Disability Equality

By promoting disability equality we can provide very positive outcomes for our community. We are always looking for new ways to improve the services we deliver. We believe that many of these improvements can be achieved by identifying the barriers which may prevent people from receiving an excellent service. The way that we do things can then be adapted to meet their different needs. By developing an organisation that is sensitive to and considerate of the needs of others, we improve the quality of service to all our customers. 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, housing and illnesses affecting mobility or risk of accident. 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. An example is improvement in our operational procedures and communication techniques for people with different disabilities.

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. By undertaking outreach work with organisations of disabled people we have increased our understanding of the range of barriers faced by disabled people. This has led to substantial improvements in the way our home safety resources are used.

One in five people in the UK have a disability. Therefore it is not only the right thing to do but also good business sense to make adjustments to jobs and equipment so that more disabled people can work for us. This gives us a tremendous opportunity to tap into the talents and skills of people who may otherwise have been lost to Kent Fire and Rescue Service. It also means that we can retain our investment in the knowledge and capabilities of valued and experienced staff.