As with most public services across the country today, fire and rescue resources are under extreme pressure. In Nottinghamshire the demands on firefighters became strikingly evident as unprecedented temperatures and a warming climate led to blazes which ripped through the county's farmland and forests. Agenda Editor Joseph Locker sat down with chief fire officer Craig Parkin to discuss the 'challenging times ahead' as the service seeks to provide the best service it can in a rapidly changing world.
Since 2016 Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service's staffing has been reduced by 11%. This is compared to an average of just two percent nationally.
It had been struggling to get a grip of its operations and a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found a number of failings during its 2018/19 inspection. Such failings included too few fire engines to deal with emergencies, for example, and the service spent the next four years attempting to improve.
