After an ‘intense’ first year, NFCC chief sets out the challenges facing fire services

More than three years after the publication of the values and culture review, and with different domestic fire concerns and wildfires rising up the national agenda, the fire and rescue service is operating in a period of sustained change. In our recent webinar, sponsored by Texport and Hunter, Phil Garrigan, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, reflected on his first ten months in post and the pressures shaping the sector’s future in a wide-ranging conversation with Catherine Levin. 

“It’s been intense,” he said of the role, which he took on after serving as Chief Fire Officer in Merseyside. “But hugely rewarding.”

Phil spent his early months “trying to get under the skin of the organisation” and reaching out to services and stakeholders across the country, from trade unions to government departments. The wide scope of that engagement reflects the complexity and size of the system he now heads up.

Funding and reform 

Funding remains a central concern for fire chiefs. While Phil described the latest financial settlement as “significantly better” than initially expected, he was clear that the underlying pressures have not gone away.

Fire and rescue services have lost around 11,000 firefighters over the past decade. “I’m not suggesting that we need 11,000 back,” he told Catherine, “but we certainly need significantly more to protect the communities that we serve.”

Station closures are not the only option when budgets tighten, but they are one of several tools available to chiefs balancing risk, demand and resources. “You have to cut your cloth accordingly,” he said, pointing to alternative approaches such as changes to duty systems or estate reconfiguration that can, in some cases, improve response times.

Debate about structural reform is also intensifying. With policing exploring potential consolidation and further devolution placing more fire services under mayoral governance, questions about scale and efficiency are resurfacing.

“The most important thing is our outcomes for the communities that we serve.”

Phil Garrigan.

Services can be too small to sustain themselves effectively, but they can also become so large that they lose connection with local challenges and needs. Any changes, Phil suggested, should be assessed against the impact on public safety.

Culture and professional standards 

Cultural reform has been another defining theme of recent years. Since the inspection report on values and culture identified 35 recommendations, services have been required to strengthen misconduct processes, leadership standards and feedback mechanisms.  Phil believes progress is being made, and credits not only fire leaders but also the Ministerial Advisory Group, employers and the inspectorate for maintaining focus on improving culture. 

The establishment of professional standards functions across services has been a visible shift. While some brigades had such arrangements in place for years, others have had to build new capacity. “You’ve got to embed the systems into practice,” Phil said, stressing that inspectorate follow-up is essential to ensure changes are sustained rather than symbolic.

Cultural change, he added, is never finished. “I don’t think we’re there yet… I don’t think cultural change and shift ever goes away.”

The NFCC is now exploring ways to measure progress more consistently, including work on a cultural dashboard that could combine data such as grievance trends and staff survey feedback.

Resilience and risk 

Alongside funding and culture, resilience is rising up the agenda. Climate change, in particular, is changing operational demand. Reflecting on the extreme heat of 2022, Phil remembered coordinating support for 15 major incident declarations. “We were stretched. It was quite an uncomfortable period.” Since then, wildfire activity has continued to increase.

The NFCC is piloting a national wildfire capability that could be deployed to support services lacking specialist resources. If successful, it might develop into a more formal national asset. At the same time, emerging risks such as lithium battery fires are changing the profile of domestic incidents, bringing new prevention challenges.

Phil also sees scope for fire to play a stronger role in community preparedness alongside the voluntary sector. While local resilience forums provide the current framework, he believes fire could become “a real pivotal partner” in coordinating preparedness activity if supported appropriately.

Under the surface of all of this is the need for stronger digital infrastructure and innovation. Phil acknowledged that fire has experienced “a disinvestment in the infrastructure that supports fire” compared with other emergency services. Proposals for a College of Fire, currently under development, may help address that gap over time. 

Working across the system

Asked for one message to leave with viewers, Phil emphasised the interconnected nature of the system. “It’s not just about operational response,” he said. Prevention, protection, control room staff, governance bodies and industry partners all play a part. “We’re all on the same pitch. We’re all playing on the same side.”

He encouraged constructive challenge and open dialogue. “If you think you can make a change, you can have an impact, and you can keep people safer than they are now, then let’s talk, and let’s do something about it.”

As the fire sector faces financial pressure and expanding and shifting risk, Phil argued that progress depends on recognising how those different parts fit together and being willing to improve them.

Catch up on the webinar below: