54-575: The title and job role of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services in England, Scotland and Wales is combined with that known as Fire and Rescue Adviser (or Government Fire and Rescue Adviser) appointed by the devolved and national governments of the United Kingdom. Despite holding both titles simultaneously the roles of "HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services", and that of "Fire and Rescue Adviser" differ slightly. There
108-455: A Wales criminal justice system . England and Wales are treated as a single unit for some purposes, because the two form the constitutional successor to the former Kingdom of England. The continuance of Scots law was guaranteed under the 1706 Treaty of Union that led to the Acts of Union 1707 , and as a consequence English law—and after 1801 , Irish law —continued to be separate. Following
162-565: A "substantial six figure package". The CFRA will have to set up the new unit, the last HM Chief inspector of Fire Services was Sir Graham Meldrum who retired in January 2007. The new post of CFRA has been created to reflect changes to the fire and rescue service in the UK brought about by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 , although it only applies to England and Wales. However, it is anticipated that
216-642: A Lloegr ) is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom . It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . The substantive law of the jurisdiction is English law . The devolved Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh : Senedd Cymru ) – previously named the National Assembly for Wales – was created in 1999 under
270-399: A devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational procedures in the light of terrorism attacks and threats. Fire services are established and granted their powers under fairly new legislation which has replaced a number of Acts of Parliament dating back more than 60 years, but is still undergoing change; a rough timeline can be seen below. In 2002, there
324-435: A government department, historically assisted by an executive agency called His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate or HMFSI, its function was described thus: To achieve our vision by education and legislation, in an environment that encourages best practice, equality and diversity, health and safety and best value, and through inspection, to advance the development and continuous improvement of fire brigades. Directly after
378-479: A much wider brief. Previous ministers include: Below national level, there are regional and local bodies whose role it is to establish a fire authority, implement the legislation from the tier above, while working alongside the relevant HMFSI and other interested bodies. The next level beneath that of local authority, is a brigade which usually comes under the operational command of a high ranking senior officer. Traditionally chief fire officers have risen through
432-548: A risk assessment of businesses — which became law in October 2006. Additionally, changes to central government, local government, and geographical boundaries have affected the fire service in the UK. The fire service in England consists of local authority brigades or FRSs, which come under the administrative control of metropolitan and shire, or county fire authorities (e.g. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service ). England and Wales England and Wales ( Welsh : Cymru
486-642: A wide-ranging review of the fire service in the UK. His report, the Independent Review of the Fire Service , led to rapid changes to fire and rescue services, and was the basis of what eventually became the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 . Bain's terms of reference were described in September 2002 as follows: "Having regard to the changing and developing role of the Fire Service in the United Kingdom, to inquire into and make recommendations on
540-470: Is currently an HMCI in England, Wales, and Scotland – all of whom are also fire and rescue advisers to their respective governments. Both roles are categorical in law and cannot be overruled except by the sovereign. In his or her political capacity as "Fire and Rescue Adviser" the post holder is responsible for advising their respective UK governments on all matters concerning the fire and rescue service in their jurisdiction. As His Majesty's Chief Inspector
594-490: Is free to the end user in the case of an emergency. Funding for the fire service comes from two principal sources: a central government grant, and a small levy on the local council tax . This levy is called a precept . There was a 17% reduction in fire service funding between 2010 and 2016, according to the National Audit Office . In 2002, Professor Sir George Bain was asked by the government to conduct
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#1732791103458648-485: Is responsible for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CSS), which provides advice for individuals in case of a major disaster: "The (web)site provides easily understandable guidance for the general public on how to prepare themselves, their families and their homes and businesses to cope during an emergency or disaster." Any such emergency or disaster is likely to involve a UK FRS, and
702-543: Is the most senior Fire and Rescue Service adviser to the United Kingdom Government, advising on policy, procedures, and legislative changes affecting the UK Fire Service. The devolved administrations consider and adopt UK policies and procedures where applicable. Each Inspectorate (England Wales and Scotland) reports on the activities of the public fire and rescue services in the UK as well as
756-752: Is to work towards reducing the number of fire deaths in England and Wales, and implement changes to FRS required by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 . In Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is inspected by His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland. Brigades are further sub-divided according to local practice as follows: The following types of work pattern are found at fire stations: Large town fire stations have full-time crews, though many employ retained firefighters as well. Small rural ones are usually staffed only by retained firefighters. Ranks and roles vary between services, but include: Former ranks include: The Cabinet Office
