Over the past year, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has continued to deliver on its commitment to keep our communities safe, while adapting to evolving risks and types of emergencies.
During 2025 to 2026, we made strong progress across prevention, protection and response services. We strengthened our work to support those most at risk in their homes, worked closely with partners to reduce incidents, and continued to ensure businesses meet fire safety requirements in their buildings. Together, this work is helping to make Lancashire a safer place to live, work, and visit.
I am particularly proud that our efforts were recognised through His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection results, which provides independent assurance that we are delivering an effective, efficient and well-run service for our communities. The Service achieved ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good’ ratings across all areas and the inspectors highlighted a culture of continuous improvement, which is particularly pleasing. Learning from the smallest events to the most significant incidents, coupled with the use of digital tools, data, and technology, strengthen our ability to meet future challenges.
We have also continued to invest in our response capabilities, ensuring our crews are well trained, well equipped and ready to respond when they are needed. Alongside this, we have delivered key improvements in how we work, helping us to be more productive and efficient, making the best use of our resources.
This year has also seen important progress in how we support our people, recognising that none of our achievements would be possible without their expertise and dedication. We have focused on health and wellbeing initiatives, developing and engaging with our leaders, and strengthening our culture to ensure that high standards of behaviour are understood and upheld across the Service.
While we are pleased with the progress made, we know there is more to do as we face a range of pressures driving change, including significant financial challenges. We remain committed to continuous improvement, listening to our communities and partners, and ensuring we continue to provide an efficient and effective fire and rescue service.
Jon Charters
Chief Fire Officer
IIn August, the Service once again set the national benchmark for excellence, achieving an unprecedented outcome in its third inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
HMICFRS is an independent body which inspects, monitors, and reports on the efficiency and effectiveness of fire and rescue services with the aim of encouraging improvement.
The Service was awarded six ‘Outstanding’ and five ‘Good’ ratings across the 11 inspection areas. This achievement included being the only service in the country to receive a minimum rating of ‘Good’ across every category.
The inspection praised the Service for its excellent performance at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks. In particular, the report highlighted the risk-based intervention programme, innovative use of technology, and strong culture of continuous improvement. The Service’s commitment to inclusivity, staff wellbeing, and community engagement were also highlighted as sector leading.
Outstanding:
• At understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies.
• At protecting the public through fire regulation.
• At responding to major and multi-agency incidents.
• At making best use of resources.
• At promoting the right values and culture.
• At getting the right people with the right skills.
Good:
• At preventing fires and other risks.
• At responding to fires and other emergencies.
• At making the fire and rescue service affordable now and in the future.
• At ensuring fairness and promoting diversity.
• At managing performance and developing leaders.
The Service relies on the collective expertise and experience of our people to achieve our purpose of making Lancashire safer. Investing in their training, development, facilities, and wellbeing is at the core of creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to make a positive contribution whatever their role.
Our STRIVE values and the national Core Code of Ethics guide the professional behaviours of all our staff. We are proud of our culture in Lancashire and the high levels of trust the public have in our Service. However, we remain focussed on building a more inclusive service where diversity is nurtured and valued.
Delivered:
· Four Have A Go events to generate interest to wholetime firefighter careers and attract talent to the Service.
· Improved recruitment materials to provide more information to candidates and support candidates who are neurodiverse.
· Implemented the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, taking measures to prevent sexual harassment including carrying out a gap analysis, updating policy, delivering training, and internal communications.
· Established a professional standards function to oversee the investigation of misconduct concerns in a fair and transparent way, led by a legal services and standards manager and supported by a dedicated investigating officer. A service order has been published to explain the approach to professional standards and the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Culture Board and Service Management Team provide scrutiny.
· Introduced a new recruitment tool to make recruitment and onboarding new employees more efficient and user friendly.
Leaders who role model and actively promote an environment that creates and maintains trust throughout the Service, engage others, energise them to overcome barriers, welcome feedback, and challenge poor behaviour if it occurs.
