Residents asked to share views on Fire Service’s five-year plan to keep Northamptonshire safe

Residents across the county are being asked to share their views on a draft strategy that outlines how Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service will keep communities safe over the next five years.

The strategy – known as the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) – takes a detailed look at what risks are currently present and may emerge between 2025 and 2030.

Based on the evidence that is available, the Service has put forward proposals within the CRMP that outlines how it will align its resources with the risks that have been identified.

Fires now make up only a third of the 999 calls that go to our Control Room. This means the role of a firefighter is becoming more diverse – varying from rescuing casualties in road traffic collisions to disposing hazardous materials safely.

The CRMP outlines the key strategic priorities for the Service over the next five years, and details how prevention, protection and response will be at the core of everything we do.

It also shows how the Service intends to meet emerging climate emergencies such as the increase of localised flooding and wildfires.

The five strategic priorities that the Service has proposed for the next five years are:

• Help people to stay safe from fire and other emergencies
• Improve fire safety in buildings that people live and work in
• Respond immediately and effectively to emergency incidents
• Continue to develop and support our workforce
• Manage and invest in our Service to be agile and fit for the future

Residents are being asked to share their views on these strategic priorities, and how we intend to meet them, in a six-week consultation starting today (April 9) and ending on May 21.

At the same time, members of the public are also being asked about proposed changes in how we measure our response times.

Currently, the Service aims to get to all incidents within 10 minutes. However, we are now proposing different response times depending on the incident type.

This includes attending all dwelling fires where there is a risk to life within nine minutes – one minute quicker than the current response time.  The proposed changes can be commented on as part of the CRMP survey.

Chief Fire Officer Nikki Watson is encouraging members of the public to share their thoughts on the proposals within the CRMP and says that any feedback will be acted on and potentially shape the final document.

Nikki said: “Our updated Community Risk Management Plan will underpin everything that we do as a Service over the next five years.

“Our aim is to provide exceptional fire and rescue services for all our residents across the county. To achieve that we need a plan that is based on all the evidence of risk that we have, and this has informed the proposals we have come up with it.

“The work that our firefighters do is more varied than ever before, so it is important for us to reflect that and make sure that we manage our resources appropriately.

“We want to hear from as many residents as possible, and it is important that they are up front and honest about our proposals and whether they meet the needs of our communities across Northamptonshire.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone added: “Residents across the county deserve to live and work in buildings and communities that are safe. The Fire Service plays a huge part in achieving this.

“It is important that the new CRMP aligns with my new Safe and Sound public safety plan for Northamptonshire, and I believe it will help to deliver my priorities.

“These are to put prevention at the heart of everything we do; work collaboratively to support our most vulnerable residents; and bring our fire staff out into the community and make them more visible and accessible for our residents.”

The draft CRMP document can be viewed at the following link: https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NFRSCRMP-DRAFT-APRIL25-V0.5-FINAL.pdf

Residents can share their views by May 21 by filling in our survey here: https://www.research.net/r/VQBKPZ8