The Fire Standards Board reveals new internal governance and assurance standard

The Fire Standards Board (FSB) has announced the launch of the seventeenth professional Fire Standard; Internal Governance and Assurance.

The Internal Governance and Assurance Fire Standard focuses on ensuring that fire and rescue services have internal governance structures and business planning processes which enable senior leaders to maintain comprehensive oversight of internal activities, assuring them that the service is operating effectively.

One of the desired outcomes of the Fire Standard is that services’ internal change and improvement projects are managed through robust development, approval and initiation processes. This will ensure that such projects are aligned to the vision and strategic objectives of the service, and that delivery and organisational development plans are clear and understood by all within the service.

An expected benefit of achieving the Internal Governance and Assurance Fire Standard is that fire and rescue services will improve governance, internal culture and increase transparency.

As with all Fire Standards, there’s a corresponding Fire Standards Implementation Tool to support services with the implementation. The tool was designed to support services understanding how well they meet the standard; helping them to embed the standard into existing and new action plans and address any gaps.

Chair of the Fire Standards Board, Suzanne McCarthy said:

“The Board welcomes the launch of the new Internal Governance and Assurance Fire Standard and recognises the contribution it will bring to fire and rescue services and the communities they serve.

“The standard builds on our portfolio of comprehensive and professional Fire Standards which ultimately help support the safety, health and well-being of the public via English fire and rescue services.”

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, CFO of West Sussex FRS and Chair of NFCC’s Improvement Committee, said:

“I’m proud to have led the development of this new Fire Standard which will support all fire and rescue services to follow a consistent and robust process when developing internal governance and assurance procedures. “I also hope that working towards achieving this standard will create internal cultures and a positive working environments that are open to learning, self-evaluation and receiving feedback, creating a more productive, motivated and efficient workforce.”