Source · HMICFRS
Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2023–2025: Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service
16 July 2025
Fire & Rescue Inspection
42 areas for improvement
Areas for improvement
AFI
The service should make sure it puts effective measures in place to address the backlog of home fire safety visits.
AFI
The service should do more to improve productivity and how it monitors and manages performance
AFI
The service should improve its evaluations of collaborations with other services
AFI
The service should improve its business continuity arrangements for industrial action
AFI
The service needs to improve its monitoring of staff working hours
AFI
The service should have effective processes to monitor the working hours of its staff.
AFI
The service must make sure that all staff in operational roles have a current and valid fitness assessment.
AFI
The service should improve its management and monitoring of fitness testing
AFI
The service should make sure that all staff are aware of the well-being support it provides
AFI
The service needs to improve workforce planning
AFI
The service should make sure its workforce plan takes full account of the skills and capabilities it needs to implement its community risk management plan.
AFI
The service should evaluate its prevention activity so it understands what is most effective.
AFI
The service should assure itself that all staff are appropriately trained for their role.
AFI
The service should provide clear and appropriate development for all staff.
AFI
The service must make sure that it trains all staff appropriately for their roles
AFI
The service should review both the content and oversight of its e-learning modules.
AFI
The service should provide suitable development for all staff
AFI
The service must make sure that all staff receive appropriate and structured development, with learning opportunities consistently provided across the organisation.
AFI
The service should identify and overcome barriers to equal opportunity, so its workforce better represents its community.
AFI
The service should make sure it has robust processes in place to carry out equality impact assessments and review any actions agreed as a result.
AFI
The service should make improvements to the way it collects equality data to better understand its workforce demographic and needs.
AFI
The service needs to further improve diversity in its workforce
AFI
The service needs to make sure HFSVs are completed in a timely and efficient manner
AFI
The service needs to do more to make sure its recruitment processes are accessible to applicants from a range of backgrounds.
AFI
The service needs to do more work to improve its approach to equality, diversity and inclusion
AFI
The service should make sure it is transparent and fair when recruiting, developing and promoting staff.
AFI
The service should address the high number of staff in temporary promotion positions.
AFI
The service should develop a system to identify and develop high-potential members of staff.
AFI
The service should make sure there is an effective induction process in place to support new recruits.
AFI
The service needs to improve how it develops leaders and identifies high-potential staff
AFI
The service needs to improve the way it manages the career pathways of staff, including those with specialist skills and those with potential for leadership roles.
AFI
The service needs to do more to effectively implement the December 2022 fire standards Leading the Service and Leading and Developing People.
AFI
The service should make sure performance reviews are consistent
AFI
The service should make sure staff have a clear understanding of the intervention process.
AFI
The service should do more to encourage diversity in its leadership
AFI
The service needs to actively encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds for middle and senior-level positions.
AFI
The service needs to improve the induction process to support new recruits
AFI
The service should improve how it evaluates its prevention work
AFI
The service should make sure it completes all audits within the RBIP schedule.
AFI
The service should assure itself that all processes in place to support performance management are effective.
AFI
The service should make sure it effectively monitors, reviews and evaluates the benefits and outcomes of any collaboration activity.
AFI
The service should make sure it has appropriate business continuity arrangements in place.