Chair's Blog

16-06-21

"Welcoming the increasing focus on fire and fire reform". NFCC Chair updates on his first two months in the role

The first two months of being NFCC Chair has – as you would expect – been an exceptionally busy and interesting time. I welcome the increasing focus on the fire service and fire reform across the UK. Most notably, attention is bein…

25-03-21

Reflections from the last four years: NFCC Chair looks back at his time in the role

So here we are, my final blog as the first NFCC Chair; where have the last 4 years gone? Come to think of it, where have the last 39 and a bit years gone! I still distinctly remember going through the selection process for London Fire Brigade back …

05-10-20

'Firing on all Cylinders': NFCC's Chair October blog

Firing on all Cylinders  In my last blog I referred to the Covid crisis and times of uncertainty, two months further on and we remain in a time of uncertainty with the number of positive cases, hospital admissions and even Covid r…

10-08-20

NFCC Chair reflects on the past few months - while looking to the future

Reflections Maybe it’s the working from home for almost six months since we first started cancelling face-to-face meetings in the face of the Covid pandemic, but I have found myself in a somewhat reflective mood recently. …

12-06-20

NFCC Chair's blog: 2020 - who predicted that?

It has been quite a while since I wrote my last blog, February to be exact, although I have tried to keep in touch via video.  Video discussions! There have been plenty of digital and virtual meetings in the last few months, hope…

10-02-20

'Shaping 2020 - the challenges that demand our focus and shape our work'

In my last blog of 2019, I looked forward to the challenges that will demand our focus in 2020, including the ongoing fallout from the Grenfell tragedy, the HMICFRS State of Fire report and the expected comprehensive spendi…

23-12-19

NFCC Chair reflects on 2019 and takes a look forward to the year ahead

Perhaps it is just the way of the world now, but as I usually do with these things, I looked back at my last blog for 2018. That blog said 2018 was a busy year and 2019 promised to be just the same, well ditto for 2019 and 2020! The issues we hav…

08-11-19

Announcements and change

In my last blog I looked forward to some defining announcements in the autumn and winter of 2019 including the Spending Review, Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report and the State of Fire from Sir Tom Winsor.  Well, we have had two of the th…

02-09-19

Defining Autumn Announcements?

As we move into September following a summer that has seen some record temperatures and extremely heavy rainfall, we are reminded climate extremes are just one of the challenges facing the Fire and Rescue Service, not only in the UK but across the …

23-07-19

Building safety and pay among the current driving issues for fire services

June and July have seen my regular round of meetings and engagements, including with the Local Government Association, Home Office, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Fire Standards Board and many others. But two me…

16-05-19

It's a matter of health and safety

It is a beautiful day outside as I sit down to write this blog; the sun is shining, the trees have their full canopy and what passes for wildlife in a north London garden is enjoying this late spring day.  It is also Mental Health Awareness We…

25-03-19

Some new faces and some familiar challenges

I settled in my mind that I would write my latest blog after the LGA Fire Conference as that would keep things fresh and there would be up to date information, discussions and conversations that may shape what I write.  So I put some time asid…

28-01-19

'Another year of change'- NFCC Chair reflects on the start of 2019

"Another year of change" - this is one of the key messages from NFCC Chair, Roy Wilsher.  In his first blog of 2019, he discusses how thie year looks set to be another year of change for UK Fire and Rescue Services. According to…

14-01-19

"2019: Another year of change, challenge and milestones"

Firstly, a bit earlier than last year but probably still a bit late for most, may I wish you and your loved ones a very happy New Year, I hope you have every success in 2019.  Toward the end of 2018 I started to consider, as many people do, wh…

20-12-18

"2018 - a look back and a look forward"

This time last year I wrote in my blog that 2018 promises to be another busy year, I wasn’t wrong. Although many of the main strategic issues remain familiar, the work and change agenda they herald continue to gather pace. 2018 has been …

16-10-18

"The jigsaw is coming together"

It was May 2016 when the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, laid out her thoughts on reform for the Fire and Rescue Service in England. As a reminder, the three pillars of this programme were Accountability & Transparency, Efficiency & Colla…

15-08-18

"Big data and other things"

The title to this blog indicates the importance of data in today’s world with Fire and Rescue being no exception. Avid readers of my blog (there must be one or two) will recognise the similarity of the title to my blog this time last yea…

15-06-18

"A fork in the road"

May I start by offering an apology, I pride myself in writing my own blogs so communication is direct. The downside to this is that if I find myself in a busy period the blogs slip a little, hence an absence since the end of March, I will try to do…

15-03-18

"Gathering pace"

In my last blog of 2017, I mentioned that 2018 was likely to be a busy and pivotal year, a theme I continued in my last blog, and now we are into March I can definitely feel a number of significant issues gathering pace. This was certainly a t…

15-02-18

"Another pivotal year"

January has come and gone and with a commitment to improving communications in mind I thought it about time I wrote my first blog of the year. It could have come a little earlier but with the NFCC meeting on Wednesday 31st, it seemed reasonabl…

20-11-17

"2017 - a pivotal year"

At the end of 2016 I knew one thing for certain, that was the fact I was in my last few months with Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service and 2017 would soon see the National Fire Chiefs Council established. I don’t think anyone could …

11-11-17

"Change, the only constant"

Unfortunately, tragedy is a significant part of any job in fire and rescue. Although being in the fire service is a fantastic career—and as I mentioned in my last blog, a well-kept secret—tragedy does occasionally strike. We have a…

12-10-17

"Data and related things"

Those who have read my blogs will recognise that I have a theme in mind when I first put pen to paper – or – fingers to keyboard. The theme that struck me for this blog was ‘data’, and just how many of my conversations …

20-09-17

NFCC's first conference

Last week saw the first NFCC conference take place since the organisation’s introduction in the spring. I know I don’t need to say how much has happened during the past few months, but the NFCC Autumn Conference gave us all a good …

05-08-17

Inspection and other important issues

Traditionally in the fire service, it used to be that August was a relatively quiet month; particularly for meetings, emails and associated management issues. It was a month when people took family holidays, the roads were quieter and you coul…

18-07-17

"This is not an exercise" - NFCC Chair

For the first time for a while I have been able to take a little time to think about the events of 2017 from a Fire and Rescue perspective, and when talking to some colleagues we have likened it to some sort of exercise where things keep on coming …

19-06-17

Working tirelessly in the fight against terrorism

It is a sad fact of life in the UK that we have lived with terrorism for decades, in fact terrorism has existed for centuries in some cases. The UK terror threat has been raised to ‘critical’, for the first time since 2007. That be…