Fire Standards Board introduces Fire Control and Communications & Engagement Standards

The Fire Standards Board (FSB) has announced the launch of two new Fire Standards – Fire Control, and Communications & Engagement. The Fire Control Standard was driven by recent major incident events such as Grenfell and the Manchester Arena bombing. It addresses the fundamental and strategic role that Fire Control plays from initially receiving the first contact through to the very close of an incident.

The Communication and Engagement Fire Standard clarifies the importance of effective communication and engagement in all aspects of a fire and rescue service and aims to ensure fire and rescue services have defined approaches on how to strategically communicate to all stakeholders, both internally and externally.

The new standards were developed in collaboration with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), FirePRO, the membership body for communications professionals working in fire and rescue, the Chartered Institute for Public Relations, and the Local Government Association.

The Fire Control Standard’s development drew on the expertise and wide knowledge of Fire Control in all operational service activity, including the NFCC Fire Control Project Team, the NFCC Lead for Fire Control, the Mobilising Officers Group, and control specialists from a wide range of Fire and Rescue services.

The Communication and Engagement Fire Standard reaffirms that good communication is the responsibility of everyone and clarifies the importance of effective communication and engagement in all aspects of a fire and rescue service.

Paul Compton, Chair of FirePRO between 2019 and 2022 and who led on the development of the standard, said the new standards will encourage consistency across the sector, reaffirming that good communications and engagement is everyone’s responsibility.

Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire Chris Philp welcomed the launch of the Communication and Engagement and Fire Control Standards, saying they will support all fire and rescue services in ensuring community and efficiency is at the heart of their work.

Chair of the Fire Standards Board, Suzanne McCarthy, said the launch of these two new Fire Standards is a significant step forward in helping services deliver the right behaviours and values across fire and rescue services. The FSB oversees the identification, organisation, development, and maintenance of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England.

As with all Fire Standards, there are corresponding Gap Analysis Tools to support services with implementation. These tools help services in both assessing how well they currently meet Fire Standards as well as considering any additional actions that may be required to achieve them.