Have your say on new fire service plans to respond to evolving risks and keep communities safe
- Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) launches consultation on new draft Fire Plan.
- Draft plan sets out how the service will keep residents and businesses safe and respond to evolving risks and challenges across the city-region.
- Consultation runs until 10 March and people can have their say at www.gmconsult.org
GREATER Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is unveiling new plans to keep communities safe and respond to emerging challenges across the city-region.
The draft Fire Plan published today (Monday 13 January), details how the service will identify new and evolving risks, ensure the right resources are in place, and continue to put keeping residents and businesses safe at the heart of everything the service does.
The plan outlines three main priority areas for the next four years:
- Help make our communities safer and more resilient – by actively preventing emergencies to reduce the risk to communities and firefighters, and working to improve the health, prospects, and living conditions of the people of Greater Manchester.
- Deliver a first-class emergency response – by understanding and adapting to the changing risks Greater Manchester faces, so we are ready when an emergency occurs, including when a multi-agency response with other blue light services is necessary.
- Ensure service excellence, inclusivity, and sustainability – by making sure we have the right people, with the right skills, to create a culture that is supportive, inclusive, and guided by inspiring leadership.
People can now have their say on the plans in an eight-week consultation, running until Monday 10 March.
Greater Manchester residents and businesses can view the proposals and provide feedback through a short survey, and all responses will help shape how the service continues to serve the city-region in the coming years.
The plan was developed by looking at risks, reviewing our statutory responsibilities, and considering how GMFRS can support Greater Manchester‘s priorities. It was put together based on input from more than 3,800 residents – gathered during engagement activities last year – to ensure it reflects the issues that matter most to our communities, including preventing emergencies and public value.
It will replace the current Fire Plan launched in 2021, which delivered a range of significant achievements and saw GMFRS being recognised last year as one of the best performing and most improved services in the country.
Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said:
“We are committed to creating a Fire Plan that reflects the needs and priorities of our community and the unique factors that make up our city-region.
“We saw with the recent flooding how important it is to have a fire and rescue service that is fit for purpose and able to meet the changing risks and challenges we face. We need to ensure that we can continue to respond effectively to incidents like the extreme weather we saw over the New Year period.
“My hope is that over the next four to five years, we will be able to provide the world-class fire service that residents in Greater Manchester deserve, and your feedback will be invaluable in helping us to enhance safety and emergency response across the city-region.”
Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, added:
“The initial polls and workshops carried out during our engagement with colleagues, stakeholders and communities last year, have given us a really good idea of what our residents value in their Fire and Rescue Service, and we have taken this feedback and incorporated it into the initial draft of the plan.
“It is not just GMFRS’s plan – it belongs to the whole community. Now we need as many residents as possible to play their part in helping us to shape the plan further and ensure the Service can make Greater Manchester a safer place for us all to live and work.”
The Fire Plan is produced by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities Kate Green, and Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel.
The final version of the Fire Plan is due to be published in May 2025, incorporating the feedback and insights gathered during the consultation period.
People can view the plan and submit their feedback online via the GMFRS website at www.gmconsult.org/gmfrs/fire-plan.
For more information on the consultation process and to provide feedback, please visit Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's Fire Plan 2025-2029 - Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Article Published: 13/01/2025 16:52 PM