Fire and Rescue Authorities have a statutory obligation under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 to maintain a Fire and Rescue Service capable of dealing effectively with calls for assistance in the case of fire and other emergencies. Fire and Rescue Authorities consist of nominated elected members, representing the local authorities across the Fire and Rescue Authority area as a whole. Fire services have been a local authority service since 1948 and whilst the National Assembly for Wales has overarching responsibility for determining policy on Fire and Rescue Services, at the local level, the responsibility is still linked to local democracy. In Wales, there are three Fire and Rescue Authorities:
Mid and West Wales
Chief Fire Officer: Roger Thomas
Chair: Cllr Gwynfor Thomas (Powys)
Deputy Chair: Cllr John Davies (Pembrokeshire)
North Wales
Chief Fire Officer: Dawn Docx
Chair: Cllr Peter Lewis MBE (Conwy)
Deputy Chair: Cllr Dylan Rees (Isle of Anglesey)
South Wales
Interim Chief Fire Officer: Stuart Millington
Chair: To be confirmed
Deputy Chair: To be confirmed
Fire and Rescue Services play the key role in fire and rescue capability. The services have moved on from what was primarily a fire-fighting service to being proactive organisations dedicated to the prevention of fires, deaths and injuries from fires and emergencies such as road crashes, chemical incidents and floodings. These twin aims of prevention and intervention have focused on co-ordinating fire safety education and working with local partners, such as Community Safety Partnerships, thereby contributing significantly to the community safety agenda in Wales.
Fire and Rescue National Framework
The Fire and Rescue National Framework 2016 sets out the Welsh Government’s vision and priorities for the three Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales.
Fire and Rescue Panel Meetings
Following the devolution of the Fire and Rescue Service to the National Assembly for Wales in 2004 the opportunity arose to develop a new working relationship between Wales’ three Fire and Rescue Authorities, the WLGA and the wider local government family. The WLGA Fire and Rescue Panel is part of this development. The Panel’s aims are to:
- help develop further the relationship between the WLGA and the three Fire and Rescue Authorities
- enable discussion between the three Fire and Rescue Authorities and the WLGA on key strategic issues
- help facilitate the development of an all Wales approach where appropriate
- raise issues of concern and/or reflect views to the Welsh Government
The Panel consists of the Chief Fire Officer, Chair and Vice Chair from each Fire and Rescue Authority, together with the Welsh Local Government Association. The Panel will meet twice yearly in Cardiff.
For more information contact: Rachel Morgan