ABSTRACT
The UK fire and rescue service is subject to reform, along with other public sector services, resulting in later retirement age and budget limitations; the fire service is also subject to other societal changes such as shifts in fitness levels and a reduction in call outs.This chapter reviews these changes and considers them from an operations management perspective.A method for how to measure operational effectiveness is proposed and its use in informing changes to operating practice in the fire service is advocated. Reform in the fire and rescue service in the UK is driven by multiple agendas
including seeking continuous improvement,meeting cost reductions and a political desire to reform these established public services (Public Accounts Committee, 2011). Examples of these changes to working practices for the emergency services are documented for ambulance (ibid.), police (Windsor, 2012) and fire services (Connor, 2013). In addition to change driven by government, public services also need to respond to demographic and societal change.The average age of firefighters is likely to increase with the proposed implementation of later retirement and this could have implications for the typical levels of health, fitness and experience among firefighters. In addition, changes in geographic population density, road use and home safety affects both the nature and quantity of demand for fire and rescue services.This chapter explores how some of these changes are affecting the fire services. It includes reference to two cases where change is taking place and explores the role that operational effectiveness measurement can have in understanding and managing change. This chapter initially explores the literature for the role of the fire and rescue
service in the UK, changes to the demand and capacity for these services and how changes in fitness and average age of firefighters affects their wellbeing and effectiveness.The final part of the literature examines the type of operational data that is collected by different fire services.The chapter then goes on to explore two cases where operational effectiveness was measured (both cases use pseudonyms).The first case, ‘the Shires’, explores how fitness and age affect operational effectiveness; however the main outcome of this study was a better understanding of how to
measure operational effectiveness.The second case,‘the Counties’, develops the Shires approach for measuring operational effectiveness and applies it to a study examining a change in working practice and shift patterns.The chapter concludes with three propositions related to the evaluation of operational effectiveness and assessment of change in the fires service.
