Release date: 3 July 2025
A successful wholetime firefighter recruitment programme, a joint project with neighbouring fire services to procure the next generation of vital breathing apparatus equipment, and another strong quarter of performance results from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service were just some of the items on the agenda at the latest meeting of West Sussex County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee.
Held on Friday 20 June, committee members received a number of reports from the fire and rescue service on key projects taking place across the service in the final quarter of 2024/25.
Marking the first meeting of the new financial year, the committee also elected Councillor Kevin Boram and Councillor Jacky Pendleton as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the committee respectively.
The committee heard how the service performed in the final quarter of 2024/2025, during which the service ran its first wholetime firefighter recruitment drive in a number of years. The service received almost 1000 applicants, and successful candidates are currently progressing through online tests and fitness tests, with interviews and team activities planned during the coming weeks before the course begins in September.
The committee also heard that a joint project with East Sussex, Kent and Surrey FRSs (4F) has led to the joint procurement of the service’s new breathing apparatus equipment, with a contract successfully awarded to Interspiro. Joining with our partners to identify a single provider has generated significant cost savings across all four services and ensured the opportunity for operational alignment including the enhanced interoperability cross service.
Members also heard that of the 30 performance measures that WSFRS is benchmarked against, 27 had a green status, one was amber and two were red. Of the two measures that were red last quarter (Safeguarding concerns reported within 24 hours, and on-call firefighter availability) both have shown an improvement in performance, with the safeguarding measure moving to green status.
The final quarter of 2024/25 also saw sustained good performance in many areas. The committee heard that a total of 1,281 Safe and Well Visits had been completed in quarter 4, bringing the total for the year to 5,948 - an 11% increase on last year's performance. An additional 987 Home Fire Safety Interventions were also completed by the service. The target for next year has been increased by 500 visits to ensure the service continues to further protect the communities it serves, especially those of highest risk and more vulnerable enabling support across our wider Adults & Children’s services areas.
The scrutiny committee were also presented for review the service’s draft annual Statement of Assurance for 2024/25. The Statement of Assurance provides assurance to the communities of West Sussex that the fire and rescue service’s resources are properly managed and accounted for, business is conducted lawfully, and the authority is fulfilling its statutory duties. This will now be presented to the county council’s cabinet for approval for before publication.
Councillor Kevin Boram, Chairman of the scrutiny committee, said: “I am confident that West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has continued to provide outstanding services to the communities it serves. In October 2024, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services published their third full inspection report, and the service was rated as ‘good’ or ‘adequate’ in all areas, with inspectors removing any previous causes for concern. This improvement marks a significant milestone, elevating West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service amongst the higher performing services in the latest round of inspections, a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.
“I strongly believe that West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service does an excellent job of putting the people of West Sussex at the centre of everything they do, and teams across the service work extremely hard to keep those living, working and visiting West Sussex safe from harm. These values are rooted in the service’s five strategic priorities outlined in the Community Risk Management Plan which sets out the direction of the fire and rescue service until 2026.”
You can watch the meeting back here.
