Message from Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling:
"We have made significant improvements over the last 15 years in equality and diversity progress, which has resulted in the achievement of the Excellent Level of the Fire and Rescue Service Equality Framework in 2010.
Some organisations tend to pick up badges as part of some kind of corporate ego trip but West Yorkshire isn’t like that. These achievements reflect something more fundamental about the way we do business through our relationship with the workforce, and our understanding and respect of, and for, the communities we serve.
Equality and diversity are embedded in our Community Risk Management Strategy and Service Plan for 2011-15, ensuring that we target the most vulnerable members of our diverse community and continue "Making West Yorkshire Safer".
The country's present economic state will create a fundamental change in the way all public services operate over the next few years. However I'm committed to ensuring that we continue to maintain the Excellent Level for equality and diversity".
Meeting Our Equality Duties 2011-2015 (PDF Document - Opens in a new window) (PDF 9.3mb)
The general and specific duties of the Equality Act 2010 require West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) to publish equality objectives by the 6 April 2012. The advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission suggests that equality objectives should be an integral part of the business plan and as supporting delivery of it.
We would like to present WYFRS’s Equality and Diversity Action Plan 2012 - 2013 (735.08kb) (PDF Document - Opens in a new window). This should be read in conjunction with our Service Plan 2011/15 (Opens in a new window).
While there is no explicit legal requirement under the general duty to engage with people from the nine protected characteristics WYFRS acknowledges the importance of an adequate evidence base for any decisions we make. Engagement with the community and our employees is a continuous process and evidence/data is used to tailor the services we provide and employment practices we introduce. WYFRS’s priorities are our most vulnerable communities who are at risk from fire, fire related injuries and road traffic incidents.
Examples of outcomes achieved for the community and employees can be found in our Meeting Our Equality Duties 2011-2015 (PDF Document - Opens in a new window) (pdf 9.3mb) publication
In addition to on-going consultation with all our employees we have worked with the following communities in West Yorkshire over the past 3 years:
- substance misusers;
- older people;
- people with traumatic brain injury and physical disability;
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual groups;
- Transgender groups;
- people with dementia and their carers;
- agencies, professionals and carers of people with dementia;
- Black and Minority Ethnic groups re dementia support services;
- young drama students with particular focus on Road Safety;
- focus groups with older people on the development of fire and road safety messages;
- older people as expert advisors in a project to produce educational older persons DVDs;
- People with Leaning Difficulties; Gypsy and Travellers;
- the Sikh community;
- SureStart Centres and Primary Schools targeting new mothers;
- the Polish community on fire and road safety;
- the Asian community on fire safety in the home;
- Engaging young people through a boxing initiative
If you require further information please contact Kym Brearley, Corporate Diversity Officer on Telephone: 01274 655815 or Email: Kym.Brearley@westyorksfire.gov.uk
