Consider higher power radios for breathing apparatus
Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Issued 4 September 2024 · Addressed to: National Fire Chiefs Council
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
That fire and rescue services that continue to use low power intrinsically safe radios as part of breathing apparatus consider reserving them only for situations in which there is a real risk of igniting flammable gases and generally using radios of higher power, particularly in high-rise buildings. (113.59)
Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · 4 Sep 2024 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The government's annual report stated NFCC developed assurance workshops, with six services completed and ten scheduled with a completion target of Autumn 2026 (Annual Report on Progress, MHCLG, February 2026).
- LFB has completed its digital radio deployment (Annual Report on Progress, MHCLG, February 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●National Fire Chiefs Council — initial response
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) accepts this recommendation on behalf of all fire and rescue services. NFCC is surveying fire and rescue services to understand what arrangements are currently in place at a local level and what national support could be put in place to support services to meet this recommendation. The NFCC will produce a delivery plan by the end of April 2025 to set out what actions it will take as a result.
National Fire Chiefs Council · 16 Jan 2025 Written response →
●NFCC — follow-up
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) accepts this recommendation on behalf of all fire and rescue services. NFCC is surveying fire and rescue services to understand what arrangements are currently in place at a local level and what national support could be put in place to support services to meet this recommendation. The NFCC will produce a delivery plan by the end of April 2025 to set out what actions it will take as a result.
NFCC · 26 Feb 2025 Written response →
●National Fire Chiefs Council — follow-up
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) accepts this recommendation on behalf of all fire and rescue services. NFCC is surveying fire and rescue services to understand what arrangements are currently in place at a local level and what national support could be put in place to support services to meet this recommendation. The NFCC will produce a delivery plan by the end of April 2025 to set out what actions it will take as a result.
National Fire Chiefs Council · 26 Feb 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Feb 2026 NFCC developed assurance workshops; six services completed, ten scheduled with completion target Autumn 2026. Learning case report compiled. LFB completed dual function radio rollout with training; four e-learning modules exceed 90% completion. Source →
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.