Fire Performance Assessment
Performance assessment 2008
Timeline for performance assessment 2008
Assessing fire and rescue authorities from 2009
Performance assessment scores 2007
The fire and rescue performance assessment consists of three elements:
- an assessment of improvement or deterioration in performance, measured through a scored direction of travel assessment. The assessment is outcome-focused and is informed by findings from the following two assessments of the fire and rescue authority;
- a use of resources assessment. This assesses the authority’s performance across a range of financial themes including the FRA's arrangements for providing value for money (VfM), and provides a scored assessment on these; and
- a scored fire and rescue service assessment which has an emphasis on service delivery and includes a performance information element and an operational assessment of service delivery (OASD) (provided by Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG)).
The performance framework for fire and rescue authorities has been updated with minor amendments.
The guide to direction of travel (DoT) assessments (Word, 156Kb) has been updated to:
- provide greater clarity on changes to legislation and context such as the new national framework for fire and rescue services for 2008-11;
- evaluate progress the FRA has made on addressing the issues with the operational assessment of service delivery (OASD) from 2006; and
- give sufficient focus on fire and rescue authorities involvement in partnership working and engagement with Local Area Agreements (LAAs).
Minimal changes have been made to the 2007/08 fire use of resources (UoR) guide to assessments (Word, 362Kb) and key lines of enquiry (KLOE). The KLOE have been updated to:
- reflect relevant legal and professional developments;
- stimulate continuous improvements in the use of fire and rescue resources;
- ensure consistency in the 2007/08 use of resources judgements across sectors including local government, police and health; and
- focus more on outputs and outcomes in terms of safer communities rather than the processes in place.
From 2007/08, we have removed the use of differentiated (i.e. bold/non-bold) criteria. This will allow auditors to form a more rounded judgement against each of the KLOE areas based on the evidence gathered during audit work and the relevant achievement of each of the KLOE criteria. Auditors will take a risk based and proportionate approach to the 2007/08 UoR assessments. The key principles are that auditors focus on:
- changes to the KLOE criteria;
- understanding how fire and rescue authorities are responding to new requirements on sustainability and equalities impact assessments; and
- identifying where authorities can make improvements in the transition period to use of resources under CAA.
The 2008 service assessment (PDF, 100Kb) remains largely unchanged from 2007. We have not made any changes to the indicators that are used in the service assessment, or the weightings and thresholds used to determine the overall fire and rescue service score.
We will include the most up-to-date data available for each BVPI (provided to the Audit Commission by CLG). For 2008 this means we will be using 2007/08 audited data in the fire and rescue service assessment. For the indicators that were newly introduced in 2007, only two years of data were available and used in 2007, but for 2008 we will include the last three years of data.
We are updating the deprivation adjustments to take account of the 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). There are a number of indicators in the fire and rescue service assessment that are adjusted for deprivation (F1, F2, F4 and F9a). The new IMD was published by CLG in 2007 and our decision to use this for fire and rescue services is to maintain a consistency with the approach for county councils and our commitment to always use the most up to date information available where possible. Other thresholds and treatments of indicators will remain unchanged for 2008.
We have produced a value for money profile tool to support the Commission and fire authorities making these assessments.
Fieldwork for use of resources themes 1 - 4
Can start in May 2008 Fieldwork for value for money – theme 5 of use of resources
8 September until 31 October 2008 Completion and testing of use of resources and direction of travel web based tool
Week commencing the 1 September 2008
Direction of travel fieldwork
8 September until 31 October 2008 Share draft use of resources scores with clients
14 November 2008 Communication to client of draft direction of travel scored judgements
5 December 2008
Publication of performance framework for 2008 results publication - includes use of resources, direction of travel, and service assessment
12 February 2009 Assessing fire and rescue authorities from 2009
From 2009, fire and rescue authorities will be assessed as part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) of local areas. More information about CAA is available on the CAA area of our website.
Scorecards for individual authorities can be accessed from the find your fire service tool.
The Fire and Rescue Performance Assessment 2007 scores and analysis report was published in January 2008.
The Fire and Rescue Performance Assessment 2006 scores and analysis report was published in April 2007.
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