Fire service’s culture review to be completed by the end of the year

An independent review into culture and values at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service will be completed by the end of the year, its chief has said.

The service has commissioned the probe to identify any possible poor behaviour, after a national report highlighted widespread concerns over harassment and discrimination across the sector.

While that report did not identify any significant areas of concern in Shropshire, chief fire officer Simon Hardiman said he wanted to take a pro-active approach rather than wait for problems to surface.

He said: “We are not doing it as a knee-jerk reaction to something going wrong, we are doing it to understand our organisation better.

“We are trying to make the organisation better for everyone that works here.

“We want people to come to work and be themselves, and not have to worry about bullying and harassment or anything like that. It’s important for them to enjoy being at work.”

The report into values and culture in fire and rescue services across the UK, published earlier this year by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), followed a series of high-profile allegations against a number of services.

It set out 20 recommendations for every brigade to take action on, plus 15 for other agencies.

As well as making strong progress on these recommendations, Mr Hardiman told a meeting of the local Fire Authority last month that he wanted to go further and launch an in-depth review of his service.

He has now confirmed an independent person has been commissioned to carry out the review, and that it will begin next month.

“It will involve engaging with the whole workforce, getting their insight and views on the organisation,” said Mr Hardiman.

“We don’t want it to just be a piece of paper saying we have done an independent review, I want it to be the start of a journey that will enable us to make it the best place to work.”

The review is expected to take around three months.

Mr Hardiman said: “By the end of 2023 I would like us to have a cultural action plan that complements the recommendations from the national report.

“Visible, transparent leadership is a big thing for me. I have been really honest with crews about where we are as an organisation and where we want to go, and I think this cultural review is part of that.”

Mr Hardiman said he was optimistic about the investigation, but did not want to pre-empt its findings.

He said: “My personal opinion is that we have got a really good culture in Shropshire, but I only know what I know.

“I’m hoping that it brings things forward that we are not aware of. I want it to go out there and find things that me and the team can improve, to make it the best place that people can come to work.”