By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Progress in making Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service more diverse has been slower than leaders would like.
The service is asking under-represented groups what is stopping them from joining as part of a ten-year plan to recruit from all areas of society.
There has been some success in recruiting more diverse staff over the last decade.
The latest figures show the percentage of firefighters who are women has doubled, from five per cent in 2013 to over 10 per cent in 2023.
The service’s staff from ethnic minority backgrounds have risen from three to six per cent.
Staff who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has risen from two per cent to four per cent. No specific numbers for the total number of staff were available.
The new recruitment plan launched in March with an analysis of diversity across Nottinghamshire, so the service can set meaningful targets for each area.
A meeting of the Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority committee on Friday (April 26) discussed the plan.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Leila Berry told the meeting: “It’s been no secret that the sector has faced challenges nationally and locally, particularly within the firefighter cohort.
“Progress has been encouraging but slower than we would like.”
Focus groups will be held in Nottingham to discuss perspectives about the Fire and Rescue service, and what is stopping people from joining.
Committee chair Councillor Michael Payne (Lab) said: “It’s a critical area where we need to stretch and be ambitious. We need to hold the mirror up and challenge ourselves.
“Emergency services need the trust of communities and be reflective of them if they are to be relevant.”
Chief Fire Office Craig Parkin agreed the force needed to “stop the boom and bust” – where diverse staff are seconded to the service and later leave.
“The sector has had a lot of negative press. We are working hard to instil the confidence in communities,” he added.
Disabilities are the only diversity area which was less represented in Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue’s staff than a decade ago, falling from six to four per cent.
The committee was told the reason for this wasn’t clear, although people may be reluctant to recognise their conditions as a disability.
The service says it has significantly increased provision for disabled employees during that time.
Councillor Richard Butler (Con) said there had been good progress, noting: “The report says pace is slow but it’s not bad-looking in terms of percentages.”
