Community Risk Management Planning

A fire and rescue service must:

1. Utilise and share accurate data and business intelligence (from both internal and external sources) to support key activities such as evidenced-based decision making, horizon scanning, cross border risk identification and organisational learning;
2. Ensure transparency in the community risk management planning process through either implementing and/or supporting ongoing engagement and formal consultation processes, ensuring these are accessible and publicly available;
3. Ensure that organisational decisions and the measures implemented support equality, diversity, inclusivity, are non-discriminatory and are people impact assessed;
4. Meet its legislative, framework and governance requirements linked to Community Risk Management;
5. Be able to evidence its external and internal operating environment and the strategic objectives the community risk management plan is seeking to achieve;
6. Identify and describe the existing and emerging local, regional and national hazards it faces, the hazardous events that could arise and the risk groups (People, Place, Environment and Economy) that could be harmed;
7. Analyse risk, consider its risk appetite, determine the risk levels and prioritise risk accordingly;
8. Make decisions about the deployment of resources based on the prioritised risk levels and planning assumptions involved. This should be carried out with consideration to internal and external resource availability (people, financial and physical) including collaborative, cross-border and national resilience assistance. Consideration should also be given to other strategic influences such as consultation feedback, stakeholder engagement and political objectives;
9. Continually evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and delivery of the community risk management plan and the organisational impact of risk management decisions;
10. Be able to clearly define who has overall accountability for the community risk management plan and responsibility for the various components contained within it; and
11. Provide training and/or support (where required) to all who are involved in the development, management and implementation of the community risk management plan.

1. National approach and improved understanding in the development and evidence base of local community risk management planning;
2. Improved standardisation in the use of data and business intelligence within community risk management planning will aid information sharing, evaluation of activities and sharing of good practice;
3. Standardised and nationally approved approach to Community Risk Management planning will help to maximise the efficiency of cross border, collaborative and national working opportunities.
4. Evidenced, inclusive and transparent resource deployment decisions that target FRS resources in an efficient and effective manner to mitigate community, firefighter and economic risk;
5. Through effective consultation and engagement communities, FRS staff and other stakeholders will be able to understand, scrutinise and/or influence risk management objectives and plans; and
6. Community risk management plans that can withstand the requirements of external scrutiny and inspection.

This Fire Standard reflects only the most appropriate legislation to this topic. We recognise that fire and rescue services must comply with a broader list of legislation to undertake their duties, which would be applicable to all standards. View the legislation which applies to all Fire Standards.

• National Risk Register
• Fire and Rescue National Framework for England
• Data Protection Act
• Policing and Crime Act
• Chapter 4 – Local Responder Risk Assessment Duty
• Localism Act
• Equality Act
• The Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) (England) Order
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order
• Civil Contingencies Act
• Fire and Rescue Services Act
• Local Government Act
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
• Human Rights Act
• Health and Safety at Work Act
• National Operational Guidance

Fire Standards

• Code of Ethics

• Community Risk Management Planning Strategic Framework
• Glossary of risk-related terms
• Definition of Risk
• National review of Community Risk Management methodologies across UK fire and rescue services

Further detailed guidance will be forthcoming and will be hosted on www.ukfrs.com to support fire and rescue services in the development of their community risk management plans.