Delivered:
· Delivered pilot leadership development sessions as part of the ILM Level 3 Award and for aspiring managers.
· Created extended leadership events for middle managers and a Watch Managers’ Forum for supervisory managers, which meet regularly and provide opportunities for them to be involved in Service decisions and direction, so they are well informed to engage with their teams and share feedback.
We are focused on giving on-call firefighters the best training and development that supports them to deliver the best possible services. Following staff feedback, we have adapted how and where we deliver training to on-call crews to make it easier to acquire and maintain skills and knowledge.
Delivered:
· Changed the delivery model for immediate emergency care initial training to cover theory online and focus on practical learning in-person, reducing required attendance at the Leadership and Development Centre (LDC).
· Delivery of this training has also been trialled away from the LDC and closer to stations, which will be evaluated in due course.
· Increased the number of incident command courses to meet the needs of on-call staff, with incident command area trainers assigned to help with theoretical work and support via station visits and workshops.
We aspire to the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing for our staff. Last year we invested in new technology and equipment to keep people safe, and improved access to our workplace wellbeing offer.
Delivered:
· Concluded a trial of body worn cameras to enhance operational learning, improve firefighter safety, and provide increased transparency during incidents. As a result, cameras are being rolled out for use by flexi duty officers, incident investigation officers, and protection staff in 2026-27.
· Continued work to lessen the impacts of fire contaminants in line with our Health, Safety and Wellbeing Plan by investing in improved decontamination kits on fire engines and additional personal protective equipment at the Leadership and Development Centre to allow for more frequent changes during training.
· Developed bitesize health, emotions and wellness sessions in response to staff survey feedback, which will be hosted on the Service’s intranet and available to all staff.
· Replaced cardio and strength training equipment in station gyms to ensure a consistent standard of facilities.
We recognise the positive influence on both our employees’ wellbeing and organisational success when there are opportunities for people to be involved, listened to, and invited to contribute their experience, expertise, and ideas. Ensuring our people feel informed, engaged, and valued remains an important priority for us.
Delivered:
· Conducted a comprehensive staff survey to understand the topics and concerns that are important to our people and inform Service activity. A guide to the results for leaders was published and a dashboard was created to provide access to the data. An action plan is now being delivered in response to the findings.
· Established our firefighting tactics staff group following a pilot, which is involved in proposing and testing changes to firefighting equipment, such as new hose reels, branches, and flow meters, and reviewing guidance such as ventilation and breathing apparatus procedures.
A masterplan has been created for the redevelopment of Service headquarters and our Leadership and Development Centre in Chorley, including new training props and modernised learning and office space. The redevelopment represents vital investment in aging buildings that are uneconomical to maintain and will lead to efficiency, sustainability, and modernisation gains.
Delivered:
· Continued to build the masterplan focussing on feasibility and design development in conjunction with planning requirements, including ecology work, and working with stakeholders to define requirements. A planning decision is expected in 2026-27.
Investment in fire stations is part of our commitment to ensuring our people have the best facilities to support their health and wellbeing by providing a safe and positive working environment.
Delivered:
· Completed improvements to the rest and welfare facilities at Blackpool Fire Station to better meet the needs of our diverse workforce.
· Made improvements to dormitories and communal areas at Preston Fire Station so it remains fit for purpose, while plans to replace or relocate the station are explored as part of a review of emergency cover in the area.
· Concluded building condition and decarbonisation surveys as part of our Property Asset Management Plan to inform decisions about investment in our property and estates assets.
In November 2025, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service marked the exceptional contributions of some of its most dedicated and talented people at a celebration event.
More than fifty people were honoured with a range of awards.
Long Service Good Conduct Awards were given to those who have given exemplary service to Lancashire's communities for twenty. thirty-five, and in one incredible case forty-five years.
