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

The inspection methodology used is similar to our previous Local Area Inspections (LAIs), our successor ‘Service Delivery Area Inspections’ and previous thematic inspections. It provides a structure to our inspection which is risk-based and proportionate.

A draft outline was prepared which defined the scope of the inspection. This was published on our website and consulted upon with the SFRS before fieldwork commenced.

The inspection commenced with a desk-top review of the SFRS’s policy, procedures and data in relation to how the Service prepares, plans and responds to incidents that are weather related.

We spoke with key SFRS staff involved with the formulation of policy, gathering and providing information, training and exercising, monitoring performance, research and development and frontline call handlers and responders.

We visited a number of Service premises across Scotland, including fire stations covering all duty systems in the three SDAs, to interview and determine the understanding of the staff most likely to respond to weather related incidents. Our planned programme was modified to ensure Covid-19 control measures were maintained. This was necessary to protect all those we needed to engage with and to comply with restrictions in place at that time. Consequently we reduced the number of physical visits and included ‘virtual’ interviews using video technology.

The data and information supplied to us was used to cross-reference the written policies, procedures, reports and used to triangulate information we received in our interviews. Performance data supplied to us and data from published sites has been used to give context and inform the report.

The sampling methodology that we adopt is not designed, nor guaranteed, to identify all potential areas for consideration or good practice; we intend that it is a proportionate activity that provides sufficient detail and engagement, comparable with other inspections that we have carried out.

Our report is the product of reviewing and analysing the current data, engaging with a wide range of SFRS staff and external stakeholders, and considering evidence from our previous thematic inspections, LAIs and other inspections. It is reflective of the circumstances at the time of our interviews and visits.

During the inspection, HMFSI provided feedback to the SFRS single point of contact.