The five fire services in the West Midlands region have signed a memorandum of understanding, and are working towards common operational procedures and equipment within the next 18 months to improve service delivery, effectiveness and efficiency.
Using risk management techniques to take account of the areas around its borders, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service (WMFRS) identified opportunities to increase the use of Section 16 cross-border agreements. For example, WMFRS has agreements with neighbouring Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFR) that it will provide first and second response cover in Rubery, where one of the WMFRS wholetime crews can respond faster than a retained crew from HWFR.
Fire services in the region also collaborate on specialist services: Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) provides a large animal rescue service for WMFRS - as WMFRS does not have a large enough rural area to make it worthwhile providing the service in-house - while WMFRS provides fire investigation services to neighbouring fire services. All five fire services in the region share a website for documents and policies to remove duplication of effort.