Greater Manchester is one of the most deprived areas in England and high levels of deprivation are reflected in high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. The Fire Authority has used the challenge of modernisation to begin to reshape its organisational culture, develop its workforce and improve its service delivery, through a well-defined future vision and an impressive performance management approach.
Deprivation alters the way the authority operates, influencing many of its priorities and decisions on a wider scale than the specific initiatives and resources devoted to areas of deprivation. The Fire Authority shows clear commitment to community safety. Effective use of neighbourhood and strategic partnerships delivered by flexible and enthusiastic staff are valued by both partners and local people. There are many good examples of targeted local partnership activity having an impact on deprived communities, notable examples include the Firefly Project, Bury Reading Scheme and Target Fire providing Home Fire Risk Assessments in the 20 per cent most deprived wards of each of the ten Metropolitan Districts.
The links between high risk and high levels of deprivation are well understood and this is evident through a targeted approach to reducing deaths and injuries from fires. Providing the same level of community safety input to all sections of the community as part of a blanket approach is not seen as being the most effective use of its resource.
Good analysis of local risk ensures that efforts and resources are targeted in the right place, balancing emergency response with a strong emphasis on prevention and protection and this is paying off.