OARS - A ‘Promising Practice’
From 'Perennial Problem' to 'Promising Practices.'
OARS supports Lancashire - and several other FRSs - to improve On-call availability!
Each year, HMICFRS shines a light on what's improving, what continues to create challenges, and what some services have done to overcome otherwise intractable issues.
In its 2024-25 State of Fire Annual Assessment, the Inspectorate again highlights that “some services haven’t significantly improved the recruitment, retention and availability of on-call firefighters.”
Their recommendations on how to achieve such ends and tackle the 'perennial problem' include more “effective workforce planning to ensure services have the right people with the necessary skills” which can surmount skills shortages, and solve strategic workforce planning problems.
Usefully, in one of their highlighted 'Promising Practice's' they cite Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service for its “on-call improvement programme” which was supported by OARS - its “newly introduced software that can show where training and local recruitment will make a difference to the availability of on-call fire engines.”
OARS - On-call Availability, Recruitment, and Skills strategic workforce planning software was conceived specifically to empower fire and rescue services seeking to surmount such SWP challenges.
Yesterday, at the ORH annual conference attendees heard from Danila Breathnacht how Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have significantly improved On-call availability - in part by using OARS to turn data into action by using data-driven workforce planning, availability and incident attendance modelling, allied to active engagement with On-call staff to underpin measurable improvement.
Creating capacity and capability to align data, people, and planning is what OARS was always designed to deliver.
The 2024-25 HMICFRS assessment reinforces a truth the sector already knows: that the challenges of On-call availability will not be solved by recruitment campaigns alone, but through leadership, analysis, and technology that leverages research, data, and links strategy to delivery.
Lancashire’s example, now recognised nationally, and shared in detail yesterday, shows that the right data and the right culture can make a massive, measurable difference by empowering services that seek to act on HMICFRS's suggestion to "make use of robust IT and technology systems to improve effectiveness and efficiency.”
Through OARS and the incredible team at ORH including Chris Polden Andrew Cooper Tom Boness and many others, more and more services are making that same journey: from inspection finding to sustainable improvement.
Turning persistent availability challenges into examples of proven progress and promising practice.
Want to know why more and more fire and rescue services are signing up for OARS:
Read FIRE magazine's article here - https://lnkd.in/epyvPbXU
Listen to the co-chairs of the NFCC On-Call Strategic Group discuss OARS https://lnkd.in/ew6tfT5N
To find out more click the button below or contact enquiries@orhltd.com