Summary of the impact

Research undertaken in the Unit by Murphy et al. highlighted the benefits of a new people-centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance management data for Fire and Rescue Services (FRS). The new Fire and Rescue National Framework for England published in July 2012 was subsequently based around these twin principles.

New frameworks for Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland and Eire published in 2012-13, followed England's lead and adopted this new approach. Similarly at the local level research by the same team has helped to shape the re-configuration of emergency cover provided by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Services (NFRS) based on the new approach.

Underpinning research

In 2005-06 Greenhalgh, carrying out research with Harrison of Loughborough University, found the introduction of national performance indicators had helped to deliver improvements in the Fire and Rescue Service but the available performance data was found to be inadequate to facilitate future improvement.

In 2009 Murphy joined NBS from the Department of Communities and Local Government where he held the post of Director of Local Government and had worked extensively on various aspects of performance management and emergency planning. From 2009-11 Murphy and Greenhalgh along with Wheatley (also NBS) were part of a successful application for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service designed to evaluate the effectiveness of community safety activities in reducing risk. The findings of the KTP identified weaknesses in local and national performance data, that prevented the development of robust and detailed risk profiles for local communities.

In June 2010 the Government announced a strategic review of the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England and NBS used primer funds to commission Murphy (Principal Investigator), Liddle and Greenhalgh to continue their research into performance management by analysing and evaluating the national framework, particularly arrangements for scrutiny in terms of performance data. This research focused on comparing national performance management regimes and performance data on databases retained by government. The findings highlighted weaknesses in the performance data and made recommendations to improve local/national databases and the systems that collated performance data for the Fire & Rescue services. This built on Murphy's existing knowledge of performance management regimes and the Integrated Risk Management Planning process introduced by legislation in 2004. The approach to risk management advocated by the researchers was based on the twin principles of being `people-centred' (i.e. assessing risk to life rather than being focused on risk to property or assets as in the past); with strategy and delivery being `evidence-led' (i.e. resting on robust, transparent, quality-assured, performance data that was systematically investigated and situational appropriate).

From September 2010, Murphy and Greenhalgh disseminated their findings widely and the new national framework for England, published in July 2012, adopted these twin principles, as did the frameworks for Scotland, Wales, N Ireland and Eire.

From October 2010 to June 2011, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service funded Murphy and Greenhalgh to review the local evidence base (and data from the network of Fire Services) to assess risk and make recommendations to reconfigure local emergency cover in Nottinghamshire, and to provide assurance as to the Integrated Risk Management Planning process being applied by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. This was the first comprehensive risk assessment undertaken by any fire service in the current era. Murphy and Greenhalgh's research found inconsistent, partial and out-dated data, intelligence, systems and processes with system-wide, as well as Nottinghamshire-specific, inadequacies. They were also commissioned to investigate the practical implications of implementing a people-centred evidence-led regime, establish good practice and make recommendations for improving policy and practice at both national and local levels. Published by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as the "Fire Cover Review" in July 2011, it found the service facing somewhat different risks from those identified in the past, and requiring a significant reconfiguration of services (Murphy, Greenhalgh and Parkin 2012).

The findings of these projects resulted in invitations to respond to formal government consultations and to present findings at national and international conferences.

References to the research

Further evidence of the quality of the underpinning research is provided by: (a) Fire Cover Review:
Report of the Chief Fire Officer, paragraph 2.26, which relates to a meeting of the Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire Authority held on 26^th February 2011[this is available at: http://open.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/comm/download3.asp?dltype=inline&filename=46945/110225FINA L2FCR.pdf ]; (b) Brunsden, Hill and Wheatley: Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service Knowledge Transfer Partnership; Sponsor: Technology Strategy Board/ESRC; duration: 01.09.2009 - 30.11.2011; value: £63,765; and (c) Murphy, Greenhalgh and Parkin won the Fire Magazine/Gore Research Excellence Award at the Annual Conference on Fire-Related Research and Development on 14^th November 2013 for their research into integrated risk management planning at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Details of the impact

Murphy et al.'s programme of Fire & Rescue research has had a direct impact on the policy and practice of the Emergency Services in England and in particular the Fire and Rescue Service in Nottinghamshire. As other countries followed England's lead, the research has also had an impact on shaping policy and service reconfiguration overseas (e.g. Eire). The beneficiaries are the government and policy makers; fire and rescue services and related emergency services (with whom Fire and Rescue Services have to cooperate); the owners of businesses and insurers as well the general public, who benefit from improved services and risk mitigation.

National
Following the announcement of a Strategic Review of the Fire Service by the new coalition government in July 2010 Murphy, Liddle and Greenhalgh disseminated their findings and helped shape the policy debate and the strategic review and the effectiveness of performance management arrangements across the public sector. They articulated and promoted their proposed new principles for any new framework for fire and rescue services at policy and practitioner conferences. In the run-up to the Department of Communities and Local Government Select Committee' s review of the abolition of the Audit Commission and performance management in local government, they strategically disseminated their findings to key stakeholders in the fire and rescue community such as the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Local Government Association.

