A strong performance by our West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in 2023/24

Every year, fire services are legally required to publish an annual report called the Statement of Assurance. If you are interested in finding out about what the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service have been doing over the last year, I strongly recommend clicking on the link below and having a read. The document is intended to be accessible and easy to digest and understand. 

This is the Statement of Assurance for the fiscal year of 2023/24.  

This annual report provides the fire authority with confidence that the fire and rescue service is meeting its strategic objectives. I'm very pleased to say this report clearly evidences the great progress that West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is making to deliver on the commitments set out in the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), which is the the four-year plan for the fire service. 

The performance indicators are exceptionally strong with out of the 30 recorded measures, 26 were Green, 2 were Amber and 2 were Red. A great team effort, our fire service has performed brilliantly over the last year and I'm really proud to be the County Council's Cabinet Member for Fire & Rescue, and that we've invested in the service and provided the support that has helped our fire service to thrive.     

I've reproduced below some of the highlights of the report.   

• This financial year gave the service its first 12-months working to its new automatic fire alarm policy. The policy change has resulted in a 66% reduction in unwanted fire signals, allowing fire crews to be more effective with their time by undertaking community-based risk reduction activities and essential training. 

• The service has exceeded its target of delivering 5,000 Safe and Well Visits. A total of 5,335 were completed, and an additional 1,333 Home Fire Safety Interventions were carried out in homes where no person was identified as having a listed vulnerability, but a visit has been agreed with multi-agency partners (such as the Fostering & Adoption Service). 

• His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published their Spotlight report into the values and culture across the sector, which noted widespread discrimination, harassment and bullying. While West Sussex was not mentioned, WSFRS continues to build a culture of psychological safety where every aspect of work aligns with the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Core Code of Ethics. 

• Wellbeing support dogs were introduced to improve the wellbeing of staff and offer support for those living through stressful circumstances. 

• Platinum House, the service’s new training centre and fire station for Horsham, opened in July. The site now provides a central location for all staff to train at which ties into Strategic Priority 5 of the service’s CRMP (making the best use of resources). 

• These achievements took place against the backdrop of a busy year operationally. Incidents of note include a significant fire at The Harvester in Littlehampton on 10 August 2023 where firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to adjoining buildings. In late October firefighters also prevented over 30,000 homes in the Bognor Regis area from losing power when a substation on Shripney Road flooded.