Contrast colour high contrast | A A A |  |  Privacy & Cookie Policy |  Site Map
DFRS Logo Fire Kills Dorset Fire and Rescue Service

    working in partnership to make Dorset safer

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Removing barriers, embracing difference, adding value

People in Dorset want us to provide services which are accessible to all sections of our communities, prevent fatal fires and protect those who are most at risk. The following information is about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and allows you to get involved and to provide us with valuable feedback.  The Dorset Fire Authority (DFA) and Staff are committed to:

We have placed equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. In November 2012 we were assessed as meeting the “Excellent” or “Gold Standard” level of the Equality Framework by independent Peer Assessors - the first Fire Service in the South West to do so and one of only two local authorities in the South West at this level. 
 
To find out more click on the Excellent Icon.
Meeting the needs of different groups who share protected characteristics
 
Everyone has different needs but some groups within our society who share protected characteristics have specific requirements. We try to ensure that we identify risk factors for vulnerable people and address these in our operational work and within the workplace.
 
You can find out information about our work with people with protected characteristics within Meeting our Equality Duties Report 2013.

An Excellent Service

In November 2012 we were the first fire service in the South West and one of only two local authorities in the region awarded the “Excellent” or “Gold Standard” level of the Equality Framework.
 
Our Equality framework sets out five performance areas:
  • Knowing your communities 
  • Leadership, partnership and service commitment
  • Community engagement and satisfaction
  • Responsive services
  • A skilled and committed workforce.
Each of the five performance areas has a number of linked elements which encourage fire and rescue services to progress through.
 
Services are assessed and awarded one of three achievement levels; developing, achieving and excellent.
  
For a number of years we have been working hard to ensure the services we provide to the people of Dorset supports their needs and targets the most vulnerable. To measure our progress, we have compared our position against the National Equality Framework. 
 
However achieving the final level of the Equality Framework is not an end in itself but a national benchmark with which to judge our progress in improving outcomes for our communities and staff.

Fire Chief Darran Gunter said:
 
“Following a three day Peer Review Visit Dorset Fire and Rescue Service has been accredited to the highest, Excellent Standard. This standard is only held by a handful of other Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) and is a real credit to all Staff and Fire Authority Members and a huge assurance for our communities”.
 
The Fire and Rescue Service Equality Framework (FRSEF), produced by the Local Government Agency (LGA) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), is a bespoke version of the Equality Framework for Local Government that recognises and addresses the inclusion objectives that are a priority for FRS’.
 
Click on the following link to read the final Peer Review Report against the Excellent Level of the Fire and Rescue Services Equality Framework.
 
You can read more about the FRSEF by visiting the Local Governments Improvement and Development website.
 

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs)

EIAs allow us to assess the impact of our services by helping us to identify, remedy or mitigate any adverse impacts of our decisions or services on the communities we serve or our staff. Our EIAs take into account all nine “protected characteristics” as a matter of course:
  • disability
  • race
  • gender Reassignment
  • religion or belief
  • age
  • sexual orientation
  • sex/gender
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity.
For more informaion, see an introduction into Equality Impact Assessmens.  Within this section you can also review our Quarterly EIA reports.

How can I get involved with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service?

We consult communities on a regular basis through the publication of our Community Safety Plan, the Dorset Equality Partnership and ad hoc Focus Groups.
 
Find out more aobut how to get involved in reviewing an EIAs by visiting our Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) webpage.

Getting to know local communities, service users, volunteers and staff

Local communities

At a county and local level, we produce detailed community profiles about the people and places of Dorset which include statistical data on characteristics such as gender, age, race, religion, and disability.
 
We analyse national and local data to find out which groups in our communities are most vulnerable and at risk in terms of fire and road traffic collisions. We add to this local information about risks and monitor the number of accidental dwelling fires. We use ‘Action Committees’ where trends or issues are recognized.

We get to know our communities through initiatives, such as: 

  • open days at our fire stations 
  • safety education programmes for young people
  • attendance at community events and 
  • visits to individual households to offer home safety advice.

As well as looking at communities on a geographical basis we also research the needs of different groups including those with protected characteristics. This approach helps us to understand how to engage with these groups and meet their needs.

Partnerships
We have a number of partnerships with other local authorities, agencies and community groups. Working with partners helps us to engage with communities and meet their diverse needs. 

Service users
We use incident data, debriefs and surveys to identify who uses our services, which groups of people are most or least likely to use them in the future, and to get feedback about how satisfied they are with the Service they receive. All of this information is published on this website as part of the Community Safety Plan.

