SWOT analysis - opportunities

introduction|strengths|weaknesses|opportunities|threats


SWOT Factor	Response - emerging issues and key areas for action
The White Paper 'Our Fire and Rescue Service' sets out the Government’s vision for the modernisation and improvement of the Service. It provides the basis and catalyst for significant change in the way the service is delivered.	There will be a range of opportunities for changes to current practices and standards of delivery. Central to the modernisation agenda is the requirement for each fire authority to produce its own Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP). We view the process positively and regard it as a vehicle for setting new standards of service delivery in which we will be able to target and deploy our resources more effectively and efficiently. The White Paper also sets out expectations for collaboration between fire authorities – particularly at the regional level. This could lead to significant economies of scale in the management and delivery of a wide range of front-line and support services. It will provide significant scope for innovation in the way services are delivered and supported.
The anticipated Regulatory Reform Order (RRO) will simplify, rationalise and consolidate existing fire safety legislation. It will provide for a risk based approach to general fire safety allowing more efficient, effective enforcement by the fire service and other enforcing authorities.	This important piece of legislation is long overdue. It fits well with IRMP and (amongst other things) it will provide a new statutory duty on fire authorities to promote community fire safety. It will broaden the scope of fire safety enforcement to include the protection of people (including fire service personnel), at premises not currently covered by any relevant risk management legislation. Fixed fire protection, such as sprinklers and smoke control systems, installed in certain large premises will in future have to be maintained to a given standard. A risk based inspection programme will be introduced enabling resources to be targeted against high risk.
The proposed introduction of ‘precepting’ status for combined fire authorities (ie the ability to raise Council Tax) will make us more visibly and directly accountable to the public we serve.	The need to issue a Council Tax leaflet will provide an opportunity to communicate and consult with the public. We will be able to explain how the Authority provides good value for money. The leaflet can also be used to deliver key safety messages and proposals for change emerging from the IRMP process. Precepting status will mean that the Authority will have demonstrably greater financial independence than under the current system of ‘levying’ its budget from the three constituent authorities. With it will come the power (and responsibility) to hold reserves and balances and potential greater flexibility in medium- and longer-term financial planning.
The role of the fire and rescue service within the wider civil protection agenda is recognised in the White Paper and further supported by the recently published Civil Contingencies Bill.	The fire and rescue service has been given responsibility to provide a national mass decontamination capability. We have already made a positive response to this new responsibility and, as a result, will be allocated four specialist vehicles and specific funding to accommodate them. We are in a strong position to take a leading role in developing the role – particularly in relation to the provision of specialist training on behalf of other fire authorities. Taking this proactive approach is likely to ensure that the Authority is in a strong position to benefit from any associated and specific funding streams.
We need to be increasingly alert to alternative sources of funding both existing and new projects/initiatives.	We recognise that we may occasionally miss specific funding initiatives when it is not immediately obvious that the fire service can play a part in their development (e.g. various European Union funds). As a result we have engaged the Hampshire County Council’s Economic Development Unit and the services of the County Council’s office in Brussels to alert us to potential opportunities.
We should continually seek and exploit ‘partnership-working’ and collaboration to both promote and develop community fire safety and other preventative initiatives.	The Government remains keen to encourage public authorities to carry out cross-cutting reviews of services, and to encourage partnership working between local authorities through the specific funding of projects. We have had some recent successes, but recognise that more could be done -particularly in contributing to wider community safety/accident prevention programmes of work. As such, we have begun compiling a partnership register to better understand our external relationship. The Authority has now become a full member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Authorities Association – and this will provide excellent opportunity to promote and participate new initiatives. We have begun to restructure the organisation and management structure and boundaries of the Service (the Group Command concept) so that we will be better able to respond positively to opportunities for closer partnership working with unitary/district councils as well as tailoring our service to meet the particular local risk.