24 May 2007
A West Yorkshire equality champion was today commended by Fire Services Minister, Angela Smith.
Maria Tonks has been the brigade’s Equality and Diversity Manager since July 2006 and is in the forefront of a pan-European project aimed at improving diversity awareness and training across the emergency services.
Among the organisations she works alongside are the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, the Metropolitan Police and the Swedish Rescue Services Agency.
Mrs. Tonks, who lives in Swinton, South Yorkshire, was singled out for praise by the minister in the first Fire and Rescue Service Equality and Diversity Awards - which were announced today at the annual Fire Conference in Birmingham.
West Yorkshire’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Allan Hughes explained that in addition to raising the county’s profile within Europe as being a pioneering player in the diversity arena, Maria’s work would lead to the development of specific training programmes which could be piloted locally to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of under-represented groups into the fire service.
“We have been making steady progress in recent years towards building a workforce which more closely reflects the community we serve but there are still barriers to be broken down in terms of the perception of firefighting as predominantly a preserve for white men,” he said.
* Since January, West Yorkshire has been singled out nationally for both its work in raising awareness of firefighting as a career option for women and for its commitment to equality for lesbian and gay staff.Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Accessibility | Access Keys | Search Site