection and alarms in non-domestic buildings. Residents are obliged to complete testing on a regular basis, some of these checks can be complete in house by an appointed person. People should on a daily basis check the fire alarm control, with indicating equipment having a Green LED illuminated to show the panel is healthy & free of any fire or...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) sends its congratulations to three fire and rescue services who featured in the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Services ranked alongside fellow local government organizations such as Sussex Police as well as household names such as Unilever, Sky, and Aviva. Public sector organization The Stonewall Top 100 Employers list is compiled from t...

The Working Patterns project team announces the launch of the working patterns case studies and case study implementation tool. NFCC People Programme The NFCC People Programme worked with services to identify new and innovative working patterns, which have been compiled into nine case studies. Case studies include supporting information about the whole time and on-call duty systems for UK services with useful information about international working patterns. The case studies provide examples...

Following another successful conference last November which saw over 400 delegates in attendance, FIRE 2022 is set to return later this year. Traditionally organized collaboratively between the Fire Protection Association (FPA), Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the Fire 2022 team have now welcomed the Fire Sector Federation (FSF) as a key contributor and supporter of this event. The four parties will work closely together on the event program to...

The National Fire Chiefs Council is delighted to welcome the publication of the Safeguarding Fire Standard by the Fire Standards Board. The Safeguarding Fire Standard aims to ensure that fire and rescue services are doing all that they can to support and promote the safeguarding of those within their communities, employees, and volunteers. The standard accompanies the NFCC Safeguarding Guidance for Children, Young People and Adults, and the NFCC Self-Assessment Toolkit.   ass...

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service hosted a Virtual Reality (VR) workshop series at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service HQ. Staff from around the service took part in the demonstrations, to explore the potential for using the technology in training. VR applications The final session of the day was attended by other fire and rescue services from around the country including Tyne and Wear, South Yorkshire, and Shropshire, as well as members of the National Fire Chiefs Council. The t...

The UK Minister for Building Safety and Fire, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, has hosted a virtual meeting with apprentices from across UK fire and rescue services to mark National Apprenticeship Week. Eight fire service employees, who are currently undertaking or have recently completed apprenticeships in a variety of disciplines, were invited to join a virtual meeting with the Minister on Thursday, February 10, 2022. Virtual meeting They spoke about their fire service journey so far and how the ap...

The National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Data and Digital Programme is commencing the final stage of delivering a national data analytics capability that will make efficient and effective use of data to support current and emerging needs of the UK fire and rescue service (UKFRS), as well as ongoing decision making and policy development. Once fully implemented, the resource will be a central function of the NFCC comprising of skilled people, standardized processes, and technology...

NFCC welcomed the progress of the Building Safety Bill, as it completed its third reading in the House of Commons on 19 January 2022. Following the debate, Mark Hardingham, NFCC Chair said, “The Building Safety Bill is a crucial piece of legislation to improve the fire and building safety landscape both now and in the future."  “We particularly welcomed the detailed contributions from Members across the House, including those speaking on behalf of residents and leaseholders in...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has welcomed the announcements by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Leveling Up, Housing, and Communities, as an encouraging step towards fixing the cladding crisis and improving building safety. Recently, the Government outlined its new approach to protect leaseholders from paying for the expensive remediation of unsafe cladding on buildings above 11 meters, and that developers and cladding companies will instead be required to fund the work....

More than half a million COVID-19 vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue services staff, according to a report by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). As reported, the figure as of now is at 510,540 – a testament to the hard work from all involved, and will only increase as fire services continue their efforts to support the national program. Additional vaccination sites It is estimated up to 2,500 members of staff are supporting this vital work to get everyone eligible pro...

Health officials have praised a North East Fire and Rescue Service after they helped set up a vaccination center in a matter of days. Millions of residents across the UK have been invited to receive their Coronavirus booster vaccination in the face of an increase in Omicron cases in recent weeks. The new strain has led to a spike in transmissions during the festive period and health officials have called on the public to protect themselves. But it has led to a huge demand for new vaccination...

