Let’s hope fire service don’t leave it another nineteen years

SURELY it is very sad that the Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) should find itself criticised (Report reveals ‘bullying culture at fire service’, Bristol Post, December 3) in an independent psychology-based assessment carried out by The Glass Lift Company which revealed bullying and mental health problems.

My sadness is compounded by the chief fire officer Mick Crennell’s comment that: “I understand there is no quick fix to this and that changing a culture requires compassion, commitment and ultimately time.”

I do not doubt his commitment in addressing some unacceptable identified behaviours in this uniformed culture, but would suggest that the AF&RS have been dragging their feet for 19 years since the Home Office’s publication by HM Fire Service Inspectorate of its: A Thematic Review (1999).

This was considered to be the most damning investigative document on the internal affairs of the British Fire Service.

Indeed, a reluctance to encourage women into the fire service led its authors to conclude that: “The effect is that the fire service will increasingly appear dated, out of touch, unapproachable and uninterested.”

Mr Crennell might like to note that I served for 35 years as a grass roots ‘fireman’, and latterly as a ‘firefighter’, and am aware that currently only five per cent of firefighters in the AF&RS are female.

Those opposed to the enrolment of female firefighters might like to consider that women can now apply for any rank in the British army, including the SAS!

Moreover in 2001, as part of a degree course, I produced a dissertation entitled: ‘The Uniform Culture Of The Fire Service: A Critical Inquiry’. This studied all aspects of a career in the British Fire Service and it was hoped that eventually the service would equally select staff irrespective of their gender, colour, race or creed.

Your concluding paragraph read: “The organisation’s plan for cultural change is expected to be published early in the New Year.” With due respect to the AF&RS, I sin- cerely hope that it does not take another 19 years before a healthy, happy and diverse workforce becomes the norm.

R L Smith

Knowle