HMICFRS revisit highlights mobilisation issues in Dorset and Devon services

HMICFRS revisit findings published

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has published revisit letters to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

Both letters, dated Wednesday 24 September 2025, assessed how the services identify and manage problems with their mobilisation systems.

The visits followed earlier concerns about the mobilisation system in another fire and rescue service in the Networked Fire Services Partnership (NFSP).

Inspectors interviewed fire control staff, managers and reviewed related documentation.

Both services were issued areas for improvement concerning strategic oversight of mobilisation issues and escalation of faults to senior leaders.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service revisit

HMICFRS said it revisited Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service on Tuesday 22 July 2025.

Inspectors reported that staff had been raising concerns about mobilisation slowdowns since 2017.

Some of these issues caused delays in mobilisation, though no evidence of significant delays to attendance times was found.

Staff escalated problems to the NFSP central team and the system provider, but there was no clear guidance on escalating to senior leaders.

An example was the midnight slowdown issue, first reported in April 2023, but only raised with senior leadership in May 2025.

The system provider has since applied a fix, with daily testing in place to monitor its success.

Control staff were confident in using back-up systems, including pre-alerting to minimise delays.

Since May 2025, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has strengthened guidance, issued new training notes and added control measures.

HMICFRS found that recurring faults had not always been escalated to leadership and some were closed prematurely by the provider.

In June 2025, the service added mobilisation issues to its corporate risk register and appointed a group manager to escalation meetings.

Kathryn Stone OBE, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, stated that the service had taken recent steps to improve governance and mitigation.

She issued an area for improvement requiring strategic oversight arrangements and regular escalation of faults to senior leaders.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service revisit

HMICFRS reported that it revisited Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service on Wednesday 23 July 2025.

Control staff said slowdowns had been increasingly apparent since 2023 and linked the problems to the age of the system.

Inspectors found no evidence of significant delays to attendance times.

Some staff had previously been complacent in reporting minor issues, though managers had recently re-emphasised the importance of reporting.

As with Dorset and Wiltshire, issues were escalated through the NFSP team and system provider, but not to senior leadership until June 2025.

The midnight slowdown issue, originally reported in April 2023, was highlighted to senior leaders only in 2025.

HMICFRS confirmed the system provider had applied a fix and was conducting daily monitoring.

Plans to archive old data are also expected to improve performance.

Control staff were familiar with back-up systems and the service introduced new measures and a training note in July 2025.

Governance arrangements showed weaknesses, including insufficient oversight by senior leaders and limited performance management of the system supplier.

Although the service produced reports on system faults, it did not verify whether the supplier was meeting key performance indicators.

The issues were added to the directorate risk register in June 2025 and the executive board was made aware.

HMICFRS said the service has taken steps to strengthen governance but issued an area for improvement calling for stronger strategic oversight and regular escalation of faults.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

The HMICFRS findings are relevant for senior officers, incident commanders and fire control managers who rely on mobilisation systems for emergency response.

The letters show how long-standing system issues, if not escalated to senior leadership, can persist without resolution despite mitigation by control staff.

For procurement officers and fire service executives, the reports highlight the importance of contract performance management with suppliers of mobilisation systems.

Including such oversight ensures that recurring faults are prioritised, monitored and resolved in a timely way.

Training officers and operational planners may also note the emphasis on back-up procedures and updated training guidance introduced by both services.

These measures demonstrate the necessity of robust contingency planning to reduce delays when mobilisation systems encounter faults.

HMICFRS revisit findings published: Summary

HMICFRS published revisit letters on Wednesday 24 September 2025 for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

The revisits took place in July 2025 and assessed how both services identified and managed issues with their mobilisation systems after concerns were raised in another service.

Inspectors found that mobilisation slowdowns had been reported for several years, with examples such as a midnight slowdown first escalated to the system provider in April 2023.

In both cases, the problems were not highlighted to senior leaders until 2025, leading HMICFRS to conclude that oversight and governance had been lacking.

Both services have since added mobilisation issues to risk registers, introduced new training notes and strengthened contingency measures.

The system provider has applied a fix to address the midnight slowdown and daily monitoring is in place to assess its effectiveness.

HMICFRS issued each service an area for improvement requiring strategic oversight arrangements and regular escalation of faults to senior leaders.

This article contains information from the following source: HMICFRS