Strategic Assessment
Assessing all the foreseeable changes on the horizon that could affect what we are able to deliver to our communities is important and helps us plan better for the future. Our communities and stakeholders are telling us they would like to see us do more long-term planning. To help us think what the future might look like we reviewed a range of documents and data, including:
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The NFCC document “Fit for the Future” Bedfordshire 2050 Think Piece and resulting strategy Fire Standards published by the National Standards Board for Fire and Rescue Services Our partner’s strategic plans Data from the Office of National Statistics, and census info The national threat & risk assessment produced by UK Govt The threat and risk assessment produced by the Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum Community Risk Analysis &Assessment of Community Risk Level |
Annual Strategic Risk Assessment Our own data on incidents we have attended Our internal debrief from our activities during COVID HMICFRS annual “State of Fire” and Inspection reports A host of assurance, evaluation and assessment work including Internal audit reports Engagement across the organisation and with stakeholders Emergency Cover Review Our People impact assessments Corporate Risk Register Our annual Horizon Scanning exercises |
We are constantly horizon-scanning to assess the drivers of change at the local and national levels. We use the PESTELO framework (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Legal and Organisational) to assess the key external factors likely to impact upon us. In addition to the evolving legislative framework, key contributors driving national change include the Home Office, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), HMICFRS, the Fire Standards Board, HM Coroner Inquests, and new or amended regulations. We will continue to engage with key stakeholders, to influence and lead locally, regionally, and nationally.
Key strategic threats include:
- A challenging financial outlook caused by rising inflation and short-term funding settlements
- Growing cyber and digital security threat
- Needing to invest in more environmentally sustainable assets, goods, and services
- Potential damage to our brand and reputation caused by negative media coverage of FRS culture
- Challenges in recruiting, developing, and retaining an increasingly younger and more transient workforce
- Needing to keep pace with modern technologies and improve digital & data literacy
- Needing to invest in an ageing estate that has not kept pace with the needs of a modern and inclusive FRS
- Needing to keep pace with a constantly evolving risk and demand profile across a fast-growing county
- Social discontent and lack of trust in authority