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How did fire and rescue services (and HMICFRS) in England respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Peter Murphy (Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK)
Katarzyna Lakoma (Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK)

International Journal of Emergency Services

ISSN: 2047-0894

Article publication date: 2 August 2022

Issue publication date: 30 May 2023

101

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores how fire and rescue services in England responded to the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the form and nature of fire and rescue services’ collaborations with the ambulance, police and other services and how effective their emergency planning arrangements prepared them for the pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors briefly set out the background to the emergency services response to recent events of national significance in the UK and North America, focussing on the collaborative aspects of the emergency services response. The authors then examine three sets of secondary sources, namely documents specifically related to Fire and Rescue Services’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Findings

All three investigations found that the pandemic had provided an opportunity for issues relating to planning and collaboration to be re-examined and for the emergence of new innovations (both technological and organisational) to provide new responses and solutions. Although the Inspectorate found that the services had generally responded well, it controversially criticised the role of the Fire Brigades Union in the national and local response to the pandemic.

Research limitations/implications

The research is situationally bound to England although there may be transferable lessons to other services and jurisdictions.

Practical implications

Potential future improvements are identified at national and local levels for policy and for the operational response to widespread and long-term emergencies.

Originality/value

England has had very few contemporary public health emergencies on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic; this research presents an important opportunity for seeking to understand what is working well and where improvements are required to improve both the local and national response in relation to such a complex and dynamic environment.

Keywords

Citation

Murphy, P. and Lakoma, K. (2023), "How did fire and rescue services (and HMICFRS) in England respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 77-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-10-2021-0070

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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