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Recommendations Made To Improve How Nottingham’s Diverse Communities View NFRS

Posted on 27 September 2024

This summer, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) invited Anita Davies from 'In2People' to conduct a ‘listening and learning’ exercise on how some of Nottingham's communities view the organisation.  

The work explored key themes around perception, barriers, accessibility, and engagement with NFRS. Anita's work focused on women and racially minoritised groups in Nottingham City, as well as young people. She spoke to over 400 people through questionnaires, focus groups and one-to-ones. People's comments were taken at face value to produce a report of recommendations to the Service.

Key perceptions of the 'firefighter' role included:

  • Only certain types of people get through
  • Long shift
  • Limited knowledge of the qualifications required
  • No clear pathway to management
  • Masculine environment

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service are now working on proposals based on the recommendations made by the In2People report, covering the following themes:

  • Leadership
  • Culture Change
  • Recruitment Process and Policy
  • Targets and Governance
  • Public Relations and Marketing

It is hoped that this work will help the Service improve the way it is represented in the community, enhance service delivery and help us to become a more attractive and accessible employer for city residents.

The findings were shared with internal Staff Network leads in August, and will be presented to the Combined Fire Authority's Human Resources Committee on Friday 8 November. 

The Chief Fire Officer will personally be meeting with community groups before Christmas to further discuss their perspectives, and NFRS are hosting 'Have A Go' Days with interested groups.

This work links to the fire service’s ‘Understanding Our Communities’ project, which is being progressed in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, and the Office for National Statistics' (ONS), proactively using community data to help them target their work more effectively.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service tries to provide communities with lots of information about careers, including frequently asked questions for potential firefighter candidates. If you want to know more about the work NFRS does, you can find regular updates on social media. 

To register an interest in becoming a firefighter, complete the online form