The Fire Standards Board (FSB) has announced the launch of its eighth professional Fire Standard – Protection
Alongside the Prevention Fire Standard, this sees completion of Fire Standards covering the three pillars of service delivery for fire and rescue services – Operational Response, Prevention and Protection.
Each of the eight Fire Standards aims to help drive continuous improvement across England’s fire and rescue services.
The Protection Fire Standard addresses both the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower inquiry and HMICFRS’s findings with regards both to services’ capacity in terms of protection provision and the raising of levels of fire engineering knowledge and understanding by operational and other relevant staff.
The Protection Fire Standard was developed through work carried out by the NFCC Protection, Policy and Reform Unit. This work was done in parallel with the development of the Prevention Fire Standard, which was launched at the end of July.
Alongside the publication of the Protection Fire Standard is the publication of a Fire Standards Implementation Tool. The tool was designed to support services in assessing how well they meet the Standard and will help them build an action plan to complete those areas where there are gaps.
A Fire Standard focused on Resilience and Emergency Planning is part of the next phase of standards development. Other Fire Standards in development include;
- Safeguarding
- Fire Investigation
- Leadership Fire Standards covering Service Leadership, Developing Leaders and Service Management
- Data Management.
FSB Chair, Suzanne McCarthy, said:
“The Board recognises the importance of this standard and the contribution it will make to helping services in driving forward safer buildings and the improved wellbeing of communities.
This standard, like the others so far published and in the development pipeline, will drive service improvement and enhance professionalism, helping to identify what good practice looks like for the benefit of both fire and rescue service personnel and the communities they serve.”
Fire Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:
“I’m delighted the Protection Fire Standard is being launched today.
“Fire Standards are key tools to help our services excel in the crucial work they do.
“Services should use the Protection Standard to help reduce risks in the built environment and keep our communities safe.”