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Association backs Avon chief over diversity criticism |
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CFOA has announced that it is “enormously disappointed” by recent media criticismof the Chief Fire Officer of Avon Fire and Rescue Service for his initiatives encouraging people from all backgrounds to apply to become firefighters. CFOA President Steve McGuirk stated: “The association fully supports Chief Fire Officer Kevin Pearson’s ‘have a go’ days, days which are open to people from all communities. Open days do not exclude white men. The Fire Service is already a popular career option for white males and currently 98 per cent of firefighters are white men. ‘Have a go’ events are really about opening up the Service to all and showing what a fantastic job firefighting is. These events are a tried and tested method of getting members from all sections of the community into fire stations to try out some of the day to day activities undertaken by firefighters. This gives people the opportunity to learn more about our profession and that it is a job that can and is open to everyone who has the required skills and abilities.” CFOA Vice President Charlie Hendry, association lead on equality and diversity, said:
“CFOA is committed to encouraging fire and rescue services to adopt effective strategies for recruiting and managing a diverse workforce. Our workforce must reflect the communities they serve. ‘Have a go’ days are a wholly legitimate approach to attracting people, who might never have considered firefighting as a career. Employing people from a range of backgrounds ensures that FRS’s provide the very best service to all our communities.”
The CFOA National HR Strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service, published in 2006, identifies a diverse workforce as one of the key priorities to taking forward people management in the Fire and Rescue Service. This strategy clearly states that ‘it is crucial that we improve the involvement of under-represented groups at all levels in the Service’. CFO Hendry added: “Employing a diverse workforce is not only a moral duty. It is a legal duty. As well as The Human Rights Act 1998 and employment legislation, the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 places a specific duty on fire services to adopt working practices to attract and retain a diverse workforce. This includes ensuring the service is a career of choice for a wide range of people. Diversity in every sense must be mainstreamed into our organisations if we want to have the very best people delivering the very best service to all.” He concluded: “Diversity also makes good business sense. It enables us to choose employees from a wide pool of potential applicants. The CFOA strategy says: ‘Targeting and attracting talented people into the Service and promoting a positive image of the FRS among potential applicants, particularly from under represented groups will be a vital ingredient to our success’.”
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