Watch Manager Scott Harris received a Bravery Award for demonstrating exceptional courage in the face of a violent and life-threatening incident at Preston Railway Station in which a police officer was stabbed. WM Harris, who was off duty at the time, intervened, assisting officers in disarming the offender, and provided lifesaving first aid to the injured officer.
Our Star Awards recognise members of staff nominated by their peers for exemplifying the Service’s STRIVE values and the national Code of Ethics for Fire and Rescue Services. They were presented to the people making a real difference to their communities and their colleagues.
We also celebrated people who had successfully completed high-level academic qualifications alongside demanding job roles, reflecting outstanding commitment to personal development.
The event was a special moment to shine a light on some of our most talented and dedicated people and acknowledge their contribution to keeping the people of Lancashire safe.
Bob Warren, former Director of People and Development, was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List in June 2025.
This prestigious honour recognised Bob’s exceptional contribution to the fire and rescue service over more than two decades. His leadership in people and organisational development shaped both local and national practice, earning him widespread respect across the sector.
Now retired, Bob joined Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in 2001 and played a pivotal role in resolving complex HR challenges, supporting national negotiations with the National Employers, and leading transformative projects such as the creation of North West Fire Control.
Firefighter Shahbaz Shah was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), recognising his exceptional service to the fire and rescue sector.
Shahbaz, who has served with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service for over 18 years, has been a driving force behind inclusive recruitment campaigns and community engagement initiatives. His work has significantly increased representation from underrepresented communities, particularly among Asian backgrounds.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a vital role in public health outreach, helping to build vaccine confidence among hesitant communities through culturally sensitive dialogue and trusted relationships.
Four firefighters, along with search and rescue dog Davey, were recognised for their efforts as part of the UK International Search and Rescue Team, deployed in 2023 to an earthquake site in Morocco:
· Watch Managers Lindsay Sielski
· Watch Manager Wayne Ward
· Crew Manager Ian McGee
· Firefighter Richard Cutler
The Humanitarian Medal, introduced by King Charles III, honours emergency and aid workers in disasters and conflicts abroad and in the UK.
In Morocco, they joined UK fire and rescue colleagues to carry out complex search and rescue operations, conduct structural assessments, locate survivors, and deliver humanitarian aid in very challenging conditions.
Wayne, Ian and Richard were honoured guests at His Majesty the King’s Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May 2025, in recognition of their humanitarian work during this deployment.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Healey received the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) Servant Leader Listening Award at the annual awards event. This award celebrates leaders who put people first, listen with empathy and humility, and lead through service.
Two members of our King’s trust team were recognised at the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards. Anji Hesketh, Team Leader, won the Youth Champion of the Year Award and Caroline Hooson, Youth Engagement Co-ordinator, was nominated for the Unsung Hero Award.
Our Service performance is reported quarterly to the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. This year’s reports can be accessed at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cfa.
Overall staff engagement (Staff Survey 2025)
Staff engagement index score: 69%
Survey response rate: 44%
91% feel that their work contributes to making Lancashire safer
Workforce diversity
23% female
4% diverse ethnicity
5% LGBT
4% class themselves as disabled
Workforce diversity recruited
26% female
4% diverse ethnicity
3% LGBT
3% class themselves as disabled
Recruitment
60 on-call firefighters recruited
0 wholetime firefighters recruited
32 support services staff recruited
Staff absence
Wholetime - cumulative total number of shifts lost: 9.85
On-call - cumulative absence (as % of available hours of cover): 1.47%
Green book - cumulative total number of shifts lost: 5.97
We constantly endeavour to prevent fires and other emergencies from happening. Prevention is always preferable to response and is by far the most effective way to make Lancashire safer. Our approach is to identify those who are most vulnerable in our communities, and design and target our prevention activities to reduce their risk.
Evaluation of fire prevention activity is giving the Service greater understanding of which activities and interventions are most successful. Combined with local risk profiles, we are able to better target those most vulnerable and focus resources on reducing risk in our communities.
