LARGE numbers of firefighters risk being fired if they are discovered to have bullied others or displayed racism, misogyny, or homophobia, according to the London Fire Brigade (LFB) head.
An independent cultural study named, the Independent Cultural Review of London Fire Brigade, concluded that the fire department had “dangerous levels of engrained bias towards women” and that workers from minority backgrounds are “often the subject of racial abuse.”
The report, led by, Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor of the North West, has accounts ranging from women being groped to people having their helmets filled with urine.
Many staff came out with “serious concerns” about the way they are treated, Afzal said. He spoke at a media conference at the
headquarters of the London fire brigade on Saturday (26).
London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “We are going to take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and discrimination.
“What that means, if we think about the immediate steps, is that I expect to dismiss people as a result of this report.
“Clearly, there are some disturbing examples of where we have betrayed public confidence and trust in this report.”
Afzal requested a ‘national inquiry’, particularly on misogyny since he, had been approached by many people from various firms like BBC, NHS, and other police forces with the complaints.
But the inquiry was rejected by the government. This could have been the angle of the story – but I don’t know how political we should be.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “I don’t think you want every organisation in the entire country, when there hasn’t been a specific event, to be setting up inquiries all over the place.
“But I do think all leaders of organisations should look at that report and think whether it could happen in their organization.
“If they think it could, then they should think about what they need to do about making sure it couldn’t.”
Only 425 of the 5,000 employees of the London Fire Brigade are female, and a little over 500 are members of racial or ethnic minorities.
The study details incidences like the discriminatory harassment of a black fireman, which resulted in someone hanging a pretend noose over his locker.
A six-person team under the direction of Afzal gathered information about what individuals perceived as their working environment and the larger culture that supported it over the course of twelve months.
The report includes the anonymous accounts of around 2,000 staff members complaining about the racial abuse they have been facing from their colleagues.
Afzal said: “My review found evidence that supports a finding that LFB is institutionally misogynist and racist.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter: “The findings of the London Fire Brigade review must be nothing short of a watershed moment for the Brigade.
“The details published are abhorrent. Londoners have been let down and they have every right to be angry – as I am.”
Based on the experiences of the staff members, the study offers 21 suggestions.
A historical examination of complaints regarding racism, sexism, and bullying over the previous five years is included, along with the deployment of body-worn video by firemen and safe facilities for all females in stations.
In reaction to the suicide death of fireman Jaden Francois-Esprit in August 2020, the review was set up. The article stated that his family was worried he had been bullied due to his race.
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