Fire service report reveals allegations of bullying while 999 response times have increased

But a new inspection report has for the first time revealed allegations of bullying within management, a lack of diversity and an increase in 999 response times at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

A watchdog found the service had lost nine per cent of its workforce '” with part-time crews and women telling inspectors they feel undervalued.

Response times to fires have been increasing since 2008, despite a small drop in the year to March 2017.

Overall the service was handed a good rating in an assessment of effectiveness and efficiency '” but was deemed as requires improvement in looking after its staff.

Key findings of the report, the first of its type conducted by HMICFRS, include:

- Firefighters attended 14,665 incidents '” with 46 per cent false alarms, 27 per cent fires and 27 per cent were non-fires.

- A drop of nine per cent in the workforce compared to five years ago.

- Response time up to nine minutes and four seconds, while the target for critical incidents is eight minutes.

- There are £4m savings left to be made out of £10m.

- It made £1m income from renting space in fire buildings.

- Crews attended 1,200 incidents helping paramedics get into premises in 2017.

Concerns have been raised that scheduled checks of high-risk buildings have fallen behind while the service has set up a paid-for business offering consultancy.

Frontline staff are facing pressure to handle the inspection backlog, the report, published today, said.

One building's inspection was four years out of date, inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found.

Inspectors wrote: '˜We are concerned that the current supply of staff to the business is affecting the inspection programme, which is a primary responsibility of the service.

'˜We are also concerned this arrangement has the potential to create a conflict of interest.

'˜Hampshire FRS staff, working on behalf of the business, provide fire safety advice in premises which may later be subject to inspection audits.

'˜If the fire safety advice was found to be defective or inadequate, this would create a position where Hampshire FRS was criticising work completed by its own members of staff.'

High-risk buildings in Hampshire are supposed to be assessed every 12 months. This includes churches and listed buildings.

Medium-risk structures are meant to be assessed every two years.

This is so firefighters can prepare in the case of a blaze. After the Grenfell tragedy, firefighters in Hampshire assessed 270 high-rise buildings.

The watchdog also spotted a comparatively low number of home fire checks being carried out.

Despite the service prioritising over-65s for an enhanced check, the number of vists dropped from 3,643 visits in the 12 months to 31 March 2017, to 3,305.

Overall, 2.7 checks per 1,000 population were carried out across all age groups in 12 months to March this year, compared to 10.4 for England.

Inspectors who visited the service in July were satisfied with the way it was '˜keeping people safe and secure'.

But they were less impressed with reports of a culture of bullying, domineering behaviour from managers, women firefighters feeling undervalued, partly due to '˜divisive language', and '˜irregularities in promotion processes'.

'˜Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service doesn't do enough to be an inclusive employer,' the 47-page report said.

'˜We found signs of low morale in the workforce.

'˜People have little confidence that they will be treated fairly or that senior leaders have their best interests at heart.'

Councillor Christopher Carter is the chairman of Hampshire Fire Authority, which has oversight of the service.

In a statement, he said: '˜Our staff are the fabric of the organisation and those that are responsible for keeping people safe across our county.

'˜We should be concerned to hear of issues with morale.

'˜I know the service is committed to creating a culture in which staff thrive and love the jobs they do. I can assure them we will be doing all we can to support them in keeping the people of Hampshire safe.'

There was praise for the service having trained mental health first aiders and a trauma risk management programme in place.

'˜It is encouraging that staff can speak openly about mental health without fear of stigma,' the report said.

Cllr Carter added: '˜The people of Hampshire are served extremely well by a highly effective and skilled fire service.

'˜The service not only responds well when incidents occur, but they have an excellent understanding of where the risks lie and how to address them.

'˜We pride ourselves on ensuring our residents receive an excellent service that provides value for their money and this report is a testament to that.'

Praise in the report included:

- Shared control room work with Dorset and Wiltshire and Devon and Somerset;

- Medical co-responding scheme with South Central Ambulance Service;

- Command of fire incidents by leaders;

- Resilience checks carried out to see if the service could handle 999 calls.

Chief fire officer Neil Odin said: '˜I am glad the report recognises the professionalism and excellence our staff deliver to the public.

'˜We now need to ensure we continue on our journey.'