The people-centred regime supported by appropriate evidence-based performance data that they advocated, stimulated the policy debate and was subsequently supported by key stakeholders at the Department of Communities and Local Government Select Committee hearings in February-April 2011(most notably by the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Local Government Association) (see corroborating source 9, pp42-44). They were later adopted by the Government in its' response to the Select Committee report. As a result, these principles were incorporated in the new Fire and Rescue National Framework for England published in July 2012 (Department of Communities and Local Government, 2012 - see Chapter 1 and Annex 1).

Murphy and Greenhalgh were subsequently specifically solicited by the Department of Communities and Local Government to contribute to the review of the interventions protocol for Fire Services (October 2012) and to the fire efficiencies review led by Sir Ken Knight (January 2013). They were the only independent research team specifically invited to submit evidence and their contribution clearly shaped and influenced the debate and outcomes of these consultations.

Local/Regional
Phase 1 (November 2010 to July 2011): Murphy and Greenhalgh were commissioned to work with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service on their Fire Cover Review. They identified multiple inadequacies and, following Murphy and Greenhalgh's advice, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service reviewed and reconstructed all of their databases, systems and structures to meet the needs of a people-based Integrated Risk Management Planning process. Their expertise also underpinned advice and assurance on the robustness of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process to both the Fire Service and the Fire Authority as well as directly shaping the implementation of the new service reconfiguration .

Phase 2 (July 2012 to present). Following publication of the `Fire and Rescue National Framework for England', in July 2012 all 46 Fire and Rescue Authorities and Fire and Rescue Services in England were required to reconfigure their deployment of resources as a result of the changed responsibilities and patterns of risk over both the short and long term. Having previously assessed immediate and short term risks, Murphy and Greenhalgh were commissioned by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to undertake the county' s first Strategic Needs Assessment of medium and long term risks for fire services under the new national framework based upon the people-centred and evidence-led approach (Murphy, Greenhalgh and Parkin, 2013).

International
The introduction of a people-centred evidence-led process to the assessment of risk and deployment of Fire Services in England is increasingly being replicated in the rest of the UK, in Europe and overseas.

Following presentations to the 2013 meeting of the Federation of European Unions (of Chief Fire Officers Associations), Murphy and Greenhalgh were invited to examine some of the member countries (of the Federation of European Unions) hardest hit by the recent widespread recession. After considering alternatives they have begun assessing Fire Service policy in Eire which announced a new national framework and national service reconfiguration in February 2013 (National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, 2013).

Similarly they are also assessing the new Scottish National Fire and Rescue Service. The Scottish Government amalgamated the previous seven regional fire services into a single service on 1^st April 2013, and published a the new national framework for Scotland (May 2013) and a draft Strategic Plan (April 2013). Both the Irish and the Scottish frameworks claim to have adopted the principles of sector-led evidenced-based and people-centred services and to have resulted from an evidence based policy making processes using robust and transparent data and intelligence.

Sources to corroborate the impact

1. Department of Communities & Local Government (2012) National Framework for Fire and Rescue Authorities In England. HMSO.

[- Corroborating the influence of the research on the continuation of the National Framework based upon a people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data across the country].

2. Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire Cover Review (2011)Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, June 2011.

[- Corroborating the impact of the research on the implementation of the people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data at the operational level within Fire and Rescue Services].

3. Department of Communities & Local Government (2013) Protocol on Government Intervention Action on Fire and Rescue Services HMSO.

[- Corroborating the impact of the research on the future policy and procedure for central government interventions in failing or significantly underperforming services].

4. Knight, Sir K (2013) Facing the future: Findings from the review of efficiencies and operations in fire and rescue authorities in England ISBN 978-1-4098-3887-6 HMSO.

[- Corroborating the impact of the research on the national review of efficiencies and future policy and procedure for Fire and Rescue Services].

5. National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (2013) Keeping Communities Safe — A framework for fire safety in Ireland Comhshaol, Pobal agus Rialtas Áitiúil . (see in particular `Principles which Inform Keeping Communities Safe' pp 12-13) Dublin, Ireland.

[- Corroborating the influence of the research on National Frameworks based upon a people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data across internationally].

6. Department of Communities & Local Government (2011) Audit and inspection of local authorities: Fourth Report of Session 2010-12, DCLG Select Committee HC 763, Stationary Office. London.
   http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmcomloc/763/763.pdf

[- Corroborating the influence of the research on the continuation of the sector led performance management arrangements based upon a people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data].

7. Editor, "Fire" (Journal of the Chief Fire Officers Association) & "International Fire Professional".

[- Corroborating the impact on the practitioner community here and abroad].

8. Chief Fire Officer, Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service.

[- corroborating the impact of the research on the implementation of the people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data at the operational level within Fire and Rescue Services].

9. Chair, Nottinghamshire & City of Nottingham Fire Authority.

[- Corroborating the impact of the research on the implementation of the people centred approach to risk assessment supported by evidence-led performance data at the operational level within Fire and Rescue Services].

10. Lead Official for Resilience and Emergency Planning in Midlands and East.

[- Corroborating evidence of impact across emergency services and/or resilience forums].