Independent Review of the Fire Service

The Independent Review of the Fire Service, sometimes referred to as the Bain Report or IRFS was a wide-ranging report carried out by Professor Sir George Bain, in 2002, at the request of the government, into the how Fire and Rescue Services were operated and managed; and about the working conditions of firefighters in the UK. When the report was completed, its full title was The Future of the Fire Service: reducing risk, saving lives - The Independent Review of the Fire Service ,[1] although it is generally known by the shortened name (including the online version). On publication, its authors said the report: "sets out our recommendations for how the service should change in the future to meet the demands of the twenty-first century."[2] The report prompted a prolonged period of industrial action in the UK by firefighters, the first national strike since 1977. The Bain report made several recommendations, that led to wide ranging changes in the approach to fire and rescue authorities (FRS) in the UK. It was controversial because of its extensive scope, and in 2006, many changes to UK FRS continue as a direct result of it.