HMICFRS: “Fire and Rescue Services must do more to tackle unacceptable behaviour”

According to HMICFRS’ inspectors, occurrences of unacceptable behaviours including sexist, racist and homophobic language and are most common within ‘watches’ (ie a group of firefighters assigned to work on the same shift). Staff have described examples of toxic cultures wherein managers have failed to challenge specific behaviours in order to remain ‘popular’.

Further, there’s a widespread lack of confidence in misconduct processes which prevents members of staff, and particularly so women, from speaking out.

Also, supervisors and managers are not sufficiently trained to manage staff performance, poor behaviour and welfare issues. Staff who manage and investigate misconduct need the right training in order to be able to do so.

Importantly, Fire and Rescue Services need to learn from their misconduct cases. HMICFRS asserts that they simply must do more to understand why unacceptable behaviour happens and what needs to change in order to prevent it from occurring in the future.

In total, HMICFRS has made 15 recommendations to chief fire officers, Fire and Rescue Authorities and others. These recommendations include the need for each Fire and Rescue Service to have access to a professional standards function to support fair and transparent misconduct investigations. They should also introduce the right training and support for all staff investigating misconduct.

Work to be done

Roy Wilsher, His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services, commented: “Since we began inspecting Fire and Rescue Services in 2018, we’ve highlighted the urgent need for them to tackle misconduct and improve their culture. I’m pleased to see the beginnings of improvements.”

Wilsher added: “It’s clear that senior leaders are focused on improving values and culture, but there is still much more work to be done. We have found some deeply troubling pockets of abhorrent behaviour, such as bullying, harassment and discrimination. This was most often found on watches. This is unacceptable and must be challenged.”

In addition, Wilsher noted: “Too many members of staff lack trust and confidence in the misconduct process, making them fearful about reporting issues. Not enough training is being given to those conducting the important task of managing and investigating misconduct cases. Stronger reforms are required to make sure misconduct processes are robust, operate effectively and, importantly, are trusted by staff. Senior leaders need to learn from what has gone wrong so that it doesn’t happen in future.”

By way of conclusion, Wilsher asserted: “We will be monitoring the progress of all Fire and Rescue Services against our recommendations. These practical steps will help to bring about the positive and lasting change that staff, as well as members of the public, rightly expect and deserve.”

Early improvements

Responding to the thematic report entitled Standards of Behaviour: The Handling of Misconduct in Fire and Rescue Services, the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) chair Mark Hardingham explained: “We welcome this report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate and the new recommendations it sets out to improve the way in which misconduct is handled.”

Hardingham continued: “We have always recognised that culture change in Fire and Rescue Services is not something that would happen overnight. Our own work aimed at driving improvements in the sector has captured some positive signs of change, while we also recognise the increasing efforts of Fire and Rescue Services to tackle unacceptable behaviour. We are, therefore, pleased the Inspectorate has also recognised the fact that early improvements are beginning to be seen across the sector.”

The NFCC’s chair added: “However, the Inspectorate is also right to call for further action where abhorrent behaviour still exists, where there’s a lack of confidence to report misconduct and where better misconduct training is needed for those responsible for providing support to people who come forward.”

Since the launch of NFCC’s Culture Action Plan last year, the organisation has sought to bring the sector together to confront discrimination, bullying and harassment, share positive practice and execute actionable plans to tackle misconduct. The independent Challenge and Support Panel – established to provide scrutiny of the NFCC’s work around culture and inclusion – has also identified the need for greater support for Fire and Rescue Services to deal with misconduct more consistently at all levels.”

According to Hardingham: “Real and lasting change can only be achieved when we identify and promote good practice across Fire and Rescue Services and work in collaboration with partners, notably so those who’ve been working to amplify the voices of those underrepresented at every level of decision-making. Realising positive outcomes requires a continued effort to listen to – and learn from – lived experience.”

Hardingham commented: “Not every aspect of culture change requires new or additional funding, but some of them do, including several of the recommendations outlined in HMICFRS’ report. To realise the ambitions set out in the report and its recommendations, for example in terms of establishing dedicated professional standards functions, Fire and Rescue Services will need to be sustainably funded both now and in future years.”

Back in May, the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament called for the National Framework to be updated in order to reflect the challenges of tackling poor culture, bullying and harassment, with the inclusion of a specific reference to cultural change. The NFCC agrees with this view, noting that this latest HMICFRS report further reinforces the case for that change.”

Attitudes must change

Responding to the report, Matt Wrack (general secretary at the Fie Brigades Union) noted: “Firefighters must be able to go to work without fear of bullying, harassment and discrimination. Every bit as much as fire contaminants and other dangers, this is a matter of Health and Safety and basic rights.”

Wrack went on to comment: “The Fire Brigades Union stands unequivocally on the side of the victims of such behaviour. Our officials and representatives are on the front line of the fight for equality. Fire and Rescue Service employers cannot continue to run their operations as ‘boys clubs’ where firefighters are afraid to speak out.”

HMICFRS’ report finds that nearly one in every three firefighters surveyed had experienced or witnessed an abuse of power in the last year. “This is unacceptable,” urged Wrack. “Chief fire officers have a duty to ensure senior managers are held to account and to build processes that the workforce can trust.”

Through its ‘All Different, All Equal’ policy, the Fire Brigades Union is committed to fighting discrimination of all forms in fire stations and Control Rooms. The organisation will continue to take a leading role in transforming the Fire and Rescue Service.

*Read Standards of Behaviour: The Handling of Misconduct in Fire and Rescue Services