Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 28/07/2005 14:52

The overall management of Cornwall County Fire Brigade has been praised by the Audit Commission in its first Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The report highlights the overall performance of the Brigade and its commitment to community safety, with top marks given to initiatives such as the Phoenix Project and the innovative HayleSafe project.

Introduced by the Government in 2002 to provide the public with clearer information on how well their local council performs, the CPA process was adapted this year to show how well Fire Authorities (Cornwall County Council) manage their service. CPA does not assess how well the fire service responds to emergency incidents.

Fire CPA reviews were conducted at each fire and rescue authority in England using a team of specially trained staff. The assessment for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Authority was carried out by Audit Commission staff between 2nd February – 10th February 2005. Cornwall County Fire Brigade was rated in the assessment as fair:- of the nine areas assessed the Brigade is performing well or strongly in six of them and adequately in the remaining three.

The nine themed areas are: leadership and priorities; balanced strategy; governance and management; resources and value for money; people; performance management; achievement of objectives and achievement of improvement and future plans. .
The final report was published today, with particular praise given to the Brigade’s corporate planning and performance management processes:
“…documents clearly set out the change from a responsive service to one which has a significant preventative responsibility and are understood by senior managers, widely internally publicised and are used to drive all that the fire authority is trying to achieve. Strong performance management processes support the fire authority and help it to deliver”


Community Safety is Cornwall County Fire Brigade’s main priority. This is highlighted in its aim to make Cornwall the safest place in which to live, work and visit. The final report from the assessors identifies the value of community safety initiatives: “It is contributing fully to a wide range of initiatives on community safety. “

“Working through its key community fire safety advisors or in partnerships such as the Phoenix Project and Flashpoint Like Skills Centre, the fire authority is targeting children between the ages of 5 to 17 and addressing social inclusion and crime reduction. The fire authority has also introduced a programme aimed at reducing road traffic accidents (RTAs) involving hard to reach groups such as young drivers through the Dying to Drive initiative.

“The fire authority is effectively targeting its community fire safety activities at higher risk groups.”
To enhance these community safety initiatives Cornwall County Fire Brigade has formed partnerships with other emergency services and associated departments and organisations. The effectiveness of these partnerships has also been recognised by assessors: “In partnership with the police, education and social services the fire authority is participating in Project Amethyst, which is sharing information on high risk groups to more effectively target community safety information”

The Brigade is also working to increase awareness of Equality and Diversity issues. It employed an Equality and Diversity Officer in 2002 and delivered training to all staff. The recruitment of women and ethnic minorities as full time and part time firefighters is also recognised in the report. “Mentoring and cadet schemes are being used successfully to encourage people, particularly women, to join”


In 2001 Cornwall County Fire Brigade carried out a highly successful PFI (Private Finance Initiative) project to build ten new Community Fire Stations and refurbish the remaining twenty-one stations. The Audit Commission report acknowledges the immense benefits of this project: “A number of stations have been modified to include community facilities such as classrooms and activity halls which can be used by local community groups. The stations are now Disability Discrimination Act compliant to enable access by all members of the community”

However the assessment also identified areas for improvement. These include addressing the slower than anticipated progress in some aspects of modernisation, the impact of limited resources and budget savings on future developments, and not engaging with the community effectively.
Matt Littmoden, Chief Fire Officer said: “This is the first time Cornwall County Fire Brigade has been assessed by the Audit Commission, and we welcomed a fresh pair of eyes examining how we manage the service. I am pleased that they have identified our strong performance management processes, and I am proud that the good work we are achieving in community safety initiatives, such as the Phoenix Project and Haylesafe, have been acknowledged.

“We had identified most of the areas for improvement prior to inspection and had already built them into our Service Plan for this year. Any further improvements will be incorporated into next year’s plan”

Executive Member Public Protection Mr Ken Yeo added: “This report praises the hard work and commitment of the staff in Cornwall County Fire Brigade. The County Council is working with the management of the Brigade to ensure that the people of Cornwall are provided with the best possible fire and rescue services”