Race Equality

The promotion of race equality is integral to our ability to deliver a high quality fire and rescue service across the county. Different communities have different needs. Therefore it is very important that we continue to develop our understanding and awareness of where these needs are and how they can be met. 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, social groupings and ethnicity. This information is then used to target community safety actions on the most vulnerable groups in the community.

 We are continually developing our operational expertise in understanding the impact of assisting people with different needs .in emergency situations. One example is improvement in our operational procedures and communication techniques for people who speak English as a second language.

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. Our partnership with groups and agencies which represent specific communities has been invaluable in achieving specific improvements in the home safety services we provide. As a result of the success of this approach we are committed to doing more partnership working and outreach work over the coming years.
One of our major successes has been the recruitment of ethnic minority staff to promote home safety within their own communities. This highlights the importance of increasing the diversity of our workforce. Therefore it is with renewed enthusiasm that we seek to attract job applicants from all ethnic minorities.

Click on the links below to see how the Service works on promoting Race equality