810-824: The Buncefield oil depot fire in 2005, forming part of the gold command team. If a CFO attends an incident, they will usually be the commanding officer of that incident. Except for the period when the National Fire Service existed, matters concerning fire fighting fell within the remit of the Scottish Office (later the Scottish Executive, now the Scottish Government ). In Scotland, His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland (commonly known HMFSI) exists to inspect
864-658: The Defence Fire and Rescue Service (which operated by the Ministry of Defence) on a voluntary basis. Airport fire authorities are inspected by the Civil Aviation Authority. The HMFSI's equivalent in Scotland is His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland . In February 2007, the UK government announced it was setting up a new unit to advise ministers on fire and rescue issues and creating
918-701: The Government of Wales Act 1998 and provides a degree of self-government in Wales. The powers of the legislature were expanded by the Government of Wales Act 2006 , which allows it to pass its own laws , and the Act also formally separated the Welsh Government from the Senedd. There is no equivalent body for England , which is directly governed by the parliament and government of the United Kingdom . During
972-659: The Local Government Association . Also giving evidence Matt Wrack from the Fire Brigades Union and John Bonney Chief Fire Officers Association . The second session heard evidence from Shahid Malik MP Fire Minister, Sir Ken Knight Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser , Shona Dunn Director for Fire and Resilience Department for Communities and Local Government, Robin Southwell CEO and Roger Diggle Project Director EADS . The committee
1026-623: The Roman occupation of Britain , the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit, except for the land to the north of Hadrian's Wall – though the Roman-occupied area varied in extent, and for a time extended to the Antonine/Severan Wall . At that time, most of the native inhabitants of Roman Britain spoke Brythonic languages , and were all regarded as Britons , divided into numerous tribes. After
1080-652: The red dragon of Wales was dropped and replaced with the unicorn of Scotland with the succession of King James I who demoted Wales' status on the coat of arms and on the first adaptation of the Flag of Great Britain . Prior to 1746, it was not clear whether a reference to "England" in legislation included Wales, and so in 1746, Parliament passed the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 . This specified that in all prior and future laws, references to "England" would by default include Wales (and Berwick-upon-Tweed ). The Wales and Berwick Act
1134-580: The 20th century. Examples are the Welsh Language Acts 1967 and 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 . Measures and Acts of the Senedd apply in Wales, but not in England. Following the Government of Wales Act, effective since May 2007, the Senedd can legislate on matters devolved to it. Following a referendum on 3 March 2011 , the Senedd gained direct law-making powers, without
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#17327911034581188-638: The CFRA will advise the government on any major incident in the UK. Fire services in the United Kingdom The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England and Wales , Northern Ireland , and Scotland . As of 2023, emergency cover is provided by 49 fire and rescue services (FRS) in the UK. The older terms of fire brigade and fire service survive in informal usage and in
1242-756: The Great in his Legal Code , c. 893 . However, after the Norman invasion of Wales in the 11th century, English law came to apply in the parts of Wales conquered by the Normans (the Welsh Marches ). In 1283, the English, led by Edward I , with the biggest army brought together in England since the 11th century, conquered the remainder of Wales , then organised as the Principality of Wales . This
1296-846: The May 2001 general election, control of the fire service in England and Wales passed from the Home Office to the Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions (DTLR). This department was then broken up, creating the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) which took central government responsibility. In May 2006, the ODPM was re-structured, creating the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), and it became
1350-643: The Service to react to incidents. The fire service in England and Wales is scrutinised by a select committee of the House of Commons . In June 2006, the fire and rescue service select committee, under the auspices of the Communities and Local Government Committee, published its latest report. The committee's brief is: The Communities and Local Government Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine
1404-462: The UK never having had the matter specifically under the control of a UK minister in peacetime. The fire service minister is not part of the prime minister's cabinet. The post is held by a junior minister or Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State who reports to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who takes ultimate responsibility for fire and rescue, but that is part of
1458-598: The United Kingdom are allowed to join unions, the main one being the Fire Brigades Union , while chief fire officers (the heads of the various FRS) are members of the National Fire Chiefs Council (formerly the Chief Fire Officers Association ), which has some role in national co-ordination. The fire services have undergone significant changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by
1512-612: The central government department for fire authorities in England, but would be advised by a new department under the direction of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser . The department became the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in 2018, and then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in September 2021. The fire service minister is the most senior politician whose brief directly includes fire and rescue issues in England and Wales, other parts of
