Strategic goal 3

This goal is focused on ensuring that we are able to respond effectively and safely to incidents when they happen. We deliver this through our Response strategy. More information about this can be found in our Safer Communities Strategy 2025-28, which will be available on our website.

Over the last three years, whilst the annual number of incidents we have attended has been broadly unchanged, we have dealt with some key events, including:

• Our largest ever incident, involving 20 fire appliances at its height
• Our longest ever incident, which lasted for 31 days
• Significant wildfires and flooding incidents caused by extreme weather events

We work closely with other fire services and partner agencies to ensure we are well prepared to respond to these larger, more complex incidents. The learning we have taken from these events has been used to update operational training and inform decision making relating to our firefighting vehicles and equipment.

We have made significant investment in our firefighting vehicles, including specialist vehicles, and in our fire stations. We opened a new station at Worksop and have improved facilities at several other stations and our training centre; but this work is not yet finished and we will continue to invest in our estate, fleet and equipment. Another important development is the procurement of a new mobilising system for Joint Fire Control, which we are working in collaboration with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue to deliver.

Over the life of this CRMP, our focus will remain on ensuring we deliver a safe and effective emergency response. We will continue investing in our people, buildings and equipment. We will keep abreast of changes in community and firefighter risks and adapt our training and response models where necessary, aligned to National Operational Guidance.

We will commission reviews into our operational resource management and specialist response and develop a risk-based approach to our response standard. This will ensure that we remain resourced to risk and have the flexibility to respond to new and emerging risks.

We are one of the best performing fire services in England for on-call appliance availability and sustaining this remains a key area of focus. We will also be working to improve our ways of working with Joint Fire Control as we implement the new mobilising system.

Over the next three years, we aim to:

• Retain our commitment to reach incidents within 8 minutes, on average, from the time the first appliance is mobilised
• Ensure the continued development of skills, effective utilisation and resilience of our operational workforce
• Invest in our facilities and equipment to ensure our response capabilities remain fit for the future
• Implement improvements to systems and data, including a new mobilising system and incident recording system