A review into the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service has been launched in a bid to assess whether the island receives an “efficient, effective and economic service”.
Comptroller and Auditor General Lynn Pamment confirmed the audit was underway, focusing on whether the Fire Service was successfully realising the aims laid out in its Community Risk Management Plan.
The plan identifies four key headings – prevention, protection, response and resilience – under the over-arching aim of providing “a trusted and effective service, central to our Island’s resilience”.
Ms Pamment said the objectives of the audit were to “evaluate how well the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service uses its resources to manage risk, and to ensure it delivers an efficient, effective and economic service”.
The work will focus on elements including the management of retained firefighters, governance arrangements with the Home Affairs Minister, and how Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown responds to the benchmarks within the Fire Standards and National Operational Guidance.
Ms Pamment added: “The audit will include benchmarking costs and service performance against relevant comparable fire and rescue services, as agreed with key officers.
“The relative performance of the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service will be assessed using criteria I have developed from recognised best practices adapted to be proportionate and relevant to the Jersey context.”
Confirmation of the audit starting came in the same week that Mr Brown told a Scrutiny hearing that firefighters did not have enough protective equipment to safely carry out their work.
The chief officer said that changes to World Health Organisation guidelines had led to a review of stocks of PPE, and that the Government Budget, due to be debated in December, included funding to address this area, as well as other measures to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the service.