Fire service audit 'misses point'

The commission's review looked at management efforts

Unions have criticised a performance study of English fire authorities for leaving out emergency response efforts.

The Audit Commission said the review assessed how 47 authorities were run, as well as support services such as fire prevention.

Kent and Medway and Merseyside were said to be excellent authorities but six were described as weak or poor.

The Fire Brigades Union said the commission "appears to have missed the real point" of the service.

Modernisation

The public judged the service by its response times, how many lives were saved, and how it deals with other major emergencies, said General Secretary Matt Wrack.

"That is what the public see as important but this report deals with none of those crucial issues," he said.

The Audit Commission said its scores needed to be set against the Government modernisation proposals for the service.

Staff training, sickness rates, team leadership and budget management were also considered.

"These scores are an encouraging start and provide a benchmark for improvement in the future," said commission chairman James Strachan.