Cambridgeshire Fire Service say 'there are pockets' where behaviour does not meet standards in wake of national culture report

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have said there are ‘pockets in the service where people’s behaviours do not meet the required standard’ after a national report said staff reported allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination in every fire and rescue service in England.

The report, from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said there were allegations of bullying in all services, with some significantly worse than others. The sector was called a “boys’ club” and people said they felt unable to report bad behaviour for fear of reprisals.

The report itself does not identify incidents which happened at specific services.

Responding to the report, Cambridgeshire Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland said: “Having a positive culture where everyone feels welcome, can be themselves and are treated with dignity and respect while at work is fundamental to our Service. We have an established set of values and behaviours that everyone who works for CFRS is expected to adhere to at all times and we encourage colleagues to call people out where these are not followed.

“We received a score of ‘Good’ across all aspects of how we look after our people in our last two inspections by the HMICFRS, something we are proud of.

“Today’s HMICFRS Values and Culture report is welcomed and we have already implemented, or are currently implementing, many of the recommendations having identified them previously as areas where we could improve further. We will ensure that all are completed in full.

“Although we believe we are in a positive place with our culture, we are not complacent and although perhaps not to the extreme of examples in this report, we know from issues raised to us even in the last year that there are pockets in the Service where people’s behaviours do not meet the standards we expect and we investigate these to find appropriate resolutions.“

“We have always been passionate about fostering a positive culture within Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service where everyone is respected for who they are and the contribution and value they provide regardless of their role.”

Chair of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority Edna Murphy added: “We have a culture update coming to our next Overview and Scrutiny Committee in April and we will support the fire service in any way we can to implement the recommendations in the report and other work the Service already has planned to continue to improve the working environment for everyone who works for the Service, so they feel supported, valued and able to be themselves.”

His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services Roy Wilsher said: “Our findings shine a light on deeply troubling bullying and harassment in fire and rescue services across the country – and I fear this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

“Firefighters can be called upon to do an incredibly difficult job. They should be able to trust each other implicitly, just as the public need to be able to trust them. Unfortunately, our findings show this is not always the case. Instead, we found trust and respect is too often replaced with derogatory, bullying behaviour, often excused as banter."

To read the report, visit www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/