Bullying, harassment and discrimination allegations have been reported by staff in every fire and rescue service in England, an inspection report has found.
Examples of racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour were found by inspectors in a quarter of services, with the sector called a ‘boys’ club’. People said they felt unable to report bad behaviour for fear of reprisals.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services is calling for appropriate background checks on all firefighters and staff and new misconduct standards to be introduced, including a national barred list and new mechanisms for staff to raise concerns.
Cllr Nick Chard, the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee’s member of the Fire Standards Board, said the findings of the report were “unacceptable” and thanked the inspectorate for this important piece of work.
“Everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect at work and to feel safe. There is simply no place for this kind of behaviour in our society,” said Cllr Chard.
“While the majority of fire and rescue staff act with integrity and are held in high regard by the public for their tireless efforts to help save lives and prevent fires, it is clear that much more needs to be done urgently to improve the working culture in the fire and rescue service.”
He added the LGA is committed to ensuring the sector has an inclusive, welcoming culture and “will work with partners to assist fire and rescue authorities in acting on the recommendations in the report and to embed the Core Code of Ethics, so staff feel able to speak out, raise any concerns they have and get the support they need”.