Audit Wales has called for South Wales Fire & Rescue Service to take action against possible short and medium-term risks to services in a report due to be discussed by the South Wales Fire Authority’s Finance Committee (pdf – Item 11).
Auditors concluded that the fire service has too many strategic plans and priorities and was “trying to do too much”. They also concluded that scrutiny by Fire Authority members wasn’t as good as it could be and wasn’t adding much value to decisions or operational performance.
South Wales Fire Service’s revenue budget for 2020-21 was £74.9million. Bridgend’s contribution was £7.1million.
Elsewhere, there were calls for a review of the retained firefighter system and more work to cut the number of false alarms – which make up 43% of all responses.
In terms of the good news, South Wales Fire Service was praised for how they’ve managed during the Covid-19 pandemic and ensured Fire Authority scrutiny could continue. Staff management was also held up as being good – with relatively high levels of job satisfaction and a fall in sick days.
Improvements regarding the use of IT, as well as an improved environmental performance, were also selected for praise.
Amongst the recommendations, auditors put forward a review of station locations (hinting at joint stations with other emergency services where practical) and better training and personal development for non-uniformed staff.
Auditors also suggested a review of the fire service’s work with regional and partnership boards – like Public Service Boards and Local Resilience Forums – which were said to take up to a quarter of senior managers’ time, costing £173,000 a year.
