Fire service whistleblowers bullied to cover up ‘abhorrent’ abuse

Watchdog report finds sexism, racism and other misconduct rife in fire and rescue services across England

Fire services are covering up “abhorrent” abuse of staff, by bullying the whistleblowers who raise concerns, the official watchdog has found.
Victims are failing to report bullying, sexism and racism for fear of reprisals from managers, said HM inspectorate of police and fire services.
Some who reported misconduct said that an ally of the perpetrator was then appointed to investigate their allegations, in what amounted to a “cover-up,” inspectors revealed in a report published on Thursday.
In an exclusive article for The Telegraph, Roy Wilsher, the chief fire service inspector, said the “widespread and often deep mistrust” of the misconduct process was one of the most worrying findings in his report.
It meant there were still “pockets of abhorrent behaviour” across fire services in England including bullying, harassment, intimidation, abuse of power and racist, sexist and homophobic language, said Mr Wilsher. And women were more likely to fear reprisals for blowing the whistle than men, he said.
“A lack of faith in the confidentiality of the process means they fear repercussions if they report an issue. Tellingly, we found women were more likely than men to express a fear of reporting. 
“This begs the question; how can we root out misconduct if people are scared to report it?” he asked.
More than one third of nearly 4,500 firefighters surveyed by the inspectorate said they had suffered bullying, harassment, abuse of power and racist, sexist and homophobic language. More than 40 per cent said they had witnessed such misconduct in the last year.
The report was commissioned by the Government after an investigation last year uncovered bullying, harassment and discrimination in every fire and rescue service in England. Cases included a male firefighter telling a colleague he would rape her and a senior officer using a racial slur.
The Inspectorate said there had been an improvement in the culture since then but it still found “compelling evidence” of a “widespread fear” among firefighters to report the behaviour, in case reprisals damaged their career prospects.
Some whistleblowers told the inspectors they had been singled out and overlooked for promotion, which they felt was a direct result of reporting misconduct.
“This fear and mistrust was so widespread that many staff members doubted whether our survey was truly confidential and expressed concerns that they would be vulnerable if they disclosed information to us,” said the report.
One former firefighter told the inspectors that staff were almost “persecuted, vilified, because they have … blown the whistle on individuals”.
Another said: “Some people are just taking the abuse, the harassment, because they don’t want to put a target on their back.”
Many firefighters believed the misconduct system was biased and not impartial, which was closely related to the fear of reprisals.
“They told us investigations were sometimes conducted by someone close to the person alleged to have perpetrated the misconduct, such as their line manager. They considered such cases to be cover-ups,” said the inspectors.
“Women most often expressed a fear of reporting. For example, one firefighter told us she did speak to her line manager about something and it wasn’t dealt with. 
“The manager breached her confidentiality and she felt humiliated by her peers. She was adamant she would never raise a concern again.
“Another firefighter said when she raised a concern to her manager, she was told it would be held against her when she went for promotion. Because of this fear of reporting, it is likely that the actual level of misconduct within FRSs [Fire and Rescue Services] is higher than the evidence suggests.
“Many staff members decide to just put up with unacceptable behaviour rather than use the systems they distrust so thoroughly. Staff in many of the services we visited told us that people don’t want to ‘put their heads above the parapet’.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The findings from the Inspectorate’s report are deeply concerning. There is no space for misconduct in our Fire and Rescue Services, and we expect it to be addressed at the earliest opportunity.
“We will be carefully considering the recommendations, and will be kept updated by HMICFRS on progress made. We will also continue to work with closely with the fire sector to ensure that the highest levels of integrity are maintained across services.”
By Roy Wilsher
What makes a good working environment? For me, it’s trust. Trust in your colleagues and your leaders. And, crucially, trust that if anything goes wrong there’s a system there to protect you and your team. This becomes even more vital when the work you’re doing can be tough, risky and take a physical and emotional toll.
That’s why the findings of our latest report into the fire and rescue service remain concerning. Firefighters and fire and rescue staff carry out a vital public service, with thousands of people helping our communities every day. 
But at His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), we have repeatedly found evidence of poor values, culture and behaviour in the fire and rescue sector. Our report on values and culture in the sector, published last year, was a wake-up call. It led to the Government commissioning us to review the handling of misconduct in the fire and rescue service. Today we have published our findings.
We were pleased to find early signs of improvement. On the whole, senior fire and rescue leaders have demonstrated a commitment to creating a positive, inclusive culture. And they recognise that tackling unacceptable behaviour is a big part of this. 
Most services have made it a priority to raise awareness of expected standards of behaviour and have action plans in place to get better at identifying, managing and investigating misconduct.
But our review also paints a stark picture. One of the most worrying things our inspection team found was a widespread and often deep distrust of misconduct processes. This is holding back progress and positive culture change. 
Most staff who want to report an issue know where to go and what to do. But many lack confidence in the process. They don’t believe their voices will be heard or that bad behaviour will be addressed. 
A lack of faith in the confidentiality of the process means they fear repercussions if they report an issue. Tellingly, we found women were more likely than men to express a fear of reporting. This begs the question; how can we root out misconduct if people are scared to report it?
To try to change this, we are calling for a more rigorous and well-resourced misconduct process in every one of the 44 fire and rescue services across England. Trust and confidence in the system is a priority. 
All fire and rescue staff need to know they can report unacceptable behaviour without fear of reprisal. They must feel safe in the knowledge that their service will investigate issues fairly and thoroughly, and that sanctions will be appropriate and just. Until this happens, some will suffer in silence, while others will remain free to bully, harass and discriminate against their colleagues without challenge.
During this inspection, it was extremely disappointing to find that pockets of abhorrent behaviour persist across the fire and rescue service. An unacceptable number of staff told us they had experienced and witnessed misconduct, including racism, homophobia and misogyny, during the last 12 months
This cannot continue. This kind of behaviour is, of course, deeply damaging to the people involved. But it also has far wider implications. To protect the public, firefighters need to be able to work effectively together in high-pressure, emergency situations. 
Without trust and respect within teams, their ability to do this is eroded. In the longer-term, a continued overhaul of values and culture is required: one that will help prevent this type of behaviour from happening in the first place. 
But, right now, we need to see more and faster progress towards fire and rescue services that swiftly and effectively challenge and deal with unacceptable behaviour. This can only be achieved by getting the fundamentals right.
We have made 15 recommendations in our report to help bring about positive change. These are intended to directly improve the way misconduct is handled and help to earn the trust of staff. 
For example, we want to see the introduction of the right training and support for all staff investigating misconduct, and for every service to have access to a professional standards function to support fair and transparent investigations. We also recommend that robust probationary policies are put in place, so early serious misconduct leads to dismissal.
Fire and rescue workers deserve better. They protect the public day in and day out. By taking these practical steps, fire and rescue services can continue to bring about lasting cultural change. Change that is long overdue for their staff and for the public they serve.
Roy Wilsher is HM Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services