Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has been rated among the country’s best after securing three ‘outstanding’ grades in a national performance inspection.
The report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) praises KFRS for public protection through fire regulation, understanding risk, and ensuring long-term financial affordability.
Inspectors highlighted the service’s risk-based enforcement approach, which focuses on the most dangerous buildings.
This includes carrying out high-quality safety audits and taking action against non-compliant businesses.
They also noted KFRS’s use of advanced 3D scanning technology to create detailed models of high-risk premises, helping firefighters plan safer and more effective responses.
Of the 11 inspection categories, five were rated ‘good’. These covered incident response, multi-agency working, collaborative projects, and maintaining a positive workplace culture.
However, three areas were judged ‘adequate’. These related to on-call fire engine availability, prevention quality assurance, and processes for promotions and recruitment.
The HMICFRS report warned that on-call engine availability, in particular, needs urgent attention, but noted the service has already taken steps to address staffing and resource gaps in this area.
Chief executive Ann Millington said she was “incredibly proud” of the results, crediting the dedication and professionalism of staff across Kent and Medway.
“As always, we recognise the importance of consistently reviewing and adapting our services to ensure we’re meeting the ever-changing needs of the people we serve,” she said.
“We know there’s more we can do, and we will continue to look at new and innovative ways we can deliver a service to the people of Kent and Medway expect and deserve.”
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services, Roy Wilsher, congratulated KFRS for its achievements, while urging progress in the three ‘adequate’ areas identified during the inspection.
“It should improve the availability of its on-call crewed fire engines to respond to incidents and it needs to quality assure prevention activity more robustly, as well as manage promotion and recruitment processes better,” he said.