Throughout the pandemic, everyone at Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has been proud to support the blue light partners, NHS colleagues, local councils, and community organizations. People from across KFRS have volunteered to offer their services whenever possible, including during the mass roll-out of Covid-19 testing and more recently, vaccinations. In the last week, officers have been helping to collect thousands of vaccines from hospitals across Kent and Medway, and delivering t...

Following the launch of an Implementation Tool for both the Prevention and Protection Fire Standard, the Fire Standards Board are delighted to publish six further tools covering each of the previously published Fire Standards.   The NFCC Implementation Team has been pivotal in developing these tools in response to feedback from services following the launch of the first eight Fire Standards this year.   Providing useful evidence P...

Within just 48 hours of the government announcing the acceleration of the national vaccination program, fire and rescue services are already supporting the effort and have vaccinated hundreds of people.   Almost half a million vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue service staff this year – and this figure is set to rocket in the coming days as more services will be administering the boosters. Up to 2,500 fire and rescue services, staff could assi...

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has received today’s State of Fire report which focuses on the inspection of 12 services, published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. According to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Sir Thomas Winsor: "The fire and rescue service (England) continues to be an enormous asset to our communities and the sector's response to the pandemic has been exemplary.” Complimented protection a...

Fire and Rescue Services across the country will once again be assisting with the national vaccination program, following the government’s push to offer everyone aged over 18 a booster jab by the end of the year.   To date, almost half a million vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue service staff – and hundreds of thousands of hours spent on setting up centers and helping to run them.   Fire and rescue service staff have been assisting with the vaccination...

Over 70 colleagues from the fire sector gathered at the Oriental Club in Stratford Place, London to celebrate the FPA's platinum jubilee. Guests included current and former government ministers, and staff from the NFCC, IFE, and the London Fire Brigade, among many others. More than merely a victory lap or a gathering of old friends, the event was also a poignant reminder of what can be achieved within the sector with a collective and unified voice, and a singular message.  FPA C...

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Student Fire Safety Week campaign. Running from October 25 to October 31, 2021, the campaign raises awareness on the risk of fire to students starting out on their journey into university life. Sion Slaymaker, the Head of Business Fire Safety for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said, “For many young adults, this is the time of year when they start a new chapter in their live...

Dräger has earned a place on the Emergency Response Equipment and Associated Services Framework agreement C00268, awarded by the NFCC Fire Commercial Transformation Program along with the contracting Authority West Midlands Fire Service. Thermal imaging camera equipment supplied by Dräger, a pioneer in the fields of safety and technology, will now be available to the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) through its Emergency Response Equipment (ERE) framework, with the company...

The NFCC Academic Collaboration, Evaluation and Research Group (ACER) will get to work this autumn, led by Nottingham Trent University academic Dr. Rowena Hill. ACER will review research from both the UK and across the world, keeping a watching brief on lessons learned that could apply to UK fire and rescue services. The NFCC is keen for ACER to encourage approaches from academics who share areas for potential research. NFCC set up The NFCC set up NOL that analyzed incidents to then share lea...

Fire Door Safety Week research reveals more than one in ten renters fear that raising fire safety concerns will affect their tenancy. There is cause to complain: a third of all renters have experienced fire doors being damaged or propped open and a quarter noticed a broken fire alarm in the last 12 months alone. With renters also concerned about whether reporting issues will even lead to them being fixed, the Fire Door Safety Week campaign is calling for fire safety to be urgently prioritized a...

Module 5 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry focuses on firefighting, with opening statements setting out a detailed analysis of operational, cultural, and leadership shortcomings of the London Fire Brigade. The Inquiry is interested in how the London Fire Brigade trained and prepared its staff for responding to fires in all buildings as construction methods have changed over the decades. Different legal firms Module 5 began with opening statements from three different legal firms, representing the...