Equality

I have noticed over recent years that the word equality along with the word diversity has become ingrained within our society, as have the words 'health and safety'. I personally do not think there is anything wrong with treating people equally and I will agree that we live in a diverse society. The problem I have is that the words equality and diversity have become an obsession, they have almost become a religion in themselves. I believe it is important to treat people fairly (I am sure none of us like to be treated unfairly), but how far do we take the whole equality issue?

What I have found over recent years is that within some parts of our society (particularly within the public sector) to state that someone is not equal to someone else is almost tantamount to heresy. The simple truth is we are all different, many people are not able to do certain things as well as others, that may seem obvious but for many people it isn't. One of the things the previous Government did was bring in targets. I don't think targets are a bad thing, but unfortunately the target has become the focus not the job they were supposed to be doing (I have touched on this subject before in a previous posting).

You might know that I am a firefighter, and I wanted to link this to my job and what can happen when people forget what the real focus should be.

As an organisation starts to focus on sexuality, gender and other issues this can bring big problems, especially within the fire service. We potentially have a very dangerous job, and when you go to an incident you want the best people possible who can deal with any given situation. When you start setting targets for the fire service this can become very dangerous, and this can put people’s lives at risk. Let me explain; let’s say the fire service has a recruitment drive and through due process find that the people that meet the requirements are 95% white male. Because the government have stated that a certain percentage of all new recruits have got to be women, the standard will have to be reduced e.g. in the area of strength and fitness. You can imagine how dangerous this could be. Remember, we do not sit in an office where there is no danger, our job by its very nature requires us to walk into very difficult and dangerous situations. You want the best person for the job, male or female.

Our job has become more technical, we have more equipment and many different appliances. You could work on a station which has 3 or 4 different machines and be on a station which has many different capabilities i.e. water rescue, working at height, specialist machines for car accidents, aerial ladder platforms/turn table ladders or the like. This is not an exhaustive list and really goes to show how technical our job is getting. Surely we as an organisation should be looking at whether someone is mechanically or technically minded (male or female) above whether or not someone fits a target set by a politician.

What I have found is that people never mention these things, because they are afraid to, they do not voice their concerns for fear of being accused of being a bigot and facing potential disciplinary action. But let me ask this question, if you were going in for a life saving operation who would you want to operate on you? A) A man B) A woman C) An ethnic minority D) The best person for the job. I suspect it would be D, and that is my point, when doing any job it is important that the person doing the job is the best candidate not someone who fits some politically correct motivated target.

Some people might be thinking what I am saying is we shouldn't employ women in the fire service, but that is not what I am saying. I have worked with some very good women fire fighters. The issue is whether or not that person can do the job or not, and this goes for any job. I am sure if you wanted some building work doing or your accounts looking at or your car fixed you would want someone who is capable of doing the job.

I have had this discussion with many people within the fire service and the majority of fire fighters agree (male or female). But what I find is that there is a certain group of people (usually those in management position, or those who are very career minded) who will agree with every diktat that comes from the Government or upper management. They never question anything in case it damages their career prospects; these are the reasons that are given for employing more women: "We have got to be more inclusive!" or "We have got to be representative of the community in which we serve!" So this means, regardless of the consequences we have got to increase our recruitment of women.

You might ask "surely the women have got to pass the same tests as the men?" And you would be right, but unfortunately the fitness and strength test is so pathetic now I think my 10 year old daughter could pass it. Let me give you an example of someone who passed the new national fire service fitness test. I worked with someone whose wife wanted to join the fire service, so before going for the proper test at our HQ she came to the station I worked at to have a run through of the fitness test. Let me describe her; she weighed approximately 22 stone, smoked, drank and by her own admission had done no exercise since she left school 16 years previously. Her house was 2 minutes slow walk from the station and every time she came down to the station to see her husband she drove, let me say this, she never walked anywhere. She passed the fitness test! I think this sums up all I am saying. As you may realise, my job can be dangerous and it requires both physical and mental strength. It is important for the general public to know that if they are in trouble we are capable of helping them. I am sure you wouldn't care who was helping you or your family as long as they were strong enough and fit enough to do so. This, I am sure you would agree is the most important thing about my job.

Obviously this is a personal example from my work, but it highlights something that is endemic throughout the public sector. This new Government have said they are going to get rid of targets, which I totally agree with. Ultimately what needs to happen is a wholesale change within our public sector and for people to focus on the job they are employed to do, rather than being led by those who are only focused on their next career move or an unrealistic policy set by faceless politically correct bureaucrats.