Event Roundup: Fire Innovation Forum | Session 2
Following the success of our launch back in May, this July we were delighted to welcome back the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) for our second meeting. We were joined by NFCC representatives Steve Beakhust, Steve Taylor, Gillian Fyfe and many of our techUK members across the Justice and Emergency Services and Cyber Programmes. With a focus on cybersecurity, the session served as an excellent opportunity to understand the challenges within the sector and where techUK members can advise, share best practice and communicate potential solutions.
Cyber is one of the NFCC’s main priorities. With the creation of a digital and cyber standard in the works with the Fire Standards Board, alongside their Cyber Working Group, the NFCC were keen for the session to help them scale best practice for their cyber roadmap.
To give context to the importance of this work, the team flagged the May 2022 cyber-attack on Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and the subsequent Home Office and IBM CAF assessment on the sector in 2023 which gave recommendations to each service, and provided NFCC with an overview report. Using this, the NFCC established a Cyber Working Group to develop a national Cyber Action Plan to respond to the recommendations, with a focus on the delivery of training for cyber risks across the sector.
Giving insight from the frontline, we heard from Marcus Boyce (MB), Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and David Dawe (DD), Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service who highlighted that the cyber risks are changing daily and that disaster recovery in place cannot prevent a cyber-attack. The cultural challenges in fire services were also highlighted, with a need for work to be done to ensure cyber security risks are understood from the top down.
Amongst this discussion, there is an apparent discrepancy between the fire services regarding their skills and preparedness for cyber risks. In addition to the influence of funding and budgets, DD argued that, like in his service, those who are part of a county council of several services are safer from a cyber-attack, reflecting on his experiences. As in such cases their control systems are separate, and so mission critical services are still able to continue despite a breach.
Opening the discussion for feedback, the main points included:
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‘Clever’ infrastructure is key - NFCC are exploring the success of collaborating products provided by different suppliers, to ensure that services are not codependent on a single platform.
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The fire and rescue industry could learn from financial services - As the banking sector has standards and policies in place that help them attain an element of compulsion. The NFCC could enforce a minimum standard that services have to reach.
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Whilst fire services have different infrastructure to police, they have been encouraged to knowledge share across the public sector.
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Georgie Morgan
Georgie joined techUK as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager in March 2020, then becoming Head of Programme in January 2022.
Cinzia Miatto
Cinzia joined techUK in August 2023 as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager.
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
