Our cultural statement
We are committed to making sure Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is a great place to work and that all our people are respectful, honest, helpful and trustworthy in any interactions they have.
HMICFRS report March 2023
We welcome the report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publication-html/values-and-culture-in-fire-and-rescue-services/) (HMICFRS) into fire service culture. Some of the allegations of cultural issues within the fire and rescue sector are deeply concerning.
They highlight that there are problems that we cannot ignore. Our 2021 inspection report (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/frs-assessment-2021-22-devon-and-somerset/) also highlighted behaviour within our own Service, which does not align to the values and ethics that we expect. Since the inspection we have been working to address these behaviours and create a more inclusive and open culture.
We understand how concerning this could be for our communities who need to trust the people who are providing such a vital service. We know our workforce is proud of their role in keeping the communities of Devon and Somerset safe and of the trust and connections we have.
We believe everyone deserves to be included, respected, and supported, whether you are a colleague, partner, resident, or visitor to our counties.
Before our inspection, we were already doing lots of work to create a more inclusive and open culture.
We have now stepped up this work, focusing on two main areas:
- educating and empowering our colleagues to build a good, inclusive culture across the whole of our Service, and
- acting swiftly when staff display behaviour that falls short of the standards we expect.
This includes training for all our people, support for colleagues to challenge inappropriate behaviour, and encouraging open conversations between colleagues about what is and isn’t acceptable.
We have given our staff our firm commitment that if they experience anything that they are not comfortable with, they are safe to challenge it or to report it. They have our full support, and we will not hesitate to take swift action against those whose behaviour falls out of line with our values and ethics (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/our-values).
This commitment extends to our communities. We want to hear your experiences, good or bad. You can give a compliment (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/compliments), or make a complaint (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/complaints).
We accept the recommendations within the report and are committed to delivering the 19 recommendations specific to fire and rescue services. We'll be sharing what we're doing about each recommendation once we have reviewed and refined our existing action plans.
See an update on our people improvement journey (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/update-our-people-improvement) - January 2024.