Chief Inspector's Update 2021-2024

8. The Local Area Inspection approach has generally been a success in respect of the process and delivery of feedback to the Service. However, the cyclical nature of the process aligned to the number of local authorities in Scotland meant it would take between 16 to 20 years to complete a cycle.

9. The LAI system was also resource intensive and had become somewhat repetitive for diminishing benefits. In addition, the importance of accountability to the local authority has not, in practice, had the focus originally envisaged.

10. The current Chief Inspector was appointed in 2021. Having prior knowledge and awareness of the inspection process, he had a desire to introduce a system which was more dynamic and capable of refinement. It was perceived that change was necessary and a cyclical inspection regime of the SFRS based on SDA level was developed.

11. Mindful that others might not share that view, an extensive debate and stakeholder engagement on proposed changes was arranged. The principal stakeholders were, the team at HMFSI, the Board of the SFRS and managers across the SFRS, representative bodies, and those local authority members, managers and leaders that expressed an interest in a briefing and input into the process.

12. The principal benefits of SDA inspections are a reduced inspection frequency, greater consistency of approach due to shorter timescales preventing drift, and an improved ability of HMFSI to respond to changing needs.

13. The small team at HMFSI was set the task of designing a methodology and scheme for inspecting SFRS delivery at SDA level and for reporting same in terms of outcomes, with an enhanced user perspective and understanding to be incorporated into the reports.

The SDA inspection process

14. Due to the number of SFRS resources within each SDA and the geography of the areas, the SDA inspection scheme introduced a sampling approach to fire station visits and a greater use of focus groups.

15. The inspection of the East SDA was the first of this inspection type and was carried out in 2022-23. The report of this inspection was laid before the Scottish Parliament in October 2023.

16. An inspection of the West SDA commenced in 2023 and was completed in 2024 with the report, at the time of writing this document, being drafted and readied for publication.

17. With the introduction of a scoring and assessment process for the new SDA Inspections, HMFSI can now accurately benchmark across the SFRS within a meaningful timescale. We believe that this will add value through our ability to make comment and recommendations dependant on what we find during inspections, and this in turn will allow consideration by the Service which helps drive continuous improvement.

18. In addition to the new scoring system, we have also changed the appearance of the report with the use of infographics to give a better feel and improved understanding for the reader.

19. At the time of publishing this report planning for the North SDA inspection is well underway. The large number of fire stations, the remoteness of many of these resources and their presence on islands, predominantly Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles will no doubt bring an additional level of challenge to HMFSI teams carrying out this inspection. However, we are confident that the SDA inspection cycle will result in a significantly reduced turnaround when compared to the former LAI system.

20. With two of the SDA inspections complete, our own subjective assessment is that the system works and has produced the benefits envisaged.

Thematic inspections

21. In addition to area-based inspection work, we undertake thematic inspections on specific subjects. Since 2021, seven thematic inspections of the SFRS have concluded and reported:

22. The full titles and descriptions of the non-cyclical inspections in Scotland are listed below.

• COP26 Climate Change Conference 2021: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service preparedness

A self-directed inspection that considered the appropriateness of steps taken by the SFRS in preparing for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).

• Management of health and safety: an operational focus

A self-directed assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of health, safety and welfare arrangements in place within the SFRS with a particular focus on health and safety in an operational context.

• Arrangements for firefighting in high rise buildings

A self-directed assessment of the SFRS’s arrangements and readiness to fight fires in high rise buildings in Scotland.

• The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Command and Control Mobilising System (CCMS)

A self-directed inspection which examined the challenges and future of the SFRS’s Command and Control Mobilising System.

• Contingency Planning Arrangements for Industrial Action in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

An inspection and report on industrial action preparation requested by Scottish Ministers.

• Climate Change: managing the operational impact on fires and other weather-related emergencies

A self-directed inspection that focused on the SFRS’s operational activity due to climate change.

• Mental Health and Wellbeing Support in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

An examination of the mental health and wellbeing support arrangements for all staff within the SFRS.

23. The Chief Inspector’s Plan identifies in advance our inspection work priorities. In 2022 unforeseen developments required the interruption of two of these thematic inspections to commence other short-term inspection work that had a higher priority. While not an ideal situation, the ability of the team members to put one inspection on hold and then return to complete the inspection, did demonstrate a flexibility of approach.