Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service praised for COVID pandemic response

An independent review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the service had adapted and responded effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The inspection was carried out in November 2020, and looked at a number of areas. It praised how the service was able to continue to safely provide fire prevention advice to vulnerable members of the community, and the way the service prioritised the health and wellbeing of staff.

Unlike previous inspections, there was no grading for fire and rescue services, instead the Inspectorate produced a narrative response setting out their assessment of the effectiveness of the Service’s response to the pandemic.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Hedley said: “I welcome this report from HMICFRS which reflects how we have responded to the challenges of the pandemic and how we adapted the way we work to maintain our full range of emergency response and risk critical functions.

"The report recognises the hard work and dedication of staff across the service who have been involved in supporting the county council and other partner agencies in delivering their vital services to our communities.

"As a service we will also build on the achievements highlighted by HMICFRS to improve what we do and how we do it.”

Northumberland County Council. Coun. John Riddle..

Councillor John Riddle, Northumberland Fire Authority chair, said: "The report is a really positive one and gives people in Northumberland further confidence that their local fire and rescue service is prepared and able to respond to the challenges presented by the covid crisis.”