The recognition came during a West Sussex County Council scrutiny meeting on Friday, November 28, where the county council’s Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee reviewed the service’s Strategic Performance Report.
The service’s performance in the second quarter of 2025/2026 and progress on the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2026 were discussed during the meeting.
Of the 30 performance measures used to assess the service, 25 were rated green, three amber and two red.
Of the two measures that were red last quarter, improvements were noted in high-risk referrals, which moved back to green status, but on-call firefighter availability remained in red.
Councillor Jacky Pendleton, vice-chairman of the scrutiny committee, said: “We were pleased to see the continued progress and strong performance delivered by West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.
“These results reflect the dedication of the teams who work hard to keep our communities safe.
“We will continue to provide robust scrutiny to ensure that challenges such as retained firefighter availability are addressed and that the service remains responsive to the needs of residents.”
The committee also reviewed the service’s quarterly performance and resources report, covering corporate performance, finance, workforce, risk and capital programme positions as at the end of September 2025.
All four performance measures in the report were marked green, and the service is currently projecting a balanced budget.
Other highlights included Platinum House receiving a ‘Highly Commended’ award by the Sussex Heritage Trust, the arrival of two new 18-tonne water carriers at Petworth and Shoreham Fire Stations, and the success of open days at fire stations across the county during the summer.
A new Emergency Response Standard, introduced in July, measures the time taken for the first fire engine to arrive at critical incidents.
The service performed strongly against this target in the second quarter.
The Community Risk Management Plan update showed progress in all five strategic priorities over the past six months.
The first quarter focused on completing the HMICFRS inspection, while the second quarter demonstrated improvements based on inspection recommendations.
The full meeting is available to watch on the West Sussex County Council website.
The recognition came during a West Sussex County Council scrutiny meeting on Friday, November 28, where the county council’s Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee reviewed the service’s Strategic Performance Report.
The service’s performance in the second quarter of 2025/2026 and progress on the Community Risk Management Plan 2022-2026 were discussed during the meeting.
Of the 30 performance measures used to assess the service, 25 were rated green, three amber and two red.
Of the two measures that were red last quarter, improvements were noted in high-risk referrals, which moved back to green status, but on-call firefighter availability remained in red.
Councillor Jacky Pendleton, vice-chairman of the scrutiny committee, said: “We were pleased to see the continued progress and strong performance delivered by West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.
“These results reflect the dedication of the teams who work hard to keep our communities safe.
“We will continue to provide robust scrutiny to ensure that challenges such as retained firefighter availability are addressed and that the service remains responsive to the needs of residents.”
The committee also reviewed the service’s quarterly performance and resources report, covering corporate performance, finance, workforce, risk and capital programme positions as at the end of September 2025.
All four performance measures in the report were marked green, and the service is currently projecting a balanced budget.
Other highlights included Platinum House receiving a ‘Highly Commended’ award by the Sussex Heritage Trust, the arrival of two new 18-tonne water carriers at Petworth and Shoreham Fire Stations, and the success of open days at fire stations across the county during the summer.
A new Emergency Response Standard, introduced in July, measures the time taken for the first fire engine to arrive at critical incidents.
The service performed strongly against this target in the second quarter.
The Community Risk Management Plan update showed progress in all five strategic priorities over the past six months.
The first quarter focused on completing the HMICFRS inspection, while the second quarter demonstrated improvements based on inspection recommendations.
The full meeting is available to watch on the West Sussex County Council website.
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