The Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) acknowledges and welcomes the recommendations in the latest report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The report highlighted concerning incidents of racist, homophobic, and misogynistic behaviour within a quarter of the 44 fire and rescue services in England. Such behaviours, often excused as harmless banter, are unacceptable and have no place within the fire and rescue service.
The sector is on a continuous journey of improvement, and the recommendations outlined in the HMICFRS report aim to assist fire and rescue services across the country in enhancing their values, culture, fairness, and diversity.
HFRS has reviewed the 35 recommendations and recognises that many of these are already established within its processes, including a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying and harassment, and a confidential reporting line for staff and public to report concerns. HFRS is committed to embedding a culture across the Service ensuring that anyone, internally or externally, feels empowered to report concerns wherever they may arise and at the earliest opportunity.
HFRS is proud to be an early adopter of the Core Code of Ethics and has actively implemented this across all levels of the organisation. In its initial inspection published in 2019, inspectors reported that, “The service has a set of values that are understood and demonstrated by staff at all levels. Senior managers regularly visit stations to give and receive feedback.” In the latest inspection report (2022) by HMICFRS, it stated, “The service has a clearly defined set of values. It has adopted the National Fire Chiefs Council Core Code of Ethics and developed a mandatory online learning package for all staff to help embed this throughout the organisation.” HFRS was rated as ‘Good’ across all three of its inspection criteria in its latest inspection report. This means we are Good at preventing and responding to emergencies, Good at efficiently spending our money and Good at looking after our people.
HFRS recognises that many of its established practices support the recommendations outlined in the report, however, the Service understands the need to not become complacent and welcomes the opportunity to continually learn and improve, to provide the best service to the communities across the Humber area.
Read the report on the HMICFRS website by clicking here.