1566-638: The conquest, the Romans administered this region as a single unit, the province of Britain . Long after the departure of the Romans, the Britons in what became Wales developed their own system of law , first codified by Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good; reigned 942–950) when he was king of most of present-day Wales (compare King of Wales ); in England Anglo-Saxon law was initially codified by Alfred
1620-581: The creation of the National Fire Service brought all UK fire brigades under central government control. The National Fire Service was in turn under the auspices of the Civil Defence Service . Post-war legislation returned control to the Northern Ireland Government, the Home Office (for services in England and Wales) and the Secretary of State for Scotland. The fire service has always been the ultimate responsibility of
1674-450: The devolved parliaments. The total budget for fire services in 2014-15 was £2.9 billion. Central government maintains national standards and a body of independent advisers through the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser , which was created in 2007, while His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services provides direct oversight. The devolved government in Scotland has a similar agency, HMFSI Scotland . Firefighters in
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1728-503: The expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Communities and Local Government and its associated bodies. The committee's report, and the subsequent government response in September 2006, are important as they outlined progress on the FiReControl, efforts to address diversity and the planned closure of HMFSI in 2007 among many issues. Both documents are interesting as they refer back to Professor Bain's report and
1782-588: The fire service to ascertain how they are discharging their functions under relevant legislation. It functions as an autonomous body under the charge of the Justice Ministry of the Scottish Government. Since 1 April 2013, there has been a single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in place of the eight former regional services. Matters concerning fire fighting fell within the remit of the government of Northern Ireland, with two exceptions;
1836-556: The future organisation and management of the Fire Service..." Bain's report was unpopular with firefighters, and a long period of industrial action started in 2002 and continued until 2003 when a new pay and conditions package was put together. One of the areas identified by Bain as being in need of modernisation was FRS approach to fire prevention and community fire safety. There is now more emphasis on fire prevention and providing public information coupled with encouraging businesses and individuals to take responsibility for providing
1890-477: The generic term for such contingency plans has become known as resilience The 'Preparing for emergencies website' gives specific government advice on fire safety, specific examples include the summer fire safety campaign, and schools' fire safety guide which are just two examples. In the UK, an FRS generally provides its services for free, although there are some special services that can be charged for, and some additional services that can be paid for. The service
1944-441: The government announced it was establishing a new unit to provide ministers and civil servants with "independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues". It is headed by a new role known as the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser . The roles carries the historical function of His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate. The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser is also titled His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services. Its role (among others)
1998-542: The historic title of HM Chief Inspector which was traditionally given to the head of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire Service. The new unit and its chief advisor will replace HMFSI, its function is to advise ministers, COBR and other government departments; and local government. The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser or CFRA reports to the Department for Communities and Local Government, which was renamed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in 2018. The new units remit only extends to England and Wales. Knight
2052-515: The law applicable to that business entity. A registered office must be specified as "in Wales" if the company wishes to use a name ending cyfyngedig or cyf , rather than Limited or Ltd. or to avail itself of certain other privileges relating to the official use of the Welsh language. Outside the legal system, the position is mixed. Some organisations combine as "England and Wales", others are separate. The order of precedence in England and Wales
2106-544: The laws relating to firefighting. There are further plans to modernise the fire service according to the Local Government Association . Its website outlines future changes, and specific projects: The aim of the Fire Modernisation Programme is to adopt modern work practices within the Fire & Rescue Service to become more efficient and effective, while strengthening the contingency and resilience of
2160-536: The legal system of the Kingdom of England. This was in part to update outdated Welsh laws, but also to control Wales alongside England; through these acts, the Welsh could be seen as equals to the English. This was reflected on both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I 's coat of arms where the dragon represented Wales and the lion represented England. As soon as the Tudor dynasty ended with the death of Elizabeth I , however,
2214-534: The many recommendations it made and continue to put forward the notion that there is an ongoing need to modernise FRSs. For example, where FRSs were historically inspected by HMFSI, much of this work is now carried out by the National Audit Office . On 8 February 2010, the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee heard evidence on the Fire Control project. Called to give evidence were Councillors Brian Coleman and James Pearson from
