Progress made but improvements still needed at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

A new report says Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service still needs to do more to keep the most vulnerable people safe.

Inspectors found the service has made progress but has not yet fully addressed key concerns about how it handles home safety visits and tracks community risk.

The service says it’s working to improve, and inspectors will return to check on further progress.

This is after the force revisited the service in mid-January.

A total of six causes of concern were raised during a meeting in November and December 2024.

In a letter sent from Kathryn Stone OBE, His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services to Gavin Ellis, the Chief Fire Office at the service.

The conclusion of the letter stated:

"Despite making good progress against the cause of concern recommendations, the service still has more work to do. The service recognises that it is too early to fully close any of the recommendations.

"The service concluded a lot of activity shortly before our revisit. The service will need to evaluate these actions, and make sure it is effectively managing and mitigating the risk to those most vulnerable from fire. It also needs to make sure that all staff accept and understand the changes and that it can sustain these over the longer term.

"We will return to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service to assess whether the service has made satisfactory progress against its action plan and if the service provided to the public has improved."