Barriers to engagement

1. Apart from a general lack of visibility of the Fire Service, there were more specific instances of the absence of representation of individuals with protected characteristics within NFRS. Women respondents, in particular, felt this reflected the Fire Service's lack of intent to diversify its workforce. One respondent cited a community event where the Fire Service was represented by four white men, with no women or racially minoritised groups present. The optics at such a diverse event suggested to attendees that not everyone was truly welcome to join.
2. Additionally, there is a lack of visibility of other roles within NFRS that might appeal to those uninterested in traditional firefighter duties, portrayed as extinguishing fires and attending serious road traffic accidents. Many respondents were surprised to learn about the range of jobs within the Fire Service and deliberated why they had never seen them advertised.

Young people (aged 14- 25 mixed genders and ethnicities)

1. 1. Young people reported that they, along with their families and friends, typically seek jobs through job centres and employment agencies, where they have never seen Fire Service vacancies advertised. They also noted that the Fire Service had a limited presence on social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, where they primarily source information.
  2. Many young people commented on the scarcity of UK-based programmes or adverts focusing on the Fire Service. In contrast, several crime/policing, hospital, and ambulance service dramas, and documentaries keep the police and ambulance services at the forefront of people's minds. Respondents asserted that these programmes show the human side of these services, making them more relatable. This also explains why 28.6%of young people perceived the Ambulance Service as being more attractive than the Fire Service.

New and Emerging Communities

1. 1. Several factors impact refugees' engagement with the Fire Service. Kurdish women from Nergiz and Arab women from the Heya Group identified language as the most significant barrier. Despite their qualifications i.e., engineers, doctors, teachers, pharmacists, the English language barriers limit their ability to access information about the Fire Service and navigate the recruitment process.
  2. The groups said the Fire Service should employ individuals who are multi-lingual. They felt this was particularly important given the diverse demographics of Nottingham and the significant number of minority groups affected by fires. This would have a significant impact on enabling them to engage.
  3. This group stated that childcare was more of a barrier to engagement than their religion.
  4. Arab women, in particular, expressed comfort with working in male-dominated environments, citing familiarity with such settings from their home countries. They expressed a desire to engage with the profession to challenge and dismantle the barriers and negative perceptions often perpetuated by the media.

African Muslim Men

1. 1. Many respondents spoke about the institutional and systemic obstructions preventing them from accessing this profession despite being graduates with undergraduate and master’s degrees. Barriers include a lack of awareness about the various roles in the Fire Service and lack of information on the pay and benefits. I was told by the Iman that, to his knowledge, the Fire Service had never visited or engaged with the Mosque, and if they were so inclined, they would have access to a number of fathers and their children.
  2. African Muslim men expressed that it was important for them to apply for jobs that were easily accessible. However, they found the overall firefighter recruitment process to be off-putting due to the lengthy time it takes to complete.
  3. A quote from a respondent is as follows: “Migrants subconsciously class themselves into roles they want to go into, and the Fire and Police are not high on the agenda. This may be because the process to apply for these roles is too lengthy and migrants need to work in order to pay for their residency fees.”
  4. We were informed that roles necessitating a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check could pose challenges, especially due to difficulties in obtaining timely information from abroad. Additionally, individuals cannot afford to wait for months for these checks to be finalised.
  5. Having permanent legal status was also a barrier as this aspect of the process can take up to 10 years.
  6. Whilst language was not an issue as they all spoke fluent English, many perceived their African accent to be a barrier to employment.

Women (mixed ethnicities)

