Train firefighters on communications loss response
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
Since radio communications are inherently unreliable in certain environments, we recommend that firefighters be trained to respond appropriately to the loss of communications and to understand how to restore them. (113.61)
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 completed its operational guidance review and new guidance on communications loss response requires approval by April 2026 with publication in June 2026 (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 has reviewed the content of national operational guidance and is surveying fire and rescue services to establish what additional measures could be provided to support awareness and training on how to respond to a loss of communications. 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 →
●National Fire Chiefs Council — follow-up
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) accepts this recommendation on behalf of all fire and rescue services. NFCC has reviewed the content of national operational guidance and is surveying fire and rescue services to establish what additional measures could be provided to support awareness and training on how to respond to a loss of communications. 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 →
●NFCC — follow-up
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) accepts this recommendation on behalf of all fire and rescue services. NFCC has reviewed the content of national operational guidance and is surveying fire and rescue services to establish what additional measures could be provided to support awareness and training on how to respond to a loss of communications. 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 →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Feb 2026 NFCC completed operational guidance review; new guidance developed requiring approval April 2026, publication June 2026. Learning materials development underway; quality assurance completion targeted March 2026. LFB completed work; NFCC continues national scale reporting. 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.