Consider guidance on firefighter initiative deviations
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 National Fire Chiefs Council consider whether, and if so in what circumstances, firefighters should be discouraged from departing from their instructions on their own initiative and provide appropriate training in how to respond to a situation of that kind. (113.65)
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 reviewed guidance on crew briefing and debriefing, completing its review in September 2025, and initiated a change request process for new hazard and control measures guidance (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. Firefighters operate in an extremely high-risk and dynamic environment where responding to changes is essential to safe working practice. The ability to communicate changes in the operating environment, in real time, and the need to deviate from objectives at times, is essential. NFCC has reviewed existing relevant guidance on the briefing and debriefing of crews and is surveying fire and rescue services to determine what additional measures might support awareness and training in this area. 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. Firefighters operate in an extremely high-risk and dynamic environment where responding to changes is essential to safe working practice. The ability to communicate changes in the operating environment, in real time, and the need to deviate from objectives at times, is essential. NFCC has reviewed existing relevant guidance on the briefing and debriefing of crews and is surveying fire and rescue services to determine what additional measures might support awareness and training in this area. 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. Firefighters operate in an extremely high-risk and dynamic environment where responding to changes is essential to safe working practice. The ability to communicate changes in the operating environment, in real time, and the need to deviate from objectives at times, is essential. NFCC has reviewed existing relevant guidance on the briefing and debriefing of crews and is surveying fire and rescue services to determine what additional measures might support awareness and training in this area. 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 reviewed guidance on crew briefing and debriefing. Review concluded September 2025. Change request process initiated; new hazard and control measures proposed for Incident Command guidance. Approval targeted before April 2026; publication June 2026. 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.