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2268-420: The names of a few organisations. England and Wales have local fire services which are each overseen by a fire authority , which is made up of representatives of local governments. Fire authorities have the power to raise a Council Tax levy for funding, with the remainder coming from the government. Scotland and Northern Ireland have centralised fire services, and so their authorities are effectively committees of
2322-594: The need to consult Westminster. This was the first time in almost 500 years that Wales had its own powers to legislate. Each piece of Welsh legislation is known as an Act of Senedd Cymru . For a company to be incorporated in the United Kingdom, its application for registration with Companies House must state "whether the company's registered office is to be situated in England and Wales (or in Wales), in Scotland or in Northern Ireland", which will determine
2376-658: The period of the existence of the National Fire Service (Northern Ireland), and the period of direct rule from Westminster when the government of Northern Ireland did not exist. Responsibility for fire and rescue services and promotion of fire safety in Wales lies with the Welsh Government. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, fire services are inspected by what was known as the Fire Service Inspectorate. In February 2007,
2430-478: The post holder is responsible for auditing of all the local authority fire services in their jurisdiction to ensure they meet strict performance criteria and targets laid out by the government. His Majesty's current Chief Inspector for England is also the UK's Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser . He is the former Chief Fire Officer of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service , Peter Holland. The role of CFRA also includes additional responsibilities to HM Government. The CFRA
2484-456: The ranks from firefighter, although under modernisation plans brigades can now operate graduate entry, and fast track promotion as is already the case with the armed forces and the police . The London Fire Brigade announced details of its graduate scheme in 2007. Chief Fire Officers (CFO) 'speak' collectively via the Chief Fire Officers Association . CFOs do attend some operational incidents. Hertfordshire 's CFO, Roy Wilsher, took command at
2538-607: The responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Government . Previously the responsibility lay with the Secretary of State for Scotland (the relevant "Secretary of State" referred to in legislation applicable to Scotland). Historically, there had been about 1,600 local authority fire services under the responsibility of the Home Office in England and Wales until World War II . In 1941,
2592-553: The role of Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser (CFRA) confirming in May the same year that Sir Ken Knight had been appointed to the position. In October 2007, Sir Ken left the London Fire Brigade to start his new role. The announcement was made by the then fire minister Angela Smith . The purpose of the unit and its adviser is to "provide ministers and civil servants with independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues". The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser also retains
2646-407: The two Acts of Union, Parliament can restrict the effect of its laws to part of the realm, and generally the effect of laws, where restricted, was originally applied to one or more of the former kingdoms. Thus, most laws applicable to England also applied to Wales. However, Parliament now passes laws applicable to Wales and not to England (and vice versa), a practice which was rare before the middle of
2700-404: Was a series of national fire strikes , with much of the discontent caused by the aforementioned report into the fire service conducted by Sir George Bain. In December 2002, the Independent Review of the Fire Service was published with the industrial action still ongoing; it made radical proposals to how the fire service should be organised and managed. Bain's report ultimately led to a change in
2754-525: Was chaired by Phyllis Starkey MP and attracted significant media attention. Because of the Government of Wales Act 2006, future legislation might be passed that can only affect England. Fire and rescue services in Northern Ireland are provided by a single entity, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service , a Statutory Corporation funded by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety . Fire services in Scotland are
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#17327911034582808-485: Was repealed by the Welsh Language Act 1967 , although the statutory definition of "England" created by that Act still applies for laws passed before 1967. In new legislation since then, what was referred to as "England" is now "England and Wales", while subsequent references to "England" and "Wales" refer to those political divisions. There have been multiple calls from both Welsh academics and politicians for
2862-405: Was succeeded in the role by Peter Holland on 28 January 2013. The separate His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland is under the leadership of its Chief Inspector, Steven Torrie. The DfCLG has outlined the general functions of the CFRA, and the new unit: The detailed job description was made available to the public ahead of Sir Ken's appointment. It said the role of CFRA comes with
2916-528: Was then united with the English crown by the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. This aimed to replace Welsh criminal law with English law. Welsh law continued to be used for civil cases until the annexation of Wales to England in the 16th century by the Welsh House of Tudor . The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 then consolidated the administration of all the Welsh territories and incorporated them fully into
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