On-Call Improvement Programme recognised for reversing long-term decline across Rural Wales

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has been honoured with the Project of the Year Award at the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards 2025, recognising the transformative impact of its On-Call Improvement Programme (OCIP).

The awards ceremony, held at the Institution of Civil Engineers at Parliament Square in London, brought together leaders and frontline personnel from across the UK to celebrate innovation and outstanding achievement within Fire and Emergency Services.

Turning around a long-term challenge

MAWWFRS’s OCIP was established in 2023 to address a sustained decline in On-Call firefighter availability — an issue of particular importance in rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, where many communities rely entirely on On-Call stations. Around 75% of MAWWFRS fire stations are staffed exclusively by On-Call crews.

Before the OCIP was launched, availability had dropped from 95% to 83% over seven years. Nationally, the number of On-Call firefighters has fallen by 25% since 2004.

The programme introduced targeted recruitment and retention strategies, improved training opportunities, and invested in evidence-led systems to strengthen resilience across the service.

As a result, MAWWFRS has already recorded a 3% increase in On-Call availability, beating the projected downward trend and standing out as one of the few services in the UK showing improvement.

Group Manager Phil Morris, who has led the programme since its creation, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that the OCIP has been named Project of the Year. This award reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone involved. We set out to make a difference for our On-Call Firefighters and the communities they serve — and we have gone some way to achieving this. It is further proof that the On-Call duty system remains valid, provided it is properly supported.”

National recognition

In the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) National On-Call Research Study published in September 2025, MAWWFRS was the only UK service to be featured twice as a case study, highlighting the scale of the improvements made.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Craig Flannery, Senior Responsible Officer for the programme, said the award reflected the service’s determination to solve a long-standing problem:

“This recognises our efforts to address the perennial challenge of On-Call availability and resilience. Using contemporary research to drive improvements has shown a real return. One size does not fit all, and I’m proud of the creativity and innovation shown across our area.”

A key innovation has been the introduction of new software enabling officers to identify skills and availability gaps, shaping recruitment and training decisions to help keep engines “on the run”.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Chair of the NFCC’s Strategic On-Call Forum, Steve Healey KFSM, praised MAWWFRS for bucking a national trend:

“Fire and rescue services across the UK are facing increasing challenges in recruiting and retaining On-Call Firefighters. The progress MAWWFRS has made through its OCIP is promising and will help inform national work to strengthen and future-proof the On-Call system.”

Call for new recruits

The service is using the award as an opportunity to encourage more people across Mid and West Wales to consider joining as On-Call Firefighters.

On-Call crews respond to a wide range of emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions, flooding, chemical incidents and animal rescues. They also deliver vital community safety work such as Safe and Well checks in local homes.

MAWWFRS says the role is “exciting, fulfilling and unpredictable” — and offers a unique chance to make a real difference in one’s own community.

If you’d like this adapted further with Pembrokeshire-specific references (Haverfordwest, Tenby, Pembroke Dock crews etc.), just tell me.

THE LAUNCH of a public consultation on the potential closure of Pembrokeshire school Ysgol Clydau just before Christmas has been called “deeply concerning” and unfair to local families.

At the May meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members backed a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which included statutory consultation on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Ysgol Clydau in Tegryn.

A plea on behalf of Ysgol Clydau was previously made by Cllr Iwan Ward, local member, who said it was “the heart of our society not just a school, it’s family, a community, an anchor for children who deserve the opportunity to grow”.

He added that closure was “a disaster for the future of education locally” and was “not fair and was not moral”.

The Ysgol Clydau consultation has now been launched, on the eve of a plea to keep the school open being heard at County Hall.

A council statement accompanying the launch of the consultation says: “At its meeting on May 8, Pembrokeshire County Council considered a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which outlined the findings of a review of education provision in the Preseli area.

“In particular the review considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population.”

