Scottish Fire and Rescue Service gripped by 'toxic' bullying crisis

One in five members of staff at Scotland’s fire service has reported witnessing or experiencing bullying, an internal survey found.

The research, conducted last year and released under freedom of information to ITV Border, found 21% of workers at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported being bullied themselves, or seeing other members of staff subjected to it.

But less than half – 45% – said they had reported their concerns to the service’s leadership.

Fire service staff told ITV of a “toxic” culture within the service.

The broadcaster spoke to a former staff member: 65-year-old Lynn Sweeney; who had a grievance against two managers upheld, but was signed off from work in the aftermath and did not return, ending her 18-year career with the service.

Signed off work after she claims the two managers became “extremely aggressive” at a fire station in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Mrs Sweeney said the impact of the situation had a lasting impact on her.

She said: “This didn’t just affect my job. It impacted on who I was as a person. And I didn’t want to become the person that I was becoming.

“I was always the strong one, the one that spoke up. I was always the go-to-person at home and outwith.

“And suddenly I was at the point where I didn’t want to drive, where my husband became a taxi driver.

“I didn’t want to go places where there were too many people or people I didn’t know. And I just wanted me back.”

A former firefighter – who wished to remain anonymous – said bullying and harassment, along with “immoral and unethical behaviours” had become “commonplace” in the service and especially in the senior ranks.

The fire service watchdog, HM Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland (HMFSI), is currently probing the service’s culture, with a provisional timetable on the inspectorate website suggesting final consultations are due to take place this month ahead of the report’s publication.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is unable to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality concerns, but in a statement, chief officer Stuart Stevens said a confidential service had been launched to allow colleagues to report issues anonymously, adding that bullying and harassment were “not tolerated” in the SFRS.

“One of my top priorities is to improve the culture and leadership within the service and we are committed to creating a workplace where all staff are treated with dignity and respect.

“Getting this right is a priority. We have developed an action plan with colleagues and trade union representatives and considered sector wide lessons learned.

“We undertook an employee survey last year to understand more about their experiences of working here.

“Almost one in three colleagues participated and we are using that information to make improvements.

“We are co-operating fully with HMFSI on its inspection on our culture and we will act on any recommendations brought forward.”

Community safety minister Siobhian Brown said: “Bullying and harassment is unacceptable in any circumstances and any allegations must be taken very seriously.

“While staffing and disciplinary procedures are a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board, I am clear that all employees should act in line with the values and behaviours expected of everyone in the service, and I welcome the chief fire officer’s commitment to a workplace where all staff are treated with dignity and respect.”