An inclusive fire service - recruitment and inclusion

At the start of last year the Local Government Association (LGA) published a memorandum of understanding (MoU)1 on equality, diversity, behaviours and organisational culture in the fire service, co-signed by the Asian Fire Service Association, National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire Brigades Union, Fire Officers’ Association, GMB, quiltbag, Retained Firefighters Union, Stonewall, Unison and Women in the Fire Service.

The MoU was a recognition that the fire service had to change. The existing firefighter workforce was just five per cent female and  overwhelmingly white. For the first time in five or more years services were looking to recruit new firefighters and the Fire Services Management Committee (FSMC) was determined to ensure that this round of recruitment would leave the fire service looking more like the communities it serves.