The Fire Standards Board has published revisions to the Leading and Developing People and Leading the Service Fire Standards following a comprehensive review informed by sector feedback, inspection findings and the development of new fire standards.
The updates respond to three key areas:
- The findings from HMICFRS’s Standards of Behaviour: The Handling of Misconduct in Fire and Rescue Services report.
- The Fire Standards Board’s decision to incorporate finance and asset management principles into existing fire standards rather than creating standalone standards.
- The publication of the new Organisational Learning Fire Standard.
Responding to Sector Priorities
The Fire Standards Board engaged with stakeholders from across the fire and rescue sector to explore whether dedicated fire standards on finance and asset management were needed. Through those discussions, it became clear that developing standalone standards in these areas was not the best approach for the sector.
Instead, opportunities were identified to strengthen several existing standards to better reflect good practice in financial stewardship and asset management. The Leading and Developing People and Leading the Service Fire Standards were among those selected, and work took place throughout 2024 and 2025 with subject matter experts from across the sector to incorporate these improvements.
Supporting Culture and Professional Standards
The review was also informed by HMICFRS’s Standards of Behaviour: The Handling of Misconduct in Fire and Rescue Services report, published in August 2024. The report highlighted the importance of strong leadership, positive workplace cultures and effective approaches to managing misconduct.
Following consideration of a range of options, the Fire Standards Board agreed in 2025 that the most effective way to support services would be to strengthen a number of existing fire standards, including the Leading and Developing People and Leading the Service Fire Standards. The revisions embed expectations around leadership behaviours, culture, professionalism and accountability, helping services drive continuous improvement and build public trust.
Aligned with Organisational Learning
The updated standards also reflect the publication of the Organisational Learning Fire Standard. In 2025, following a review of the Operational Learning Fire Standard and engagement with stakeholders from across the sector, the Fire Standards Board agreed to withdraw the standard and replace it with an Organisational Learning Fire Standard. You can find out more about the Organisational Learning Fire Standard here.
Following the development of the new Organisational Learning Fire Standard, revisions were made to the Leading the Service and Leading and Developing People Fire Standards, ensuring stronger alignment across the Fire Standards framework and reinforcing the role of leaders in creating learning cultures that support improvement and innovation.
The revised standards provide clearer expectations for leaders and organisations, while recognising the diversity of fire and rescue services and the different ways in which they may demonstrate compliance and achieve the required outcomes.
Consultation and engagement
The consultation took place in February 2026 and generated strong engagement from across the sector.
Feedback was supportive and focused on several key themes:
- The strengthened emphasis on financial sustainability and effective asset management
- The importance of culture, leadership and psychological safety
- The need for clear expectations around professional standards and misconduct
- The value of aligning the standards with organisational learning principles
The consultation generated valuable feedback from across the sector, helping to refine and strengthen the Leading the Service and Leading and Developing People Fire Standards. Key changes included expanding training requirements to everyone involved in investigations, ensuring individuals have the knowledge and skills required to fulfil their responsibilities, and improving the clarity of terminology throughout the standards.
A full summary of the consultation feedback and the changes made can be found in our You Said, We Did articles:
Leading and Developing People Review 2025 – Fire Standards Board
Leading the Service Review 2025 – Fire Standards Board
The Fire Standards Board would like to thank everyone who contributed to the review and consultation. Their expertise, challenge and feedback have helped shape the revised Leading and Developing People and Leading the Service Fire Standards that support the continuous improvement of fire and rescue services across the country.
The updated Leading and Developing People and Leading the Service Fire Standards are now available on the Fire Standards Board website.
To support fire and rescue services with implementation, guidance and resources are available from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Implementation Team. For further information or support, please contact [email protected].