Our Staff and Volunteers
In addition to monitoring the composition of our workforce, we seek and listen to the views of our staff and volunteers through regular staff meetings, volunteer “Face2face days”, focus groups and surveys.

Setting Objectives and priorities

Knowing about the people living in the communities we serve and the people who work for us helps us to set the right objectives and priorities.
 
Our planning process ensures the information we gather about the communities, service users and our own staff is used to form the direction the organisation takes.

To make decisions we:
  • analyse the information gathered to identify those most at risk and where action is needed to improve service delivery
  • set objectives and priorities (within our community Safety Plan) to protect the most vulnerable members of the community or to take action to meet the needs of different groups of people
  • consult with various communities through the Integrated Risk Management Plans (IRMP)
  • complete impact assessments and ensure elected Members of the Authority are aware of the impact before final decisions are made.
We also ensure that equality considerations are an integral part of our decision making process, with Equality impact assessments (EIA’s) being carried out on all our key proposals before any new procedures are introduced.

Hate Crime

This section seems out of place after reading the above sections. You may wan to consider moving this to the end by the Two Ticks write up.
 
Everyone has the right to live free from fear, prejudice and violence, regardless of their race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other difference.
 
What is a hate crime?
A hate crime is any incident where you or someone else has been targeted because they or you are believed to be different, or it is any incident you believe was motivated by:
  • race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins 
  • religion or faith - gender or gender identity 
  • sexual orientation or sexual identity 
  • disability.
Hate crimes may include: 
  • verbal or written abuse
  • harassment or intimidation
  • damage to property
  • assault
  • offensive texts or emails.
Why is it important to report hate crimes?
It’s really important if you have experienced a hate crime, or if you have witnessed an incident, that you report it.
 
By reporting hate crimes you can explain what help you need and in turn you can help us work out if there are problem areas and how we can improve our services to combat hate crime.
 
Who should report hate crime?
You should report hate crime if you:
  • are the victim
  • have witnessed an incident
  • know someone who is the victim of hate crime.
How to report hate crime 
Any hate crime is a priority. No hate crime is too minor to report. Anyone can be the victim of a hate crime. We all have a racial identity, a sexual orientation, and some sort of beliefs. Any one of us could be targeted because of some aspect of our identity. Tackling hate crime supports each and every one of us.
 
Hate crime can be confusing and frightening. By reporting it, you may be able to prevent these crimes from happening to someone else. You can report hate crime online or in an emergency phone call to the police on 999 or in a non emergency on 101.
 
You can also view the British Sign Language Video on how to report a hate crime.
 
If you do not feel able to report a hate crime directly to the police, you can also report it to one of our organised walk-in hate crime reporting centres:
You can phone in to report a Hate crime by calling any of the following numbers:
  • If you live in Poole you can call the Poole Council’s Community Safety Team on 01202 633438
  • Access Dorset supports anyone living in Dorset to talk to the police on 01202 771336
  • Victim Support has a telephone reporting line on 01202 606200
  • Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
  • Dorchester Citizen's Advice Centre on 0845 231 0400
  • Weymouth College call 01305 761100
  • Dorset Race Equality Council (for race related hate crimes/incidents) call 01202 553003 or email enquiries@dorsetrec.org.uk.

Evaluating our performance

Understanding people's needs and expectations and our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion helps us improve performance.
 
We measure performance in a number of ways. Firstly we measure outcomes, such as; the number of fires attended. We have seen improvement in performance over recent years and this is set out in our annual Community Safety Plan.
 
We also ask people how well we performed when they have needed to use our services. We benchmark ourselves against national standards to monitor, evaluate and continually improve our performance in diversity practice.
 
Two Ticks Disability Scheme
We are members of the Disability Two Ticks scheme. This scheme has been set up by Jobcentre Plus and means that any applicant with a disability who meets the “essential” criteria for a job within the Service is guaranteed an interview. We also meet high standards for our proactive approach and positive commitment towards the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees.
 
Human Rights
Human Rights refers to the “basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.”
The Human Rights Act 1998 sets a minimum set of standards which we need to meet for us to build within our communities, a wider society based on fairness and respect.

Human Rights are not only about protecting a particular group or individual, they are about providing a practical framework to protect the rights of everyone.
 
The Human Rights Act also sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms all individuals in the UK have access to. They include:
We have ensured these principles become embedded through the Service and incorporating human rights into the EIA process