A forum for open discussion on communities and local government policy.

Future of the 2008 Fire and Rescue Service National Framework

This forum is for anyone with an interest in the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to contribute their ideas and suggestions for the 2008 Framework.

We welcome your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the current Framework and how we could look to improve the next Framework, in particular:

  1. Is the Framework effective in conveying Government’s expectations of the fire and rescue service? How might we improve it?
  2. Is the length of the document right? Do you think the document could be improved by including more or less detail?
  3. Are the chapter headings useful and covering the areas of most importance for the service? What are your views on how the content is structured overall?
  4. Is the Framework’s two-year lifespan appropriate?

The National Framework (NF) is a statutory guidance document that sets out Communities and Local Government’s expectations of the fire and rescue service. It is revised bi-annually by Government in consultation with the Service.

The policy team will read all posts and participate in the discussion where relevant.

next discussion

This fourm has moved

Posted by Admin on 29/08/2007 - 10:07

Dear Participant,

This discussion forum has now moved to our new ‘Have your say’ area.

Thanks for all your contributions so far. Please keep them coming!

We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to hearing from you on our new website.

Best wishes

Admin Team

Topic space changing

Posted by Admin on 20/08/2007 - 10:58

Updated 24/08/07

Dear Participants,

This discussion forum will close very briefly on Tuesday 28 August 2007 and relaunch as part of our new website on Wednesday 29 August 2007. All current discussions will continue on the new ‘Have your say’ area of our relaunched website, with the discussion history to date available as a PDF download.

Archived discussions will also be moved to the new site.

You will receive an email with your new username and password and the URL to login.

We apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to hearing from you on our new website.

Best wishes

Admin Team
Communities and Local Government

Nobody told me there was a communication problem.

Posted by gards67 on 05/08/2007 - 10:26

The NF highlights all that is good about the fire service in the UK at the moment, however, for obvious reasons it still sits at a strategic level and as such does adequetly reflect the governments expectations for the fire service.

My concern is that it is not satisfactorily communicated to all levels within the fire and rescue service. Yes the principles of the NF are now well embedded throughout England and Wales and the document is circulated extensively but more needs to be done to ensure that members of the public and personnel at all levels and within different roles in the service are fully aware of it's contents and the benefits it offers as a route map. An example of this is that many non uniformed members of the fire service do not necessarily have an understanding about what the National Framework is and the very important part they play in it's success.

Gareth Davis
http://myfireofficer.com

Is the Framework effective in conveying Government’s expectati

Posted by Peter Dartford on 28/06/2007 - 10:21

There is some indication of the relative priorities within the current Framework. However, owing to the finite capacity of fire and rescue authorities and services and the significant demands placed on them by the major national projects, including Firelink, FiReControl, New Dimensions and IRS, greater clarity about the order of priorities is required. Without such clarity, resources could be spread too thinly resulting in key outcomes not being achieved.

Is the Framework effective in conveying Government’s expectati

Posted by Peter Dartford on 28/06/2007 - 10:15

The Local Government White Paper and the subsequent Bill make clear the Governments expectation that all public agencies should work together to address the issues and priorities identified by local communities through Local Area Agreements.

The National Framework currently makes no mention of this developing environment, indeed there is little mention of the longer standing collaborative arrangements, including Local Strategic Partnerships and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The new Framework should clearly highlight that, as a key public agency, fire and rescue authorities should play a full and active part in the collaborative arrangements being put in place to address community priorities. There is clear and growing evidence that fire and rescue services can make a positive contribution to the resolution of a wide range of social problems and community concerns, far beyond their traditional role.

Local Government election period

Posted by Talia Watson on 18/04/2007 - 14:19

Please note that this forum will be unaffected by the local government election period. Please continue to post your comments as usual.

Consultation on Draft national Framework Document for 2008

Posted by David Harding on 05/04/2007 - 16:10

There should be recognition in the framework that there are different governance arrangements between CFA's and County Fire and Rescue Services. The National Framework needs to recognise these or state an intension by government to address these different playing field imbalances. With the current governance models in place Government must recognise that there are different structures and freedoms in place for both. This is not to say that one model is better than the other, only that the speed and ability to work collaboratively varies and may not be at times compatible.

The current document is perspective and wordy in its content, but this is not such a bad thing as its maintains some form of standardisation and so a semblance of a national standard. This is supported by the concept of the Integrated Clothing Project, FireLink, FireControl and the New Dimensions program. Whilst at the same time flying in the face of the IRMP concept of locally determined and risk based innovative intercessions. These two concepts are not totally incompatible but do produce a tension.

more

FRS National Framework 2008>>>

Posted by Steve Worrall on 29/03/2007 - 14:57

The following comments represent the views and opinions of West Midlands Regional Management Board (WMRMB) (as agreed by the WMRMB Programme Board on 29 March 2007) regarding proposals for the next FRS National Framework:

•Is the Framework effective in conveying Government’s expectations of the fire and rescue service? How might we improve it?

The Framework acts, in part, as an effective means of capturing Government’s expectations for the FRS in one single document. The Framework could however be further improved by:
(i)Separating more clearly the responsibilities of RMBs from those of FRAs/FRSs.
(ii)Providing more specific outcomes through the use of ‘SMART’ objectives/targets.
(iii)Aligning expected outcomes to BVPIs.
(iv)Being more specific about ‘Must’ and ‘Should’ do statements. The current Framework is ambiguous in areas. As an example, the Firelink project (see paragraphs 4.28 – 4.33), which is clearly critical to the success of the FiReControl project, is neither a ‘Must’ or ‘Should’ do requirement for FRAs or RMBs.
(v)Government’s aims and objectives for RMBs and FRAs/FRSs should be balanced more carefully against the capacity available to effectively deliver the change required.

more

Dealing with Union Strikes and large scale operations

Posted by hometuto on 13/03/2007 - 23:49

I have been looking for a section in the 2006-2008 F & R document that talks about emergency powers alloted to the local government wrt dealing with trade union strikes and large scale fire and safety operations. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that piece of information.

It will be interesting reading some of the members opinions regarding this very important topic.

A. Choudhury
Education Officer
http://www.teacherz.org

2008 National Framework

Posted by Talia Watson on 23/01/2007 - 13:47

Thank you for your comments. We are thinking about how the 2008 Framework can be streamlined so it contains the key priorities and outcomes for Fire and Rescue Authorities. As part of this we will be looking at the National Policing Plan as it provides an example of a similar yet more streamlined document.

Do users have a view on how the 2008 Framework could be structured? For example, there are nine chapters in the 2006-08 Framework. Is this the right amount?

1
2
Next page
Last page