SWOT analysis - weaknesses

introduction|strengths|weaknesses|opportunities|threats


SWOT Factor	Response - emerging issues and key areas for action
Our ‘can-do’ culture sometimes results in us stretching our resources too far – and occasionally putting unreasonable pressure on our staff.	We must be sensitive to the heavy workloads some of our staff are carrying. The Authority has responded positively to requests to fund increased staffing levels in some areas. We might occasionally need to say ‘no’ in response to external demands that are not considered immediately critical to our core business and corporate aims.
We need to do more work to engage with, attract and retain under-represented groups, particularly black and ethnic minorities.	We acknowledge that whilst we are able to meet our responsibilities in terms of systems, we need to do more, both within and outside to remove barriers to improve diversity. This has meant a strengthening of resources in this area and a project lead being taken by the Chief Officer. We intend to use Equality Impact Assessment to drive through changes across the organisation.
False alarms, however caused, divert valuable resources away from areas of real need. In terms of impact on our resources, they have the same effect as malicious calls.	Despite being amongst the 'best performers' in keeping these to a minimum, numbers of such calls is on the increase due in part to the proliferation of alarm systems being installed in the home and industry. Our IRMP will include a more radical approach to dealing with these incidents in the future.
Some of our fire stations (as bases for our firefighting and rescue vehicles and equipment) are not in ideal locations and some of the buildings have major repair and maintenance needs.	The continuous review of cover (strengthened by the IRMP process) will identify where relocation of resources is considered necessary. Our rolling review (condition survey) of, and programme for, the repair and maintenance of our built estate demonstrates that additional funding/investment will need to be considered. The Government’s new ‘prudential’ system of borrowing for capital projects may provide greater flexibility and opportunities to address this major issue.
We have an underlying culture in the fire and rescue service that focuses heavily on ‘intervention’ rather than ‘prevention’.	IRMP (and the whole modernisation agenda) seeks to change this traditional focus and give due weight to the opportunities that fire and rescue authorities have to establish innovative plans for action that will reduce the number of emergency incidents.
We have a culture that is, perhaps understandably by the very nature of our business, ‘risk adverse’. We are perceived to be particularly resistant to change.	If the fire and rescue service is to modernise, we will need, on occasion, to take some calculated risks where the successful outcome of decisions is more likely to improve our overall effectiveness and efficiency in delivering services that will make Hampshire safer. IRMP underlines the need to take a different approach in the way we take decisions and manage services for the future. A prime example is the opportunity to take a different approach on the way we respond to false (unwanted) alarm calls from automatic detection systems. These decisions will not always be in front-line delivery, but in background/support activities leading to improvements in our targeting of resources. We will need to follow a sound change management process that includes extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders – particularly our own staff.
We recognise we are not as strong as we should be in communicating internally and selling ourselves and our safety messages externally.	We have recently restructured our media and marketing team and established clear responsibilities for internal and external communications.
Our resources are not always targeted where they are most needed.	IRMP directly addresses this issue. Some of the outcomes and proposals that emerge may well involve us taking radically different approaches to achieving our Corporate Aims and targets. We may need to take a number of ‘pump-priming’ and ‘invest-to-save’ decisions to achieve greater cost-effectiveness in the deployment of our resources.
We struggle to attract, recruit and retain sufficient numbers of retained personnel in some communities (this also poses a significant threat to delivering an effective response).	We need to invest even greater energy and resources into making the role of retained firefighter (rescue worker) more attractive. We need to continue to lobby Government to co-ordinate and engage in major recruitment campaigns and to use media opportunities that are beyond the scope (in financial terms) of individual fire and rescue authorities.