In this short and insightful analysis, Professor Jagtar Singh OBE delves into the persistent challenges surrounding cultural change and equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) within the Fire Service (FRS). Despite a multitude of reports and conferences, progress remains sluggish, lagging behind other emergency services. Professor Singh highlights critical factors contributing to this stagnation and offers a compelling call to action for transformative change.
Key points
- Stagnant progress: The FRS has fallen behind its counterparts in the Police and Ambulance services in advancing ED&I initiatives, showcasing a concerning lack of evolution. The Ambulance Service and Police are closer to gender equality than the Fire Service. However, they still have major issues of cultural change as highlighted by Baroness Casey in 2023
- Leadership influence: Notable strides were made under influential leaders such as Jack Straw and Steve McGuirk, underscoring the pivotal role of committed leadership in driving progress. We can hope that the wake-up call of recent reports has now been grasped by the NFCC and FRS board.
- Need for national structures: The dissolution of national ED&I structures established by Sir Graham Meldrum in 2003 has weakened governance and impeded the pace of change within the FRS. The NFCC should carry out a review to assess if cultural change and ED&I metrics are changing at the pace of the ambition they have and if they have the governance structure to support
- Underutilized tools: Essential tools like Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) are underutilized within most services, indicating a need to adopt practices from other sectors like the NHS, such as the workforce equality standard. The service needs a clear dashboard that board and the community can use to measure progress
- Accountability gap: The absence of clear accountability mechanisms for leaders obstructs ED&I goals, exacerbated by the limited enforcement powers of bodies like the CEHR.
Recommendations
- Leadership. Every report written confirms leaders are core to delivering on ED&I and cultural change. Leadership is needed at every level, from the political leadership of ministers to the shop-floor leadership of every individual
- Leadership development: Prioritize leadership training to empower leaders in fostering inclusive workplaces, integrating ED&I objectives into performance appraisals.
- Comprehensive audit: Conduct a thorough multi-level audit involving HMI, NFCC, FRS and Trade Unions to pinpoint gaps and opportunities, followed by meticulous monitoring of action plans.
- Clear objectives: Establish specific, measurable objectives for ED&I strategies to provide clarity and direction.
- Cultivate inclusive culture: Implement measures such as training, mentoring, flexible work policies and transparent communication channels, complemented by regular staff surveys to gauge progress.
- Targeted recruitment: Proactively seek diverse candidates through positive action initiatives, ensuring fairness and inclusivity in hiring practices.
- Ongoing monitoring and adjustment: Continuously monitor progress against ED&I goals, with independent scrutiny by experienced chairs to ensure accountability at all levels.
- Governance framework: Institute a robust governance structure with defined accountability measures for ED&I progress.
- National dashboard: Develop a national dashboard to track ED&I metrics, fostering transparency and accountability.
Conclusion
I have emphasized the pressing need for accelerated progress and a comprehensive approach towards advancing ED&I within the FRS. By embracing clear accountability, measurable goals and national commitment, the FRS can emulate past successes and cultivate a workforce that authentically reflects the diverse communities it serves. It’s time to embark on a transformative journey towards a more inclusive and equitable future within the Fire Service.
My final takeaway for leaders, from working at the board level for over 30 years, is to focus on changing the culture – culture does not change because you issue a memo or make a pronouncement. Culture changes because leadership actions become a consistent and visible demonstration of desired norms and behaviours. It happens when you move from leading by your rank to leading because people want to follow you and believe in your vision.
Every act of leadership is an act of interpretation; every word you speak is used to judge you. I am reminded of this from experience as staff officer to Sir Graham Medrum who was one of my role models, but I learnt that his humour went down well 90% of the time. However, on station visits the staff were unsure when he joked with them. We often shared hot debrief in the car and although he was the CFO, he always took care to listen to feedback.
Your culture is your brand; treat it with care as it is also fragile – drop it and it will break. When looking to change culture remember the Harvard business school finding that to change culture you only need 3% of the people to make transformational change.
‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ – Barack Obama
‘Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but to change ourselves.’ – Mahatma Gandhi
About the Author
Professor Jagtar Singh OBE
Professor Jagtar Singh OBE is a board-level professional with 30 years of experience in the fire service, business and public service. After retiring from the fire service in 2006, he founded Jagtar Singh Associates Ltd, a consultancy focused on equality and diversity training. He has also held various NHS non-Executive director positions in organizations like the East of England Ambulance Service and Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Additionally, Jagtar has served as chair of a MH trust for over nine years and an independent chair for the Bedford Police audit and finance for ten years.
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