An Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade has found the Brigade to be ‘institutionally misogynist and racist’.
The review looked at the culture at London Fire Brigade, following a recommendation of an internal investigation into the death of a firefighter, Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit, who tragically took his own life in August 2020.
Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Callum Faint, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear the findings of the report into the culture at London Fire Brigade. We recognise the impact this has on staff and have a similar zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment.
“We will be reviewing the report in detail and reflecting on how we can learn and make further improvements within our service. For a number of years, we have had work underway to promote positive work culture, including the implementation of confidential surveys to allow us to gather honest feedback from our staff, promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as well as mental health and wellbeing initiatives.
“The Service has already made many improvements, particularly since several areas were highlighted in 2019, the first inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services (HMIFCRs). We now eagerly await to see impact of the improvements in the results of the recently completed inspection (July 2022)”
Chair of the Combined Fire Authority (CFA), Councillor Nicholas Rushton, added: “Our record of diversity, inclusion and equality in a multicultural area such as Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is enviable. As Chair of the CFA, I take these responsibilities very seriously and I know the Chief Officer, Callum Faint, works across the organisation to ensure staff at all levels are supported in their work.
“Our most recent report from the Employers Network for EDI scored the service at silver level and we look forward to further progressing this, and supporting LFRS to learn and improve in order to best reflect and serve our communities.”
ENDS
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.
During 2021/22, we attended a total of 8,259 emergency incidents, including 1,968 fires and 707 road traffic collisions. A total of 12,938 Home Safety Checks were completed and we fitted 3,546 smoke alarms. 233 schools were visited as part of the Service’s schools programme, delivering fire and road safety education to 6,724 pupils.
The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents attended.
