Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) have come out with one of the best scores from 13 other fire and rescue services in the first tranche of the Government’s second round of inspections for fire and rescue services.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has assessed the Service as Good across the three main pillars of efficiency, effectiveness and how it looks after its people.

The inspection took place in April just after the second lockdown and the Service was the first fire service to be looked at in the new round of assessments.

The inspection team analysed data and documents and held virtual meetings with a cross-section of staff to assess the Service against a set-criteria that all fire services will be scored against over the next 12 months.

The Inspectorate found that CFRS was 'good' across all three core areas as well as 10 of the 11 eleven sub-sections - one of only three fire and rescue services to achieve this level in the first tranche of inspections.

Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland said: “I am delighted with our assessment outcome and to maintain an overall rating of ‘Good’ across all areas.

"I feel very proud of our Service and of everyone who works here. The bar has been raised this time and so we had to prove we had continued to improve and not just stood still.

"The last 20 months have been difficult for many of our staff, each facing their own personal challenges, as everyone has, with the pandemic and different ways of working.

"But our people have been phenomenal and to achieve three Goods again despite the challenges of the pandemic is just fantastic.

"It’s a real testament to their collective hard work and passion to drive improvement and ensure we deliver the best service we can to our communities.”

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was one of 13 fire services to be inspected in the first tranche of the second round of assessments by HMICFRS. By December 2022, all 44 fire and rescue services in England will have undergone the same inspection.

The full report for Cambridgeshire, including how it compares against other fire and rescue services in the first tranche, can be found on the HMICFRS website.