Fire peer challenge

Overview

In the new political landscape with the abolition of the inspection and regulatory regime and the national performance framework, there is a shift to local accountability for performance and self-regulation.

Building on the partnership with the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), the Local Government Association (LGA) has developed an approach to peer challenge which builds on past experience and has been tested in a range of fire and rescue services (FRSs). It is based on these principles:

• stronger local accountability leads to further improvement
• fire and rescue services have a sense of collective responsibility for performance in the sector as a whole; and
• the role of the LGA is to help fire and rescue services by providing the necessary support.

Each fire and rescue service can have a peer challenge at a time of its choosing between now and March 2014. These will be delivered at no cost to the receiving fire and rescue authority.

Developing the new approach

Details are set out in our new publication:
Fire peer challenge offer (PDF, 15 pages, 2.3MB large file)

Peer challenges are managed and delivered by the sector for the sector. They complement the industry standard Operational Assessment (OpA) with a 'sector-delivered' peer challenge once every three years.

Fire peer challenge is improvement focused. The emphasis will be agreed with the fire and rescue service and tailored to reflect the outcomes of their OpA self-assessment, their local needs and specific requirements. The peer team will involve peers from across the fire sector and beyond, if this is desired. Their ambition is to help your FRS respond to its local priorities and issues in its own way to greatest effect.

There are some design principles that it is important to understand:

• peer challenge is not an inspection like comprehensive area assessment (CAA). On the contrary, it is a challenge aimed at improving, not judging, your fire and rescue service
• peer challenge should be undertaken at a time which most suits the service, following a self-assessment using the Operational Assessment toolkit. The precise scope will be worked up with each FRS individually and will focus on specific areas as identified through the outcome of their Operational Assessment
• in addition to reviewing the FRS's Operational Assessment, Fire peer challenge will focus on leadership, corporate capacity and how the service meets the diverse needs of the communities it serves
• a scoping meeting at the outset involving a visit by LGA representatives, will be an essential feature. It will be tailored to the service's specific needs, the areas it wants to focus on, the make-up of the team and the results it wants to achieve
• the process should be proportionate – minimising the burden on the service (rather than making unnecessary demands that absorb capacity and divert attention) focusing on making appropriate preparation and maximising the benefits.

Access the Operational Assessment and Fire peer challenge toolkit (PDF, 69 pages, 2.2MB large file)

To receive a more accessible version of this file, please contact:
Email: info@local.gov.uk

The first of the new peer challenges

During the early part of 2012, we will be working with the following FRSs on their peer challenge:

• Surrey
• Leicestershire
• West Yorkshire.

What others say

Dominic Harrison, Chief Fire Officer, Cumbria County Council:

"The new peer challenge model has great potential to add value if the organisation is self-aware and take the opportunity to use it for its own improvement. We should be mature enough as a sector by now to benefit from this new approach."

OpA self assessment

It is recommended that Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) undertake a self assessment against the OpA Toolkit every three years with operational effectiveness viewed as a ‘whole systems' approach by the professionals in the sector. Using the seven Key Assessment Areas (KAAs) and addressing the areas of leadership and corporate capacity is a prerequisite for having a Fire Peer Challenge.

In completing a self assessment using the Toolkit, FRAs should evidence the results of their activities in terms of:

• performance
• benefits to the community
• outcomes for the organisation.

The KAAs should be used in a spirit of genuine challenge and self awareness.

The process is not intended to be burdensome and should make use of evidence readily available, whether that is evidence of:

• strategy
• performance data
• case study type examples of interesting or notable practice.

It is envisaged that OpA should be treated as part of the 'business as usual' of performance management in the FRA. There is not a standard approach or template for completing self assessment and FRA's are encouraged to use their existing approaches. We are however able to provide two examples that may be of help:

• Midshires FRA OpA Self Assessment (PDF, 47 pages, 384 KB)
• Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland FRA OpA Self Assessment (PDF, 31 pages, 940KB).

Further information

For more information on the new and developing offer, please contact either:

Gary Hughes
Programme Manager, LGA
Email: Gary.hughes@local.gov.uk

Andy Bates
Principal Advisor, LGA
Email: Andy.bates@local.gov.uk