am pleased to announce that this morning West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has launched its new Community Risk Management Plan 2026-2030 (CRMP).

This plan will set out the direction of the fire service for the next four years and aims to respond to the risks identified in the county, including accidental dwelling fires, road traffic collisions, wildfires, and flooding, as well as emerging risks the service could face in the future.

The plan is centred around five strategic priorities. These are:

• Preventing fires and emergencies from happening
• Protecting people, firefighters and property by making buildings as safe from fire as they can be
• Responding to fires and emergencies quickly and effectively
• Having a safe and valued workforce
• Making best use of resources

These priorities, which underpin the whole plan, have been prepared following a community survey carried out in 2024 which asked residents about the risks in their communities and which ones caused them greatest concern. After taking all of this feedback into consideration, the five new proposals were drafted and taken out to public consultation last year, with a large majority of respondents signifying their support for the priorities.

I know that many of you will have taken the time to share your views in both our community questionnaire held in 2024 and our public consultation last year, and we are really very grateful for the valuable insights you shared with us, which allowed us to create a plan to meet the needs of all residents living within our communities.

You can read our new plan on the WSFRS website.