The Fire Sector Summit, 17 – 18 October, Royal College of Surgeons, London
Peter explained that the decision to transfer fire and rescue policy back to the Home Office from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was kicked off by the inquest into the 7/7 bombings, which was critical of the way the three blue-light services worked together. The Knight Review and the National Audit Office report also highlighted the need for change.
“The welcome into the Home Office has been unbelievably warm, with genuine open arms,” he said, adding that fire in the DCLG had been “a little bit lost,” but that it certainly wasn’t now.
Also speaking in the FPA Infozone Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), gave the union’s perspective on the current state of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS).
He explained that since 2010, almost one third of central funding for the FRS, from which the service receives around half of its budget, has been cut – a very significant reduction in spending levels.
Read IFSEC Global’s report on Peter Holland’s FIREX address.
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