Delivered:
· Wrote to over 750 homes and businesses in wildfire risk areas offering bespoke safety advice and a tailored home fire safety check service to prevent the ignition of fires and mitigate the effects if they do occur.
· Embedded evaluation of prevention activities delivered in communities through campaigns and local initiatives. The Prevention and Protection Task Group oversees all evaluation and ensures learning shapes future activity.
Firefighters and community fire safety staff visit schools in Lancashire to deliver lessons tailored for Year 2 pupils about fire risks and what to do if a fire does happen or the alarm is raised.
Delivered:
· A review of the content in our Year 2 Childsafe package has been undertaken to ensure it remains aligned to risk in local communities. The next step is to consider a digital delivery method to support learning.
Supporting vulnerable people living in the community is at the core of our prevention services, which are targeted behaviourally, geographically, demographically, and thematically according to known risk factors. Understanding the diverse and changing needs of Lancashire’s communities is essential to achieving this.
Delivered:
· Trialled a Lancashire-wide community engagement role to deepen understanding of local risks in communities, strengthen sustainable relationships, and identify additional ways to provide interventions.
Our Water Safety 2025 campaign ran from April to September and was implemented during periods of good weather and over school holidays when risk was elevated.
It incorporated National Fire Chiefs Council’s Drowning Prevention Week in May, the Royal Life Saving Society’s Drowning Prevention Week in June, and the World Health Organisation’s World Drowning Prevention Day in July.
Operational crews and community safety teams visited known water risk sites where they displayed safety posters and banners and engaged with members of the public about staying safe in open water. 17,000 learners from 43 schools received water safety education sessions, either through in-school delivery or virtually.
The Service teamed up with roadside retailer EG On the Move to warn residents and visitors about the dangers of open water and wildfires. Summer safety advice was displayed across digital screens at petrol station forecourts throughout the North West, free of charge.
This was a multi-agency campaign involving partners in the Lancashire Water Safety Partnership and we also worked with Manchester and West Yorkshire fire and rescue services to raise awareness of water safety through mosques and madrassas.
The campaign won the Asian Fire Service Association Addressing Health Inequalities in the Community award and was shortlisted in the Water Safety and Partnership Working award categories at the National Fire Chiefs Council Prevention Awards.
The Service introduced multilingual name badges for staff as part of a new initiative to strengthen community engagement and improve communication with the people we serve.
Staff can now choose to display additional languages they speak - such as British Sign Language (BSL) or Urdu - on their name badge, alongside their name and role. This helps members of the public feel more confident and included when interacting with firefighters and community safety advisors, particularly during important conversations around fire safety and prevention.
Our Service performance is reported quarterly to the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. This year’s reports can be accessed at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cfa.
Critical fire risk map score: down from 30,750 to 30,532
Accidental dwelling fires (ADFs): 742
ADFs - extent of damage: 88% prevented from spreading from room of origin
Casualties from ADFs: 49 including 5 people who tragically lost their lives
Home fire safety checks delivered: 23,192
Other prevention activities delivered:
72,470 children and young people received prevention education
14 Fire Cadets programmes delivered to young people
23 King’s Trust courses delivered to young people
34,340 people took part in road safety education
Our fire protection services aim to reduce the number of fires that occur in commercial premises and the impact on life, property, and business disruption when fires do occur. We support businesses, employers, and landlords to meet their legal duties and keep people safe in their buildings with a county-wide inspection programme.
Significant changes to fire safety and building control standards in recent years have changed the way fire and rescue services operate. We continue to invest in and develop our protection services, to ensure we remain well-placed to support those responsible for fire safety in their buildings.
Delivered:
· Procured a new digital prevention and protection system to increase efficiency and productivity through mobile working, merging workflows and automating processes. Work is underway to implement the system in stages starting with protection teams.
