Thematic inspections
Our Thematic inspections are an examination of a particular service-wide theme, and generally seek to understand how the Service as a whole is managing the subject under scrutiny. The inspection reports are laid before the Scottish Parliament.
The SFRS has an internal process for considering our reports, and their recommendations or observations. Officers of the Service compile an action plan for each report we produce, and these action plans are submitted to either the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee or the Service Delivery Committee of the SFRS Board for consideration and scrutiny.
The Chief Inspector is invited to attend and contribute to specific agenda items at both of these committees thus providing the Inspectorate with oversight of progress and assurance that recommendations have been considered and relevant action taken.
All inspection reports are published in the Publications area of our website
Current and ongoing Thematic Inspection Programme
Firefighting in High Rise Buildings (published in September 2022)
The inspection considers how the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service prepares for and carries out this function. Aspects of this work which were considered as part of the inspection included:
- pre-planning and information gathering;
- operational procedures;
- training and awareness of staff;
- Operations Control procedures, including fire survival guidance;
- building checks and familiarisation visits by the Service;
- how the SFRS dealt with or is dealing with the recommendations from the Phase 1 Report of the Grenfell Inquiry; and
- how the SFRS is adapting to developments in high rise fire safety.
The work undertaken included requesting and considering evidence from the Service, attending live play exercises, and fieldwork visits to seven different local authority areas where we examined some high rise inspection work, examined risk information and spoken with different categories of staff.
Operational Impact of Climate Change
The effects of climate change are of significant interest to governments and communities across the globe. The impact of weather related emergencies has been in the public eye for many years. News coverage of wildfires, flooding and the effects of water causing landslides and coastal erosion have become regular features for media outlets around the world.
The COP26 Climate Change Conference, held in Scotland in 2021, brought world leaders and experts to Glasgow to debate and discuss the impact, future approaches and develop potential agreements to tackle worldwide climate change.
The impact that weather-related incidents are having on the SFRS emergency response profile is already recognised by the Service. The number and scale of incidents that fall into this category is increasing in volume, and severity. The ability to predict these events, and the release of safety-related information to communities, will require organisations to develop greater data sharing arrangements and deliver a response plan with agreed priorities. This will affect the preparation, planning, exercising, equipment and training needed to respond.
We therefore plan on examining, how the Service seeks to understand, prepares for and delivers emergency response to incidents that can be classified as climate/weather-related events. Examples of such events might include wildfires, flooding and flood water, landslides and the impacts of storms and high winds. We will aim to identify any arrangements in place for forecasting any rise in activity levels that may be foreseeable and to understand how the Service will evolve to ensure it provides an adequate response to such events.
Mental Health and Well-being
There are many factors that can lead to issues of mental ill health. Working within a frontline emergency service can of course be stressful and exposure to traumatic events can also have an adverse impact on the mental health and well-being of some staff.
Problems of a financial nature, personal or family matters, relationship breakdowns or any number of other external issues can also have an effect on our health and well-being and can have a negative impact on mental health. The SFRS, as a responsible employer, is sighted on this issue and has recently published a Mental Health Strategy and given a commitment to support its staff and to provide a positive and inclusive culture for them to operate within. We will give consideration to this issue and reflect on the appropriateness of current arrangements to support staff and reduce instances of mental ill health. We will consider the culture across a range of workplaces including fire stations, offices, control rooms and workshops to better understand and identify any barriers that may exist to achieve this desired open and inclusive approach. We will examine available detail relative to mental ill health and speak to those directly involved in implementing change and improvement to understand the progress that has been made, and the journey ahead, with regard to mental health and well-being.