Independent reports into North Wales and Mid and West Wales fire and rescue services have revealed the extent of failures in senior management.
Mid and West Wales service was described as a ‘boys club’, with nearly half of survey respondents reporting personal experiences with bullying and harassment in the service since June 2021.
Firefighters reported a ‘culture of fear and mistrust’. Bullying and harassment remains "widespread" in North Wales fire service: 42% of survey respondents reporting personal experiences since June 2021. Nepotism was found to be rife, with reports of intimidation and abuses of power from senior leaders.
Days before the publication, North Wales deputy chief Stewart Forshaw was suspended pending investigation into an allegedly homophobic social media post.
Gareth Tovey, FBU executive council member for Wales called for action “to tackle misogyny in both services” in response to findings that 10% of women reported experiencing sexual harassment in Mid and West Wales service.
Fire services in Wales are in desperate need of lasting change at the top, and the Welsh government must listen to the voice of the frontline.” he said. “We cannot expect the same leaderships who have presided over these problems to solve them – and the FBU is ready to play a leading role in transforming our service”
Ben Selby, FBU assistant general secretary, highlighted that these reports are not isolated. Fire service leaders are failing to protect workforces across the UK” he said. “We need to transform how fire services are run, with professional standards to hold services to account.”
