The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has launched a new Data Management Framework for fire and rescue services.
It said the framework, produced by its Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Hub, is aimed at helping the services comply with good data management practice and the associated legal obligations.
It also complements and supports the implementation of the Data Management Fire Standard, which was launched last year, and has been written through consultation with the sector’s experts on the topic.
NFCC said the framework is not an instruction manual for implementing the standard, as the operating context and governance arrangements of fire and rescue services can be very different. But it does identify the statutory requirements of data protection and includes recommendations on information on good practice.
It is aimed at everyone working in a fire and rescue service, not only those in data related roles.
Five documents are included, covering data management guidance, data literacy, skills and resources, template documents and a reference library on national and regional datasets.
Valuable asset
Andy Hopkinson, chair of the NFCC DDaT committee, said: “Data is one of the most valuable assets of a fire and rescue service. It underpins decision making and activity at all levels and across all areas of the service, and good management of data is important if a service is to maximise the data’s potential.
“Services are also expected to have well-documented, high quality and robust data at local, regional, and national level that can be used effectively to aid improvements for the community.
“The launch of the recent Data Management Fire Standard, now followed by the Data Management Framework, will help fire and rescue services to enhance their professionalism and data capabilities, delivering improved consistency across the sector.”
