Independent review finds Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service was institutionally racist

An independent review has found some black and ethnic minority firefighters and staff in Gloucestershire suffered racist abuse.

Officials looked at the experience of 40 current and former employees between 1991 and 2018 - and discovered significant failings.

They say the service is no longer institutionally racist - but have recommended changes are made.

The organisation's Chief Fire Office has apologised - and says those will be implemented in full.

Key findings of the independent review by West Midlands Employers

The review was commissioned last year by the Chief Fire Officer, Mark Preece, with support from the county council to provide a platform for those not previously listened to, making sure they had the opportunity to share their experiences.

The team from WME spoke to 40 current and former members of staff and analysed over 4,500 documents. The report contains distressing experiences and accounts of upsetting and unacceptable behaviour during the period covered by the report.

The review found that GFRS had been institutionally racist but, that the Service was not institutionally racist today. However, the review did recognise the continuing grapple with the legacy of its past and acknowledges there is still work to do.

The key findings in the report relate to past institutional racism and organisational failings between 1991 to 2018 including poor watch cultures that hindered integration; leadership that prioritised operational competence over people management and inclusivity; a lack of psychological safety in particular when raising concerns with inconsistent and ineffective grievance processes; and widespread historical misogyny.

Many of the report’s 14 recommendations are areas previously identified by GFRS as needing improvement, with work already underway to address them. New recommendations from the report will be added to GFRS’s ongoing transformation programme to ensure they are actioned as quickly as possible.

Reaction

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer, Mark Preece said:

“I want to commend the bravery of those that came forward and shared their experiences. I do not underestimate how difficult and upsetting it must have been for them to relive these painful events by speaking with the independent authors of the report.

“Thank you to each and every one of you that contributed and please be assured that reliving your trauma will not be in vain, this will help our fire and rescue service learn, grow and improve.

“I want to apologise to our firefighters and staff past and present that have been subjected to the horrendous acts of discrimination, or witnessed, whistle-blown and tried to support victims as best they could with little or no support.

“I fully accept the finding that the Service was institutionally racist between 1991 to 2018, and that coupled with a lack of action from those leading GFRS during this time made life unbearable for our Black and ethnic minority firefighters.

“As we grapple with this legacy, I must stress that in accepting the report and its findings I am not suggesting in any way that all past or serving firefighters and staff were or are racist but nor am I saying that racism, misogyny and bullying have been eradicated. There is still work to be done.”

“I have been to see the families of John James and Avanos Biney who are both sadly no longer with us. I have assured them that I want to work with them, alongside others who contributed to the report and our current Black and ethnic minority firefighters to agree the right way to correct the narrative around these individuals time in the Service.

“I want to make it clear that they were not troublemakers, they were trail blazers. The bravery of these individuals and family members that have spoken up in the past and again now are breaking down barriers as well as challenging ignorant, long held views and stereotypes. Their dedication to making a change for good must be recognised and the legacy of everyone reliving the trauma must be lasting and meaningful. We will set the record straight and celebrate their lives and contributions.”

Leader of the council, Stephen Davies and the Cllr with responsibility for Fire and Rescue Service, Dave Norman, said:

“As the report highlights the fire and rescue service is recovering from its past with more still to be done to eradicate all unacceptable behaviour. There is no place for any form of racism in our fire and rescue service or any other blue light service.

“The accounts we have both read within the report of people’s lives that were made unbearable by horrific acts of racism and bullying should never have happened and have no place in our society and although we cannot change the past, we must all learn from it to ensure a better more inclusive future.

“In its most recent report, HMICFRS highlighted that there were signs that the Service was making progress with improving its culture but more still needed to be done to embed the necessary changes.

“As a council we will ensure the service has the necessary funding at its disposal so it can make the further improvements outlined in the recommendations of the report.”

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