First FRS Equality and Diversity AwardsLocal projects to get fire safety messages across to young people, to work with minority ethnic and religious communities, reduce anti-social behaviour and tackle disability in the workplace were just some of the entries received under the first national Fire and Rescue Service Equality and Diversity Award Scheme.
There were three Award categories: • Leadership • Service delivery • Partnership working Each category had awards for individual and team achievements. The 40 entries received were judged by a panel of experts from the public and private sectors, who looked for evidence of: • innovation, ambitious objectives and sound planning • successful delivery and effective monitoring • good practice from which other Fire and Rescue Services would benefit • a positive effect on progressing the equality and diversity aims of the Service Congratulating all the award winners, Angela Smith said: “The Fire and Rescue Service does a fantastic job of protecting the public but its staff must also reflect the public that it serves. There has been progress in making the Service more diverse – but we must not be complacent. Only by reflecting the local community that it serves can the Fire and Rescue Service fully understand local needs.” The competition for next year’s Equality and Diversity Awards will be announced in the Autumn. 1. Leadership Team Award for Leadership Career Development and Mentoring Team, London Fire Brigade This team implemented a fast track development programme for staff with high potential that significantly increased the numbers of women and minority ethnic staff at middle management level. Team Award Runner-up for Leadership Patricia Oakley, Head of Equalities, London Fire Brigade The project supported dyslexic firefighters in London, enabling them to achieve their full potential. It also raised awareness about dyslexia, both within the organisation and in the community. Individual Award Winner for Leadership Jayne Monkhouse, Diversity Consultant, Merseyside FRS This award recognised Jayne’s work and achievements over 20 years to progress equality and diversity in the FRS. Jayne has worked with Merseyside since 2005 to mainstream equality and diversity as key performance targets. Individual Award Runners-up for Leadership Steve White, Poplar Fire Station, London Fire Brigade Steve created a culture of inclusion on his watch, encouraging open debate about equality issues. Steve developed a lecture programme to increase his team’s understanding of different faiths and cultures, to enable them to work more effectively in a diverse community. Ludwig Ramsey, Firefighter, Hampshire FRS The award was for Ludwig’s work in the BEAMM (Black and Ethnic Minority Members) group, his contribution as a role model in promoting race equality and tackling racism, and the support he had given to the FRS in meeting their legal obligations to promote race equality. 2. Service Delivery Team Award Winner for Service Delivery Community Fire Safety Department, Merseyside FRS The Community Fire Safety Advocates team (above) worked with minority communities, hard to reach groups and vulnerable people and visited over 12,000 homes. This successful programme has been taken up as a model by other FRSs. Team Award Runners-up for Service Delivery Basildon & Castle Point Community Command, Essex FRS The project to repair and build trust with Muslim communities started after an arson attack on a community centre used as a Muslim place of worship. FRS community liaison officers attended mosques and Islamic centres to deliver fire safety advice and promoted home visits, helping to build community cohesion. Fire Safety Team, Hampshire FRS Hampshire set up the Fire Safety Team to raise awareness about changes in fire safety law and reduce enforcement notices within minority ethnic business groups. The team forged an effective network with minority communities and business leaders. It also designed and delivered a popular series of risk awareness seminars and training. Individual Award Winner for Service Delivery Simon Hawkins, Firefighter, Hereford & Worcester FRS Simon Hawkins (above, second right) lost the lower part of his left leg after a motorcycle accident in 2004. In 2006 he returned to operational duty with a prosthetic limb, having successfully gone through a process of rehabilitation, a return to work programme and a series of rigorous assessment tests. This was an excellent example of how a FRS could deal effectively with disability. 3. Partnership Working Partnership Working Team Award Winner Red Watch, Faversham Fire Station, Kent FRS Crew Manager Gary McRobb developed a successful programme for staff at Faversham fire station to work with teenagers with learning disabilities. Students from Meadowfield School (right) took part in supervised team building exercises, and learned about fire safety and the work of the FRS. The success of the programme has led to the involvement of other organisations including St John Ambulance and EDF Energy. Partnership Working Team Award Runners-up Threat Response Group, Merseyside FRS The Threat Response Group, worked in partnership with Merseyside Police, to reduce the level of threat posed by fire-related crime to local communities and minority groups. The programme saw a significant decrease in antisocial behaviour. Maria Tonks, Equality & Diversity Manager, West Yorkshire FRS West Yorkshire FRS is part of ADDRESS, the pan-European emergency services partnership project set up to support equality and diversity training. West Yorkshire was chosen to provide the equality and diversity expertise and to lead on the development, design and delivery of the programme |
Article Date: 3rd January 2008 |
