Avon’s chief fire officer has vowed to transform culture in the control room after a scathing report found bullying, discrimination and misogyny. Simon Shilton says a staff-led action plan launched to root out the problems will “drive meaningful change”.
As reported this week, independent consultants concluded the department, based at Lansdown in Bath, faces mass resignations and employment tribunal claims because morale is at “rock bottom”, arguments “break out easily”, workloads are unmanageable and highly stressful while trust in senior leaders has evaporated.
The report, to be discussed by cross-party councillors at Avon Fire Authority audit, governance and oversight committee on Friday, March 14, has already prompted changes in the management structure of the team, which deals with emergency calls and coordinates crews to incidents.
It said: “There were concerning allegations raised in a handful of survey responses of bullying; discrimination; and misogynistic language, all which AFRS has a legal duty to protect their employees from.
“Action needs to be taken by senior leaders to rebuild trust, there need to be mechanisms for transparent decision-making and communication and there is a need to align leadership behaviour with organisational values.
“There is a need for initiatives to address low morale and staff engagement, actions are required to eliminate discriminatory behaviours and ensure a respectful workplace with effective mechanisms to report and address misconduct.
“Misogynistic language is cited by employees and must be stamped out.
“One employee noted that they regularly hear misogynistic language from male employees that they found to be unamusing, and which makes for an uncomfortable working environment.
“This included examples of comments about attractive female staff and jokes about transgender athletes competing at the Olympics.
“If comments are being made that create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for other staff, they are likely to meet the legal definition of harassment and Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) is exposed to the risk of internal grievances being raised and/or employment tribunal claims being made on the grounds of harassment.”
The report made 10 recommendations, including the need for decisive steps to eliminate sexist, misogynistic or discriminatory language “even where it is disguised as banter or jokes” and to improve promotion prospects for control room staff, who are currently not allowed to apply for positions elsewhere in the service.
Mr Shilton has now released a statement committing AFRS to tackling the issues.
He said: “At Avon Fire & Rescue Service, we are fully committed to continuously improving the working culture and the quality of services we provide to the communities we serve.
“In response to concerns regarding workplace culture, inappropriate behaviour, and strained relationships within our control and communications department, our professional standards board requested an independent advisory review.
“This review was also initiated in response to the 2023 findings from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, which identified key areas within our service that required improvement.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to driving positive change within Avon Fire & Rescue Service, we engaged directly with our colleagues in the control centre through six staff engagement sessions.
“These sessions provided invaluable opportunities to listen to and understand their experiences, allowing us to identify specific areas for improvement.
“Following the findings of the report, we have consulted with staff and worked closely with the teams at fire control.
“In liaison with them, we have developed a staff-led action plan aimed at addressing the concerns raised and fostering a more positive and supportive working environment.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that all staff in our control and communications team feel valued, supported, and heard.
“While the majority of our staff are highly engaged and fulfilled in their roles, we recognise that there are areas where we can continue to improve.
“We are working towards delivering our action plan, and positive changes are already taking shape.
“Our leadership team is fully committed to driving this transformation, and we are passionate about creating an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to the success of the service.
“We remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of service and are determined to take the necessary steps to cultivate a workplace culture that genuinely reflects the values we stand for.
“We are confident that the actions we are implementing will drive meaningful change, laying the foundation for a stronger, more cohesive team, not just within our control and communications teams , but across Avon Fire & Rescue Service as a whole.”
Mr Shilton is retiring this spring and will be replaced by current West Sussex deputy chief fire officer Matt Cook.