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Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has achieved the double in its latest inspection report with both prevention and values and culture awarded an Outstanding rating, the first time the service has received this grade.
With a wide range of prevention activity, the inspectorate praised GMFRS’s ‘ambitious programme’ that takes a strategic strongly integrated approach where the service is working closely in partnership with organisations as diverse as the Prison Service and the RNLI. The Prevention in Prisons programme is singled out as promising practice that has reduced fires in one prison by over half in one year.
Delivering over 30,000 home fire safety assessments in one year, the inspectors found that GMFRS is taking a risk-based approach that sees prevention activity targeted at the most vulnerable. Staff told the inspectors that they felt confident and competent to carry out the assessment with a blend of initial four-day prevention course, e-learning modules and the use of an HFSA app to ensure consistent service.
Last year the service published an in-depth report into its prevention activity which revealed it had delivered partner training to over 1,000 individuals across 100 organisations. It actively encourages volunteering with more than 100 volunteers providing 4,000 hours of time to assist the service in its activities across the prevention space.
While the performance in this area is strong, the service is seeking to improve further and using over 30 recommendations in this report to improve accessibility and inclusivity and focus on a quality framework.
Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said he was really pleased with the service’s prevention work being recognised along with its approach to values and culture.
“I am particularly pleased to have been awarded these for our nation-leading work on prevention, helping us to use our resources in the most effective way, and in our service’s culture, which I made my number one priority when joining the service.”
Reviewing GMFRS’s culture, HMI Michelle Skeer said: “the service demonstrates a clear commitment to putting culture first by fostering an inclusive and safe working environment built on equality, diversity and inclusion.” She pointed out the visibility of the chief and the leadership team who model the behaviours they want to see in all staff, adding “they promote a consistent, inclusive and inspiring leadership style that empowers leaders at all levels.”
The creation of a Culture First Board is highlighted as another example of Promising Practice. This board actively oversees and scrutinises the service’s commitment to a culture-first approach and plays a key role in governance. While not new and previously referenced by the inspectorate in the last report on this service, the approach has matured and developed into “a framework [that] actively promotes a positive and respectful culture at the heart of the service’s work.”
Just under 90% of staff who responded to the workforce survey from the inspectorate agreed that their manager consistently modelled and maintained the service’s values. The report expands on this:
“Values, behaviours and an inclusive culture remain strategic priorities. This approach creates an environment where staff feel valued, heard and encouraged to innovate and adopt new ways of working.”
Fire and Rescue Services are increasingly introducing professional standards arrangements to deal with misconduct and in GMFRS the team was introduced in April 2025. It is already having an impact with the improved management of misconduct cases according to this report. Staff told the inspectors that the culture reflected the chief fire officer’s leadership and “the service enforced a zero-tolerance policy, stopping inappropriate behaviour immediately.”
GMFRS achieved a Good grading in all other areas except fire protection where it was shown to be Adequate. The inspectors said that the service is ‘experiencing difficulties in implementing its protection strategy” and that it needs to both improve its processes and should “should strengthen its management and oversight of its risk-based inspection programme to make sure it inspects premises in line with required frequency.”
Read the report in full – Effectiveness, Efficiency and People 2025-27: an inspection of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
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