This survey is now closed, thank you to everyone who took part.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is committed to inclusion through promoting equality and diversity for all our employees and the wider community. This is more than just a statement – it’s about how we can work towards the society we want to see, both within and outside of our organisation.

To promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our organisation, in 2018, we set a series of objectives, which we consulted staff and the public on.

At the time of the creation of the initial EDI Objectives, our EDI Forum recommended that our objectives should focus on the broad areas of inclusiveness, leadership, knowing our communities and culture. It was agreed that the review period for the equality objectives will align to the term of the RBFRS People Strategy subject to a maximum of four years to ensure compliance with the Equality Act.

Therefore, four years on, the objectives have been reviewed and further developed in consultation with the EDI Forum and subsequently the Senior Leadership Team to ensure we continue to prioritise supporting and making a positive difference to the communities we serve.

We would now like to hear your views on our proposed objectives, as part of a public consultation will run for 5 weeks, closing at 9am on Monday, 4 April. 

Increasing the diversity of staff at all levels: We recognise the value that a diverse workforce brings and will take action to increase the diversity of job applicants, seeking individuals with the right behaviours and skills to help us reflect and engage with our local communities.

Leadership and corporate commitment: We will support our organisational leaders to understand their role in tackling inequalities and demonstrating inclusive behaviours, in line with our Behavioural Competency Framework. This commitment means we will be strong and visible in our leadership and ensure that all staff and members of our local communities have confidence in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Improving our service delivery by creating strong links with our community: We will connect and communicate with our diverse local community to develop meaningful and sustainable links, which help us to increase our understanding of their needs. We will ensure that we tailor our prevention, protection and response activities accordingly and target the most vulnerable people with the greatest risk.

Creating an inclusive culture of equality and diversity. We will take action to ensure we have a culture where everyone feels valued and is treated with dignity and respect, and support all staff to contribute to the creation of an inclusive working environment.

To take part in the consultation, you can:

• Complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KQ9TT89
• Email – consultations@rbfrs.co.uk
• Write – Chloe Duncan,
  EDI Co-ordinator
  Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue
  Newsham Court
  Pincents Kiln
  Reading
  Berkshire
  RG31 7SD

Wayne Bowcock, Chief Fire Officer, said: “Ensuring an inclusive culture underpinned by Equality and diversity is a priority for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. We recognise the value that a diverse workforce brings and will take action to increase the diversity of job applicants, seeking individuals with the right behaviours and skills to help us reflect and engage with our local communities.

“It is by connecting and communicating with our local communities, that we will be able to develop meaningful and sustainable links, which help us to increase our understanding of their needs”.

“We believe it is important that the people affected by our work have a say in how we deliver it and we welcome all responses to this consultation from all members of the community.”

We will use the information and feedback that we gather from this consultation to finalise our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion objectives for 2022- 2026. The objectives will be published on our website and a report to summarise the findings of this consultation and explain how we have used the feedback will be made publicly available. 

Thank you for your time.