Greater Manchester fire service ‘unprepared’ for terrorist attack
BBC – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) remains unprepared to respond effectively to a terrorist attack, an inspection has found.It had previously faced criticism for failures in the response to the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.The fire service watchdog found it was good at responding to fires but said it had concerns over its “ability to keep people safe”.GMFRS said the report was “fair” but highlighted some contradictions.Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services said the service needed to “do more to protect the public”.
Inspectors said they had identified a “new cause of concern” regarding GMFRS’s ability to respond to major incidents, such as a marauding terrorist attack.The watchdog added other changes were also needed, including ensuring the service made the best use of its resources.The service has made progress in other areas, inspector Andy Cooke said.It was found to be good at looking after staff and responding to fires and other emergencies, and responded adequately to the recommendations from phase one of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry, he said.
He also noted progress in improving equality and diversity but said there were “several areas” where the service “needs to improve its effectiveness in keeping people safe”.”How the service responds to, and trains staff for, marauding terrorist attacks is a cause of concern,” he said.”The Manchester Arena Inquiry was taking place at the time of our inspection, and while I can see staff have confidence in the new leadership team, the service needs to make sure it is prepared to form part of a multi-agency response to any future terrorist incident.”
An independent report by Lord Kerslake in 2018 found poor communication meant chief fire officers were “risk-averse” and kept emergency trained responders away from the scene of the Manchester Arena attack which killed 22 people.Meanwhile, neighbouring Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was rated as outstanding in fire prevention, major incident response and providing value for money.The report commended the service for its improvements since an inspection in 2018.Mr Cooke said he was “impressed by the way the service manages its resources to invest in frontline services, as well as its innovative approach to training”.Some work was still needed he said, “including providing fire survival training to control room staff and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in its workforce”.
But he noted a “positive working culture with excellent services to promote staff’s physical and mental wellbeing”.The watchdog has published 12 reports on fire and rescue services in England and Wales – with the remainder of the reviews due to be made public next year.The inspection in Greater Manchester, which lasted six to eight weeks, started in April, while the inspection in Merseyside began in May.GMFRS chief fire officer Dave Russel said the service accepted the report, which showed it was “evolving and improving”.However, he said there was “a contradiction between the contents of the report itself and how it has been presented to the public”.
“It has been stated that the inspectorate has identified concerns regarding ‘the service’s ability to respond to major incidents’,” he said.”In fact, the report praises GMFRS as being ‘well prepared for major and multi-agency incidents’ and that these plans are ‘well understood by staff’.”Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, claimed the way the inspectors had presented the report was “not an accurate reflection of its own findings”.”This disconnect between what the inspection report says versus how the inspectorate has chosen to present its findings does GMFRS, its hardworking staff and the Greater Manchester public a disservice.”
