National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) News

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...

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...

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...