1. 1. We spoke to a number of women’s groups as part of this review but also targeted a women’s network at the local authority and Juno / Nottingham Women’s Aid - a specialist organisation for women. Whilst a lack of awareness of the firefighter and support roles was a key stumbling block to engagement, there were a number of other factors that impact the engagement of women and girls with the Fire Service.
  2. Some women talked about gender stereotypes and societal / familial norms which often dictate perceptions of suitable career paths for women.
  3. Others thought they might be attracted to the role if more emphasis was put on the preventive and protective element of the role and the softer skills required when dealing with people at an emergency scene.
  4. Women expressed concerns about the shift pattern as they understood it consisted of recurrent 2 days and 2 nights and how this might impact family life, especially those with young children.
  5. A respondent who had applied to join the service as a firefighter withdrew her application when she was informed that that the training sessions were 12-hour days, and the training venue was a substantial distance outside of Nottingham.
  6. There were some concerns about the uniform in terms of how heavy it was and how well it would fit a woman’s body.
  7. One of the biggest barriers for women was of being in the minority and not fitting in. They also talked about working in a macho environment and being the butt of inappropriate humour, passed off as banter. Most of the women who we spoke to had heard about the misogyny and racism within some of the other Fire Services and this was a distinct barrier to employment as in their view these issues had not been addressed nor denied by the NFRS.
    “As a child I admired the Fire Service and thought of them as heroes. This could have been down to the programmes on children's TV. As an adult, I see a lot of shocking reports of misogyny, abuse of females, and degrading females, which has shone a light on the Fire Service. I recognise that this may be in the operational roles, but it could be endemic.”
  8. The lack of role models and representation of women, especially in leadership positions, was a further barrier and exacerbated some concerns from the women and girls who were graduates or already advanced in middle management roles in other occupations.
  9. The wider perception that when on stand-by firefighters ‘sleep, play snooker and eat roast dinners’ was another barrier for women who wanted to work in a modern progressive environment.
  10. A female respondent acknowledged hearing adverts on Black radio channels such as Kemet FM but the majority had not come across much communication or messaging from the Fire Service, whether it concerned recruitment, dispelling myths or responding to negative stories in the news.
  11. This may be another contributory factor in just 0.87% of the respondents considering working in the fire service as a career, with 25.2% citing the Ambulance Service as a preferred option or 15.3% preferring the Police force.

Muslim Women

1. 1. Grenfell Tower and the advice provided by the Fire Service for residents to stay put meant that many of them ended up losing their lives. One person pointed out that there was little to no reassurance, clarification or ‘balancing’ communication from NFRS at this time (or since then), and so the risk of listening to the Fire Service and the consequent ability to trust it, still weighed heavily on their mind.
  2. A young women told us that as a hijab wearer she would worry that her scarf would be a health and safety risk, although she had heard that there is a Muslim hijab wearing firefighter in another Fire Service.
  3. Fitness was fundamentally mentioned as being a potential barrier to engagement. A respondent informed us that in their culture, they are concerned about girls being modest in their actions/activities, and some parents would not support girls to do physical activities that might be dangerous.
  4. Both community and family perceptions can serve as barriers to engagement, although the perception of the Fire Service has changed for the positive amongst some of the younger generation of Muslim women.
    “Firefighters are very close; they are like a family, and this may put some people off”. (Asian woman).

African Caribbean - Windrush Generation

1. 1. Some of the senior Caribbeans that we met at Feel Good Gold, Patra and ACNA particularly those from the Windrush generation, explained that they encountered significant racism, discrimination, and restricted employment opportunities when they arrived in the late 1940’s to early 1970’s. These negative experiences fostered barriers to professions like firefighting.
  2. Additionally, cultural and language differences / accent posed significant challenges. Their accent and the unfamiliarity with British systems made it difficult for many Caribbeans to access anything but the most basic of jobs often unskilled and in factories.
  3. Moreover, their prior skills and experiences including emergency response training, call handling, driving etc from their home countries, often went unrecognised, further hindering their career progression.
  4. Senior Caribbeans noted that the lack of visible diversity and absence of Caribbean individuals in leadership roles within the Fire Service dissuaded them from encouraging their children or grandchildren to pursue these careers. This also negatively affected their perception of the Fire Service as an employer of choice.

African Caribbean Men

1. 1. A respondent who had heard NFRS communications on a Black radio station said they sounded like ‘a public announcement’ and were not particularly engaging or designed to draw the listener in or inspire them to action.
  2. Another felt communication from the NFRS came across as quite colonial in nature and not as an organisation reaching out to a unified (Nottinghamshire) community. As one person put it, “they still use ‘Commonwealth Models’ to communicate with minorities,” forgetting that potential recruits are two or three generations away from that; so as born and bred British, they should be communicated to along those lines.
  3. A further contributor noted, if you don’t see anyone like you in the role, it becomes a blockage, and you look elsewhere. Also, some people may see the role as elitist and that “we won’t fit in”.

