Paul Brand’s excellent reporting for ITV News, which the service tried to stop at every stage.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service’s response to ITV’s original report and to the resulting review do not give hope of change.
Initially, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service Chief Ben Ansell said, “I don’t accept that we have a problem.” Now, they fully accept all the recommendations of the resulting review that found their culture misogynistic. Ben Ansell either didn’t understand the culture of the service he runs, or he still doesn’t think there is much of a problem. D&W Fire Service spent £50,000 trying to stop Paul Brand’s report and then tried to change the wording in the resulting review.
“One male officer was offered money by a male colleague to stir a female colleague’s tea with his genitals.”
Rebecca Knox, Chair of Authority, told an authority meeting, “..that despite the claims, it ought to be remembered that the vast majority of staff were “good people, working hard and do a good job.” I don’t buy that excuse firefighters who witness abusive behaviour and do nothing are not ‘good people,” they are cowards. Perhaps they’ll change if the women sue. Not one apology has been made to the female staff. Worse, it’s thought, the culture is service-wide.
#FirefightingCowards @paulbrandITV