A petition, opposing closure of the school, on the council’s own website, generated 648 responses, meaning it crossed the threshold to be heard at full council.

That petition call, along with a similar one for Manorbier school, which also crossed the threshold, with 1,511 signatures, is to be heard by councillors at the December 12 meeting of full council.

The Ysgol Clydau petition states: “We demand that Pembrokeshire County Council reconsider its decision to close Ysgol Clydau and instead prioritise the needs of our community by keeping the school open. We oppose the closure of Ysgol Clydau and call for full public scrutiny before any decision is made.

“We urge you to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community, listen to our concerns, and work with us to find alternative solutions that support the needs of our children and families.”

Paul Davies MS

Local Senedd Member Paul Davies has voiced his opposition to the proposal to close Ysgol Clydau, describing the timing of the consultation—just before Christmas—as “deeply concerning” and unfair to local families.

Mr Davies also highlighted the impact that closing Ysgol Clydau would have on the local community and the Welsh language.

“Ysgol Clydau is a crucial part of the local community, and its closure would have a huge impact on the local area. It’s unacceptable that this consultation has been launched without any discussion with local stakeholders and announcing it just before Christmas is very disappointing.

THE WELSH Parliament has given the green light for a bus services overhaul, putting ministers in the driving seat to decide routes, timetables and fares.

Senedd Members voted 34-10, with two abstentions, in favour of a bill to replace the current system in which private operators decide most routes on a commercial basis.

A franchising model, similar to London’s, will be rolled out as Wales ditches deregulation introduced by the Thatcher government in the 1980s, with a 56% fall in journeys since.

Under the bus bill, which lifts limits on councils running services, the Welsh Government will take control of the network, with Transport for Wales responsible for implementation.

The draft law was introduced because private operators often cut “socially necessary” but unprofitable routes, leaving people stranded and forcing ministers to step in with subsidies.

The new system, which has been about a decade in the making, will be introduced in phases over about five years in four regions, beginning in south-west Wales in 2027.

An impact assessment put the total costs of the reforms over 30 years at £623m which was outweighed by estimated benefits of £3.6bn, a return of approximately £5 for every £1 spent.

Ken Skates, Wales’ transport secretary, said passing the “landmark” bill will put people first in the design and delivery of bus services.

He told the Senedd: “It will restore growth to the industry and it will also help to create one network, one timetable, one ticket across public transport.

“Vote for this bill and we will, finally, have the tools to transform public transport for the better in Wales.”

But Sam Rowlands, the Conservatives’ shadow transport secretary, depicted the “rushed” plans as fundamentally flawed and overly focused on urban areas.

Warning rural Wales has been neglected, Mr Rowlands said: “One-third of the population of Wales live in rural areas yet there is no clear vision for rural bus networks.”

He told Senedd Members the franchising model will not work in Wales and risk creating a “one-size-fits-all” system that is “too rigid to respond to local needs”.

Mr Rowlands warned smaller bus operators could be pushed out and he bemoaned a “once-in-a-generation” missed opportunity to create an accessible bus network.

Plaid Cymru’s Delyth Jewell backed the bill and welcomed amendments to include school transport when planning bus services, with a duty to consider access to education.

Jenny Rathbone, a Labour backbencher, described the bus bill as an “essential measure” to make better use of taxpayers’ money through a more rational system.

She said: “Currently, we have to lay on special school buses to transport secondary school pupils… because there’s no public bus to get them there. Instead, rival groups of public and private bus providers compete for the most profitable routes.”

Ms Rathbone told Senedd Members it cost Cardiff almost as much to transport children with additional learning needs (£11.1m) as it did to educate them (£11.3m) last year.

Carolyn Thomas, a fellow Labour politician, said the bill will address the issue of operators having to be heavily subsidised to take on less lucrative contracts in rural areas.

With no legal challenge expected following the final “stage-four” vote on December 9, the bill – which was delayed by the pandemic – should receive royal assent in the coming weeks.