African Caribbean Community Groups

1. 1. A number of community groups such as Patra, Chayah, ACNA, advised that the Police Service had approached them to advertise job vacancies through their networks. The Police also engaged with the community to discuss qualification requirements and were willing to offer alternative pathways to the profession if qualifications posed a barrier. Unfortunately, it was reported that the Fire Service had not shown the same level of preparedness to engage with the community in a similar manner.
  2. A respondent informed us that a few years ago they had asked the Fire Service to take on a trainee, but the Fire Service felt that this was too costly. The respondents said the following: “They make excuses that Black people aren't qualified to do the roles, yet our universities are packed with Black people. It is insulting to think that our communities can't get through because we are underqualified or can't swim.”

African Caribbean Women

1. 1. A respondent advised that when she was considering her options at school, it was customary for young Black women to be encouraged to join the NHS as nurses rather than pursue a career in a profession like the Fire Service.
  2. Additionally, family members typically did not encourage young Black Caribbean women to consider careers in the Fire Service, and the absence of role models from a young age further contributed to their reluctance.
  3. Concerns about uniform modesty also played a role; slim-fitting t-shirts tucked into trousers, though necessary for fire safety, were seen as conflicting with the cultural standards of modesty.
  4. Religious beliefs also featured in some of our discussions with African Caribbean women such as the inability for some to work on specific days, Saturday or Sunday and the need for flexibility in prayer times. There was a sense that due to the emergency nature of the Fire Service, it could make it difficult for some individuals to balance their religious obligations alongside their professional duties. "Due to religious beliefs, there may be certain days that you cannot work and there is no flexibility for prayer time or not working on special religious days.
  5. Historical discrimination and negative accounts from older family members about the barriers they encountered while seeking professional roles in the UK have instilled a belief among some African Caribbean women that they do not belong in these settings, citing:
    1. The absence of any female role models from the African Caribbean community.
    2. Being subject to inappropriate humour and offensive language both within and outside the workplace.
    3. The absence of racially minoritised role models from the African Caribbean community and mentors in the Fire Service exacerbates these issues.
    4. The underrepresentation of Black Caribbean women in leadership positions leads to a lack of visible role models, impacting their confidence and discouraging them from considering firefighting as a viable career.
  6. Many women highlighted the cultural stigma and stereotypes surrounding firefighting as a male-dominated profession, which further dissuades them. Concerns about fitting into the culture at a fire station, and the endemic perception of being subject to inappropriate humour, offensive language and racism within the workplace and when serving the community were also significant factors mentioned, reinforcing the cultural and societal barriers, some women face.

LGBTQ+ Network

1. 1. There is a clear call from the LGBTQ+ Network for the Fire Service to be more inclusive and engaging. Accessibility is key—this means ensuring that recruitment processes are open and welcoming to LGBTQ+ individuals, and that facilities and policies are designed to accommodate diverse needs. Addressing sexism within the Fire Service is crucial.
  2. Stories of women fire fighters balancing work and life, with supportive policies, such as flexible schedules and parental leave, will show it is possible to thrive in both this career and their personal life.
  3. For transgender individuals, there's a need for respect and sensitivity, recognising the contentious history they have had with the Fire Service.
  4. Racially minoritised members said that awareness of minority groups and their specific cultural needs is essential. i.e., cooking styles, usage of lamps, and lights.

5.13 Malawian Women

1. 1. The Malawian women who participated in this process relayed similar experiences to those of other racial minority groups and women. However, unlike in the Caribbean and the Gambia, one respondent explained that in Malawi, “swimming is not a common recreational activity for women, as it is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa, with limited swimming facilities”. Learning to swim in order to become a firefighter was not a pressing issue for the women in the scope and consequently would be seen as a particular barrier to engagement.
  2. We were informed that many Malawian women had two or three jobs to make ends meet and pay for their residency. They therefore applied for roles in areas that were easy to access regardless of whether they were overqualified or not. The length of time taken to do DBS checks in some organisations is however also a barrier.
  3. We were told that Malawian women found engaging with public sector organisations exhausting, costly, and stressful. This left them with little time or inclination to engage with organisations like the Fire Service.
  4. This group also reinforced that the length of time for the recruitment process was also a barrier, plus not knowing if their overseas qualifications would be acceptable.