HMICFRS

Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2025–2027: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Published 17 June 2026 Fire & Rescue Inspection 45 areas for improvement

The organisations covered are not linked in this record. Check the original report for its scope and addressees.

Areas for improvement 45

Area for improvement A1

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to continue improving its estate

Area for improvement A2

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should continue improving how it protects the public

Area for improvement A3

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself that it has suitable arrangements to manage the performance of the priorities in its community risk management plan and that there is effective monitoring to achieve effective performance.

Area for improvement A4

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to improve how it implements CRMP priorities and monitors performance

Area for improvement A5

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure resource is effectively aligned and co-ordinated to meet its prevention strategy.

Area for improvement A6

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure there is effective performance management with clear direction to implement its prevention strategy.

Area for improvement A7

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should evaluate its prevention activity, so it understands what works.

Area for improvement A8

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it quality assures its prevention activity, so staff carry out home fire safety checks to an appropriate standard.

Area for improvement A9

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to improve its training and quality assurance of prevention work

Area for improvement A10

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself its risk-based inspection programme prioritises the highest risks and includes proportionate activity to reduce risk and staff understand what should be prioritised.

Area for improvement A11

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service must make sure its risk-based inspection programme focuses on the highest risk

Area for improvement A12

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure its debriefs are prompt

Area for improvement A13

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should continue this work to ensure compliance with national operational guidance.

Area for improvement A14

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it is well prepared to form part of a multi-agency response to major incidents.

Area for improvement A15

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it is well prepared to form part of a multi-agency response to a terrorist incident and its procedures for responding are understood by all staff and are well tested.

Area for improvement A16

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to do more to prepare staff for responding to a major or multi-agency incident

Area for improvement A17

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to do more to prepare staff for responding to a terrorist incident

Area for improvement A18

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it has effective internal governance arrangements to hold senior officers to account for the corporate management of the service.

Area for improvement A19

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself all processes to support performance management are effective.

Area for improvement A20

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should have effective measures in place to assure itself that its workforce is productive and that its time is used as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet the priorities in its community risk information plan.

Area for improvement A21

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should improve internal governance

Area for improvement A22

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself it has access to enough capacity and capability to meet its reasonably foreseeable needs for managing service development and change alongside business as usual.

Area for improvement A23

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it effectively monitors, reviews and evaluates the benefits and outcomes of any collaboration activity.

Area for improvement A24

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should do more to improve performance and productivity

Area for improvement A25

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should do more to review the benefits of contracts, collaborations and improvement projects

Area for improvement A26

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to do more to monitor and review the benefits and results of its contract arrangements, collaborations and improvement projects.

Area for improvement A27

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should focus on improving its benefits realisation processes, including those for its improvement projects.

Area for improvement A28

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to improve how it implements change

Area for improvement A29

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself that leaders at all levels are visible and open to alternative views.

Area for improvement A30

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should improve communication between staff and senior managers, so questions and feedback receive prompt and appropriate responses.

Area for improvement A31

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should proactively monitor working hours of dual-contract staff to improve well-being.

Area for improvement A32

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself that staff workloads are monitored to improve well-being.

Area for improvement A33

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should do more to monitor working hours and workloads to improve staff welfare

Area for improvement A34

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure its workforce plan takes full account of the necessary skills and capabilities to carry out the community risk management plan.

Area for improvement A35

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure managers maintain their competence and professional skills and this is clearly recorded.

Area for improvement A36

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to do more to improve the way it considers its future needs and succession planning, which is largely reactive.

Area for improvement A37

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should assure itself it has the capacity and capability it needs to improve equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation.

Area for improvement A38

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure its facilities are gender appropriate.

Area for improvement A39

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should introduce a recruitment strategy that clearly shows how it plans to increase the diversity of its workforce.

Area for improvement A40

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should make sure it has robust processes in place to undertake equality impact assessments and review any actions agreed as a result.

Area for improvement A41

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to do more to increase staff diversity.

Area for improvement A42

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should consult and work more effectively with internal and external networks to gain improved support and insight into equality, diversity and inclusion matters.

Area for improvement A43

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to make sure EDI is a strategic priority

Area for improvement A44

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service needs to improve its approach to EDI.

Area for improvement A45

Status: Open

Addressed to: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service

Area for improvement (HMICFRS's words)
The service should have effective assurance to make sure managers are held accountable for managing staff performance and addressing underperformance promptly.