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37. If the Inspectorate is to have value to all its users, then it must be competent and have sound technical awareness of current developments within the broader fire community. Maintaining this awareness is in itself a major part of the Inspectorate work.
38. Working through networks and participating within groups of practitioners does provide access to information and opinion. Such involvement is, however, time consuming and sometimes may be regarded as "non-core business". It is therefore important to realise that this commitment, to ensure competency, is a key part of the continuous career development of the Inspectorate staff. Attendance at national committees, acting as leaders of working groups, or as contributors to standard setting organisations is however highly resource intensive, especially since many of the meetings of these groups are not within Scotland.
39. Apparently limited initiatives have been undertaken to identify whether it is possible to maintain this awareness without physical attendance. Video conferencing is a component of those considerations, but does not appear to have been actively pursued by the fire community, especially in London, and given the difficulties of securing such arrangements for what may be one participant from the Scottish Inspectorate, it is unlikely to be a practical alternative. This suggests the need for a better "representation" process, ie one drawn from the collective technical resources available in Scotland, rather than reliance on one or 2 people.
40. This re-emphasises the need to ensure that a cross fertilisation of ideas and information occurs within the national environment. Again this is partly achieved by observer status being given to Inspectors by the CACFOA, Number 7 Region. This involvement does ensure a continuous bridge is established between Scottish brigades and the Inspectorate.
41. A further important element of this awareness is the maintenance of communication through periodic journals and magazine articles and communication or related work being carried out by groups within England and Wales, such as the Audit Commission. Subscription to many of these magazines, journals and periodic reports is in itself modest cost, but ensuring such a flow of information exists is an essential element in the Inspectorate. In this context a great deal of this information must already be circulating, both within brigades and within the Scottish Executive and resourcing an information system approach to access this data may provide a better, more cost-effective and supportive system to both the Inspectorate and other users if a Scottish fire service wide area network were to be established.
42. In reviewing overall awareness it becomes apparent that, quite apart from the considerable time that is devoted by individual Inspectors to meet the technical commitments placed upon them, there remains real concern that important matters are not adequately attended. Value would undoubtedly be derived, both through increased resources and improved awareness, if fire service operational and support staff were seconded within the Inspectorate for defined periods. Secondments provide both a career development opportunity to the individual and help ensure current awareness of brigade practice is transferred into the Inspectorate.
43. Likewise, if information requiring action in brigades were to be first considered in detail and appropriate actions identified (which might reduce work within the brigades) prior to the promulgation, then the benefits of joint co-operation could be better realised.
44. In this context technical advice is currently received through the arrangements established under the Joint Strategic Committees of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council for England and Wales. The detailed advice usually comes from the Home Office, through the Fire Service Inspectorate's earlier work with many groups. Currently the arrangements within Scotland seek to transfer this advice through minor modification to Scottish brigades.
45. Although a sensitive issue a question which must arise is whether such a process can be improved. It would appear that if a strict definition could be obtained with adequate safeguards to deal with impinging Scottish legislation then technical information could be issued directly to the whole fire service within the UK without recourse to subsequent amendment in Scotland. Experience to date apparently suggests such an approach would be destined to fail but investigation of such an arrangement might be beneficial.
46. If adopted, it is acknowledged, only a modest saving of time would occur, but such a distinction could help ensure that technical information remained within the purview of the Inspectorate and did not become confused with policy. A practical example of such an arrangement already exists within the Manual of Firemanship. Here information, summarised and detailed, is published on a UK-wide basis without any post-development involvement from Scotland.
47. The current practice of issuing "Dear Firemaster" Letters to convey technical information would cease under such an arrangement and the technical advice would be issued in the format of technical bulletins. It could also be envisaged that if an information technology system were established, as previously mentioned for the return of statistical information, then this communication network could also provide the source documents for a range of technical information. This would help complement the existing provision made by The Stationery Office across a range of information provided to the fire service.
48. Reviewing the current arrangements does suggest that the severe resourcing implications and duplication of effort undertaken in the generation of technical information and maintenance of current awareness could be improved. To achieve this end an improved degree of consultation and discussion would be necessary. Combining resources and co-operating in the way outlined through secondments, improved methods of involvement in national forums and dissemination of information would be of benefit to the fire service and the Inspectorate.
49. This gives rise to the question of how best to meet increasing professional and technical demands placed upon senior Scottish fire service and Inspectorate staff. Sharing representation, so meeting the impact of travel costs and time, is important. So too is attempting to provide shared solutions which might be applied across brigades so minimising staff time and costs. Enhancing the role of CACFOA No. 7 Region is one approach to meet this concern. An alternative, which would enable the Inspectorate and Fire and Emergency Planning Division to play a fuller role, is to create an Inspectorate-led group or forum, under the auspices of the SCFBAC which co-ordinates technical matters. This group, by not attempting to replicate the CFBAC Joint Strategic Committees, could concentrate its efforts to aid local service development and give voice of technical opinion outwith Scotland for a modest investment in commitment.
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