Here at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue we want to offer you a career where you feel welcome, whether that is as a frontline firefighter, in one of our many corporate roles, as a cadet or as a volunteer. We work to actively break the stereotypical view of our roles, from firefighter to control operator. To help with this work we:
- Work to promote equality in relation to all protected characteristics in line with the Equality Act 2010 and provide training to all staff on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Run positive action initiatives, such as ‘Have a Go Days’ and ‘Female Fitness’ sessions – which provide an insight to underrepresented groups into what it takes to become a firefighter
- Are a Disability Confident Employer, we encourage applications from people with a disability and offer reasonable adjustments
- Are committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation by supporting the actions from the Race Equality Commission report
- Run and attend a diverse range of events, including Black History Month, Pride, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, International Women’s and Men’s Day, as well as celebrating a range of faith & belief events throughout the year
- Develop strong relationships with a variety of South Yorkshire community groups, to ensure we are providing the correct support to our diverse region
- Value the power of neurodiversity, through our Neurodiversity Handbook for all staff and gaining site-wide access to Read & Write Gold
Our staff are able to create change and provide support through our staff groups/networks:
- Disability, Carers and Neurodiversity Staff Group
- Faith and Belief Staff Group
- LGBT Staff Group
- Race Staff Network
- Women’s Staff Group
- Age Staff Group
- Pregnancy & Parenting Staff Group
We are also very proud to have run a number of successful and popular campaigns in recent years, celebrating the diversity of our organisation:
- Family – Black History Month
- Women of Fire – International Women’s Day
- Black History Celebration 2024
- Fires don’t discriminate, neither do we
- Anyone can be anything
- Firefighter dads
- Inclusion is for Everyone
If you would like to find out more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, contact Lesley Hayhurst (People Partner for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) LHayhurst@syfire.gov.uk