MEASURING UP

A Consultative Paper regarding the Fire Service Inspectorate in Scotland October 1999

The Inspectorate's Purpose

19. As described the fire service has its roots deep within communities. To place this review within context it is considered important that the Inspectorate have an aim which can be expressed together with its vision and approach.

Aim

20. Working within the Scottish Executive the Inspectorate wishes to help support the Executive's own aim, which is

"To work with Scottish Ministers to improve the well-being of Scotland and its people".

The Inspectorate, it is suggested should have a similarly designated aim. This could be

"To seek to improve the well being of the Scottish people through public reporting of fire service performance assisted by inspection, information, advice and encouragement".

Best Value

21. The Inspectorate further seeks to promote efficiency in expenditure by assisting the Scottish Executive and the Accounts Commission. To achieve this Aim the Inspectorate requires to have available benchmarks of clearly stated standards for efficiency and effectiveness.

Vision

22. The Scottish Executive has further outlined its vision and values on how the Civil Service will support the Scottish Executive [ See Annex B for summary.] . The Fire Service Inspectorate, in support of the Scottish Executive vision and values, should adopt its own statement of achievement and purpose. It could be:

"To help Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Executive, Scottish Fire Authorities and Brigades achieve safer communities by helping develop efficient fire brigades, which promote positive action within their communities to reduce fire deaths and injuries and losses to property, whilst providing highly qualified and competent rescue and firefighting services. To do this by acting with integrity and openness providing objective and impartial advice from a professionally based and independent perspective".

Approach

23. The Inspectorate seeks to achieve its vision by

• Maintaining a sound inspection process.
• Maintaining awareness of developments within the fire community.
• Acting objectively when providing information and advice to both fire authorities and the Scottish Executive.
• Through the business planning process of Government, providing a strategic overview of the fire service in Scotland.

24. The Inspectorate recognises fully that it is the fire authority responsibility to meet the duties placed upon each fire authority by the Fire Services Acts 1947 and 1959, the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997. To help meet the responsibilities of achieving satisfactory output the Inspectorate will, where possible, use only proven standards during its inspection process. Inspection guidance and data monitoring will be undertaken using key performance indicators, and the inspection arrangements may involve specialists in those areas in which the Inspectorate does not have competency. These arrangements will provide fire authorities and brigades with the satisfaction of knowing that they have been subjected to an effective audit.