London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Fire services: Shocking bullying and abuse widespread, report says

Fire services: Shocking bullying and abuse widespread, report says

Staff at a quarter of fire and rescue services in England have reported alleged racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour in their ranks in the past five years, inspectors say.

Their report found bullying allegations in all services - and inspectors say this could be "the tip of the iceberg".

Cases include male firefighters telling a colleague they would rape her and a senior officer using a racial slur.

The government called the findings "deeply concerning".

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) independently assesses and reports on the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services.

The watchdog's Roy Wilsher said he was "shocked and appalled" by the findings and urged the sector to "get a grip" on how it handles misconduct matters.

Last year, the inspectorate placed fire services in London and Gloucestershire in special measures, amid complaints of racism, misogyny and bullying.

The inspectorate looked at the values and culture of all 44 fire and rescue services in England, and drew on evidence collected during inspections since 2018.

Its report said there were allegations of racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour in 11 of these - but said it would not name them because allegations were made in confidence and some incidents were ongoing.

Those who spoke to inspectors likened the fire service to a "boys' club" and said they felt unable to report bad behaviour for fear of reprisal.

One feared their "card would be marked" if they complained about offensive behaviour; another described it as "career suicide".

In one reported incident, male firefighters used the women's on-site toilets, but female colleagues did not feel confident challenging the behaviour.

Inspectors were also told of staff being humiliated for making mistakes during training sessions and being shouted down by senior staff.

One senior officer allegedly threatened to "make life hell" for a firefighter who complained about a racist comment.

The report also highlighted there was no obligation for staff to undergo background checks and called for changes to the recruitment procedure. It makes 35 recommendations, including:

*  appropriate background checks on all firefighters and staff

*  the introduction of new misconduct standards including a national list of barred personnel

*  better systems to help staff raise concerns

Roy Wilsher, from the inspectorate, said: "Firefighters can be called upon to do an incredibly difficult job. They should be able to trust each other implicitly, just as the public need to be able to trust them.

"Unfortunately our findings show this is not always the case. Instead, we found trust and respect is too often replaced with derogatory, bullying behaviour, often excused as banter."

The report found the fire service to be the least ethnically diverse workforce in the public sector, adding that the sector has made the least progress in achieving diversity.

"The majority of fire and rescue staff act with integrity and we are in no doubt of their dedication to the public," said Mr Wilsher.

But he said he had assumed such actions belonged to "the dim and distant past" and told firefighters it was "time for this behaviour to stop".

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), welcomed the report's acknowledgement of "the scale of the problem" and promised the union would "take a leading role" in transforming its culture.

"It is clear, both from our experience and from the contents of this report, that the failure to address discrimination and harassment in the service goes right to the top," said Mr Wrack.

The government department responsible for fire and rescue services described the findings as "deeply concerning" and promised to address the issues, alongside the Inspectorate and fire chiefs.

"We want to see fire and rescue services where everyone is welcome, treated with respect and able to thrive," said a Home Office official.

Last week, a report by Baroness Louise Casey called the Metropolitan Police, the UK's biggest police force, institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic - and said a "boys' club" culture was rife .

Its commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, admitted they had let Londoners down and said the findings were brutal.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×