Making sense of standards

摘要

'The absence of existing national standards has resulted in local variations in almost every aspect of what each fire and rescue service does'. This is the conclusion made by HMICFRS in their tranche one summary report of the first inspections in 12 years. It is helpful then that a Fire Standards Board is now in place to deal with the issues and provide some reassurance to the inspectors that inconsistency is being tackled head on. From a conversation with the new independent Chair and Vice Chair of the Fire Standards Board, it is clear that it is not just the inspectors that they are concerned about. Chair Suzanne McCarthy explains: "You've got to be able to ensure that wherever you are in England, you will still get the same level of service from your fire and rescue service because they are working to the same standards. It is a way of judging for the public's benefits that the service they are paying for is actually delivering."