Fire and Rescue Service-focused Community Risk Management Plan launched in Oxfordshire

The CRMP details priorities until 2026 and is divided into four categories: response, prevention, protection and people and well-being.

The plan’s objectives include several targets for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service. These are to:

*become a more diverse workforce

*target residents most at risk from fires and accidents.

*reduce risks in commercial buildings and acting when dangerous situations are found

*maximise resources to provide the quickest responses to emergency calls

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Community Services and Safety, explained: “I very much support the vision and priorities in this Community Risk Management Plan. Reducing risks and assisting those who are most vulnerable reflect my own ambitions to make Oxfordshire a safe place in which to live and work. I also applaud the ongoing determination to make our Fire and Rescue Service a more diverse workplace, building on recent and forthcoming recruitment and awareness campaigns.”

Three-month consultation process

In order to help shape the CRMP, a three-month consultation recently took place involving Oxfordshire residents and stakeholders. The consultation process received over 230 responses, including 83 through an online consultation portal. Circa 149 members of staff were consulted during a series of group sessions.

Rob MacDougall, chief fire officer for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, informed Fire Safety Matters: “I’m proud to be launching this Community Risk Management Plan. It clearly sets out what we need to achieve over the next four years.”

MacDougall added: “We have been involved with the National Fire Chiefs Council in developing processes for creating Community Risk Management Plan and this has helped us to develop our own. I see it as a blueprint for excellence. It’s a clear statement that everyone in the Fire and Rescue Service is determined to make Oxfordshire even safer in the coming months and years.”

*The full CRMP is available to view on Oxfordshire County Council’s website