About NFCC
What is the NFCC?
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is the professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service. NFCC drives improvement and development throughout the UK FRS, while supporting strong leadership – including for the devolved administrations.
NFCC delivers an approach where everyone works together and offers up sector-led solutions.
What is the role of the NFCC Chair?
The Chair is a single point of contact for the Home Office, fire professionals and partners such as the Local Government Association (LGA) or the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). The Chair represents fire and rescue in a range of government and sector forums, and is the first line of advice to ministers during major incidents.
The Chair of the NFCC is a paid, full-time role and is held for an initial two-year term with the possibility of a further extension of up to two further years, both periods subject to satisfactory performance.
A Performance Committee manages the performance of the NFCC Chair and holds the NFCC Chair to account for the delivery of NFCC’s annual plan. This committee consists of four people representing NFCC, and an independent member.
NFCC Vice Chairs
The NFCC Chair is supported by two Vice Chairs. These are unpaid roles to support and advise the Chair. The roles are complementary to the NFCC Chair role and, as such, the precise allocation of responsibilities may change over time depending on the individuals holding the roles.
The NFCC works with the Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly and the Welsh Parliament. There are a number of difference governance structures and it is essential to create a cohesive approach across the whole of the UK.
NFCC Meetings and voting
The Council meets quarterly and is led by the NFCC Chair. Every fire and rescue service is entitled to be represented on the NFCC. This is normally the Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, but if they are unable to attend, they will be expected to nominate a representative to attend for their service. NFCC may agree to invite other people to attend meetings as observers or presenters.
In the event of a vote at an NFCC meeting, each service has one vote. The NFCC Chair does not have a vote at this stage. Attendees must have a clear mandate to commit that service to a course of action. In the event of a tied vote, the NFCC Chair has the casting vote.
The work of NFCC is directed by an Annual Plan, underpinned by the committees, which report progress to NFCC, delivering the plan and in turn, helping to deliver fire reform.