THIS WILL END WELL: Britain’s fire service is too male and too white, a report has claimed.
The report, which was commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), found that the fire service was “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic”.
It said firemen in Britain were not “diverse” enough because the service’s proportion of women and ethnic minorities is less than in wider society.
Having been produced by an advisory group focused on improving diversity, equality and inclusion in the fire service, the report found that 9.3 per cent of firemen were women and 5.4 per cent belonged to ethnic minorities as of March 2024.
By contrast, 51 per cent of the total population in England and Wales is female and 18.3 per cent are from ethnic minorities, according to the 2021 census.
The review said: “The common ‘image’ of a firefighter is, for the most part, of a white heterosexual male turning out in a fire engine to fight fires… The diversity of the service needs to be much more reflective of the communities it serves and the wide range of services it delivers.
As Blazing Cat Fur notes, “That worked out great in LA!”
“My response to people who say you couldn’t carry my husband out of a fire is he got himself in the wrong place if he needs me to carry him out of a fire”
This woman is the Assistant Fire Chief for the city of Los Angeles. Unbelievable.
— Mel (@Villgecrazylady) January 9, 2025