Governance and oversight
The combined Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority (CFA) has statutory responsibility for the provision of a fire and rescue service that fulfils the statutory duties defined in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and other primary legislation. This means ensuring that we have the people, equipment and training needed to carry out our duties in relation to fire prevention, fire safety and firefighting, rescues from road traffic collisions and responding to other emergencies such as flooding or terrorism.
The CFA is also accountable for the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) which sets out the how the authority plans to use its resources to manage and mitigate all foreseeable risks of fire and other emergencies. A new CRMP is produced every three years and is informed by a strategic assessment of risks and a review of fire cover. Annual delivery plans are produced to ensure the delivery of objectives within the CRMP.
The Chief Fire Officer is responsible for the delivery of services and achieving the objectives of the CRMP, operating within a defined scheme of delegation. He is supported by the senior leadership team (SLT).
The CFA receives regular reports on the progress made against the goals and objectives within the CRMP. Each year it publishes an Annual Statement of Assurance to provide the community with information about the performance of the service in relation to its CRMP.
Internal governance structures oversee the delivery of services and the objectives of the CRMP.
The CRMP Assurance Board scrutinises overall performance against annual delivery plans. The Service Delivery Evaluation and Assurance Group (SDEAG) oversees the performance of our service delivery teams, encompassing our prevention, protection, response and fire investigation activities.
The Inclusion Performance Group (IPG) oversees the Equality Impact Assessment process and the activities related to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion are an integral consideration in all our activities.
We facilitate a Strategic Collaboration Board that looks for new opportunities to work with Nottinghamshire Police and oversees existing collaborations. The membership of this group includes the Chair of the Fire Authority, the Chief Fire Officer, the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner.
We also have a Collaboration Board which facilitates governance and reporting of our Joint Fire Control with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and explores areas of continued collaboration. This is attended by Fire Authority members and senior officers of both services.
External scrutiny comes through inspections from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The aims of inspection are to encourage improvement in the fire sector and provide the public with accessible information about how their local service is performing. We were last inspected in April 2024.
