Introduction

Welcome to our Annual Delivery Plan for 2026-27.

This plan covers the second year in our current Community Risk Management Plan 2025-28 (CRMP). It builds on the activities and achievements of last year, setting out the detailed objectives and outcomes we will be seeking to deliver in year two.

We have had a busy 12 months across the Service. We experienced increased demand in some areas and a need to improve our productivity and effectiveness in others, all against a backdrop of financial uncertainty. The hot, dry summer brought an increase in fires, particularly in rural areas of the county. The ongoing national focus on building safety, including the remediation of cladding on buildings, combined with an increase in issues identified through our fire safety audit programmes, put pressure on our fire protection team. Despite these challenges, we delivered a strong performance against our year one delivery plan. This included a full programme of community safety activities, the recruitment and training of a new cohort of firefighters and the completion of a wide range of projects within our change programme.

Our Annual Statement of Assurance will provide a comprehensive report of our progress and performance over the last year when it is published on our website in the summer.

As we look forward to year two of our CRMP we can plan with a greater level of certainty, following the announcement by central government of a three-year funding settlement for local government. For the first time in several years, we have a sustainable balanced budget, and we can look ahead with some confidence.

We have an ambitious plan for the year ahead, which will see further affordable investment in our buildings, vehicles, equipment and people. We remain committed to continuing our journey to become an outstanding fire and rescue service, as set out in Our Ambition 2032.

Our 2026-27 Plan on a Page highlights the core business outcomes we aim to deliver, and it is followed by more information about how we intend to make progress against our strategic goals.

Within our change programme, there is a balanced mix of large strategic projects and smaller improvement initiatives. Highlights include:

• The implementation of a new mobilising system, which will conclude a multi-year project in collaboration with our colleagues in Joint Fire Control and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
• The start of preparations to transition to a new Emergency Services Network, following the resumption of a national project led by the Home Office
• The re-organisation of our technical rescue capabilities to optimise our delivery model and align resources to risk, based on the findings of a review completed in 2025-26
• Building a new station to replace Stockhill, and substantial refurbishments and upgrades at a number of other fire stations
• Further work to support our organisational and cultural development, including our bi-annual staff survey.

In addition, we are due to be inspected by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service (HMICFS) in the spring. We welcome the opportunity this provides to demonstrate how we are continuing to build on our strengths and the progress we have made in delivering further improvements across the Service.

We are looking forward to another great year of delivering excellent service to our communities.