There are over 75,000 businesses in Lancashire and almost half of them are forecast to grow in the next year. Our regulatory activity focusses on premises where people are at greatest risk. Following changes to fire safety laws, we remain focussed on ensuring an inclusive approach to business support and adapting our regulatory activity to meet the needs of our communities.
Delivered:
· Engaged with local businesses to educate them on their legal duties, how to keep people safe in their buildings, and how to protect their businesses from the risk of fire. This involved conducting a regional campaign aimed at takeaways with sleeping risk above, visiting places of worship to deliver fire safety education and reassurance talks, and running a business continuity planning initiative to help businesses understand the impacts of fire.
The tragic incident at Grenfell Tower in 2017 was the catalyst for changes in fire safety legislation and across the construction industry. The findings of the public inquiry resulted in a number of recommendations which both directly and indirectly impact on fire and rescue services.
Delivered:
· Implemented the majority of recommendations from phase two of the inquiry, with the remaining linked to ongoing national activity which we continue to monitor.
Since the completion of the national building risk review undertaken following the Grenfell Tower fire, we have actively worked throughout the county to address risk in low, medium and high-rise premises. We have worked closely with other regulators to address areas of non-compliance and speed up remediation plans to ensure the safety of residents and relevant persons.
Delivered:
· Engaged with local authorities and those responsible for fire safety to identify, risk-rate and triage mid-rise premises (11-18 metres tall) in Lancashire and established an inspection programme.
· Inspected the highest risk premises, with ongoing work to inspect all the buildings in the programme.
In December 2024, the government published a Remediation Acceleration Plan to address residential buildings with unsafe cladding. The plan set out the steps government will take, collaborating with partners including fire and rescue authorities, to increase the pace of building remediation, identify buildings at risk and better protect residents and leaseholders.
Delivered:
· Engaged with other regulators using proportionate yet robust processes and interventions to support those responsible for fire safety in residential buildings and to shape and track remediation.
On 22 September 2025, care home managers and providers from across Lancashire gathered at the Service’s Leadership and Development Centre for a seminar, the first of its kind in Lancashire.
The event was designed to help leaders in adult social care strengthen their business continuity planning, drawing on a powerful case study of a care home fire incident.
Attendees heard first-hand accounts from those directly involved in managing the crisis, including multi-agency partners. The session explored how quick action and effective collaboration protected both residents and staff and offered practical takeaways for improving preparedness in the face of the unexpected. The event also provided a valuable opportunity for managers to share their own experiences and ask questions of the panel.
The seminar was part of a wider business safety campaign which also included delivered targeted advice to small businesses and supporting the national Fire Door Safety Week.
Operational crews have once again exceeded the target for business fire safety checks (BFSCs), a key service that helps reduce risk and keep people safe in businesses across Lancashire.
The Service provides interventions to lower risk premises (like schools, shops and offices) delivered by operational crews. They look at different aspects of fire safety compliance, including risk assessments, fire alarms, escape routes and fire doors.
If the result of a BFSC is unsatisfactory, fire safety advice will be provided to help the business comply with fire safety laws. If critical fire safety issues are identified, then a business safety advisor will conduct a follow-up intervention.
In 2025-26, 3,060 BFSCs were delivered, well above the target, and of those checks, nearly 300 were deemed unsatisfactory, which means we identified properties that present a real risk to public safety and provided interventions.
Our Service performance is reported quarterly to the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. This year’s reports can be accessed at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cfa.
Accidental building fires (ABFs) (commercial premises): 209
ABF (non-commercial premises): 110
Deliberate fires total – 2,064
Deliberate fires – dwellings – 67
Deliberate fires – commercial premises – 137
Deliberate fires – other (rubbish, grassland etc) – 1,860
Fire safety enforcement:
3,060 business fire safety checks delivered
1,617 fire safety inspections carried out
120 fire safety enforcement notices issued
21 businesses prohibited from operating following serious breaches of the Fire Safety Order
Building regulation consultations: 94.4% were responded to within the required 15-day period.
