Introduction

Welcome to our Annual Statement of Assurance.

In April 2022 we launched our Community Risk Management Plan 2022-25 (CRMP), which explains how we will deliver our services to you. The plan sets out our priorities, focusing on six strategic goals, and places a strong emphasis on improving our understanding of communities so we can protect our county’s most vulnerable people and identify buildings most at risk from fire.

The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England requires us to report on our progress against our CRMP every year. We do this through our Annual Statement of Assurance (ASoA). This ASoA is the second to report on the current CRMP and gives us the opportunity to explain our progress and highlight the work we continue to undertake to fulfil our core purpose of creating safer communities.

2023/24 has been an eventful year which saw exceptionally inclement weather over the winter, with Storms Babet and Henk hitting the UK. The resulting flooding events posed a significant challenge to our workforce and presented a real test to our resources.

The economic and societal challenges caused by events here in the UK and overseas continued to impact on the service and its finances throughout the year and although the financial climate remains uncertain, we will continue to provide you with the very best service possible with the resources we have available.

Towards the end of the year, we welcomed a team from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), as they began their latest inspection of our service. We look forward to receiving their report later in the year, and will use the findings to assist us in our continuing journey towards becoming an outstanding service. We hope that you find our Annual Statement of Assurance interesting, and it gives you confidence that we continue to serve you in the best way possible.