'Any delay is unacceptable': Hertfordshire fire and rescue service fails its first engine response target
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has failed its first engine response target, according to its annual statement of reassurance to county councillors.
The 2024/2025 performance report, which every fire service is required to carry out by law, was presented to councillors at a meeting of Hertfordshire County Council’s audit committee on Thursday December 4.
The document showed the service had failed to hit its attendance target, with the first engine response time in 10 minutes falling to 83 per cent - down from 89.6% in 2023/24. The target is 90%.
It stated: “Disappointingly, performance has fallen this last year in comparison with the previous year in three out of four categories, although in two of those performance measures the performance standards have been met.
“There were 65 occasions in 2024-25 when the [first] fire engine failed to meet the target attendance time. This compares with 41 occasions the previous year.
“Similarly, for the second fire engine, there were 55 occasions where the target was missed, compared with 47, the previous year.”
Cllr Richard Roberts (Conservative, Kings Langley), referred to the failed target during the meeting and said: “In terms of the attendance times, the performance has just been below target… do you want to put that into context?”
John Boulter, Hertfordshire County Council’s head of finance and governance, said: “Yes, we have fallen short on 65 occasions in attendance of the first pump.
“For context, if they’re three seconds [later than] target, it’s a fail. In many of the examples of those 65 occasions, it will be a question of seconds rather than minutes.”
Mr Boulter added that the average attendance of first pump appliance at the scene of a fire is seven minutes and seven seconds, well within the target.
He added: “I don’t think we’re very happy that we’re falling below target, and we’re working very hard in respect of our crewing arrangements to make sure we have got appliances available.
“In terms of fire cover, we are confident our stations are located in the right places. We will continue to invest in them and make sure they are stations which will accommodate all our firefighters.”
Alex Woodman, executive director of Herts Fire and Rescue Service and chief fire officer added: “As John has said, any delay is a frustration to us. We had 55 occasions last year, and on each occasion, our duty principal officers were made aware of every delay.
“Just to put it into context, some are 15 to 20 seconds, but any delay is unacceptable.”
The report follows an inspection by the watchdog His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) last year, which rated the service ‘Inadequate’ in the category of preventing fires.
A follow-up visit by HMICFRS in October removed one of the five recommendations requiring further action but left the other four in place, stating: “While there has been some good progress, there is still more work to be done.”
The overall budget for Herts Fire & Rescue Service in 2024/25 was £42,219,000, with over £31 million going directly into service delivery (response, protection and prevention), while 8.45 million was spent on tech and digital services, and £1.8 million was spent on headquarters.
The annual statement of reassurance report added that the fire service had made savings of £50,000 by changing the crewing patterns in three of its five stations, as well as £20,000 through a reduction in lightweight pumps. Overall organisational resource changes have led to savings of £420,000.
Home inspections and advice sessions are deemed essential to help the most vulnerable learn about fire risks and to prevent deaths. The report showed 1,139 risk-based inspections were completed this year, along with 10,169 home fire safety visits.
Cllr John Graham spoke out about the rise of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) and asked if the service had any observations about the level of fire risks they might pose.
Mr Boulter responded: “We work closely with colleagues and district councils who also have responsibility in terms of regulatory arrangements around HMOs. Our focus will be on communal areas within HMOs.
“In fact, earlier this week, we had a presentation from colleagues in fire protection talking about the work that goes on with our partners.
“The arrangements that we’ve now got in place with district councils, environmental health and housing officers means that our reach in terms of understanding risk and being able to intervene where arrangements fall short, is that much greater.”