The Service was active in 14 arson convictions.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service strives to deliver the highest standards of operational response by continuously planning, preparing, and training for emergencies. Risks in communities are changing and the types of emergencies we attend are increasingly varied. We constantly review and adapt our approach to ensure we have the right appliances, equipment, skills, and technology to respond to any incident safely.
A review of emergency cover across Preston and the surrounding area started including exploring options to rebuild or relocate Preston Fire Station, which has been identified for redevelopment. The purpose of the review is to ensure fire engines are situated and staffed in ways that provide the best response to local risks and emergencies.
Delivered:
· Reviewed land and explored options to relocate Preston without any suitable sites currently available. Improvements have been made to the existing station so it remains fit for purpose in the short-term, and the project will remain open to identify any future sites if they become available.
· Analysed the most effective and efficient disposition of resources in the area aligned with risk and demand. This work will form part of an upcoming Service Review detailed in the Annual Service Plan 2026-27.
Dynamic cover software provides operators with visual data on community risks and emergency cover in real-time to inform decision-making on how best to deploy resources. This innovative software helps us to position firefighters and appliances dynamically and with greater precision to improve emergency cover and response times, particularly during periods of high demand.
Delivered:
· Implemented and evaluated dynamic cover software at North West Fire Control. Its use has included the introduction of dynamic resource management, a more efficient method of deploying firefighters based on county-wide risk. We continue to monitor use of the software to ensure the most effective and efficient deployment of resources across the county.
Our climate change operational response plan aims to address the increasing threat of flooding and wildfires, lessen the impacts on communities and public services, and improve firefighter safety when dealing with these emergencies.
Delivered:
· Our intention to introduce one large and one small fire appliance suitable for off-road travel has not been achievable due to a significant increase in the cost of suitable vehicles. Instead, we are reviewing alternative options for vehicles that will give improved access to rural areas in the event of flooding and wildfires.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has six search dogs trained in specialisms including victim recovery, fire investigation and high-risk missing person searches. The dogs can search small and dangerous spaces that crews are unable to reach, increasing the safety of responders at incidents.
Delivered:
· Trained search dogs to follow lasers and drones when searching, with work ongoing to introduce a radio system that will enable their handlers to give commands when they are at a distance or out of sight.
Several new fire appliances were due to join our fleet to strengthen our response to fires in tall buildings and climate change emergencies, requiring a programme of training.
Delivered:
· Trained crews to operate two additional water towers with increased reach of 20 metres and developed a training programme for our highest ever aerial appliance, a 45-metre aerial ladder platform, due in service this year.
Lancashire has 32 fire appliances crewed by on-call firefighters, who often have another job outside Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. They live or work very close to the fire stations they operate from and respond to emergencies in their communities from home or work.
Delivered:
· Explored the potential for cluster stations, where on-call firefighters at stations in close proximity are available to respond to emergencies together increasing fire cover, which will be progressed in 2026-27.
· Evaluated our online on-call planning tool used to-date to identify optimum skill levels, prioritise training, monitor contractual performance, and inform recruitment needs. Work has continued to embed the tool and optimise use, with further evaluation to take place in 2026-27.
· Advertised our initiative to recruit on-call firefighters who, instead of working from home in their primary job, work from our stations and respond to emergencies during their working hours, resulting in three on-call firefighters operating under this model.
The Service conducts extensive research and development to ensure we continue to invest in appliances and equipment with advanced technology and capabilities, which will lead to a more effective response to emergencies and increased firefighter safety.
Delivered:
· Procured new breathing apparatus to provide the most effective, modern equipment that gives the highest level of firefighter safety, due in service in 2026-27.
· Evaluated the trial of a firefighting robot, an innovative multi-functional crawler vehicle which can be deployed in places that are too dangerous for firefighters, which is now a permanent addition to our equipment.
