Priority four
We are open and accountable, using our resources efficiently to deliver an effective, sustainable service that demonstrates improving public value.
HMICFRS - Efficiency
How well is the FRS securing an affordable way of managing the risk of fire and other risks now and in the future?
Despite continuous budgetary pressure on public services, we are committed to maintaining our promise to provide our communities with the most efficient services with the least adverse environmental impact. We are continuing to assess and monitor our carbon footprint to better understand the effects of our emissions, while also keeping track of our advancements in efforts to decrease them.
Climate change poses a serious threat to our societies, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 are political priorities.
With a target of carbon net zero by 2030, a sustainable programme has been developed to support further efforts to lessen our environmental footprint. The actions we will take to assist will be described in our Environmental Strategy.
For more information on how our Efficiency and Productivity Plan delivers against the national targets, see our Productivity and Efficiency Plan.
We have been successful with an application, as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) 3C, for a grant towards the full ecarbonisation of building heating through Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs), LED lighting upgrades, and inclusion of PV arrays at two wholetime stations.
The Service is progressing with a project to remove fossil fuelled heating at six stations, as part of the Government Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and a submission has been completed as part of PSDS 4 for grant funding, towards improved building fabric insulation, Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) and the replacement of oil fuelled systems with ASHPs at three on-call stations.
We have introduced electric vans and pool cars and continue to roll out Euro6 (D Rated) appliances and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. We are trialling a new green by design process to inform policy and project decisionmaking, and have initiated a waste management working group to implement legislative changes and make improvements in this area.
Our carbon footprint and other metrics, including our greenhouse gas emissions, are published annually at Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
To make sure that our approach is successful in handling complicated problems and significant incidents, we work collaboratively with other public services to coordinate our efforts in resolving emergency situations.
The Network Fire Service Partnership (NFSP) is leading the creation of, disseminating and influencing best practices within Devon and Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Kent fire and rescue services. The partnership enables the services to work together to improve public safety, strengthen business continuity and enhance effective coordination of cross- border operations and deployment of resources. To continue with the resilience of the partnership, the Control Futures project has recently seen the completion of the procurement process to secure a replacement mobilising system, going live early 2027.
A pilot for Tri-Service Safety Officers (TSSO) has been implemented. Itis a collaboration role between the police, fire, and health services, focusing on prevention, early intervention and reducing vulnerability. This trial is proving a success already in its first few months of going live, enabling the officer to respond to category one health emergencies and as an on-call firefighter.
In the last five years, we have been alerted to more than 55,000 automatic fire alarms (AFAs), with our crews responding to an average of 16 false alarms every day, placing an unnecessary burden on our resources and ability to be ready and available for genuine emergencies.
Changing the way we respond to AFAs will allow us to use our resources more effectively and help to make our communities even safer, therefore, we are investigating several areas of change, which are covered by the options offered to our communities as part of the consultation process. The responses from the consultation will be independently analysed, and the Service will consider the findings and the next steps. Once this has been done, we will communicate the outcome to our staff and communities.
Finance
We are continuing to enhance our internal planning, governance, and performance management processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness in crucial areas of the Service.
Resources available (financial update)
The Authority has an excellent history of achieving savings targets, with over £24.8m saved over the years since 2011-12 to 2024-25. During 2024-25, the Service is forecasting to underspend by £3.8m, the majority coming from:
- holding open vacancies within the wholetime service (firefighting) to ensure we are not over-established, following a review of shift-patterns, which is being undertaken. This saved £1.5m
- a quieter year, activity wise saved £0.7m in on-call staffing costs
- the professional support staff budget was underspent by £0.9m due to delays in recruiting and difficulties attracting the right staff in a competitive market.
These savings will be reinvested into the Service to increase efficiency and will enable us to invest in modern fire engines and upgrade and rebuild stations without the need to borrow funds.
Our net budget for 2025-26 of £98.9 million is funded from a combination of council tax, government grants and a share of the local business rates. Around 71% of our funding comes from council tax for 2025-26 – our Band D precept amount is £104.68.
Our Band D council tax charge is slightly higher than the average (£96.08) charged by English fire and rescue authorities. Our two counties are very rural in places, which requires a suitable and sufficient operating model to ensure we can match the risk.
Funding 2025/2026
- Revenue support grant £11.9m
- National non-domestic rates £17.2m
- Council tax £69.9m
Spending 2025/2026
- Premises related costs £5.2m
- Transport related costs £2.8m
- Supplies and services £9.1m
- Establishment costs £0.8m
- Payments to other authorities £1.1m
- Capital financing costs £6.6m
- Employee expenses £87.1m
Technology
Over the past 12 months, the Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) department has been focusing on three main areas.
• Cyber security
• Improved customer support and experience
• Data governance
This is being achieved by new skills being brought into the department, upskilling across the Service, a new Business Relationship function, and investment. Over the past 12 months, the department has been reaching out to those across the Service to fully understand gaps, issues and what they can do to improve. This has enabled us to put in place new solutions that benefit our staff and the community. Cyber security is a threat for us all, and together with the wider Service we have made great strides in raising awareness, building skills and investing in new solutions to support this growing area of concern.
English Devolution White Paper
The English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, outlined strategies for the advancement of devolution in England.
The White Paper outlines the plan to combine local governments in some areas and give mayors more authority over a variety of services and sectors, such as employment, transportation, planning, and the environment.
The Service is aware of potential local government reorganisation within Devon and Somerset as a result of the White Paper on English Devolution.
At present, the devolution proposals do not impact directly on us this may change in future years, depending on what model of local government is approved by the Government for Devon and Somerset and whether any boundary changes are instigated. The Service will be keeping a watching brief on the progress of the devolution proposals.
Professional Standards
Within the Service, the Professional Standards function ensures professionalism and standards are aligned to our four strategic priorities, delivering against our vision and mission. By aligning work to the Fire Standards, the Professional Standards team ensures the Service is delivering clearly defined national outcomes which support our strategic priorities.
The Service has established a Professional Standards Board to oversee assurance against the Fire Standards, National Operational Guidance and outcomes from inspections by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspections. To support recommendations made by HMICFRS in their report on standards of behaviour, the Board also reviews outcomes from complaints, grievances, disciplinaries and Service reporting mechanisms, considering themes and learning in relation to standards of conduct.
For more information, please use this link to the Fire Standards Board website.