Case Study: Occupational Segregation - Avon Fire and Rescue Service

In October 2006 Avon Fire and Rescue Service hosted a two-day conference, Women as Leaders in the Fire and Rescue Service – Changing Rules, Roles and Reality. The conference featured prominent speakers from a diverse background, including Ministers, trade union representatives, senior women managers and leading fire officers from the UK, Europe and the USA.

The conference examined the issues faced by women in the workplace, from the incident ground to the boardroom and provided an in-depth insight into how women were becoming leaders in traditionally male dominated environments.

Avon’s high-tech South West Command Development Centre facility provided simulated scenarios to give women an insight into the skills required for ‘incident command’. Workshops explored current debates such as the value of recruiting staff from non-emergency service backgrounds and whether incident command training was a necessary requirement for senior managers in the emergency services.

170 people attended the conference, 54% were women. A report highlighting the main recommendations was sent to the Minister for Fire and Resilience in the Department of Communities and Local Government. The report was also circulated to all Chief Fire Officers.

Since the Conference, the Chief Fire Officers Association has initiated a national horizon scanning debate on gender diversity within the fire service. It has also established a Senior Women’s Networking Group.

The Fire Service College is also running more incident command development programmes which will enable senior officers to engage successfully in the strategic management of operational incidents, even if they have not previously had operational experience. This will allow women working in support staff positions in the fire service or from any other walk of life to work in the most senior positions in the fire service without having to "go up through the ranks".