To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to fire and rescue authorities on the re-configuration of fire services in terms of the location of fire stations and fire appliances. (292573)

Decisions on operational issues such as the location of fire stations and fire appliances are taken by individual Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.

FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances—evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly.

A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website. The only recent change has been the revision of IRPM Guidance Note 4, which is not relevant to the location of fire stations and fire appliances.