Express & Star

West Midlands Fire Service praised as 'outstanding' in new report

The fire service for the West Midlands has been praised after an inspectors found its emergency response work was "outstanding".

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Chief fire officer Phil Loach

It means West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) is currently the only service, out of 30 assessed in two rounds of inspection, to receive the top rating – despite it having to make £23 million of savings.

Other aspects of WMFS were found to be good overall, including in being effective, efficiency and how well it looks after its staff.

The findings came in a report Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

The report said: "This is an excellent result and testament to the dedication of the service’s workforce.

“The fact that the service has managed to achieve this while making savings of £23 million since 2011 is proof of its efficiency in managing its finances and resources.

"Staff should feel proud of these achievements and I am confident that the service will continue to build on its good performance.”

Inspectors also noted the work the service is doing to be "more representative" of the community it serves.

It also suggested WMFS could improve how often it trains with neighbouring services, and improve its crews' access to cross-border risk information.

Phil Loach, our Chief Fire Officer, said: “We know, from our previous consultations, that the public expect and value a gold standard emergency response service.

"I’m delighted by the report’s recognition of the hard work, dedication and professionalism of staff in providing exactly that.

“We get to our most life-threatening emergencies in an average of four minutes and 43 seconds.

“We welcome the report from HMICFRS and our staff and communities should be reassured that there are many areas for celebration.

"As an organisation we are always looking for ways to improve and there are areas within the report which recommend areas for focus.

"We will use the information in the report as part of the evidence to support ongoing development.

"As an organisation we aim to continue to deliver a first-class service to make our communities safer, stronger and healthier.”