Responsibility For The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order

This Annual Conference deplores the intent of the Government to transfer ongoing policy responsibility for the proposed Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order once it has been implemented from the Fire Policy division of the Fire and Rescue Services Directorate of the Local Government and Fire Group of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the Buildings Division of the Sustainable Communities Group of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister This proposal, which was announced on behalf of the government on the 6th April 2004 by Lord Rooker in answer to a Parliamentary Question set down by Lord Brookman, brings into question the veracity of repeated Ministerial statements that they intend to make fire prevention and protection a leading element in the future culture of the Fire and Rescue Services in England and Wales. The proposal transfers ongoing policy responsibility for what will be the primary piece of fire safety legislation from the Ministerial Group with responsibility for the Fire Service in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to another Ministerial Group with responsibility for sustainable communities and the Building Regulations_ Following the publication of the Fire Service White Paper, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister created two forums to replace the Fire Safety Advisory Board, being the Practitioners Forum and the Business and Community Safety Forum. These fora which have mutually exclusive membership drawn from the wider fire community were created to oversee and advise upon the policies affecting and the activities of the Fire and Rescue Services. Neither forum has been consulted upon this proposal by Ministers at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; nor, if the transfer of responsibility for the proposed Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order occurs, will they have a direct line of communication to the Sustainable Communities Group which would enable them to advise on the working of Order or its integration into main stream fire and rescue service work Similarly, the Fire and Rescue Services Directorate which has overall day to day policy responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Services will also be divorced from the decision making process for the proper working of the Order or the giving of guidance to Fire Authorities on the discharge of their duties and powers under the Order. We believe that this proposal represents the start of a deliberate Government policy of splitting up and hiving off of policy responsibility for various aspects of the work of the Fire and Rescue Services to other areas of Government so that in the future they may deal with those aspects of the work of the Fire and Rescue services in isolation and in different parts of Government rather than as parts of a greater whole and under the remit of one specific government department. It is extremely difficult to see what advantages will be gained by splitting off the Fire Safety Enforcement and protection role from the rest of the functions and duties of the Fire and Rescue Services, unless the ultimate intent is to remove that role from the fire authorities and pass it to some other public or private body at some future time. In view of these matters we call upon the Executive Council to mount a campaign in conjunction and co-operation with those groups and bodies that are sympathetic to our aims and as it believes appropriate to ensure that: • ongoing overall responsibility for the proposed Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order remainswithin the Fire and Rescue Directorate of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister or any other subsequent Department of Government that may assume overall ongoing responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Services in the future, and • ongoing day to day responsibility for enforcement of the proposed Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order remains vested in the Fire Authorities in England and Wales.