Inspection finds 'dismissive' culture at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
Some staff told inspectors they were taking on more work for fear of otherwise being seen as dispensable
Serious concerns are being raised about Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's culture.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service hasn’t made enough progress since its previous inspection and there are serious concerns about its culture, the fire inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has graded Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service performance across 11 areas. It found the service was ‘good’ in two areas, ‘adequate’ in two areas, ‘requires improvement’ in six areas and ‘inadequate’ in one area.
HMICFRS said that the service’s senior leaders aren't managing effectively in some areas; their scrutiny and oversight needs to improve, along with how they respond to the issues raised by managers and the wider workforce.
Inspectors found examples of some senior leaders not acting as role models and not demonstrating the culture and behaviours of the service.
Most staff the inspectorate spoke with during the inspection were committed to the service’s values, but some staff said that morale was the lowest it had ever been.
Teams had been reduced and fractured, and work had been redistributed to other teams, leaving staff worried about their jobs and each other’s well-being.
Some staff told them they were taking on more work for fear of otherwise being seen as dispensable.
HMICFRS also found examples of senior leaders being disinterested in issues raised by staff, and heard several examples of leaders demonstrating poor behaviour towards staff, such as belittling staff; displaying dismissive, overbearing and defensive behaviours; and displaying behaviours perceived as hostile and toxic.
The inspectorate was also made aware of some instances of inappropriate behaviour within the wider workforce, with some wholetime staff making derogatory comments about on-call staff.
HMICFRS found that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) isn’t a high enough priority for the service. The service should make sure it provides the strategic commitment, direction and monitoring needed to fully integrate EDI policies throughout the organisation.
However, inspectors found that the service has made improvements when it comes to preventing fire and other risks. The reallocation of resources and investment to its prevention activities has improved the service’s performance. HMICFRS also said that the service’s protection team is well trained and well resourced, and it aligns protection activity with risk. But the consistency of audits needs to improve.
"I have serious concerns"
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services Lee Freeman said:
“I am grateful for the positive and constructive way in which Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service staff worked with our inspection team.
“However, several areas have deteriorated, particularly in relation to efficiency and how it looks after its people. In particular, I have serious concerns that staff have reported that there isn’t a consistently positive and inclusive culture in the service.
“Senior leaders are also not providing effective strategic oversight of day-to-day operations, too many policies are out of date, and the service isn’t responding promptly to issues raised by managers and the wider workforce.
"The service needs to improve communications between staff and senior leaders and create a safer environment where staff feel more confident in providing feedback to senior leaders.
“While the service does have IT improvement plans, its current IT infrastructure is inefficient and is failing staff. And the service hasn’t made equality, diversity, and inclusion a high enough priority.
“In view of these findings, I have been in regular contact with the chief fire officer, as I don’t underestimate the improvements that are needed. I will keep in close contact with the service to monitor its progress in addressing the cause of concern and associated recommendations."
"I want to take this opportunity to thank our incredibly hard-working members of staff for their ongoing commitment"
In a statement, Suffolk County Council says it's proposing to invest £1.6million in the service, to help it deliver on areas of improvement.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer, Jon Lacey, said: “The report recognised that in the key areas of emergency response readiness, preventing fires and protecting the public the service we perform well, and I want to take this opportunity to thank our incredibly hard-working members of staff for their ongoing commitment to keeping Suffolk’s residents safe.
“We recognise there is much work to be done, which is why we are already developing an action plan to drive improvements across all service areas – taking into account the challenges we’ve experienced over the past 12 months, I am putting the inspection outcomes front and centre as our driver for change.
“It is essential that my colleagues from across the service are involved in developing our action plan so we can reflect the experience of all those working here, ensuring we are inclusive during the delivery of our improvements.
“Keeping Suffolk’s residents safe and responding to emergencies remains our top priority – this will continue to be our key focus, whilst building on our core values and cultivating a positive and collaborative working environment for all. I welcome the investment as pressures on fire services increase.”
A targeted action plan is being developed with staff to drive improvements in areas highlighted within the report.
These include IT infrastructure and staff, cultural changes and risk management.
“We acknowledge and accept the findings within the report"
Councillor Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public protection, said: “I thank His Majesty’s Inspectorate for their recent inspection and feedback on how we in Suffolk can provide the best possible fire services to our residents.
“We acknowledge and accept the findings within the report. It will be reassuring for residents to know we are already tackling areas that have been highlighted for improvement. Our additional £1.6 million investment proposal will mean the service can push on with its action plan.
“I will work closely with the chief fire officer and his team to ensure the improvement plan is clear and deliverable - ensuring necessary changes are made swiftly and effectively." All fire services in the UK undergo inspection every two years. The last inspection report of SFRS was published in 2023.
"However, new assessment criteria has since been introduced by HMICFRS that gives a more stringent evaluation, which means the 2025 report for SFRS cannot be compared with inspection gradings from previous years. The inspection took place last autumn and assessed how well Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service performed across a number of areas."