· Procured a new incident support unit to provide improved welfare provision at operational incidents, following extensive staff engagement and due in service in 2026-27.
· Supported the replacement of the mobilising system at North West Fire Control to ensure it is fit for the future, serves the needs of Lancashire’s communities, and provides value for money.
· Replaced drill towers at nine stations as part of a service-wide replacement programme.
· Rolled out new battery-powered rescue tools on fire engines, enhancing road traffic collision and technical rescue equipment.
· Strengthened hygiene provision on fire engines, equipping them with cleaning materials, wipes, gloves, and hygiene controls to support effective decontamination at incidents.
· Procured 11 new fire engines, due in service in 2026-27, which are designed to have full clean cabs, reducing exposure to contaminants by relocating breathing apparatus to rear lockers.
In June 2025, two new water towers, known as ‘Scorpions’ were introduced into the Service’s fleet.
A water tower is a fire engine with a powerful extendable arm that can spray high volumes of water onto a fire from above or directly into a building.
Alongside aerial ladder platforms they form part of our aerial capability for fighting fires at height and are strategically placed across the county to ensure we can respond to emergencies quickly and effectively.
The new appliances were purchased as part of our commitment to continue to innovate and invest in frontline services. They are based at St Anne's Fire Station and Lancaster Fire Station and increase aerial water coverage across the county.
Key facts on the new water towers:
· With a flow rate of 4,000 litres per minute, the water towers could fill a 25-metre swimming pool in two hours.
· The water leaves the nozzle at 10 bar pressure which causes it to flow at approximately 100 miles per hour.
· They are equipped with thermal imaging cameras which make finding hot spots and targeting fires much more effective.
· They have a lateral throw of 80 metres which is equivalent to approximately 10 fire engines parked bumper-to-bumper.
· They can reach up to 20 metres high which is the same height as a six-storey building.
· They are fully equipped fire engines and will still respond to all incident types.
Two firefighters from Lancashire were deployed to Mozambique to support international flood rescue operations following severe storms and widespread flooding in January 2026.
The deployment was part of the UK’s International Search and Rescue Team (UK ISAR) and followed weeks of extreme rainfall that caused extensive flooding, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and severely damaged infrastructure across large parts of the country.
UK ISAR is made up of specially trained firefighters and rescue specialists who volunteer their time from fire and rescue services across the country. It operates under the National Fire Chiefs Council’s National Resilience programme, ensuring the UK can respond rapidly to major international disasters when assistance is requested.
The team provides expert flood and water rescue capability, working alongside local authorities, international partners and humanitarian agencies to help save lives in some of the most challenging conditions.
Our Service performance is reported quarterly to the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. This year’s reports can be accessed at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cfa.
Overall activity
17,663 incidents attended
5,342 fires attended
668 road traffic collisions attended
110 missing person searches
745 gaining entry to property incidents in support of North West Ambulance Service
Average attendance time
Overall - 8 minutes 54 seconds
Critical fire response – first fire engine attendance – 7 mins 50 seconds
Critical special service response – first fire engine attendance – 8 minutes 49 seconds
Total availability of the first fire engine at each of our 39 fire stations - 89.55%
We aim to use our resources efficiently to provide the best possible fire and rescue service for the people of Lancashire and to ensure the Service is affordable, now and in the future. A culture of continuous learning and innovation across all aspects of our organisation and services is central to achieving this.
Financial challenges lie ahead to maintain our services and meet vital investment needs. We have a strong track record of balancing the budget and continue to find ways to save money and make the best use of our resources.
Delivered:
· As set out in the Productivity and Efficiency Plan 2026-27, in 2025-26 the Service delivered £1.6m of non-pay efficiencies (6.79% of non-pay budgets) alongside clear productivity gains. Improved resource deployment and digital approaches reduced overtime, standby demand and operational disruption, releasing capacity for prevention, protection, and response activities.
