The fire and rescue service in England could save as much as £200 million a year without threatening the safety of firefighters or the public.
A new Audit Commission report, Rising to the Challenge: improving fire service efficiency, says that if all fire services followed the examples of pioneers like Merseyside and Greater Manchester, 10 per cent could be reinvested in fire prevention work or trimmed from the £2 billion annual cost.
The best services have proved it's possible to save money without jeopardising standards of cover by changing shift patterns in line with demand or cutting the number of staff on duty when fires are least likely. Some have reassessed the need for night duty in stations where call outs are few and far between.
The report found that if other fire services followed suit they could save up to £150 million a year. The rest of the savings could be made by using cheaper, smaller appliances, reducing false alarms, cutting days lost through sickness and working more closely with neighbouring fire services, councils, police forces and other local bodies.
Five of the most progressive fire services have already managed to make savings to the tune of 15 per cent of their total spending. But ten have struggled to find savings of even five per cent (see attached breakdown).
With substantial budget increases from Government about to stop and pressure on effective use of public money mounting, those services that are lagging behind have no choice but to follow the example set by the best.
The Audit Commission's recommendations are not new - critical reviews dating back 40 years have tackled similar issues and, while some services are improving and overall performance is strong, many services have yet to address the challenges.
Chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O'Higgins, said:
'There is no doubt that firefighters do a great job, but the best services have shown they can respond to incidents more efficiently without jeopardising safety. The rest must follow their example. There have been repeated calls for improvement over the last 40 years, but progress has been patchy. In today's financial climate the fire service, like the rest of the public sector, must rise to the efficiency challenge.'
Rising to the Challenge outlines how fire services might make savings. It shows how providing the same level of cover and the same speed of response with fewer firefighters has been the biggest source of savings for pioneering services.
For example, most fires and road accidents happen in the evening, but the availability of firefighters does not necessarily match this peak. Introducing flexible shifts, staffing stations only during the day or cutting the number of engines on call at night could all save money.
Notes to editors
Attached is a breakdown of savings made by each of the 46 fire and rescue services in England.
Funding for fire and rescue services has risen from £1.3 billion to £2.1 billion in the last ten years.
The importance of fire prevention and more efficient use of staff and resources was raised in the Holroyd Review in 1970. Since then, there have been four more reviews of the service drawing similar conclusions including the Audit Commission report In the Line of Fire published in 1995. It made a series of influential recommendations on improving value for money in the fire and rescue service.
Rising to the Challenge examines the service's performance since the Bain Review of 2002. It sets out practical steps that some services have taken to improve efficiency and considers how the service might deal with new challenges as it expands its role in a tight economic climate.
As part of its research, the Audit Commission visited Kent and Medway, Gloucestershire, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, West Midlands and Cheshire fire and rescue services. It also considered notable practice in Merseyside, Devon & Somerset, Greater Manchester fire and rescue services and London Fire Brigade.
The Audit Commission report does not look at how fire and rescue services respond to major terrorist incidents or natural disasters through the New Dimensions programme. This is funded and managed by Communities for Local Government and was the subject of a National Audit Office report in October 2008.
There are 46 fire and rescue services in England. Fifteen (including the Isle of Wight) are based on county council boundaries. There are 24 combined fire services, six metropolitan fire services and the London Fire Brigade.
The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for people.
For further information please contact: Kirsty Keogh, Media Relations Manager, Tel: 020 7166 2111, Mob: 07970 245 721, Out of hours: 020 7166 2128, Email: k-keogh@audit-commission.gov.uk