UK Fire Chiefs Claim Firemen Are Too Male & Too White

The fire service is “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic” according to a new report.

The report commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) claims that firemen in Britain failed to represent a “diverse” society.

GB News reports: The same research has also suggested that firemen’s commitment to “inclusion” is equally as important as their “competence” in leadership programmes. …

The report added that firemen in Britain failed to represent a “diverse” society with less than 10% of the force being made up of women and 5.4% belonging to ethnic minorities, according to data sourced in March 2024.

In wider society, around 51% of the population are women and 18.3% belong to ethnic minorities.

Praised by the NFCC for helping to support “safe and inclusive places to work”, the report said: “The common ‘image’ of a firefighter is, for the most part, of a white heterosexual male turning out in a fire engine to fight fire.

“The diversity of the service needs to be much more reflective of the communities it serves and the wide range of services it delivers.

“Whilst progress has been made, the pace has been slow and progressive action has been applied inconsistently. Too many people are still being let down.” …

“Leadership programmes need to focus as much on inclusion as they do on operational and strategic competence,” the report’s authors wrote. …

NFCC chair Mark Hardingham said the organisation was “committed to delivering” on the report’s findings.