· This included implementing dynamic resource management, a more efficient way of deploying firefighters based on county-wide risk, which reduced overtime. A programme of optimising crewing arrangements began, generating efficiency savings without impacting on emergency response standards and reflecting better value for money.
Through continuous learning, review, and innovation we aim to increase efficiency and productivity across the Service, in line with national requirements. This enables the Service to invest savings and resources in frontline activity that delivers long-term improvements and value for money.
Delivered:
· Established our Modern Ways of Working Forum to drive cross-organisational productivity and efficiency improvements from ideas generated by our employees. A number of initiatives have been approved and will be implemented in 2026-27.
· Considered options for alternative fuelled vehicles and installed charging points at Service Headquarters, with an electric vehicle strategy in progress to support our Environmental Sustainability Plan and carbon reduction aspirations.
· Embedded the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023 in our processes. This included a new contract standing orders policy and publication of information about public contract opportunities via a forward planning procurement pipeline.
Building on our digital first culture, we continue to empower our people to access information and data easily on a range of systems and devices, invest in new technology, and drive efficiencies through digitisation.
Delivered:
· Rolled out front and rear mobile data terminals (MDTs) across all operational fire engines, with different connectivity for each to offer resilience, as well as deploying tablet PCs onto them all. This marks the completion of a key phase in the Service’s modernisation of frontline communications providing a secure, resilient, and future-ready platform which enhances operational reliability and ensures continued compliance with evolving cyber and technology standards.
· Piloted the concept of a second, demountable rear MDT to give improved access to operational data, incident command tools, and wider internet-based information. Work is ongoing to establish reliable and secure connectivity at the incident ground, ensuring that operational crews have access to consistent and secure internet connectivity.
· Trialled new pagers to alert officers and on-call firefighters to emergencies, which will be evaluated to determine future arrangements.
· Engaged with the government over a national project to create a new fire data collection system.
· Work to replace radio equipment used by firefighters on the incident ground continues into 2026-27, to make use of advancements in digital technology to provide better communications.
Microsoft Power BI is used in the Service to collate and interrogate performance data via a single platform, developed specifically to the user or department’s needs through a dashboard. We continued to develop these dashboards to improve performance management culture.
Delivered:
· Rolled out Power-BI dashboards to support key performance indicator reporting and local fire station performance, to increase capacity for operational staff.
· Embedded financial reporting in dashboards and created a self-service tool for use across the organisation.
· Created local performance dashboards tailored to meet departmental requirements including HR and Leadership and Development.
Through our Blue Light Collaboration Board with Lancashire Constabulary and North West Ambulance Service, and by working jointly with other partners, we aim to collectively improve services to the public and provide maximum value for money.
Delivered:
· Embedded our collaboration with North West Ambulance Service where operational and service support staff volunteer as community first responders, providing life-saving first aid in Lancashire’s communities. Potential to expand the initiative has been explored however not progressed at this stage.
· Established a new health and wellbeing group to align provision across the blue light services and explore joint opportunities to support employees, including the Firelight Project which aims to reduce stress and anxiety through time spent in green space.
· Collaborated with Lancashire Constabulary and North West Ambulance Service to explore opportunities to share learning and work together in several areas including estates, fleet, and leadership development.
Our Service performance is reported quarterly to the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. This year’s reports can be accessed at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/cfa.
Progress against allocated budget: £0.39m under budget
Partnership collaboration:
Received 155 drone support requests from Lancashire Constabulary.
7 members of staff in role of community first responders working with North West Ambulance Service.
Three joint leadership events arranged for fire, police, and ambulance middle managers.
New collaborative health and wellbeing group formed aligning provision across the fire and rescue, police, and ambulance services, and exploring joint opportunities to support employees.
Overall public satisfaction – 98.56%
For full details of productivity and efficiency gains in 2025-26 see our Productivity and Efficiency Return at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk.
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