South Yorkshire's chief fire officer responds to 'bullying and harassment' report

Chief fire officer Chris Kirby, said it made “difficult reading” and vowed to implement improvements where appropriate. He commented following a report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on values and culture in the fire service nationally.

It said there were allegations of racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviour in 11 of the 44 services - but would not name them because allegations were made in confidence. Those who spoke to inspectors likened the fire service to a "boys' club" and said they felt unable to report bad behaviour for fear of reprisal.

Mr Kirby added: “It shouldn’t need saying - but there is absolutely no place for the negative behaviour and attitudes described in the report in any modern workplace.

“We have clear policies in place on bullying, harassment and discrimination and regularly work with staff networks and representative bodies to improve these. We also have a well-established set of staff behaviours which we expect all our people to follow.

“But we must never be complacent. That’s why we will be reviewing this new report in detail and looking to implement improvements to our own service where appropriate. We aspire to be a great place to work where everyone can be themselves. We will be using the findings of this report to further support our work towards this.”

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services independently assesses and reports on the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services.

Roy Wilsher, HMICFRS inspector, said he was "shocked and appalled" by the findings and urged the sector to "get a grip" on how it handles misconduct matters.

He added: "He said: “Our findings shine a light on deeply troubling bullying and harassment in fire and rescue services across the country – and I fear this could be just the tip of the iceberg. Firefighters can be called upon to do an incredibly difficult job. They should be able to trust each other implicitly, just as the public need to be able to trust them."