Gender Equality

We recognise that there may be different issues and priorities for the men and women who use our services. This requires us to adopt a variety of different approaches to the way we deliver our services.

We use data from a variety of sources, including the Census, to identify “risk groups” across the county based on factors which include age, ethnicity, social groupings, housing and single parenthood. This information is then used to target community safety actions on the most vulnerable groups in the community.

We have also been working with many different members of our community to help them prevent emergencies and to deal more effectively with situations when they happen. Through our partnership with groups and agencies which represent specific communities we have identified that women in some communities are reluctant to invite a man into their home for a fire safety checks. This has led to the recruitment of more women into our community safety teams so that we are better equipped to respond to requests for home visits from someone of the same sex.

Traditionally the majority of firefighters may have been have been men. In recent years we have worked hard to change this situation. However we are aware that many women do not have a true picture of the type of work a firefighter does and wide range of exciting career opportunities available to them. Over the next few years we will be working closely with schools and young people to change perceptions of the fire and rescue service and make our jobs a more attractive career option for women.


Chapter 12: Gender Equality|